In our readings today, there is a theme of submission and truth that we need to be very aware of. In our culture today, the word submission is not a popular one, we bristle at the notion. Yet, in terms of our Lord, it is a wholly appropriate position for us to take. This is the God of the universe who created all things, and who gave Himself for us, He is certainly deserving of our love and submission. Truth is another area that is in a state of turmoil for many in society. There are many who claim to subscribe to the truth, yet they make it a moving target to acquire since they claim it to be a relative value. This is both incorrect, and arrogant on the part of those who make this claim, as they are usually the same ones who try to promote their own version of what truth is. They may leave just enough of a veneer of actual truth to make their own message more palatable to others, but the end message is still just as corrupt, and such statements serve Satan’s purposes well.

Our Gospel today demonstrates just how this kind of relative truth can be used to achieve the agenda of someone whose motives are corrupt. Satan tries to tempt our Lord three times using what initially appears to be an innocent suggestion and ending up at the last even quoting scripture in an act of desperation to try to convince our Lord Jesus to break the most fundamental of God’s commands – to love, serve, and worship Him alone. This is the modus operandi that is still so prevalent today. Those who seek to corrupt the truth will start with requests for what initially appear to be benevolent and kind actions, and in the end, will try to press their agenda through any means necessary when they are either desperate enough or emboldened enough through previous successes in manipulating opinion that they no longer feel the need to maintain a veneer of propriety.

This past Wednesday evening, like many people I watched the president’s State of the Union address, and I liked much of what I heard, there seemed to be a genuinely caring interest in improving the lives of the people of this country. It was all sounding very good until at the end he felt compelled to bring up the topic of Roe v. Wade being under attack, and how there was a need to combat this to ensure that women’s rights to healthcare were maintained. He never actually used the term abortion in his comments, but instead tried to portray that piece of horrible legislation as something it is not – something beneficial and empowering to women. While it is true that some of the organizations involved which benefit from Roe v. Wade may also provide some token level of women’s healthcare services (which are also available from many other healthcare providers), to be sure, that is not their area of focus – they are primarily oriented toward profiting from the killing of children – period. The leader of this nation, and someone who professes to be a Catholic, inserted this fundamental lie into what was otherwise a grouping of very benevolent and appropriate agendas. Yet in the end, all the actual positive rhetoric was eclipsed by a lie that was about what is perhaps the greatest evil of our time, with the result being eighty million of the most vulnerable among dead so far, and who will never have the chance to benefit from any of the other positive agenda’s that were mentioned. This was a stark example of how corruptive manipulated truth can be destructive, but it is far from being an isolated instance. We are pelted every day with marketing that tries to drive us toward unnecessary debt, which will result in generating desperation to pay for it. This, in turn, drives us toward time and focus taken away from our families, time that could otherwise have been spent in loving and guiding those around us so that we promote and produce stability, love, and intimacy that will keep our families together and on a path toward producing quality members of society. We see other seemingly benevolent agendas put forth by those who sometimes claim oppression and begin by promoting what they term as simple acceptance and equality. To be sure, no one should be oppressed or compromised because of their personal beliefs. However, when that ask for basic human acceptance turns into a demand to have their particular agenda accepted as truth by all and then promoted as an accepted norm, we have crossed the line from the promotion of actual fairness and truth to the forcing of an agenda that is rooted in flawed human desire. This is the danger of depending on our own perception of truth, rather than submitting our own will to that of God and accepting the truth which has always existed, and which has been proven time and again to be truly infallible.

For all the effort that we put into developing our own ideologies to address the issues of our times, which is certainly a worthwhile use of the gift of intellect that has been granted us by our Creator, and which He rightly expects us to not waste. We still can’t seem to grasp the notion of humbly weighing all that we develop against what we know to be perfect in truth and to test our own limited capacity against that to prevent error. It is as if we feel they must remain mutually exclusive, which has never been the case and is an arrogance which only serves the enemy. We are children of God, and there is certainly nothing denigrating or condescending in that title. It is one of high honor and should never be viewed otherwise, as it tells us of a truly royal lineage. Yet as part of this lineage, we are still called to be humble enough to acknowledge our limitations, submit our uncertainties and ourselves, and follow a truth that we know to be perfect.   

