The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year B: January 29, 2012

Power over evil

• Deuteronomy 18:15-20
• Psalm 111
• 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
• Mark 1:21-28

Jesus had the power to drive out evil from the lives of people. It today’s Gospel, we hear how Jesus and his disciples came to Capernaum, with Jesus teaching on the Sabbath in the synagogue. A man was suffering from an unclean spirit that recognized Jesus as the Holy One of God. The spirit obeyed Jesus’ command to leave the man. “He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

In Jesus’ day people quickly recognized the reality and power of evil spirits and demons. Strange and aberrant behavior, pathological and some physical illnesses were considered a result of evil spiritual powers. The earth was a frightening place, a hell, where every life situation was ruled by these demonic spirits. Archaeologists have uncovered thousands of skulls with holes drilled in them that show growth after such drilling. Such drilling was thought to release evil spirits from the head. Jesus’ authority over this demon amazes the people, for only God has control in this dark arena.

The image of Jesus as exorcist is someone who has experienced his own demons (Mark 1:12-13). The temptation stories (of which we will hear in a few weeks as we enter Lent) point to the image of a wounded healer, to an image of one who by his own experience understands vulnerability and internalized oppression. In having recovered their own hearts, healers have some understanding of the suffering of others.

Naming the demons means knowing the demons . . . The Gospels imply that anyone who exorcises cannot be a stranger to demons . . . To have faced our demons is never to forget their power to hurt and never to forget the power to heal that lies in touching broken-heartedness . . . Jesus hears, below the demon noises, an anguished cry for deliverance. Through . . . mutual touching, . . . community is co-created as a continuing, liberating, redemptive reality. – Rita Nakashima Brock, Journeys by Heart: A Christology of Erotic Power (Crossroad Publishing, 1988).

Jesus had the power to drive out evil from the lives of people. In our worship, we constantly ask to be delivered from evil when we recite the Lord’s Prayer. This is also stated in Eucharistic Prayer B: “In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you.” – a vivid reminder that Christ’s presence in the Eucharist stands between evil and us today.

As part of our Baptismal Covenant, we are called to confront personal and societal evil: “Will you persevere in resisting evil, and , whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?” (BCP 304)

For reflection:

• For what reasons might the first event of Jesus’ public ministry (in Mark) and the first display of resistance have happened in a synagogue? What might this say about Jesus’ work today?
• What is the significance of a demon’s recognition of Jesus? Of Jesus’ response to the demon?
• What words today are sometimes used to refer to demon possession?
• What demons did Jesus face?
• What demons do we face today?
• What does Mark imply about the scribes’ teaching? How does Jesus’ teaching differ from contemporary preaching and teaching?

Related articles

• Tuesday, 1st Week of Ordinary Time (redemptoristpreacher.com)
• 1 Corinthians

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year B: January 22, 2012

Fish Stories

• Jonah 3:1-5, 10
• Psalm 62:6-12
• 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
• Mark 1:14-20

Words that connect today’s readings do not seem connected at all: fish, risk and urgency. We hear the familiar story of Jesus calling his disciples to make them “fishers of men.” Paul has faced a reversal in his life, sharing with the church in Corinth that “The appointed time has grown short” (1 Corinthians 7:29). The urgency is to follow the bidding of the Lord, because “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near . . .” (Mark 1:15).

Jonah has been given a message of great urgency. Ninevah had become the worlds’ greatest obstacle to the establishment of justice. Conquest and greed from the Assyrian Empire had made it a great city through aggression, cruelty and exploitation. Jonah was not quite willing to take up his task when called upon by God, but eventually he was compelled to deliver God’s message.

And despite what he believed, the citizens of Ninevah repented the crimes that there nation had committed. If we were to include reading the verses 6-9 we would hear that the ruler led the way in showing sorrow for national sins, with sackcloth and ashes and a total fast (which is where our Ash Wednesday practice comes from).

God took note of the people’s repentance. So there was no earthquake or thunderbolt. But Jonah could not accept the success of his words on God’s behalf. Jonah was filled with doom, despite their lamentations of their sins.

Power belongs to God, and the Lord exercises that power always with steadfast love. Trusting in human leaders can lead to broken promises. God is the strong rock and refuge.

The Prayer of Jonah (or: the futility of hatred)

Out of my distress I called you, O Lord, but you did not answer me.

I refused to preach repentance to the Ninevites, but you forced me. When I sailed away in the opposite direction, you hurled a violent wind at me. Your monster swallowed me and returned me to your path.

