Year A

Jan 08 2025

Faith—Assurance That God Is at Work

Have you ever met someone who is really old and really wise? I have met several such men and women, mostly at daily Mass. Their eyes are gentle. Smile lines are etched into the wrinkles of their faces. In some, a lifetime of generosity is written into their bodies, as though their hands reach out to hug you, even when they have not moved. Others are quieter, but their faces radiate peace. Kindness and holiness have become a way of life for them.

Simeon and Anna are the first-century equivalent of those saints whom you and I have met. These two pray. They pray a lot. Simeon is described as “upright and devout.” When he sees the child, he believes. He believes! An eight-day-old baby is being presented to the Lord. And Simeon sees in that child the Savior of the world. How does that work? Something must have moved within him.

Faith is an inner assurance that rises within us to convince us that God is at work. That belief, at that moment, is a gift. Anna has prayed night and day in the temple for years and years and years. Many of us have tasted the seasoning of the Spirit. But there are saints who have tasted of the pure Spirit, as though it were something they drank straight. Anna seems to be one of those people, those who live on the borderline between God and the world.

You might just be one of those people. If you are, thank you for your life of holiness. If you are not, then like me, let’s keep working to drink deeply of God’s Spirit, day after day. God is real, at work at all times. Faith is a gift, an inner assurance that this is so.

Consider/Discuss

Think about those moments when you have been gifted with an inner certainty about God’s movement or action in your life. It could be a delicate touch or an overwhelming conversion experience. Share that story with someone this week.
Sometimes we start to think and act as though the living God were just an idea. If God is real, at work at all times, what does that mean for how we listen, how we are attentive? What does that divine presence mean for how we live our lives day after day?

Living and Praying with the Word

On this day of presentation, God of glory, we present ourselves to you. Purify us to become more holy. We see in others what beauty a lifetime of grace can create. We want to be like that. Lead us in your everlasting way.

Jan 08 2025

Scripture Study for

A major theme in Malachi is God’s apparent inattention to injustice. Immediately before the reading, God notes that the people have demanded, “Where is the just God?” (2:17). God responds that soon the messenger of the covenant will appear in advance of the one whom they seek. It is not clear from the biblical text who this messenger is or how the messenger relates to God. Understood eschatologically, it refers to the figure who will come to be known as the Messiah. In any case, the advent of this figure will bring about the justice the people seek, beginning with cleaning up corrupt priests (Levites) and their worship.

The focus of the reading from Hebrews is on the fact that Jesus shared our human nature (flesh and blood) precisely so he could deliver us from the fear of death. It is this fear, and not death itself, that holds us in bondage to the devil. In a time of persecution, it is fear of suffering and death that the author sees as potentially leading his audience into infidelity (3:1—4:14). Thus, the message: they have nothing to fear from death, because Jesus has endured it and come out the other side. Because he acts now as high priest, merciful and faithful, those who die have nothing to fear.

The Torah prescribes that a newborn son be circumcised, marking his acceptance into the covenant community, and that the mother should be ritually purified (Leviticus 12:1–5). This gesture of obeying the Torah indicates the larger Gospel theme that Jesus himself will perfectly fulfill the Law. More than that, with Jesus’ advent God is fulfilling covenant promises to Israel, and ultimately to all nations. Thus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, Simeon announces that in Jesus God has brought consolation and salvation—a gift that some will oppose (“contradict”). The widow Anna also recognizes Jesus, and likewise announces the good news of the redemption of God’s people.

Jan 08 2025

Scripture Study for

The Isaian passage refers to the devastation wrought by the Assyrians around the year 732 B.C., when the northernmost tribal areas of Zebulun and Naphtali were annexed by the empire (2 Kings 15:29). This area, which included several non-Israelites, was referred to as the Galilee (District) of the Gentiles. The full oracle, which continues beyond the Lectionary reading, announces that the degradation of that event has come to an end with the birth of a new Davidic king (8:5–6). This king will surely take back for Israel the northern lands, just as Gideon rescued these northern tribes from the hands of the Midianites back in the days of the Judges (Judges 6–7).

Paul this week attends to divisions that have arisen within the church at Corinth. These reflect a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of the church as a whole. Whereas in the larger society, it was customary to “belong” to a particular teacher or political or social group, distinct from others who belonged to other groups, the church of Christ is formed around Christ alone, and it is he who unites all Christians in “the same mind and in the same purpose.” To divide the church along factional lines is, for Paul, to deny its special nature, which is not meant to mirror the larger society.

Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth lies to the southwest of the Sea of Galilee, whereas Capernaum is situated to the north, in the middle of the former area of Naphtali. The Evangelist’s citation of the Isaiah passage points to Jesus’ identity as the long-expected Davidic king who has brought salvation not only to Israel but also to the Gentiles. Jesus begins his public ministry by preaching repentance and the reign of God—the former part of the acceptance of the latter. Jesus’ first act is to call together his coworkers who, having learned from him, will help him cast as wide a net as possible for the proclamation of the kingdom of heaven.

Jan 08 2025

Called to Follow, No Matter the Cost

Imagine you are Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. How do you confront him when he tells you about this call of Jesus. “What? You’re leaving fishing? You love fishing! You love being on the water! You’re going to follow who? A carpenter’s son from Nazareth? Nazareth! Really?” But you’ve never seen Peter’s bearded face so radiant, at least not since the day he married your daughter. Since her death, inescapable gloom has engulfed him. Despondency has surrounded him like a dark cloud on the Sea of Galilee. He is such a passionate man. He’s been really difficult to live with.

Now? Something has changed. Joy floods his eyes. Love fills his words. Something new overflows from his heart. This Jesus hasn’t asked him to leave fishing, he exclaims, but tells him that he’ll be fishing for “men”! What in the world does “fishing for men” mean? How can he ask that much from Simon? Does he know how broken he is inside or does he only see those strong muscles? Does this Jesus understand that the big fisherman really doesn’t handle loss very well?

You try to get Andrew to change his brother’s mind. Andrew is the more level-headed one. But he says that he’s going , too. He says that we can trust this Jesus. Then he sings, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” As he turns to go, he shouts, “He might be the one! He could be the Messiah that we have been waiting for!” Then he skips down the path. Andrew, sensible Andrew, skips! You’ve heard of mountains skipping like rams, but—Andrew?

And yet worry seizes you—Simon is leaving all? How will we eat? Who will run the business? You’ve got so much fear. So much anxiety. It just might make you sick.

Consider/Discuss

The call of Jesus is an unrelenting call to leave everything behind. What worries do we have about that? In what ways is it hard to trust, for our own life or for that of others? How can that anxiety make us sick?
In the middle of Isaiah’s oracle of gloom and doom, the prophet suddenly describes a new radiance that will dawn. When you have been in a deep darkness, what does it feel like to see a great light? Do you ever feel so much joy that you feel like skipping?

Living and Praying with the Word

Lord, you have come to the shore of our lives. You have called us by name. Thank you for the honor of following you. On our own, we’ve got nothing. With you, all is possible. Help us to trust that where you lead will be abundant and rich. Hold our worries in your hands and deliver us from all anxiety, for your call is our call, your path is our path. Let us never be separated from you.

Jan 08 2025

Ordinary Time, Holy Life

Blah! We have moved into Ordinary Time. Christmas is over. The January doldrums have set in. We are surrounded by the same plain old life and the same plain old people.

The Super Bowl might break the post-Christmas blahs for football fans. Snow banks can become snow forts for those who like to dig. Otherwise, blah. Where’s the adventure? Where’s the excitement? Those big moments like Christmas and weddings and vacations mark our lives; it’s the six-tiered cake pictures that go into our memory books!

The baptism of Jesus was a big moment. In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist is still talking about it. He is remembering: “I have seen!” He is telling others about how the dove descended and how the Lord spoke: “and I have testified!” He is about to send his followers into action.

Ordinary Time is the time for remembering. Then we put memory into action. Isaiah remembers how God formed him in the womb and called him to a life of prophetic service; therefore, he calls the Israelites back, to be a holy nation. The psalmist remembers how God drew him out of a pit of destruction and put a new song in his mouth. Therefore, he wants to follow: “To do your will is my delight.”

So how do we work our way through Ordinary Time? We remember. Then we act. Every day is a remembering, followed by the noble adventure of following Jesus. Thus it is the everyday moments that make our lives. We may not have a picture of mom’s oatmeal in our memory books, but it nourished us daily. We may not have a picture of the hug that quieted our tears, but it shaped our soul. Day-to-day personal holiness—the faithfulness, kindness, and honesty of everyday life—that is what history is made of.

Consider/Discuss

We don’t have to achieve holiness all by ourselves; the Holy Spirit is called the Sanctifier for a reason. If we grow attuned to listening to the Spirit, we will be brought to holiness. What do you remember of what God has done for you? How does that spur you to act?
Step by step, we are to be transformed into the person of Christ—to be a gift of love to this world. Tell a story of what everyday holiness has looked like in your life.

Living and Praying with the Word

God Almighty, you are grand and glorious! We see your grandeur when we look at the vastness of the stars and the radiance of the sun. Yet our lives are lived in littleness. Getting out of bed each day, taking one step after another, we mark the days of our lives. Send us your grace in abundance so that we will do each little task for love of you. Let your Spirit rest on us as well and make holy our actions, even when they lead through the desert.