Podcast Link

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-expny-11c3935

In our first reading, a fundamental truth is brought forth; if we listen to others, we can learn a great deal about their true nature. Words spoken casually and without premeditation can speak volumes to us about the one speaking so. This is equally true when we catch ourselves in our own speech, and perhaps question some of our own feelings and motivations that may sometimes come out when we are pressed on an issue. If we are wise, and we find that we do not like what we hear, it calls then for us to go deep into introspection and determine the source of our comments, just as we would try to delve deeper into another’s motivations for comments made by them that we might find concerning. The tongue can oftentimes, when not guarded by intention, can provide a fount of information about the true nature of the one speaking. Therefore, it is important that we control this humble, yet powerful appendage, and not let it damage others or their perception of ourselves. Those who make their living by use of the spoken word (especially in public office), would do well to be especially careful, yet it is often the case that these are the ones whose arrogance and self-image leave them feeling falsely protected from the need for caution. Yet for the rest of us, this flaw can provide what we need to protect ourselves from being led astray by their ideals.

In our Gospel today, we hear of the caution of the blind leading the blind, and the potential peril this can leave both the leader and follower in. I find it interesting how these readings are paired together today, as there is a caution in each that I find complimentary between them. In our evaluation of others and ourselves, we need to consider whether the one speaking is worth following in terms of their advice, or in a more introspective sense, are we espousing ideas that are beneficial to others, or are we perhaps in danger of leading others astray by our words. In the latter instance in particular we could have much to answer for, yet also in the former in that God expects us to use the intellect He gave us to evaluate and make the best decisions we can about whose counsel we consider, or perhaps follow. The litmus test for each is actually quite simple – how does any of this align (or not) with what our Lord’s teachings are. This should always be our defacto consideration for anything we ponder along these lines.

When we put all that we are exposed to in terms of ideas, teachings, or personal positions on any topic into the light cast by Jesus’ teachings to see them in this revealing illumination, we do well. We are fallible, corruptible beings given our fallen nature, so by definition we are ill-equipped to go it alone. We need to instead have our corruptibility clad with the incorruptible grace that only God can provide. If we need any further convincing of this, we need only ask ourselves how well we have fared when we did not heed our Lord’s guidance and council in our considerations of the ideas of others, or perhaps our own. In my own life, I have witnessed the ideas of those considered wise by human standards eventually show their flaws more often than not. Yet by contrast there has been an immutable pattern of truly unflawed wisdom contained in God’s teachings when I search them. This leaves the obvious question then – why would I bother to ever place the ideas of others or anything they claim to teach, ahead of Gods? Why would I look elsewhere when the answers needed have always been there, and available to me? It is a mystery tinged with perhaps personal arrogance and stubbornness. The very definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome. Perhaps it is indeed time to make the change to looking first to God’s wisdom and viewing all other ideas and directives of others in light of them, and in doing so, bringing a bit more sanity into this world.

Podcast Link

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-qe6s4-11b989a

In our first reading from the prophet Jeremiah, he tells us quite plainly where we need to place our faith, trust, and hope. He is adamant that it should be placed in God alone, and certainly not in man. For it is only through God that we can have the assurance of our faith being well-founded and always in He who will never waiver in his taking care of us. We will truly always be as richly provided for as if we are always able to drink from an ever-flowing stream. It is when we make the mistake of trusting too much in man and forgetting about where our true allegiance and hope lie, that we run into problems, disappointment, and perhaps ruin. I find this to be especially true when someone places too much of what they perceive as their faith and sense of belonging to the Church in the conduct of those around them, and not nearly enough focus and trust in God who is (or perhaps should be) the main reason for them being there. It is a dangerous thing when we focus more on church culture, and not enough on being part of the body of Christ solely because we want to be in union with Him.

