Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 01-27-13, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE HAS BEEN FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING

(A biblical refection on the 3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, 27 January 2013)

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

First Reading: Neh 8:2-6,8-10; Psalms: Ps 19:8-10,15; Second Reading: 1Cor 12:12-30

The Scripture Text

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us, just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theopilus, that you may know the truth concerning the things of which you have been informed.

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and a report concerning Him went out through all the surrounding country. And He taught in their synagoues, being glorified by all.

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and He went to the synagogue, as His custom was, on the sabbath day. And He stood up to read; and there was given to Him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” And He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21 RSV)

Coming to Nazareth, Jesus went to the synagogue on the sabbath. He stood up to read and was given the book of Isaiah. He chose a familiar passage, one that the people probably could have recited by heart, for it echoed their longing for the Messiah to come and set them free. Little did they know that the one they longed for was standing right in front of them!

Jesus identified Himself as the Messiah, the one who was anointed by the Holy Spirit to set God’s people free from sin. He stood in their midst as the Good News Himself, come to the “poor” who are all in need of salvation. He brought healing through His words and His touch, and the Father’s blessing rained down on all who accepted Him.

Just as Jesus stood before His townsfolk in the synagogue that day, so He stands before each of us and says, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21). Do we recognize Him? Can we take our eyes off ourselves and look to Jesus, our hope? Each day, He offers us the same work of the Holy Spirit that He offered to the greatest of saints in our heritage.

Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in us to bring us freedom from sin and intimacy with God our Father. He has come to heal our hearts and our bodies. He has come to reveal to us the love of the Father. He has come to fill us with joy in the midst of trials. He offers us all His wisdom and His strength as we seek to please the Lord. As the Holy Spirit fills us more and more, He can flow through us out to the world around us, giving us authority over sin and evil not only in us but around us.

Short Prayer: Holy Spirit, God, we are amazed that You would come to live inside of us! We open our hearts to You and ask You to work in us and through us. Thank You for Your love, Your healing, and Your power. Amen

A Christian Pilgrim

GOD-NEWS FOR THE POOR

(A biblical refection on the 3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, 27 January 2013)

First Reading: Neh 8:2-6,8-10; Psalms: Ps 19:8-10,15; Second Reading: 1Cor 12:12-30; Gospel Reading: Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Behind every movement is an inspiring vision (even if it is not always articulated), from which it draws its day-to-day energy. Jesus proclaimed His ministry as the Lord’s year of favor. Shortly before that He had Himself been confirmed in the Father’s favor, called “My beloved Son.” Now, out of that vision and in the power of the Holy Spirit, He had news of God, that is God-news, for the poor. And we are all of us poor and captive in some way. His mission was to be a time of proclaiming God’s love: a time to show the smile of God’s favor towards people. This God-news is that God is on our side and totally prejudiced in our favor, liberating people from all sorts of captivity and unseeing.

Jesus liberated people from the grip of illness and handicap. Many restrictions of bodily health and fitness are rooted in illness of the spirit. The inner world has to be healed before the outer complaint will go. The compassion of God that came through Jesus enabled many to let go in the utter confidence that they found in Him. He drew faith out of them and often told them that their faith had been their saving.

Nothing will paralyze religious growth as much as a guilt complex. Luke particularly highlights the vision of the mercy of God that Jesus portrayed. The desire of Jesus to be close to sinners shattered many religious preconceptions. And stories that He told were a powerful invitation to step out of the paralysis of guilt towards a God who wanted to offer welcome and forgiveness.

Another source of captivity is anxiety. It has tentacles that strangle you any time you want to get up and move. Jesus spoke of God as a Father whose care could be relied on. His vision released people from that anxiety which makes thought of the future a constant source of terror.

Then there are those who are suffocated by the imperfection of their own efforts. To them Jesus spoke about the patience of God who understands the mix of weeds and wheat, who enjoys the oddities in the fishing net. He invited the perfectionists of life to step out from their antiseptic homes where everything has to be perfect, into the fresh air of nature, where nothing is perfect but there is beauty in the oddness of things and in the crazy balance of nature.

