Author Archives: Richard Grebenc

Advent Day 5: Challenging Jesus

Posted on by
Reply

TODAY’S GOSPEL READING (Mt 7:21, 24-27)

From Matthew 7:21:

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

From The Navarre Bible: St Matthew, page 84:

“To be genuine, prayer must be accompanied by a persevering effort to do God’s will. Similarly, in order to do his will it is not enough to speak about the things of God: there must be a consistency between what one preaches — what one says — and what one does: ‘The kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power’ (1 Cor 4:20); ‘Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves’ (Jas 1:22).
…
“To enter the Kingdom of heaven, to be holy, it is not enough, then, to speak eloquently about holiness. One has to practise what one preaches, to produce fruit which accords with one’s words. Fray Luis de León puts it very graphically: ‘Notice that to be a good Christian it is not enough just to pray and fast and hear Mass: God must find you faithful, like another Job or Abraham, in times of tribulation’ (Guide for Sinners, book 1, part 2, chap. 21).”

From Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: The Gospel of Matthew, page 121:

“The point is that religious confession is no substitute for a personal relationship with Jesus and the obligation to obey his Father’s will. If our creed and our conduct are out of alignment, then our profession of Jesus as Lord is not a true submission to his lordship.”

My take

Particularly, as a teacher, this passage and the associated commentary really hit home for me. Day in and day out, I endeavor to faithfully and clearly expound on the truths of Catholicism. But it requires frequent prayer, penance, reflection, spiritual reading, and of course recourse to the Sacraments, to even come close to practicing what I teach and preach — and not without a struggle and frequent stumbles. I especially appreciated the nod in Navarre to the letter of James, my favorite New Testament epistle due to its practicality. James, again:

So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (Jas 2:17)

A message I find plenty of opportunities to convey to my students is that with the Catholic Faith there is no “easy-believism.” Saying, “I believe in Jesus,” and thinking that is enough to be saved, is poppycock. Jesus did not spend years teaching for nothing. He speaks of hell often, letting us know how one can find himself there, and what it takes to avoid it. The message of our Lord is not for lightweights; it is a challenge that we face daily. Only with the grace of God can we overcome the lure of sin and gain perseverance during trials so as to maintain a right relationship with the Lord.

Are you ready to meet the Lord should He come calling today? Am I?

ADVENT RESOURCES

ADVENT/CHRISTMAS READING

Christ Enthroned (1505) by Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano

God bless!

Advent Day 4: Our Lord and Savior

Posted on by
Reply

TODAY’S FIRST READING (Is 25:6-10a)

From Isaiah 25:9:

“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”

From The Navarre Bible: Major Prophets, page 128:

“[T]he Lord…is faithful; those who put their hope of salvation in him will never be disappointed…”

My take

Hear this sentiment from Isaiah echoed by Jesus in the last Beatitude in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:12):

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

And I was surprised to find another connection to this phrase in Peter’s first letter (4:12-13 RSV):

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

Note the common thread. The Lord has saved us, but only if we cooperate with the graces that come from the gift of redemption Jesus has won for all humankind. How do we do live this cooperation? Well, whatever happens during our time on earth, particularly when we are insulted and persecuted for living our Christian beliefs, and whatever share of Christ’s sufferings comes our way (check out Col 1:24), we are to rejoice and be glad in our brief sojourn here knowing that we will rejoice and be glad in the eternal bliss of heaven.

ADVENT RESOURCES

ADVENT/CHRISTMAS READING

Christ Rescuing Peter from Drowning (c. 1370) by Lorenzo Veneziano

God bless!

Advent Day 3: Get to know the Trinity!

Posted on by
Reply

TODAY’S GOSPEL (Lk 10:21-24)

From Luke 10:21-22:

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
…
“No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

From The Navarre Bible: St Luke, page 139:

“Here we see Christ as almighty Lord and God, consubstantial with the Father, and the only one capable of revealing who the Father is. At the same time, we can recognize the divine nature of Jesus only if the Father gives us the grace of faith — as he did to St Peter (cf. Mt 16:17).”