Repentance I would not preach in Nineveh, rather I cursed them, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.”

But you did not listen to me. You listened to the people of Nineveh as they sat in ashes covered with sackcloth.

I am angry because you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish.

If you will not destroy Nineveh then give me death. It is better for me to die than to see my enemy live.

Thomas Reese (“Peace Prayers from Around the World” HarperCollins, 1992)

For reflection:

• Read the story of Jonah. Why was this story included in the Bible?
• What are your Ninevahs?
• Who are the prophets today? What would they tell us?

Related articles

• Jonah – The Prophet Who Tried To Run From God (brakeman1.wordpress.com)
• A change of heart: Jonah (davegladson.com)
• Jonah & Me (The Book of Jonah) (sermonsbymatt.wordpress.com)

Epiphany’s Epistle: Corinthians continued

As in Year A (which focused on the beginning of 1 Corinthians 1-4), a serialized reading of Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 6-9 and Second Corinthians 1-3 is read in Year B.

Epiphany 2: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 – Paul speaks agains a misunderstanding of Christian freedom and emphasizes that are bodies are a place of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The spirit is God’s gift to us through baptism.

Epiphany 3: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 – Expecting the end soon created a sense of urgency that changed all relationships – domestic, personal and economic. A world passing away does not make demands like a world thought to last forever.

Epiphany 4: 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 – Paul gives advice to the church at Corinth. Do not use your freedom in the gospel to tempt others to sin who are not so strong in their faith. Act always in love.

Epiphany 5: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 – Whatever he has to do to make it possible for people to hear and understand the gospel, Paul will do. He tries to become all things to all people for the sake of the gospel.

Epiphany 6: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – To emphasize the importance of discipline in the Christian life, Paul uses the analogy of runners who compete for a prize – the race for an imperishable crown.

Epiphany 7: 2 Corinthians 1:18-22 – God is faithful and consistent. All the promises of God come straight from Jesus. (Not read in 2012)

Epiphany 8: 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 – Christ whose Spirit lives within human hearts is the content of this letter. (Not read in 2012)

Last Sunday after the Epiphany: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 – Paul expects the Lord’s coming soon, and judgment will be a time of unveiling secrets.

Related reading:

• Epiphany’s Epistle: 1 Corinthians

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year B: January 15, 2012

Here I Am!

• 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)
• Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17
• 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
• John 1:43-51

One of the themes of today’s readings is responding to God’s call. We have the story of the prophet Eli, who recognizes that it is the Lord who is calling Samuel; and he tells Samuel to answer, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” In the Gospel, we hear John’s telling of Jesus calling Philip (and others) to be his disciple. Philip goes to Nathaniel and tells him that Jesus of Nazareth is the person who was spoken of my Moses in the Law.

You wish to see, listen. Hearing is a step toward vision. St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

Both stories share how one recognizes the voice of God, but not without needing some assistance, prodding or repetition. During the early Sundays after the Epiphany, we hear the stories of Jesus calling his disciples. As Christians, we are called into discipleship by our baptism. Just as Christ called the first disciples on the lakeshore in the counting house, he calls us wherever we are.

Listen, my child, . . . with the ear of your heart. Hearken to my words if you would have life! St. Benedict, sixth century

Samuel was confused by the Voice and sought out Eli. Nathaniel questions Philip’s urging to, “Come and see.” Each of these individuals reached out to another – or was brought by another – to understand what this mysterious “call” was.

As my prayer became more attentive and inward I had less and less to say. I finally became completely silent. I started to listen – which is even further removed from speaking. I first thought that praying entailed speaking. I then learnt that praying is hearing., not merely being silent. This is how it is. To pray does not mean to listen to oneself speaking. Prayer involves becoming silent, and being silent, and waiting until God is heard. Sören Kierkegaard

For reflection:

• How do we recognize the voice of God? How do we answer?
• Who are some of the people who have helped you to grown in your life in Christ?
• How would you share the “good news” of Christ with someone who had never heard the Gospel? What are some of the barriers that make it difficult to share our Christian faith, and how can they be overcome?
• Paul’s letter to the Corinthians outlines the responsibilities of living out such a call. How does Paul call us to honor our God with our entire being?

In the depth of silence no words are needed, no language required. In the depth of silence I am called to listen.

Listen to the beating of your heart. Listen to the blowing of the wind, the movement of the Spirit. Be silent, said the Lord, and know that I am God.