The call to truly be part of the body of Christ in a deeply meaningful way is a difficult one. It is fraught with a lack of acceptance by others because, for the most part, this world does not want to hear Christ’s message – not really. They may like the idea of a convenient source of pleasant sentiment during the holidays, or perhaps a safety net to have handy for when times get tough enough that they feel like they need help, and then as a last resort turn to prayer, but in the end, it is a relationship and shallow attempt at belief based on convenience. That is not at all what we are called to. We are called to come to our Lord every single day with the intention of submitting our time, energy, and talents to be used to their fullest for His glory. We are called to take the harder path of putting aside the praise of others as a trivial thing, and instead, follow a path of truth, and proclaim that same truth boldly to those around us in our actions and words. It is quite true, we will often be hated for this, we will be ridiculed, labeled as radicals, or intolerant, or hateful. We need to be fine with being radically for Christ and his teachings, we need to be intolerant of half-truths, outright lies, moral aberrations, and the oh so easy relativism that we are being called to in order to be an acceptable part of society. The reality is that when we slip into any of this, then we are being truly hateful, rather than demonstrating love for our brothers and sisters by having the fortitude to tell them what they need to hear, and the societal consequences be damned. We need to live in the best tradition of the prophets and seek our own salvation as well as that of others and fully accept the temporary estrangement and lack of acceptance that every single one of them experienced. We are called to be different, and our Lord tells us quite plainly that if we are content with the acceptance of others in this life, we are accepting the same rewards as the false prophets of old. We need to be so focused on God, that the opinions of others are trivial to us, and we instead live our lives by God’s law, rather than slip into the lies and fatal pleasantries of this age.

In our Gospel today, we hear of the people from our Lord’s native town of Nazareth, at first graciously accept our Lord’s reading from the Torah, and then His words that followed this. They are amazed at the first part of His message, and oh so agreeable to its content. Yet when Jesus gets to the real point of what He is saying, namely that while the acts that He is performing so graciously are being accepted in faith in other places, what He finds with His own townspeople is just the opposite, it is a lack of faith that keeps Him from being able to do much with them. It is a calling out of the hardness of their hearts because they think they already know all about him rather than acknowledging the works that He has already performed and actually believing in Him through faith. It’s not an easy thing to do, and when they are called out for this, they react with fury rather than gaining some introspection that could instead bring about change within them. I dare say, this is often how we find ourselves reacting at first impulse. We don’t look to ourselves as perhaps the source of the issue, we instead cast it upon others.

Why is it, that our first impulse is often anger and rejection when we encounter a problem, rather than introspection? Why is it that after all we have been taught generation after generation that we still find ourselves so prone to blaming others and grinding our teeth at them? In short, it is because that is the easy path. It does not require unpleasant acknowledgment of our own faults, it does not require change that entails effort, and it is far more palatable to our baser instincts to point at someone else the way small children do whenever something goes wrong. Uh Uh – not me, I didn’t do it.  Anything to avoid recognition of our own shortcomings and any perceived punishment (like having to put forth the effort to change) – this is the essence of the childlike. Yet Saint Paul tells us in the second reading that we are to put aside childish things, and to perceive ourselves more clearly like in a mirror, and to allow that which is perfect to emerge. Those things that are perfect of course do not come from us, they come from God. Things like faith, hope, and love that we so often find ourselves not exercising to their full potential in our lives. To allow these gifts to give us what we need to allow the old self and its shortcomings to pass away – to allow the partial conversion to give way to a fuller acceptance.

Of all the gifts we receive from others, if we really think back on things honestly, it is not the most expensive, or grand, or unique that will stand out in our memories. It is instead the ones that are given at personal cost and fashioned with love that mean the most to us. It may simply be the giving of someone else’s time or attention, it does not have to be something purely tangible. These are the things we actually crave from others, so is it really so surprising that the biggest impact we ourselves could have on others would also come from love? Love given at personal expense, love that shows just how deeply we are capable of caring for someone. Whether we can recall many of these things being given from those around us, there is one we do know of for certain, and that is the gift of our Lord’s life upon the cross that was given to each of us at the greatest personal cost. It is the gift that in the end, is the only one that truly matters. It is the one that gives us the model to follow that will lead to eternal life if we simply open ourselves to it. Open ourselves to love, rather than the childish things that think will make us feel good for a pathetically short while. As we grow as individuals, and also collectively within the body of Christ, we seek for more enduring gifts to sustain us, and it is these that can only come from Christ himself, and those who have accepted His teaching to allow them the grace to love.     