Jesus proclaimed a Kingdom where God is the Father of all and there must be no enemies for all are brothers and sisters. He called on all who were prisoners of anger, aggressiveness and vengeance to let go of the need to feel superior to others. Letting go is like learning to cycle or to swim. As long as the body is tensed up and rigid it won’t happen. One has to learn to relax to the balance in movement of the bike, or begin to experience the sea as a supporting millieu, before it can be enjoyed.

Jesus taught people to relax in the smile of God’s favor …… and they found that they could let go of their chains. What a day of liberation it is when you discover that the chains around you really have no lock on them except the rigidity of your own grip! Once you le go …… they fall off.

Jesus brought God-news to the poor, the news that God is loving, caring, compassionate and forgiving, because He favors us. If I am privileged to savor this God-news, then the challenge arises: to what extent do I pass on this portrait of God’s favor to others?

Not so much by words, which may be pious but hollow, as by what I am. A question to live with – what is the God-news proclaimed by my life to others today?

Note: Taken from Silvester O’Flynn OFMCap., THE GOOD NEWS OF LUKE’S YEAR, Dublin, Ireland: CATHEDRAL BOOKS, 1994, pages 123-124.

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for January 27, 2013:

“If one part [of the body] is honored, all the parts share its joy.” (1 Corinthians 12:26) Bodies are complicated and we humans can be embarrassed by some parts and proud of others. What about your beloved’s physical appearance do you find especially attractive?

Sunday Scripture Study

Scripture Study
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time—Cycle C

Opening prayer

Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 (Psalm 19:8-10, 15) 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21

Overview of the Gospel:

• This Sunday’s reading starts at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel (Chapter 1) and concludes in Chapter 4,

skipping over the Infancy Narratives and Jesus’ baptism (which we looked at during Advent) and his temptation in the wilderness (which we will be looking at during Lent).

• Luke emphasizes in the prologue to his Gospel (verses 1-4) the reasons he wrote, and the care with which he compiled the information, and the reliability of his sources.

• After he has preached and performed miracles in other parts of Judea, Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth. No doubt his reputation as a preacher and miracle worker preceded him and his fellow townsfolk were curious to see what sort of things he would say and do.

• Called upon to read the Scripture and make commentary in the local synagogue on the Sabbath, Jesus applies the messianic announcement of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2) to himself. Rather than seeing the miracles they had heard of him performing elsewhere, he announces to them the Kingdom of God. Next week, we will see their surprising reaction to that announcement.

Questions:

• What do you learn from verses 1-4 about Luke? About the reason he wrote his Gospel? About his sources? Who might these sources have been? Why is it important to seek out reliable and authoritative sources for learning our about our Faith?

• Compare verses 14 and 18 with Luke 3:21 and Luke 4:1. What is the common element in each of these verses? What does it tell you about the source of Jesus’ power?

• What is significant about the time, the place, and the posture taken by Jesus in this story (verses 16 and 21-22) for his reading from the prophet Isaiah?

• What is Jesus’ five-fold mission (verses 18-19)? How did Jesus fulfill it then? How is he fulfilling it now? How do we take part in Jesus’ mission (see Second Reading)?

• In the First Reading, what were some of the reactions of the people has they heard the Law read and explained to them? What is our reaction to hearing God’s Word proclaimed?

• What expectations stirred in the people as a result of Jesus’ claim (verses 21-22)? Based on this reading, what expectations about Jesus fill your heart?

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 436, 695, 713-14, 1286, 2443

Closing prayer

Those who are led by the Holy Spirit have true ideas; that is why so many ignorant people are wiser than the learned. The Holy Spirit is light and strength. -St. John Vianney

Jesus is Misjudged

Pastor’s Column

3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 27, 2013

“He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,

and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day.

(from Luke 1:1-21)

When I was young, I had a friend who invited me to his Bar Mitzvah at his local synagogue, a Jewish coming-of-age ritual that occurs around age 13. I was amazed to find that my friend was invited to the front of the large room, where he read from a Torah scroll and then gave a teaching in front of the whole congregation! My friend later went on to become a Rabbi in Israel. I am so grateful to him for opening my eyes to the riches of Judaism!

