The Epiphany - Year C

Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3.5-6; Matthew 2:1-12

... we have come to do him homage.

The wise men from the East came to find the infant king of the Jews; we have come to this Mass for exactly the same reason - we have come to do him homage.

Listening when someone speaks is paying them respect. We pay homage to God by listening to his word. We listen to the words of the Scriptures proclaimed in every Mass during the Liturgy of the Word. We listen and then we obey, we live the word in our lives.

Once I met a young man who said 'Oh, you're a priest. Do you give good sermons?' At the time I didn't know what to answer but now, with a little more experience, I would say 'That depends a lot on how well you listen.'

Now you may have noticed that there is a basic tension in the Gospel between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Jerusalem is the busy city, the metro-centre; Bethlehem is the quiet little town in the back blocks. Jerusalem is noisy and profane, ruled over by an arrogant, power-hungry king. The house in Bethlehem in which Jesus and Mary are found by the wise men is ruled over by a powerless infant. It is a place of silence, holiness and peace.

Simple questions propose themselves: Do I live more in Jerusalem or in Bethlehem? Which of these two places do I live in? Which of these two places lives in me?

The arrival of the wise men in Jerusalem causes anxiety and upset. Herod was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. The joy of the angels (and of the shepherds) is now forgotten.

Strange, isn't it, the way people can react so differently to the same news! Mary and Joseph put themselves totally at the service of the Child; the angels announce his birth with jubilation; the shepherds leave their sheep and go to see him for themselves; the wise men react with great excitement and joy and undertake a long and arduous journey to find him.

On the other hand we have Herod who is afraid and on guard and ready to kill, while the Jewish elders, astonishingly, are not terribly interested in Jesus at all - they have something far more manageable than a Messiah: the Law and the Prophets.

Yes, indeed, it is very strange the way people react to Jesus.

Some run away and some follow him; some oppose him and some become his disciples; some hate him and some worship him. Jesus is not often ignored!

Take any group of people and put Jesus in their midst and soon, very soon, there is a rearrangement of relationships. Not only will some hate him but they will also begin to hate those who love him.

Herod is fearful and defensive, cunning and deceitful. He attempts to use the naiveté of the wise men to his advantage and do away with this threat to his power. His intention is to remain in charge at all costs, even at the cost of the lives of innocents.

The Lord who humbles the proud simply sends an angel to the wise men to warn them to go home by a different way.

Surely this is the most appropriate punishment for those who consider themselves 'key stakeholders', essential to the workings of the world - simply to be bypassed!

The chief priests and scribes of the people were knowledgeable enough to point out to Herod where the child was to be born. They knew their faith. They knew the Scriptures. These were men who had mastered the Book but who had no intention of letting the Book master them. They believed the Scriptures, they read the Scriptures, but they would not live by the Scriptures. Theirs was a religion of the head, not of the heart. Theirs was a static faith centred on the words of a scroll and not on a living person - even if that person was God.

These men seem to have received the same 'treatment' from God as Herod did; They were simply bypassed. In the end they missed out not only on the joy of welcoming the Messiah, but on the salvation he offered: I have told you already: You will die in your sins. Yes, if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. (John 8:24)

The wise men were pagans, gentiles, dogs (as some Jews called the gentiles). They came from far away, from the distant east. They were open-hearted, truth-seeking, adventurous. They longed to know the true God.

St Augustine says in his writings: You would not be looking for him if you had not already found him.

These men had already surrendered to the Lord even before they met him. No wonder they brought with them extravagant gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The wise men are instantly loveable. Their trust in the guidance of the star, their humble readiness to ask for directions, their courageous journey and their generous gifts to the one they were seeking. These men were hungry for worship. They longed to see the face of the One who had been foretold and their longing was satisfied.

So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. (Luke 11:9)

Perhaps we can conclude with another question, a question only each of us can answer for himself or herself: Where am I in my spiritual life?

• Am I like Herod - frightened to let go and fearful of Jesus?
• Am I like the elders - knowing my faith but not really letting it touch me?
• Am I like the wise men - thirsting to know the Lord and setting out afresh every day to draw closer to him?

Holy Family - Year C

1Samuel 1:20-22.24-28; 1John 3:1-2.21-24; Luke 2:41-52

The Gospel writers were not like modern journalists. Journalists today are pre-occupied with facts and photos and 'spin' and, ironically, they get things wrong a scary percentage of the time. The evangelists are interested in what happened only because it reveals the truth - the truth about Jesus.