Our Lord did indeed come to fulfill what had been prophesied, that there would be justice for the poor, liberty for those who were oppressed or were captives, healing to many, and the promise of a time that would be acceptable to the Lord. He spoke of what He was bringing about then, but He also foretold what He would continue to bring through the mystical body that He would see maintained here on earth, even after His ascension back to the Father. I speak of the mystical Body of Christ, a body that each of us who believes in Him are a part of.

As we are all called to be part of the Body of Christ here on earth, so we are called to continue His work, and to do so in unison, just as the parts of a human body work together when all is well to do all that is needed to prosper and to grow, and to be healthy. There is no part of the body that is not important. If there are some that seem humbler to us in their stature than others, that is a problem of perception that is of our own making. All are important, and all are equal in their contributions and their inherent dignity. Those who perhaps feel they are one of the parts perceived as humbler or less accepted at times are feeling this perhaps due to what they have been exposed to from others, through a lack of compassion or respect, or in some cases through their own lack of acceptance of themselves. We hear much today about how people are choosing new ways to identify, and that they insist on being called by certain labels or they otherwise feel less than accepted. There is nothing wrong with perhaps wanting to be recognized by others in ways that are respectful of who we are, but we also need to be honest about who we actually are, and what that entails. We can choose how we shape our character; we can choose how we interact with others; we can choose whether to love or to hate, and we can choose whether to accept our role as members of the body of Christ. What we cannot choose is whether we are a creation of God, what He actually formed us to be, and whether He loves us. He does in fact love each of us, and He created us each in a unique and wonderful guise that is designed to be part of the body of Christ and to participate in it fully, even when we don’t always feel like we know what our role is. Our lack of understanding of who we are and what our role is does not change its existence in the least. We simply need to be willing to be humble and accept that we do not have all the answers and instead of giving up, or falling away, or living in a perpetual falsehood, look to the one who does have the answers for us, and seek His help.

Our Lord loves each of us, and He desires each of us to be close to Him in a loving relationship, and to participate in His body here on earth to the full. He does not say it will always be easy, or that we will not feel fear, confusion, or uncertainty along the way. What He does say is that He wants us, all of us. He wants us to be fulfilled, and to be accepted lovingly within His body, and to thrive within it. He asks that we trust Him, and to follow Him even if others do not seem as accepting. He will address all of this, because He understands that each of us, and I do mean each and every one of us, comes to Him broken in some way, and in need of His mercy and healing, and this is especially true of those who sometimes seem to us to be the most unapproachable and difficult to exist with – these traits are usually sure marks of those who have been their own hurt and experienced their own lack of acceptance. We need to trust that He will heal this, and we each need to strive to be part of that healing by collectively addressing the part of the body that is not acting in harmony with the rest. If we do this collectively, and prayerfully, and with His guidance, we can bring about healing and unity within the body. We can come together and be accepted and accepting, be loved as we love, and while we may function as individual parts – be one within His body.  

In our gospel today, we hear of perhaps the most pivotal moment in our Lord’s early ministry. The wedding at Cana was far more than our Lord performing a miracle when turning water into wine for those gathered at the wedding. It goes even beyond being one more reason for His disciples to believe in Him. It is the moment, initiated by our Blessed Mother, when our Lord begins his public ministry and sets in motion the events that will lead him to His crucifixion.

When our Blessed Mother tells our Lord that they have no wine, and He replies to her that His time has not yet come, a choice is made on both of their parts. Mary knows what she is asking, but also knows the importance of beginning the steps that will ultimately lead to Calvary. Our Lord though He initially rebukes her, also knows the repercussions of His eventual acceptance when our Blessed Mother shows absolute faith in Him and simply tells the servants to do whatever He commands. Our salvation could not have come about without these things taking place.