Jesus went through just such a ritual in his own time, and this entitled him to address the congregation. Jesus went to the local synagogue, as was his custom. One can imagine Jesus and his parents, faithfully attending synagogue every Sabbath. As he grew older, Jesus exercised the trade he learned from St Joseph, carpentry. More specifically, he would have been not just a worker in wood, but more accurately, a construction worker, what we would call a blue-collar job. Jesus must have been seen often doing construction jobs for his neighbors over the years, without ever giving them a hint as to his powers of speaking!

In our gospel this Sunday and the one that follows it, the congregation is deeply impressed by Jesus’ words. They also are offended by him! They think they know Jesus because he grew up there. They thought: How can this construction worker be acting like the messiah? He’s great at fixing my roof, but he doesn’t have anything to teach me about God. Not only does the town end up rejecting Jesus, but they lead him to a hill to toss him off!

Here we see one of God’s normative patterns in our lives: Jesus often comes to us in surprising ways, often through people or circumstances we may have pre-judged negatively. Of course, if Jesus’ neighbors hadn’t put him in a box they might have been more open to his message. This is precisely the test that we often face: how did I treat the people around me today, each of whom represents Christ in some way? Did I hear the Holy Spirit speaking through persons or situations that I may have mis-judged or are not open to hearing? This is often precisely how God works, so that we might grow in openness to the Spirit.

God is waiting to speak to us through the inconvenient or someone we may be prejudiced against, a relative we have dismissed because of some disagreement, a stranger we encounter, a crisis we cannot avoid, a person who is of a different faith or political party. If we are a conservative Catholic, he may speak through a liberal; if we are liberal, he may speak through a conservative! It is much too easy to put people in little boxes and dismiss them, but then we often miss God’s greatest gifts to us: Jesus in disguise, who loves challenging us.

Father Gary

St. Paul Center Blog

New Day Dawns: Scott Hahn Reflects on the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Times

Posted by Nate Roberts on 01.25.13 |

Nehemiah 8:2-6,10
Psalms 19:8-10,15
1 Corinthians 12:12-30
Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21

The meaning of today’s Liturgy is subtle and many-layered.

We need background to understand what’s happening in today’s First Reading.

Babylon having been defeated, King Cyrus of Persia decreed that the exiled Jews could return home to Jerusalem. They rebuilt their ruined temple (see Ezra 6:15-17) and under Nehemiah finished rebuilding the city walls (see Nehemiah 6:15).

The stage was set for the renewal of the covenant and the re-establishment of the Law of Moses as the people’s rule of life. That’s what’s going on in today’s First Reading, as Ezra reads and interprets (see Nehemiah 8:8) the Law and the people respond with a great “Amen!”

Israel, as we sing in today’s Psalm, is rededicating itself to God and His Law. The scene seems like the Isaiah prophecy that Jesus reads from in today’s Gospel.

Read all of Isaiah 61. The “glad tidings” Isaiah brings include these promises: the liberation of prisoners (61:1); the rebuilding of Jerusalem, or Zion (61:3-4; see also Isaiah 60:10); the restoration of Israel as a kingdom of priests (61:6; Exodus 19:6) and the forging of an everlasting covenant (61:8; Isaiah 55:3). It sounds a lot like the First Reading.

Jesus, in turn, declares that Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in Him. The Gospel scene, too, recalls the First Reading. Like Ezra, Jesus stands before the people, is handed a scroll, unrolls it, then reads and interprets it (compare Luke 4:16-17,21 and Nehemiah 8:2-6,8-10).

We witness in today’s Liturgy the creation of a new people of God. Ezra started reading at dawn of the first day of the Jewish new year (see Leviticus 23:24). Jesus too proclaims a “sabbath,” a great year of Jubilee, a deliverance from slavery to sin, a release from the debts we owe to God (see Leviticus 25:10).

The people greeted Ezra “as one man.” And, as today’s Epistle teaches, in the Spirit the new people of God - the Church - is made “one body” with Him.

3rd Sunday: A Mission Impossible?

The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/012713.cfm

Nh 8: 2-4a, 5-6, 9-10

1 Cor 12: 12-30
Lk 1: 1-4; 4: 14-21

Many of us may remember the 1960’s television thriller called “Mission Impossible.” Certainly we all know of the most recent Hollywood take offs on this same show – aka Tom Cruise who starred in the recent movie versions by the same name.