From the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of Luke, pages 42-43:

“The Father, Son, and Spirit are equal in being, and no one of them possesses more of the divine life and knowledge than another. Since the Son is no less perfect than the Father, he is uniquely qualified to reveal the inner life of the Trinity to the world.”

From the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: The Gospel of Luke, page 208:

“Already at the age of twelve, [Jesus] had expressed awareness of his identity as Son (Lk 2:49). He now expresses it more fully — the words Father and Son occur a total of eight times in verses 21-22 — and he does so in the holy Spirit (v. 21), giving a glimpse of the life of the Trinity. He thus reveals to the larger group of disciples what Peter, John, and James found out on the mountain (Lk 9:35) and Mary had been told by the angel (Lk 1:32, 35).”

From Opening the Scriptures: Bringing the Gospel of Luke to Life, page 296:

“Because Jesus is uniquely the Son of God and has a privileged intimacy with the Father, he can make him known to anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. What Jesus is able to reveal about the Father goes beyond the knowledge that humans can have of God through creation (Rom 1:19-20) or through God’s previous revelations (Heb 1:1-2).”

My take

What a treasure Catholics have in the many wonderful commentaries now available! The excerpts above highlight and provide superb insights into what I myself just discovered when scanning today’s readings in trying to decide what to highlight. What we have in verses 21-22 is a fairly obvious explication of the Holy Trinity. Jesus “rejoice[s] in the Holy Spirit,” the One who enlightens, and then speaks of the intimate relationship between the Father and the Son. It is a lesson for us that we should have devotion to each of the three Persons of the Trinity individually. All one Godhead, yes. But there is a reason that there are three Persons and that this was revealed to us plainly in Holy Writ by Jesus through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Practically, we can and should frequently invoke the three Persons in spontaneous prayer, particularly in group settings. It can go something like this:

“Heavenly Father, we ask you to send your Holy Spirit to send His many gifts to enlighten us in this endeavor [and then expound on it]. We ask this, as we ask all good things, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

That the opening two verses of today’s first reading (Is 11:1-10) provides us a list of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit is a bonus that serves to highlight exactly what the Third Person of the Trinity brings to the table, so to speak.

Finally, I found particularly thought provoking the last commentary that refers to Heb 1:1-2. While all of Scripture is “God-breathed” (cf. 2 Tim 3:16 — think of the Holy Spirit as Holy Breath) and it is all the Word of God, who is Jesus (cf. Jn 1:1, 14), it is only with the Incarnation of the Son of God that the Father’s plan is fully revealed (see also Jn 1:18). All creation had been awaiting the Messiah since Adam and Eve’s fall (cf. Gen 3:15). We had glimpses and foreshadowings and types of Christ, but the reality of the Messiah in the flesh exploded all expectations and marked a new age in salvation history.

Do we really appreciate the gift we have in Jesus, awaited for thousands of years, and now with us (cf. Mt 28:20) until the end of time — and for all eternity if we accept the grace of redemption?

TRINITY RESOURCES

ADVENT RESOURCES

ADVENT/CHRISTMAS READING

The Trinity (early 17th Century) by Circle of Artus Wolffort (1581–1641)

God bless!

Advent Day 2: Jesus is amazing and amazed

Posted on by
Reply

TODAY’S GOSPEL READING

For today, I’m going to fall back to a couple of my favorite posts regarding the encounter between Jesus and the centurion. One of my absolute favorite Gospel events and immortalized by Ernest Borgnine in the classic movie Jesus of Nazareth.

Advent Day 2: Amazing Amazing Jesus

As a bonus, check out this fine article on this biblical episode.

ADVENT RESOURCES (in case you missed yesterday; and I added one as a bonus)

ADVENT/CHRISTMAS READING (in case you missed yesterday)

Christ and the Centurion

Christ and the Centurion (ca. 1575) by Veronese and Workshop

God bless!

Advent Day 1: A true Friend

Posted on by
Reply

IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK!

Happy Advent! I faithfully posted all through Advent and the Christmas Season last year and hope to do so again this year. Let us pray for each other. Happy preparation!