And listen to the cry of the voiceless. Listen to the groaning of the hungry. Listen to the pain of the landless. Listen to the sigh of the oppressed and to the laughter of children.

For that is authentic communication; listening to people, living with people, dying for people. 

An Indonesian author, 1983

Image: “The Infant Samuel” by Joshua Reynolds, 1776

The First Sunday after the Epiphany: Year B – January 8, 2012

The Baptism of our Lord

• Genesis 1:1-5
• Psalm 29
• Acts 10:34-38
• Mark 1:7-11

This year we read the Baptism text from Mark. While Matthew and Luke report what they have been told of Jesus’ birth, Mark’s shorter Gospel simply assumes such information.

Mark’s proclamation begins with a statement of God’s authorization of John’s preparatory ministry. That authorization is set out in two prophetic oracles, Malachi 3:1 (“I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me”) and Isaiah 40:3 (“A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord’”).

John’s ministry of preparation calls people to repentance, baptism, confession and forgiveness – the elements of our own preparation for encountering the living God. There is no other way than this “repentance road” on which the King is able to enter the hearts of his people. Confession and forgiveness remove the barriers that obstruct the King’s embrace of love.

To baptize, (Greek, baptizo) literally means “to dip in” or “immerse,” implying also “to wash clean.” John invites the people of Israel to be cleansed from sin by repentance, turning away from old ways and moving in the opposite direction.

Jesus’ arrival at John’s place of ministry signals the beginning of his own ministry. As the people seek God, Jesus joins them in an act of complete indentification. He goes down into the Jordan with these admitted sinners and submits to the same baptism. Though he has no need for repentance or forgiveness, the first step in his mission of atonement (2 Corinthians 5:21) involves the decision to associate himself fully with the human condition (Matthew 3:15).

This act leads first to affirmation of God; it expresses perfectly Jesus’ identity as God’s Son. It also leads to a time of severe testing, the narrow, spiritual pathway that continues the repentance road.

The words of calling and anointing for ministry heard in connection with Jesus’ baptism are the words that frame the church’s understanding of the ministry of all the baptized today: “You are my . . . Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” The radical nature of our calling is to bring justice and to serve the cause of the right, to be part of God’s own mission of liberating the suffering, the oppressed and the hungry.

The one who created us is waiting for our response to the love that gave us our being. God not only says: “You are my Beloved.” God also asks: “Do you love me?” and offers us countless chances to say “Yes.” Henri Nouwen

For reflection:

• Using your own words, list in order those steps that must be taken to meet with the Lord. Name and agree with God about one attitude or behavior that needs to be changed in you. Go through the steps you have just outlined.
• Do you think John consciously associates himself with the prophets who came before him? Why or why not? What other messages might John wish to communicate through his lifestyle? What does John’s lifestyle suggest about his freedom from the values or opinions around him?
• What differences and similarities do you see between John’s water baptism and Jesus’ Holy Spirit baptism? Read John 3:1-8. How does Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus further explain the two baptisms?
• What does Jesus’ baptism reveal about the nature of his ministry? In what ways does Jesus’ baptism define his calling from God? What does our baptism reveal about our ministry and calling?

Related articles

• Advent 2: Year B – December 4, 2011
• The Baptism of Our Lord

Image: Baptism of Christ, a fresco on plaster executed circa 1305 by the Italian painter Giotto de Bondone (c. 1267-1337) for the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy, where it can still be seen.

The Feast of the Epiphany – January 6

Revealing the mystery

• Isaiah 60:1-6, 9
• Psalm 72:1-2, 10-14
• Ephesians 3:1-12
• Matthew 2:1-12

In choosing to be born for us, God chose to be known by us. God therefore reveals God’s own self in this way, in order that this great sacrament of love may not be an occasion for us of great misunderstanding.

Today the magi find, crying in a manger, the one they have followed as he shone in the sky. Today the magi see clearly, in swaddling clothes, the one they have long awaited as he lay hidden among the stars.

Today the magi gaze in deep wonder at what they see: heaven on earth, earth in heaven, humanity in God, God in humanity, one whom the whole universe cannot contain now enclosed in a tiny body. As they look, they believe and do not question as they symbolic gifts bear witness: incense for God, gold for a king, myrrh for one who is to die.