The main premise began with a secret government agent (Mr. Phelps) and a tape recorder which would explain the mission he was to accept. It would imply danger and covert activity to find and eliminate the bad guys which always led to the use of technological wonders in his mission. The agent was reminded: “Your mission, should you decide to accept it . . . “then would go on to describe that secret mission. At the end of the description, the tape destroyed itself in a matter of seconds with a puff of smoke in order to eliminate any evidence this agent was offered.

The first point of the spy thriller was that an agent was chosen, made an offer and the mission itself would prove to be both dangerous and exciting. In the end what seemed impossible considering the odds would eventually prove once again that good guys win! I don’t recall hearing if the agent ever rejected the mission he was offered.

This Sunday we hear of another potential mission impossible. Jesus appears at the beginning of his ministry after a period of travel around Galilee and, as was his custom, he enters the synagogue of Nazareth his home town one Saturday, the Sabbath. There he stands up to read, is handed a tape recorder (no a scroll of the prophet Isaiah actually) and reads of his mission:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor . . . to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord . . .” (Lk 4: 18-19). Will he accept this mission from God?

Jesus well knew by this time that he was called and sent, assigned as it were, to fulfill a mission greater than any other ever given. Our first reading from the book of Nehemiah speaks of a scene where the prophet Ezra reads the word of God to the people who reacted by weeping for they may have recognized in the sacred law their own unfaithfulness. So too did the crowds in the synagogue react impressively to Jesus’ own word. Unlike the people who heard the prophet Ezra read to them of a law separate from himself, however, Jesus’ reading of the prophet Isaiah became his own fulfillment.

He had been baptized in the Jordan; the Spirit appeared and compels him to go, as Luke makes the point in his Gospel today. In this reading of the prophet Isaiah, he proclaims to the assembled community, many who knew him as a former resident of Nazareth. Many knew his mother Mary and presumed father, Joseph: “Today, the Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Lk 4: 21).

For the early Christians of St. Luke’s time, as he writes at the beginning of his Gospel today, he wants to assure his hearers to, “. . . have certainty of the teachings you have received . . .” (Lk 1: 1). It is nearly fifty years since Jesus appeared by now, many of the eye witnesses of Jesus have died, and it is essential as the Christian body grows that they have a record of who Jesus is and the mission he was to accomplish. How they as believers can be “certain” that their faith is based in the Apostles teaching which is founded upon Christ Jesus and his mission – impossible though it may have seemed at times.

What was it about Jesus tone of voice, posture, gestures, or his facial expression that so impressed his crowd? I have always wondered and have come to believe there is no doubt Jesus’ presence was indeed charismatic. Not in the way we speak of sports heroes, Presidents or Movie stars being “charismatic” but about him must have been a spiritual presence which convinced the crowds he was either all he claimed to be or he was mad and delusional. Both opinions circulated about him which made his mission at times seem controversial if not nearly up against impossible odds.

In this Gospel today, which comes shortly after Jesus’ baptism by John, Jesus in a sense gives it all he’s got. In essence he says, “This is who I am; this is my mission,” and we can embrace his good news or reject it.

Jesus preaches not in a fashioned hell fire and brimstone manner but in a way that promises good news – the Gospel. He speaks being sent by the Spirit as the anointed one (Messianic imagery) to bring good news, to proclaim liberty, recovery of sight, and freedom for the oppressed, and to proclaim a year of favor. This is good news!

In our own call to mission we carry on this same good news. More and more today the message of the Church is pushed aside – why? Does it make many uncomfortable? It is too challenging? Out of touch? Too unrealistic and old fashioned? Yet the Church is about good news.

Our teachings on the dignity of the human person, on respect for freedom of religious expression, on the sanctity of marriage between a man and woman and the fundamental balance in family life, about the option for the poor and marginalized, and the defense of the vulnerable and the defenseless is good news.

Yes, we have been labeled as bigoted, narrow minded, authoritarian, and absolutist. But the position of the Church is to guard what has been revealed to us as absolute truth. To “stand in the synagogue” as it were and proclaim what God has revealed to humanity. In the midst of today’s culture, as Jesus did, we don’t pound people senseless with the message or use threatening tactics and lay upon the faithful unreasonable laws and regulations. In the end the good news is announced and all are invited to embrace what is proposed.