Indeed, Luke tells us at the very beginning of his Gospel that he drew up his account of the facts, that you may know the truth concerning the things (i.e. the facts) of which you have been informed(RSV). So Luke presents us with what happened in such a way that through his presentation we can distinguish and receive the truth.

The episode presented in Luke’s Gospel today is the only record anywhere of Jesus’ life before he began his public ministry as an adult. We are lucky to have it and we do well to read it attentively and to reflect on it deeply.

Every year his parents used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual.

The Holy Family did not need to go up to Jerusalem for the Passover; Joseph because he lived about three days from Jerusalem and only those within a day’s journey were obliged to go; Mary, because women were not obliged to go; and Jesus, because he was not yet thirteen. Still, their gratitude to God who had set the Hebrews free and their love for the feast caused them to make the arduous journey every year.

On the way back home Jesus was thought to be with other family members or friends and it was only at the end of the day, when they couldn’t find him, that they knew they had to return to Jerusalem. Frantically they searched for three days and then found him. Remind you of something? Was there another time when Jesus was ‘lost’ for three days?

To be able to understand the torment of Mary and Joseph at the loss of their son we would need to be able to understand how much they loved him. The Holy Family was without one of its members; it was a kind of broken family, and the tip of the sword which would later pierce the sorrowing Mother began to make its way into her heart.

Are you already beginning to see the prophetic truth that is unfolding in this account of the Finding in the Temple? It gets even clearer.

On the third day they found him again. He was discussing with the doctors of the Law and showing himself, as a twelve year old, to be superior to them. He was questioning them and they were astonished.

My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been looking for you. The RSV says: Son, why have you treated us so?

They are Mary’s first recorded words to Jesus and his reply will be his first recorded words to her; their first recorded conversation.

Son, says Mary. She knew he was her son by birth as well as the Divine Son of the Eternal Father. She utters this anguished word as the Mother of God who brings the two Holy Families, the human and the divine, into her tortured question.

Jesus responds: Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father's affairs?

Mary had spoken of ‘your father’ and Jesus had spoken of ‘his Father’. Jesus, too, is aware that he belongs to two families, and that one has precedence over the other. Do we have this awareness?

Far from being hurtful this truth was already familiar to Mary and Joseph. Besides, they were well-schooled in the truth that not all is what it at first appears. Joseph learned this when he discovered that Mary was to give birth to a child he had not fathered. He had learned to be silent and to await the unveiling of God’s plan in God’s time. Though neither Joseph nor Mary understood their son’s answer they did not question him further. Instead, as we can well imagine, they would have pondered in their hearts.

What appears to us hurtful is that Jesus seems to be tersely reproving his parents’ anxiety, but it is not so. The RSV translation is more helpful: Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?

Mary knew from the annunciation of the angel that God was Jesus’ Father and that the Temple was his house. What she had seemingly not understood was the prophetic content of Jesus’ need (must) to be in the Father’s house. This twelve year-old lad could see the path of his mission stretched out before him and it ended in his Father’s house. His foray into the Temple of Jerusalem, the place of his future suffering and death, among the doctors of the Law, at Passover time, after which he was ‘lost’ for three days - all spoke of his passion which lay twenty years ahead. His mission would bring him eventually into ‘his Father’s house’ and it was a mission he must complete. It had not yet happened; it had not yet been fulfilled; and therefore could be understood only in the fullness of time.

Perhaps this is a fitting truth with which to conclude our reflection. There is always something in our family lives, some difficulty, some contradiction, some tragedy which we do not understand. We can choose to act impulsively, destructively, impatiently, proudly – or we can store up all these things in our hearts and humbly ponder their meaning, waiting for God's light to arrive.

Christmas Midnight - Year C

Isaiah 9:1-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14

On this holy night the Church invites us to celebrate with joy the great event of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

We know the details of his life so well:

• born of the Virgin Mary in a stable because there was no room in the inn
• wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger – not a cradle

The outward circumstances are of poverty and anonymity but they conceal a mystery.

This great mystery would have gone by unnoticed and unknown had not heaven opened and the angels come down to sing of Jesus’ birth. After all, as Luke says further on in his Gospel: No one lights a lamp and puts it under a tub or hides it under a bed.

Jesus was God’s light, the light for the whole world, and God his Father wanted him to be seen and known by all. And so he sent the angel to the shepherds tending their sheep in the fields nearby: Listen, I bring you news of great joy … today a saviour has been born to you…

After many years of reflection by the Church we now know that in this child, God himself, has come down to humanity. God has become man in order to give man a share in God's own divinity.