Peter Chrysologus, 5th century

Art: Jan Brueghel, the Elder, “Adoration of the Kings”

Other links:

• The Epiphany
• Extraordinary Signs
• Epiphany Through the Eyes of Children

Prayers for New Year’s Day

Oh Thou, who art ever the same,
Grant us so to pass through
the coming year with faithful hearts,
that we may be able in all things
to please Thy loving eyes. Amen.      Mozarabic, 700 A.D.

Bless us, O Lord, and bless the time and seasons
yet to come.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
And fill this new year with your kindness,
that we may be glad and rejoice
all the days of our life.                  Fr Victor Hoagland, C.P.

On New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, the household gathers at the table or at the Christmas tree or manger scene. Many people make New Year’s Day a day of prayer for peace.

All make the sign of the cross. The leader begins:

Let us praise the Lord of days and seasons and years, saying:
Glory to God in the highest!
R. And peace to his people on earth!

The leader may use these or similar words to introduce the blessing:

Our lives are made of days and nights, of seasons and years,
for we are part of a universe of suns and moons and planets.
We mark ends and we make beginnings and, in all, we
praise God for the grace and mercy that fill our days.

A Reading from Genesis 1:14-19:

God said: “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years, and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth.” And so it happened: God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night; and he made the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw how good it was. Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.

Reader: The Word of the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

After a time of silence, members of the household offer prayers of thanksgiving for the past year, and of intercession for the year to come.  In conclusion, all join hands for the Lord’s Prayer. Then the leader continues:

Let us now pray for God’s blessing in the new year.

After a short silence, parents may place their hands on their children in blessing as the leader says:

Remember us, O God;
from age to age be our comforter.
You have given us the wonder of time,
blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.
Bless your children at the turning of the year
and fill the months ahead with the bright hope
that is ours in the coming of Christ.
You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever.
R. Amen.

Another prayer for peace may be said:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
R. Amen.                 Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi

The leader says: Let us bless the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

The prayer may conclude with the singing of a Christmas carol.

— Adapted from “Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers”

Christmas Day 2011

His Only-begotten Son and the Word of God (Vsnetsov,1885)

In the beginning there was the Word.

• Isaiah 52:7-10
• Psalm 98
• Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12)
• John 1:1-14

The above readings are for Christmas III, most appropriate for Christmas Day, while readings for Christmas I and II are often used on Christmas Eve services. There is a shift with this set of readings – we have moved from the birth of Jesus as told by Luke to the coming of Christ, who in a hymn from John, is described as the Word who was with God from the beginning, and through whom all things come to be.

That Word is forever being engendered and forever being present with God because, as the expression of Divine nature, the Word is and always has been God. The Word which expresses the Divine nature has been the agent of all creation. Nothing whatever has come into being apart from that Word. In particular, the Word of God is Life for all that has life. And for those beings who can reflect upon the life they have, God’s Word is the Light that gives them understanding.

As Light, the Word reveals what is not light; but such darkness cannot exist without the Light that makes it evident. As true Light, the Word enlightens everyone. Moreover, the Light that is God cannot be represented as an impersonal force to be spoken of as “it.” God is personal, and we learn to speak of God’s Word as “he” or “him.” The Light has come to the world that was made by him; yet the world did not recognize him.

God came to his own people, and people generally failed to accept him. Yet there were some who did accept him. To them he gave the right to become children of God, because they derived their identity or origin not from human ancestry or physical characteristics or human intention.

The right to be adopted as children of God comes from giving total trust to the Word, which expresses the Divine nature. This we can do because the Word became material flesh and lived among us as human. Therefore we could see him and perceive his appearance (usually translated glory) as that of the only Son who could be engendered by the ultimate Reality – represented as our Father.

So the Word which we can see in the humanity of Jesus the Anointed One is full of grace and truth. We all have received grace and truth from Jesus Christ. While no one has ever seen God, Jesus the Word as God’s only Son makes God known. And that (leaving out the references to John the Baptist) is how a theologian would tell the Christmas story.

Light of life, you came in flesh, 
born into human pain and joy, 
and gave us power to be your children. 
Grant us faith, O Christ, to see your presence among us, 
so that all of creation may sing new songs of gladness 
and walk in the way of peace. Amen. 

The above reflection is taken from Understanding the Sunday Scriptures: A Companion to The Revised Common Lectionary – Year B by H. King Oehmig (2008: Read Mark Press). It should also be noted that this reflection does not take into account inclusive language in terms of God, which is preferred by the author of this blog. 

Advent 4 – Year B: December 18, 2011

A mystery is revealed.