Our celebration of the Eucharist calls us to unity as the Body of Christ we hear in the second reading. In the gathering each Sunday we see visible what God has done and how we are all called to live lives of holiness and proclaim that the same Spirit which compelled Jesus to carry out his mission, also carries out that same mission of Christ in and through us.

This Sunday we may want to ask ourselves what about the mission of Jesus seemed impossible at times. What about my mission as a Catholic Christian feels impossible? What sort of odds am I up against?

This past week we marked the terrible decision of the Supreme Court from 1973 which made the evil of abortion rampant across this County. To date nearly 55 million unborn children have been eliminated. That is almost the total population of New York and California combined!

How am I fulfilling the mission of the Church, which is the mission of Jesus himself? In the end we believe that with God nothing is impossible.

Insight Scoop

“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, January 27, 2013 | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15
1 Cor 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27
Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the restoration of the Jews to the promised land following the Babylonian exile (c. 587-538 B.C.). The many years spent by the dislocated people of God in Babylon had a profound effect on the attitude and identity of the Jewish people. It is estimated that of the two to three million Jews given permission to return home, less than 50,000 took up the offer.

As Peter Kreeft notes in his book, You Can Understand the Bible, “We usually prefer comfort to freedom. Life in Babylon had been comparatively easy, but the trek to Jerusalem was 900 miles long … Not only that, but once they arrived, they faced a ruined land, city, and temple, along with the formidable task of rebuilding” (Ignatius Press, 2005; p. 68).

As today’s reading from Nehemiah describes, it was not just a physical rebuilding; in fact, the heart of the restoration was spiritual, religious, and liturgical. The people had to hear anew the book of the law and relearn the meaning and purpose of the law. The law shaped and defined the Jewish people, for it oriented them toward God and showed who they were in relation to him. Hearing the words read by the prophet Ezra, the people gave their assent and praise: “‘Amen, amen!’ Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD.”

Fast forward a few hundred years to a small synagogue in Nazareth. The setting was significant The exact origin of the synagogue (meaning “house of assembly”) as a regular place of Jewish gathering is unknown, but some scholars believe it can be located in the Babylonian exile, when synagogues were needed as places of worship for Jews so far removed from the Jerusalem temple. During the time of Christ, the synagogue was an established place for reading and teaching the law and the prophets.

St. Luke describes, in today’s Gospel, how Jesus “went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day.” The young man appeared to be just one of many ordinary, devout Jews. To those who heard Jesus read from the prophet Isaiah, he was simply the son of a carpenter (Lk. 4: 22). But he was not long removed from being baptized in the Jordan and being tested in the desert; he was ready to embark upon his public ministry. And that ministry began and was marked throughout by the proclamation of God’s word—after all, every utterance of Jesus was a proclamation of that word by the Word, the Incarnate logos.

Like Ezra, he was a priest and he spoke as a prophet. Like Ezra, he unrolled the scroll and he read from the law and the prophets. Yet, whatever the similarities, the essential differences are summed up in his concluding words: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” Ezra, Isaiah, and all of the other prophets told the people to worship, love, and obey God; Jesus said the same, but also made it known that he was God (cf. Jn. 8:54-59). His priesthood was singular; his words were uniquely authoritative. The passage from Isaiah was fulfilled because the word of God had gone forth—not merely from the mouth of a human prophet, but into the world as the word who had assumed human nature: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth…” (Jn 1:14).

The ministry of Christ—the anointed one—was to proclaim glad tidings to the poor, grant liberty to captives, give sight to the blind, and free the oppressed. This is true restoration from the ancient exile of both Jews and Gentiles in the land of sin and darkness. Every man is invited by the Messiah to leave the land of sin and enter the promised rest. “He set the captives free,” wrote Cyril of Jerusalem, “having overthrown the tyrant Satan, he shed the divine and spiritual light on those whose heart was darkened.”

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the January 24, 20120, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

Regnum Christi

Bringing Good News

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come to discover you more deeply today. I believe that you are really present in your word. I trust that you guide my life. I love you for taking the initiative to look for me by your Incarnation.

Petition: Lord, fill me with the joy of your presence.