This is the good news of salvation, the message of Christmas, the best news the world has ever heard - the birth of a baby.

But did you notice the first words the angel said?

Do not be afraid!

Of course, in an immediate sense the angel is telling the shepherds not to be afraid of him because the angel's sudden appearance would certainly have startled them. But the angel is speaking also to us, here and now in Sydney. That’s why the Holy Scripture is so powerful and relevant; its spirit-filled words are spoken to every people in every age. Do not be afraid!

1. Firstly, don’t be afraid of God. That may seem like a funny thing to say but I truly believe there are many people who are afraid of God, and yet there is no need. God is our loving Father, our loving Creator. He loves us with a deep and faithful love. He understands us, our weaknesses and our broken dreams, our sinfulness and our failures, and yet he loves us. I believe this is one of the main things wrong with humanity today - we don’t understand God's love for us. And because of this we don’t know how much we are worth. What a sad situation!
2. Secondly, do not be afraid of the Gospel. The Gospel is indeed Good News of great joy! Do not let your fear block your ears or harden your hearts. Don’t be afraid to believe these words from heaven. This is God’s word to you.
3. Thirdly, don’t be afraid of this child; don’t be afraid of Jesus - he means you no harm. Don’t be afraid to open the doors of your heart to him, to give him access to your inner self. Don’t be afraid to let him into your relationships, your marriage, your family, your private life. Talk to him, trust him, confide in him because that is why he came. He is looking for you. He wants you to approach him. He already knows you through and through, every detail of your life, and yet he loves you with a love no other person can equal. Don’t be afraid of his love; it will bring you healing, completeness, joy, peace and life.

Let me finish off by telling you something which I think is so little known that one could almost call it a secret. On Christmas night God gives us a saving message, yes, of course. He gives us a saving truth which we must believe, yes, I won’t argue with that. But most of all God gives us this night a saving relationship, a relationship he invites us to enter.

We are not saved by reading a book or attending a church service. We are saved by entering a relationship.

In the child of Bethlehem God enters a love affair with mankind, a love affair which saves us from our own evil and the evil of others.

He presents himself before us in the manger as a gift of total love and invites us to respond. It is our response that is crucial.

What the angel is saying to us tonight is 'Do not be afraid! This helpless child in the manger is the one you have been longing for, the one who loves you as you need to be loved, as you long to be loved. He alone can satisfy this hunger of yours for love and life. Do not be afraid to enjoy his favour.'

3rd Sunday of Advent - Year C

Zephaniah 3:14-18; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18

Today is Gaudete Sunday, Joy Sunday! It is a day for considering all that we as Christians have to rejoice about and, of course, what we have to rejoice about is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. I asked a few people around the place what they especially had to rejoice about and here are a few of the answers I got. I confess that I did edit them a bit to bring a few of their thoughts together more neatly.

"I rejoice mostly when I pray. This is where I meet God and it really makes me happy that he is so available. I love to pray and make an effort to pray every day. I love the Rosary and also the Divine Mercy chaplet."

"I rejoice because God is looking for me. I still remember that young man Stuart Diver and what he must have felt like when he was buried all that time in the avalanche in the snow fields. He felt so helpless and alone. He thought he was doomed. He must have been so glad to hear the noise of the people looking for him. I read in the scriptures and I hear it in the prayers of the Mass that God is looking for me. He has sent his Son Jesus to find me. I lie there trapped in all the weakness of my life and I long to be rescued, to see the face of my rescuer. I know he will find me and that he will come for me and save me. Not everyone has this longing for him or this trust in him. I rejoice that I have been granted this gift."

"I rejoice that the teachings of the Church are so crystal clear. My faith is certain; black and white. So many of my friends move from church to church looking for one which suits their beliefs. They change every few years and never seem content."

"I rejoice because he is near and I find this exciting! He is not far away. He is near because my stay on earth, however young I am, will soon end. Death is not a falling asleep it is waking up. And he is near in his Second Coming. He has promised and I believe his promise. This gives me so much joy. Many people do not have this sense of meaning in their life. They wait for death. Christians wait for life and life is coming; it is near."

"I rejoice because he is here. As the Scripture says 'He stands among you.' Jesus is in our world but he is not recognised. He is here already among us actively working to save us in all sorts of ways. What a gift this presence is! He is present in my heart, in my life."

