Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Gospel today focuses on the dramatic beginning of Jesus' public ministry. Jesus enters the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth and steps into the pulpit. He unrolls the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and reads: "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, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. "The drama intensifies as Jesus announces: "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." Luke tells us that "they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips." Their deep longings were being met by Jesus, right there and then in Nazareth. Right now he was proclaiming liberty to all who were poor or afflicted.
This is an extraordinary beginning for Jesus's mission. We will hear in next week's continuation of today's gospel that the people of Nazareth soon decided that they could not take Jesus's words seriously either. They end up running him out of town and even trying to kill him. The gospel's description of the beginning of Jesus's ministry is also a description of the ministry we his followers are called to. It consoles us and at the same time it challenges us to work to bring good news to the poor by helping overcome their poverty. So when we see the continuing poverty and oppression of our world, our mission, like Jesus's, is to work to alleviate it. Today Jesus is our freedom. Today he is our good news. Today he is proclaiming release from captivity. Today he gives us sight. Today. Not yesterday or tomorrow but Today. In this moment in Jesus we know we have nothing to fear, nothing to regret, nothing to imprison us. There is nothing that anyone can say about you that should have more power than Jesus' love for you.
Friends, we can only do this if we let the loving Spirit of God touch our hearts, just as this Spirit is at the very center of Jesus heart. So let's pray together that God's Spirit will be given to us so we can carry on Jesus's mission here and now. Let's pray that we may be able to say: The Spirit of the Lord is upon us; today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in us. That's the good news. Today and every day. That's why you came today and even if you leave with the cares and concerns of life still burdening your minds and hearts, perhaps you will know a little better that your concerns have everything to do with Jesus. For his hour is come. Now is the hour. Now is the time. Now is today. Which parts of following Jesus do you find difficult? Which do you find easy? In either case, why?
Jesus mission is our mission
Father William
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today we are being invited to look at and to give ourselves over to the mystery of Christ's transforming presence in our world. The Gospel writer, John, constructs his presentation of Jesus with the help of the highly symbolic story of Jesus changing the water into wine at the wedding of Cana. Jesus was all about transformation. He had the ability to transform ordinary things into extraordinary things. Whatever he touched turned to gold. When people encounter Jesus, when they encounter the abundance of his love, when they realize how much he delights in them, when they realize how much he rejoices in them, they are transformed into believers. They are transformed into people who believe in the promise and possibilities of love.
It is against the background of this experience of life that John presents Jesus to us in today's Gospel. He really wants to make his case that with Jesus life changes. In order to convey that message, that Good News to us, John has Jesus change the water into wine. The message of this story goes beyond the ability of Jesus to change water into wine. What John wants to say is that with Jesus appearing on the scene, life loses its emptiness, its forsakenness, and its purposelessness. The colorless and tasteless water changes into first rate wine. What is being proclaimed is that Jesus, that he alone brings true joy and fulfillment and purpose to life.
As we prepare for sharing our gifts I want you to know a copy of our survey report is in the library and the back of the church for you to preview. As we prepare for our Ministry Fair I would like to reflect on the truth of our calling. Perhaps the wisdom of the Second Vatican council (Gaudium et Spes no. 30) said it best: the best way to fulfill one’s obligations of justice and love is to contribute to the common good according to one’s means and the needs of others.
Care and share
Father William
Baptism of the Lord
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord sits in the shadows of Christmas and Epiphany. It is one of those strange liminal times in the Church calendar year because it is two things at once: today is both the last Sunday of our Christmas season and the first Sunday in Ordinary time. The question we are faced with today, then, as we stand in the doorway between the season of the Incarnation and the Ordinary season of Jesus’ active ministry, is the same question we are always faced with: will we accept the self-Gift of such a humble God? When I am honest, my own answer is both yes and no. The excitement, the yes, comes because accepting God really means accepting that the words spoken to Jesus today are spoken to us: we are God’s beloved children, with whom He is well pleased. This is who we are at root, beloved children. To see Jesus’ baptism as his personal coming-of-age reminds us of the significance of our own baptism.
As Jesus received this baptism and mission, so do we his followers for all time. Jesus had his revelatory moment of identity when his Father boomed out, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Then Jesus arose from the waters of the Jordan knowing, deep down, his identity and his mission. Jesus understood what His baptism meant! Do we? Will the real beloved son and daughter of mine please stand up? This feast of the Baptism of the Lord is a good day to pay attention to the ongoing significance of baptism in the life of every Christian. The essence of our baptism is in the fact that we belong. Our baptism is not simply some past event recorded in some dusty parish register; it is a living reality which is to be constantly deepened and enriched. Baptism is not about being done, but in truth being undone. Waking up to what our baptism means is call that happens many times in our life.
When we celebrate Christ's baptism today, then I do not think that we can get around celebrating our baptism as well. And if it is true that in the Gospels, in story after story, on page after page, we find what being baptized meant for Jesus, then we too may find there what our being baptized can mean for us. So we go on our way: all of us baptized in Jesus name: men and women, young and old. We go on our way, full of enthusiasm, but also with a good amount of hesitation, supporting each other, praying that Jesus may be in us, his disciples. To recap, dear friends, today's celebration affirms we are beloved daughters and sons. We are accepted and loved individually and uniquely, as a gift that we do not have to earn or deserve. This is the core grace of our Christian lives. Secondly, today's celebration affirms our call to ministry, to proclaim by our lives God's presence and victory in our world.
As we celebrate Eucharist today we remember we are- beloved, chosen, empowered and sent- as we celebrate God's faithful love in proclaimed word and in shared communion. Can you believe that God looks upon you with such joy? Can you believe that God eternally treasures you? So let us today, and as many times as it takes, renew our acceptance of our own baptism and our resolve to live it out as gently, as patiently, and as publicly as did Christ. The voice of God rings out loud and clear, the readings this week tell us, proclaiming a message of salvation. Faith, the readings also tell us, means changes in behavior—a reorientation of one’s whole life. Where do you hear the voice of God? In what ways do you respond? How does the way you live reflect what you believe?
Remember, your baptism is your moment to shine
Father William