Each one of us must also make a choice when it comes to acceptance of God’s plan for our lives. We must decide if we will make the leap of faith that will either take us to embracing our Lords will for each one of us, or else to refuse this and go with our own plans and designs. This choice is something that does not happen just once in our lives. It is very often a process that we must endure and struggle with when it comes to some of the tougher decisions that we will face in our lives. Our Lords way is not the easy path, and there will be times when we will question, but the choice is whether we can move past our questioning and simply trust the way that Mary did when she told the servants to simply do whatever He commanded.

Each of us brings something to God’s plan, and the way we function within the body of Christ. As Saint Paul describes in our second reading, there are many gifts that the Holy Spirit can impart, and also that we are born with through God’s grace. The reaching of our fullest potential comes when we simply trust and place these gifts willingly at God’s disposal through our cooperation and acceptance of His plan and the participation that this brings. We each come with our contributions, and the Spirit then can impart other graces that will allow us to reach even greater potentials. This is God’s gift to each of us, and also to others when we participate fully in the body of Christ in this way.

It is fitting today, as we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, that our readings reflect an emphasis on cleansing and purification. Baptism after all is our first cleansing as we enter into God’s family and are washed in the waters of rebirth. Yet there is much more to this than water, there is the Holy Spirit and the flame that is implanted within each of us, and that cleanses us with fire that burns away sin, and that continues to burn within us throughout our lives.

John made no pretense about whether he were the one that had been awaited and told the people plainly that he was not, and that another was coming who would be The One. While John baptized with a baptism of repentance through immersion in the waters of the Jordan, the one who was coming would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire and would cleanse the people of their sins and bring about a change within them and would ultimately be the sacrifice that would allow them to be children of the Father.

The fundamental differences in these baptisms are profound, only the one brought about through Jesus Christ allows us to be part of God’s family with the promise of inheriting a place with Him in heaven when we move to true life. John’s baptism was there to bring about repentance and so prepare the people for what Jesus would bring to them through His baptism that was of the Holy Spirit. Just as John prepared the way of the Lord through his preaching and baptisms, so He prepared the people for the Lord so that they could receive His baptism.

For each of us as Christians, the question remains after baptism, what will we do with this gift? It does not in and of itself allow us to then just do whatever we want in life and expect to be with God for eternity thereafter. By the same token there is nothing we can do to earn our way into heaven, it is completely beyond us. What this distills down to, is that through baptism we have the foundation of the Christian life, and it is then up to us to do the best we can to fulfill God’s commands in each of our lives by obeying His word, not out of fear, but out of love. It is love that God seeks from us, and we express this through our respect and awe toward Him, and by our conduct toward others who are created in His image. We cannot be duplicit in our conduct, calling ourselves Gods followers, and then living in a way that is contrary to His most fundamental commands – love of Him, and of one another. There was a wonderful quote when Jesus first encountered Nathaniel, He said, “now here is a true Israelite, there is no duplicity in him”. This is indeed high praise coming from our Lord, He is basically saying that in Nathaniel, what you see is what you get, there is no guile that masks his beliefs, motives, or actions. The same should be true of us. If we call ourselves followers of Christ, we must live this out each and every day as best we can. We will likely not be perfect in this, that is the nature of our humanity, but we must try. It is like anything else, only in striving for perfection, will we at least make improvements, show effort, and attain some modicum of success in our pursuit.

Our Lord did not ultimately need to be baptized at all, He did not have the stain of original sin, just as His mother was born without this, and His Father in heaven was beyond it. Yet it is a must for each of us, it is a foundational grace for our life in Christ. Our Lord was baptized to set the example for us, both in receiving that sacrament, but also in living it. His path of love, work, forgiveness, and humility that He lived out as an example to us is the only one that leads us toward eternal life.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: Rejoice!” How true these words are, especially as we ponder them during this season of Advent. We have every reason to rejoice in the Lord, as we ponder His birth as a man who would live among us and show us a whole new way of living. One that was true to the original commandments, and that did away with the burdens imposed on many by men. A way of truth, love, and justice that provided dignity and security for all.

When Jesus gave us His teaching and showed us how the commandments were to be interpreted and lived, He brought clarity to the original intent, and took to task those who had corrupted it’s meaning for their own ends. Many of those in positions of authority received a sharp rebuke from our Lord for their actions that showed them to be more concerned with worldliness and wealth than with the good of the people whom God had intended for them to guide toward Him.