"I rejoice because He is my Saviour who came to save me from all those things I am so afraid of: my sins, Hell, Satan and death. He is my Saviour and stronger than any other person or thing. He is Lord of all and has power over all. I rejoice that my God is THE God and that I am safe."

"I rejoice that I am a member of such a big lovely family, God’s family. Whenever I meet a catholic who believes I am immediately at home. I click with that person, we are friends. We understand each other and even ‘love’ each other."

"I rejoice that I have a gift to give God that is worthy of him in the Mass. I know that when I give this gift to God it is pleasing to God and it expresses my love for God in a way that God accepts. The Eucharist is the gift that God wants me to give him and it is the gift I want to give him."

"I rejoice that I have a place to confess my sins where Jesus forgives me through the priest. Jesus is waiting for me with the priest. He always forgives me. He understands me. He is gentle with me. He helps me. I rejoice in this sacrament because it gives me a new start. It is God’s mercy at work on my behalf."

"I rejoice that I know where I am going in life. My life is a journey and I know its destination. So many people don’t know where they are going. I do. And I have all the help I need to get there from the Church and from the sacraments."

"I rejoice that Jesus has taken the one thing I don’t like about life, that is, suffering, and given it meaning. He has made it into a kind of treasure for me. I have plenty of sufferings and, with Jesus, they help me grow in love for people and for him. I am so glad that I have found joy in suffering. I never thought it was possible but it is. He has given it meaning because I find him there."

2nd Sunday of Advent - Year C

Baruch 5:1-9; Philippians 1:3-6.8-11; Luke 3:1-6

As we saw the first of our Advent candles lit at the beginning of last week's Mass we got a sense of a new beginning, of a setting out, a sense of journey. To me it was a reassuring affirmation that we are all 'going somewhere'; that we are on our way to meet a future, a glorious future, which lies ahead in the uncertainty of our troubled lives and our troubled times.

Those candles tell us our life has meaning, direction, purpose and a goal - all given to us by Christ. They are candles of hope; giving light and yet, like us, being consumed.

This week it is the second candle, and then soon the third and fourth, and then all too quickly it will again be Christmas. Yes, the liturgical year goes round and round in a circle but it is always an ascending circle, a spiral of longing reaching upward for a moment of fulfilment.

We, who live in great, sometimes terrible, vulnerability besieged on every side by temptation and sin, anxiety, fear of illness or old age or failure, or a thousand other difficulties - we, who, whatever our age, are inescapably approaching the painful moment of our death - we wait for a God who saves.

Yes, that is the nature of our God; he is a God who saves. Indeed, that is what the word Jesus means: God saves.

The prophet Baruch, writing all those centuries ago, knew that Israel, just like you and I, had much to suffer, horrible sufferings; the worst of which was that they were exiled from their homeland, and from Jerusalem. And when you come to think of it, so are we; exiled in this 'valley of tears'.

But Baruch, speaking to Jerusalem as though she were a mother, assures her that her children will return. He addresses Jerusalem as Jesus might speak to heaven, our eternal homeland, and announces the new Jerusalem:

Jerusalem, take off your dress of sorrow and distress ... arise ... stand on the heights and turn your eyes to the east ...though they left you on foot, with enemies for an escort, now God brings them back to you ... for God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory with this mercy and integrity for escort.

Our God, as the Lord's Prayer says, means to deliver us evil, every evil, especially death. But we must be patient, we must wait. We must prepare ourselves. We sow in tears; we will reap in joy.

Popular culture would have us believe Advent is a season of preparation for the coming of the Divine Infant to Bethlehem. Not so. He has already come, and gone.

No, though we celebrate, and celebrate again what has already been given us we direct our present desire, under the guidance of the prophet Baruch, to the future coming of the glorious Saviour.

If all eyes turn to Bethlehem where the Virgin gave birth to the Redeemer two thousand years ago it's for the same reason we contemplate the other mysteries of his life, because they reveal the one Lord, the merciful Redeemer and just Judge, who is yet to come in glory.

Our contemplation of the birth, life, suffering, death and resurrection of the Lord is, consequently, a necessary contemplation, which nourishes our understanding and therefore our longing. These ‘mysteries of the Rosary’ are the footsteps of the Saviour in history, leading us to that spectacular moment of completion when the very same Saviour will appear before us in the fullness and splendour of his power over all, including time.

He is coming as he promised; what must we do? I think you already know. We must do the only thing we can - be ready!

Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low, winding ways will be straightened and rough roads made smooth.