• 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
• Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26
• Romans 16:25-27
• Luke 1:26-38

Today’s readings invite us to respond to the wonder and mystery of God with a clear and joyful “yes.” In 2 Samuel, God surprises David with the promise of an eternal kingdom to David’s heir. In his letter to the Romans, Paul proclaims that in Jesus Christ the mystery of the ages is revealed. In today’s gospel, Mary opens her spirit, soul and body to the mystery and word of God.

Some commentators point to a pattern in Mary’s encounter with Gabriel that parallels the process many people have when God enters their lives. The first response is fear or awe. Mary “was much perplexed by his words” (Luke 1:29), just as any of us would be, finding it incomprehensible that we have found favor with God. Surely the all-powerful God doesn’t need one who’s as scatter-brained, selfish, disorganized or downright shifty as we think ourselves?

The next stage is puzzlement. Mary asks, “How can this be?” (v. 34). The angel, used to human limitations, doesn’t strike her down for honest wonder. We mustn’t be afraid to voice our questions and doubts to God; God can handle them. The angel’s words open a third stage: “Nothing will be impossible with God” (v. 37). That hinge makes what seems preposterous doable.

Such assurance of a larger plan enables Mary to respond generously and confidently.

The only door through which we pass into the future is trust. Mary models total acceptance of whatever God wants: “Let it be with me according to your word” (v. 38). Next time we encounter a project or relationship which first makes us fearful, we should remember Mary’s process. It doesn’t happen instantly, but it ends perfectly. In our baptism, and as Mary did, we are called to an open response to God’s word and presence.

Hail, thou, the restoration of the fallen Adam;

hail, thou, the redemption of the tears of Eve.

Hail, heavenly ladder by which God came down;

hail, bridge leading from earth to heaven . . .

Hail, land of promise;

       hail, thou from who flows forth milk and honey.

Hail, space for the uncontained God;

       hail, door of solemn mystery.

“Selected Praises of Mary from the Agathestos Hymn,” Greek, sixth century.

For reflection:

• What do you think Mary’s thoughts and feelings might have been as Gabriel appeared and spoke to her? Why do you think she accepted the angel’s charge?
• Why did Gabriel need to tell Mary not to be afraid? When have you felt the presence of the Divine in your own life, and what was your response?
• What qualities of discipleship does Mary present for us in this passage? What is the example that Mary sets for us today?
• Read Mary’s song of praise and thanksgiving (The Magnificat) in Luke 1:46-55. What added dimension do these words give to the profile of Mary? How are we challenged by these words as we read them today?
• As you look at the other lessons appointed for today, what do you learn about the fulfillment of God’s promises?

Andrew Carter’s “Mary’s Magnificat” sung by The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, 1995.

Image above: Henry O. Tanner, The Annunciation

Related articles

• Preparation: The Magnificat (therevandtheboys.wordpress.com)

Themes of Christmas in Worship

The Nativity by Domenico Ghirlandaio

The following is an excerpt from Richard Giles book, “Times and Seasons: Creating Transformative Worship Throughout the Year” (2008: Church Publishing). Jesus was probably not actually born on December 25th, despite our celebration of his birth on this calendar date. It is our celebration of the Incarnation – Christ with us. The readings of our services – on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day reflect our theology of the mystery of this feast day.

“Christmas in liturgical terms is strictly speaking a dual celebration, of both the birth of Jesus, reputedly at Bethlehem though just as probably at Nazareth, and of the incarnation of the cosmic Christ, a mystery that can be approached only by poetic metaphor.” Learn more of the historical background from Giles at Building Faith.

“Whichever theme is uppermost, the feast calls for liturgical partying of the first order. Vestments are white, and the liturgical space is decorated to the nines with every conceivable trimming.

The dual character of the feast is reflected in the very different ethos of worship of the first mass of Christmas celebrated the evening before compared with that of Christmas morning. The eve of Christmas, much frequented by cultural Christians, tends to be a nostalgic candle-lit affair in which the blessing of the crib (stable) containing figures of Mary and Joseph with the Christ Child play a key part. The gospel reading at the eucharist is always from the birth narratives contained in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

On Christmas morning, however, the mood is quite different. The readings are from the prologue of John’s Gospel in praise of the eternal Word, and from the Letter to the Hebrews. The emphasis shifts to a theological meditation on the eternal significance of the birth of Christ recognized as ‘the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being’ (Hebrews 1:3).”

Christ Pantocrator