We were well represented at this past Friday’s March for Life in Washington DC as our High School Youth walked for each of us, as we seek to protect the precious lives of the unborn. We are in the middle of the International Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day. I invite you to keep all that these represent close to your heart as we reflect on today’s Word… There’s a quote on the Montgomery Civil Rights Memorial that quotes the Prophet Amos saying, “Until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” Our US Bishops offer that Christian communities "become newly aware of their unity as they join in a common concern and a common response to an unjust reality. This is the spirit of unity, faith and patience of a people who long for God’s promise.
A few weeks ago I joined Fr. Bryan, Betsy and the CCM Group for UAH at the SEEK Conference in Indianapolis… I was able to dwell upon the various blessings and challenges that come with accepting a life of living out one’s call to Missionary Discipleship…
First, to be a Missionary Disciple does not mean that you have to move, or walk in a desert somewhere. I would suggest, as I tend to do, that our call to discipleship simply involves our acceptance that we are very qualified to share the Good News of the Gospel, and do so as we journey into each day, back and forth to work, or trying to fill a furlough day, carpools, practices, games, performances, family errands, much deserved date nights, vacations, and impromptu visits with folks who need a friend from time to time. Missionary Discipleship is about transformation, and daring to travel outside of yourself and your surroundings into the lives and surroundings of others, offering them the transformative power that is the love of God, the salvation that comes from Jesus Christ, and the blessings that are the gifts of the Holy Spirit!
Second, to be a Missionary Disciple DOES mean that you must be willing to journey together with others! We are called here to worship in faith and be nourished by the very presence of our Lord… To be fed and sent forth to be CHURCH, serve others, and invite them into the fold! And yet, one of the very sobering statistics offered during one presentation claimed that in 2016, only 20% of Catholics attended Mass! That’s down from 40% in 1990, and 60% in 1965…
The trend would predict that by 2040, less than 10% of Catholics will be attending Mass! Attached to the graph that offered these statistics was the following quote from Fr. Xavier Lavagetto, Pastor and Campus Minister for the Catholic Community at Stanford University: “The Church is bleeding, badly. The only thing we do is wait for people to come to it. If we don’t start outreach we will simply lose more and more people.”
The quote uses the word “lose,” and to lose something means that you once had it, and now you’re not sure where it is. Consequently, to find something, you must be willing to patiently search, then find, then bring it back where it belongs! And when that happens, there tends to be much joy and fulfillment!
Take the first line of today’s first reading… “For Zion's sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch.”
The backdrop here is that a people in exile have finally returned home! Those who feared that they have lost everything - possessions, land, family and even their relationship with God - now find that all is restored. That which was lost was found… And the joy that followed was one that could not be contained! To express this joy, the Prophet Isaiah uses the language of love. Those who felt forsaken and desolate, now hear God referring to them as “My delight” and even “Espoused!” The love is so great that it is likened to a marriage. God rejoices in Israel as a bridegroom rejoices in a bride.
This is not just the mature joy that comes with a well prepared marriage, rather, it is more the joy of two newlyweds! God loves us, and we love God… And just as I like to say in Wedding Homilies, quoting the film When Harry Met Sally, “When you decide you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you wan the rest of your life to start as soon as possible!”
This is why it makes perfect sense that Jesus’ Ministry should begin at a Wedding!
But first, let me make an observation on the movement out of the Christmas Season and back into Ordinary Time. The traditional mystery of the Epiphany actually embraces three events: The visit of the Magi (back on the 6th), the Baptism of the Lord (last Sunday), and today’s sharing of the wedding feast at Cana. The word manifest is defined as clear or obvious to the eye or mind. It demonstrates and displays a quality or feeling by an act or an appearance. So each of these events manifests Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. The Magi represents the nations coming to recognize the promise of their own salvation. God's voice above the waters of the Jordan reveals Jesus as His Son. And Jesus’ first miracle during the Wedding at Cana shows the divine and transformative power that emanates from him.
Like the Magi, when we share our gift with the Lord and those around us, how do we represent our faith and our family traditions! Can we help others recognize the joy of Father’s promise of salvation?
Like our Lord at his Baptism, when we too are received by God and called to be one of his children, how can help reveal His Son, embracing the joy of His love, and our role to being the Christ for one another!
And like Jesus’ First Miracle at Cana, when the guests at the Wedding saw and tasted the transformative power of God’s love, how can we show the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit working through us, helping to transform even the most basic of elements of our own lives, into the life changing words and action necessary to convey the joy of eternal life!
In our second reading, Paul outlines the gifts of the Holy Spirit and reminds us that “to each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit!
We can highlight many possible themes from today’s Gospel... The Sacrament of Marriage, and its metaphor for eternal life, the new covenant and the glory of Christ, and of course Mary, the Mother of God calling us to simply do what Jesus tells us to do. But in light of this being the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and his sharing the transforming miracle of turning water into the best of wines, let us simply focus on this manifestation, and its clear and obvious display of Jesus as the Christ, who is our salvation, the Son of God, and the groom bringing joy to his bride, the Church!