1. Telling the Story: The Gospels tell us the truth about Jesus Christ: his life, teachings, death and resurrection. In Jesus Christ, God has personally become involved in human history. He has come to make a path to eternal union with the Father. We can thank Our Lord for becoming man and strengthening the relationship between God and man. We should read the Gospels with reverence and take seriously Christ’s invitation to become his followers.

2. Glad Tidings to the Poor: All of us are poor in God’s eyes. We all need his grace, friendship and mercy. Our spiritual neediness is a source of blessings. Christ has come to enrich each of us with the presence of his love, the love of the Father for his children. When we are in need, we can turn with confidence to Christ. We can learn from him how to make our life fruitful. Do I turn to him in confidence in my needs? Do I allow the greatness of his presence in my heart to fill me with joy?

3. A Year Acceptable to the Lord: For three short years Jesus walked among the people of Palestine. How many people really discovered him for who he was? We, too, have only a short time to come to know the Lord. Our human existence is short. Jesus gives us many ways to come into contact with him: his word in Scripture, the sacraments, the good example of other Christians, the providential circumstances of our life, etc. Christ is present for the asking. Do I attempt to discover him more deeply each day?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank you for singling me out. I know that you give me many ways to discover you. Help me to look for you more this day through the eyes of faith. I want to commit to following you.

Resolution: Today I will review my New Year’s resolutions and work on abiding by one in a particular way.

One Bread, One Body

<< Sunday, January 27, 2013 >>

3rd Sunday Ordinary Time

Nehemiah 8:2-6, 8-10
1 Corinthians 12:12-30
View Readings

Psalm 19:8-10, 15
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

GUESS WHAT HAPPENED AT CHURCH TODAY?

"...entering the synagogue on the sabbath as He was in the habit of doing..." —Luke 4:16

For nearly thirty years, Jesus had habitually entered the synagogue on the Sabbath to worship God (Lk 4:16). Then, on one special Sabbath day, the time "of favor" came (Lk 4:19). On that day, the Holy Spirit anointed and sent Jesus out, Scriptures were fulfilled, Jesus prophesied in power, and was nearly killed (Lk 4:23ff).

Since Jesus is the same today as He was then (Heb 13:8), He is working in power today, His day, the Lord's Day. Therefore, we should never be comfortable and complacent walking into Church; rather, we should approach "the liturgy of the Lord" (Acts 13:2) with trembling, anticipation, reverence, and awe. At any moment, in any Mass, the Spirit may explode and an international, earthshaking ministry could be born (see Lk 4:18; Acts 13:2). Great healings (Acts 20:7-12) or life-changing revelations (Lk 24:30-32) might occur. Miracles will occur, as bread and wine are being transformed into the body and blood of Jesus, Who is God. The proclaimed Scriptures will be fulfilled in the lives of many today as Jesus comes alive in their hearts and sets them free (Lk 4:18).

Today is the Lord's Day, "the first of all days" (Catechism, 2174). "Today is holy to the Lord" (Neh 8:9). Today the Holy Spirit anoints you (Lk 4:18). Expect today's Mass to be charged with power as Jesus makes all things new (Rv 21:5) — today.

Prayer: Jesus, may I never be so "familiar" with You that I become like the people of Nazareth and fail to see You as God.

Promise: "You, then, are the body of Christ. Every one of you is a member of it." —1 Cor 12:27

Praise: Praise You, risen Jesus, "the Resurrection and the Life" (Jn 11:25). All life, all holiness comes from You. Alleluia!

Archdiocese of Washington

Jan31

The Challenge of Being the Adult in the Room

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

We live in times and in a culture where maturity is often significantly delayed. In fact there are many in our culture who never grow up. I have argued elsewhere that one paradigm of our culture is to that it is fixated on teenage years. Fixation is a psychological description of a person who has not successfully navigated one of the stages of infancy and youth and thus remains stuck in the thinking and patterns of that stage, to one degree or another. Out culture’s fixation on teenage issues and attitudes is manifest in some of the following:

Irrational aversion to authority
Refusal to use legitimately use the authority one has
Titillation and irresponsibility regarding sexuality
General irresponsibility and a lack of personal accountability
Demanding all of one’s rights but avoiding most of one’s responsibilities
Blaming others for one’s own personal failings
Being dominated by one’s emotions and carried away easily by the passions
Obsession with fairness evidenced by the frequent cry, “It’s not fair!”
Expecting others and government agencies to do for me what I should do for myself
Aversion to instruction
Irrational rejection of the wisdom of elders and tradition
Obsession with being and looking young, aversion to becoming or appearing old
Lack of respect for elders
Obsession with having thin and young looking bodies
Glorification of irresponsible teenage idols
Inordinate delay of marriage, widespread preference for the single life

Now it is true that some of the things above have proper adult version. For example, the “obsession with fairness” matures and becomes a commitment to work for justice. Aversion to authority can be matured to a healthy and respectful insistence that those in authority be accountable to those they serve. And so forth. You may choose to take issue with one of more of the above and you may wish to add some distinctions. It is also a fact that not every teenager has all the issues listed above. All that is fine, but the point here is that the culture in which we live seems stuck on a lot of teenage attitudes and maturity is significantly delayed on account of it.

Some may also allege a kind of arrogance in my description of our culture as teenage. I accept that it is a less than flattering portrait of our culture and welcome your discussion of it. But I ask, if you reject the image of “teenage,” how would you describe our culture? Do you think that we live in an overall healthy and mature culture?

The Call to Maturity and the role of the Church – In the midst of all this is the expectation of the God through his Scriptures that we grow up, that we come to maturity, to the fullness of faith, to an adult faith. Further, the Church is expected, as an essential part of her ministry, to bring this about in us through God’s grace.

In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul has this to say:

And [Christ] gave some as Apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming. Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ(Eph 4:11-15)

Coming to maturity is a basic task in the Christian walk. We are expected grow and come to an adult faith. The Letter to the Hebrews has something very similar to say:

You are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Heb 5:11-14)

Notice that the Ephesians text says that Christ has given Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones unto this. The Church is thus expected in a certain sense to be “the adult in the room.” She is to summon us to live responsible, mature lives. She summons us to be accountable before others, to be sober, serious, and deeply respectful of God’s authority over us by living lives that are obedient to the faith. She teaches us, by God’s grace, to master our emotions and gain authority over our passions. She holds forth for us the wisdom of tradition and teachings of the Scriptures and insists on reverence for these. She insists on correct doctrine and (as the text from Ephesians says) that we no longer be infants, tossed by the waves of the latest fads and stinking thinking, and that we not be swept along by every wind of false teaching arising from human illusions. We are to be stable and mature in our faith and judge the world by it.

Yes, the Church has the rather unpleasant but necessary task of being the adult in the room when the world is mired in things teenage and will often exhibit aversion to authority, rules, and cry out that orthodox teaching is “unfair” or “old fashioned.”

But here we encounter something of an internal problem. For the Church has faced the grave temptation to “put on jeans” and adopt the teenage fixations. Sadly, not all leaders in the Church have taken seriously their obligation to “equip the holy ones for the work of ministry….until we all attain to the unity of faith and….to mature manhood and the…..full stature of Christ.” Preferring popularity to the negative cries of how one or more Biblical teaching is “unfair!,” many teachers and pastors of the faith have succumbed to the temptation to water down the faith and to tolerate grave immaturity on the part of fellow Catholics.

It would seem that things are improving but we have a long way to go in terms of vigorously reasserting the call to maturity within the Church. Corruptio optimi pessima- the corruption of the best, is the worst. Clergy and other Church leaders, catechists and teachers, must insist on their own personal maturity and hold each other accountable in attaining to it. We must fulfill our role of equipping the faithful unto mature faith by first journeying to an adult faith ourselves.

The Church does not simply include clergy and religious. Lay people must also take up their proper role as mature, adult Christians active in renewing the temporal order. Many already have done this magnificently. More must follow and be formed in this regard. Our culture is in need of well-formed Christians to restore a greater maturity, sobriety and responsibility to our culture.

By God’s grace we are called to be the adult in the room.

http://resources.sainteds.com/showmedia.asp?media=../sermons/homily/2013-1-27-Homily%20Fr%20Gary.mp3&ExtraInfo=0&BaseDir=../sermons/homily

January 27, 2013

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15

Reading 2 1 Cor 12:12-30