In our Gospel today, we hear of the instructions that the people received from John the Baptist, to address their own failings and to behave justly toward one another so that they would not be found wanting when Jesus came to them. He instructed them in how to look at their own situations and make the changes needed. He also told them of the one who was to come, when they began to think that perhaps he was the one chosen by God. He not only told them that this was not so, but completely humbled himself in illustrating his own insignificance compared to that of the one who was coming – Jesus. Yet the people still also heard from him the good news about Jesus coming, and how he would bring light and hope to the people who had waited in darkness for so long.

Our own anticipation each year at this time reflects much of these same feelings. We look forward to celebrating Christ’s birth, and to acknowledge His status as our Lord and King who saved us by His own death and resurrection. We too are consoled by hearing of this in our readings and then contemplating what is to come when next Jesus comes to us. If we take the time to really think of these things as we meditate on God’s word during this Advent season as part of our preparation, then we too should have cause to rejoice at the mighty savior who we will celebrate coming into our midst the first time in our humble form, and who we wait for expectantly to return to us in His glory.

Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths. This was the call that John the Baptist made to the people, and it has not changed. As we prepare for the birth of our Lord in this Advent season, we too need to fill in the valleys and level the peaks to even the path for His coming so that He will find us ready.

The Baptism of John was one of repentance, it called the people to change their ways and to follow God’s law so that they would be found ready when Jesus came to us as man. The baptism that each of us has received is quite different, we have received our Lords spirit, and have been granted the grace of redemption through His sacrifice for all of us on The Cross. The baptism we have been given brought us back to the Father, yet we are still inclined to sin, and so need to prepare ourselves nonetheless so that when our Lord comes again, we are ready. We think of this now in particular because this season of Advent reminds us of our Lords coming among us the first time, and in doing so, also tells us that there will be another coming among us, but this time as King and Judge.

In our first reading we hear of God’s children being gathered from the East and the West and were rejoicing that they were remembered by God. This goes without saying, our Lord never forgets any of His children, even those who do not really know Him yet. This brings me to another call that we have received as brothers and sisters in Christ, the call of evangelization. As we prepare for our Lords coming amongst us, I can think of no greater gift that we could lay at His feet, that that of other souls that have come to a knowledge of Him through our efforts. All other gifts to the infant Christ, would I think, pale in comparison to this. As part of our call to prepare the way of the Lord in this season, I believe we are given plenty of opportunities to draw others closer to Him. When we greet others in this season, do we wish them a merry Christmas, or have we fallen into the pit of societal correctness and say something like happy holidays? Do we openly acknowledge what it is that we celebrate in this season, or do we actually spend more time promoting the idea that it’s about a rotund guy with a white beard, poor taste in winter attire, and an odd mode of transportation? The season is about Jesus Christ, the rest is commercialized and politicized fiction that is great for selling greeting cards and other retail items, but not much else. The closest this comes to any sort of useful depiction is perhaps a loose resemblance to the workings of generosity attributed to Saint Nicholas, but even there we have taken it in directions that I suspect he would be appalled at. His devotion of giving was for the alms needed by the people year-round, in order to fulfill the call of Jesus Christ to care for one another. Remember, the reason for this season is Jesus, and our greatest gift to him is our love for Him, and one another, both with our generosity in the temporal needs of those we encounter, and in our bringing them to know Him through our words, actions, and examples.

As we progress through this season of Advent and make our way toward Christmas when we will celebrate His birth among us as man, we need to be cognizant of our actions as we busy ourselves with preparations. We need to be perhaps a bit less busy with our own tasks, and take a bit more time to look after those around us. To show courtesy, respect, patience, and love to those who we may not even know yet, and in doing so to emulate Jesus. In the sometimes hectic and rushed preparations of this season that we seem to self-impose, this kind of thing does not go un-noticed by others. It can even make for a great segue to a conversation about the real reason for this season, and why we believe and put into practice what we believe. If you can make such an impression on even one person, I think you have already picked up the most important present on your shopping list, the one for our Lord.