But let us also not lose sight of the sobering statistics offered earlier, and the MANY MANY of our own who are currently in exile, away from the Church. Some feel banished, while others have imposed it upon themselves. But regardless of the reason, let’s go into our week, ready to search for, find, and share the transforming love of Christ, welcoming back those who are away! Yes. They may fear that they have lost everything - possessions, land, family and even their relationship with God - but in the love of Christ, may they come home to find that all is restored, and experience the newlywed type of joy that can not be contained!
A few weeks ago I joined Fr. Bryan, Betsy and the CCM Group for UAH at the SEEK Conference in Indianapolis… I was able to dwell upon the various blessings and challenges that come with accepting a life of living out one’s call to Missionary Discipleship…
First, to be a Missionary Disciple does not mean that you have to move, or walk in a desert somewhere. I would suggest, as I tend to do, that our call to discipleship simply involves our acceptance that we are very qualified to share the Good News of the Gospel, and do so as we journey into each day, back and forth to work, or trying to fill a furlough day, carpools, practices, games, performances, family errands, much deserved date nights, vacations, and impromptu visits with folks who need a friend from time to time. Missionary Discipleship is about transformation, and daring to travel outside of yourself and your surroundings into the lives and surroundings of others, offering them the transformative power that is the love of God, the salvation that comes from Jesus Christ, and the blessings that are the gifts of the Holy Spirit!
Second, to be a Missionary Disciple DOES mean that you must be willing to journey together with others! We are called here to worship in faith and be nourished by the very presence of our Lord… To be fed and sent forth to be CHURCH, serve others, and invite them into the fold! And yet, one of the very sobering statistics offered during one presentation claimed that in 2016, only 20% of Catholics attended Mass! That’s down from 40% in 1990, and 60% in 1965…
The trend would predict that by 2040, less than 10% of Catholics will be attending Mass! Attached to the graph that offered these statistics was the following quote from Fr. Xavier Lavagetto, Pastor and Campus Minister for the Catholic Community at Stanford University: “The Church is bleeding, badly. The only thing we do is wait for people to come to it. If we don’t start outreach we will simply lose more and more people.”
The quote uses the word “lose,” and to lose something means that you once had it, and now you’re not sure where it is. Consequently, to find something, you must be willing to patiently search, then find, then bring it back where it belongs! And when that happens, there tends to be much joy and fulfillment!
Take the first line of today’s first reading… “For Zion's sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch.”
The backdrop here is that a people in exile have finally returned home! Those who feared that they have lost everything - possessions, land, family and even their relationship with God - now find that all is restored. That which was lost was found… And the joy that followed was one that could not be contained! To express this joy, the Prophet Isaiah uses the language of love. Those who felt forsaken and desolate, now hear God referring to them as “My delight” and even “Espoused!” The love is so great that it is likened to a marriage. God rejoices in Israel as a bridegroom rejoices in a bride.
This is not just the mature joy that comes with a well prepared marriage, rather, it is more the joy of two newlyweds! God loves us, and we love God… And just as I like to say in Wedding Homilies, quoting the film When Harry Met Sally, “When you decide you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you wan the rest of your life to start as soon as possible!”
This is why it makes perfect sense that Jesus’ Ministry should begin at a Wedding!
But first, let me make an observation on the movement out of the Christmas Season and back into Ordinary Time. The traditional mystery of the Epiphany actually embraces three events: The visit of the Magi (back on the 6th), the Baptism of the Lord (last Sunday), and today’s sharing of the wedding feast at Cana. The word manifest is defined as clear or obvious to the eye or mind. It demonstrates and displays a quality or feeling by an act or an appearance. So each of these events manifests Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. The Magi represents the nations coming to recognize the promise of their own salvation. God's voice above the waters of the Jordan reveals Jesus as His Son. And Jesus’ first miracle during the Wedding at Cana shows the divine and transformative power that emanates from him.
Like the Magi, when we share our gift with the Lord and those around us, how do we represent our faith and our family traditions! Can we help others recognize the joy of Father’s promise of salvation?
Like our Lord at his Baptism, when we too are received by God and called to be one of his children, how can help reveal His Son, embracing the joy of His love, and our role to being the Christ for one another!
And like Jesus’ First Miracle at Cana, when the guests at the Wedding saw and tasted the transformative power of God’s love, how can we show the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit working through us, helping to transform even the most basic of elements of our own lives, into the life changing words and action necessary to convey the joy of eternal life!
In our second reading, Paul outlines the gifts of the Holy Spirit and reminds us that “to each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit!
We can highlight many possible themes from today’s Gospel... The Sacrament of Marriage, and its metaphor for eternal life, the new covenant and the glory of Christ, and of course Mary, the Mother of God calling us to simply do what Jesus tells us to do. But in light of this being the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and his sharing the transforming miracle of turning water into the best of wines, let us simply focus on this manifestation, and its clear and obvious display of Jesus as the Christ, who is our salvation, the Son of God, and the groom bringing joy to his bride, the Church!
But let us also not lose sight of the sobering statistics offered earlier, and the MANY MANY of our own who are currently in exile, away from the Church. Some feel banished, while others have imposed it upon themselves. But regardless of the reason, let’s go into our week, ready to search for, find, and share the transforming love of Christ, welcoming back those who are away! Yes. They may fear that they have lost everything - possessions, land, family and even their relationship with God - but in the love of Christ, may they come home to find that all is restored, and experience the newlywed type of joy that can not be contained!
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