TODAY’S READINGS

As I did during last Advent and Lent, for these upcoming posts, I plan to use Catholic commentaries and other resources generously to bring light to each day’s readings. I’m particularly excited about the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testament that finally came out last month as one complete work. Save your pennies and get this! There is nothing else like it. Because this Bible was released in parts over the last twenty years or so, I had previously worked through the entire New Testament and all the books of the Old Testament that were released, but now I have the rest. I will be using comments from this work exclusively in today’s post.

+The first reading is from Jer 33:14-16.

I will raise up for David a just shoot;
he shall do what is right and just in the land. (v. 15)

“a righteous Branch: The Davidic Messiah, whom God will raise up after the collapse of the Davidic monarchy. justice and righteousness: required of the kings of Israel and Judah as earthly representatives of God and his rule.” (1319)

Branch: “The image of the Messiah as a sprouting ‘branch’ is likely indebted to Isaiah 11:1, where the stump of David’s royal house shows signs of life — a ‘branch’ (Heb., nēṣer) that rises up as a king anointed with God’s Spirit (Is 11:2) and sought by the nations (Is 11:10).” (1303)

The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction. (v. 14)

+The Responsorial Psalm is from Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14.

“friendship: The Hebrew term indicates a ‘private conversation’ or ‘counsel’ such as one would have with a close confidant. Reverential fear is essential to any relationship with the Lord and is thus a first step toward wisdom (111:10; Ex 20:20; Prov 1:7).” (851)

+The second reading is from 1 Thes 3:12—4:2.

May the Lord make you increase and abound in love
for one another and for all,
…
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen. (3:12-13)

“holiness: Moral and spiritual sanctity. See note on 1 Thess 4:3. the coming: The third mention of Christ’s return so far in the letter (1:10; 2:19). See note on 1 Thess 2:19. all his saints: Or, “all his holy ones”. This could refer to the blessed angels or the victorious saints or both. Most likely, Paul is saying that Christ will descend from heaven with an army of holy angels. This is the picture drawn by Jesus (Mk 8:38), by the OT (Zech 14:5), and by Paul himself in his follow-up letter (2 Thess 1:7).” (2116)

+The Gospel reading is from Lk 21:25-28, 34-36.

Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man. (v. 36)

“to stand: i.e., to withstand temptation and face the divine Judge with confidence (Eph 6:13; 1 Jn 2:28).” (1873)

|||My wrap

To tie all this together: The shoot that was awaited for by Israel (and the world, whether everyone knew it or not) was Jesus, the Christ/Messiah/Anointed One. He came to restore friendship with the Godhead. And He did so by first becoming not just one of us, but our friend. Jesus Himself said:

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. (Jn 15:13-15)

But note the caveat! If you do what I command you. As I highlighted in today’s Responsorial Psalm, friendship with the Lord entails a reverential fear. The instruction we are given by God, the command we are given by Jesus, are not suggestions. To have a right relationship with God, to have an authentic belief in Jesus, we must follow His teaching. This requires complete and uninhibited trust. If we can say we trust our spouse and/or best friend on earth, how much more must we place our entire lives in the hands of the One who created us, redeemed us, and sanctified us? Then we can, by begging for and cooperating with God’s grace, increase and abound in love for one another and for all — no easy task for us fallen humans. But to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father when He comes, whether during our lifetime or when we are face to face with Jesus at the end of it (we know neither the day nor the hour — Mt 25:13), requires being vigilant at all times so we can stand before the Son of Man in confident hope of eternal life.

BP BARRON’S SUNDAY SERMON

Always worth a listen, as I do each week. Today:Three Dimensions of Advent (and check out this article with the same theme).

THE WORD OF THE LORD

Worth every penny and more: https://stpaulcenter.com/the-word-of-the-lord/

A great way to take a deep dive into the Sunday readings every week — I try to never miss it. And the companion books are a treasure that will stay on my shelf (I’ve already worked through Year A, Year B, and Solemnities and Feasts and began the final volume, Year C today — outstanding!). What a blessing!

Also check out Breaking the Bread: A Biblical Devotional for Catholics (Year C) from Scott Hahn and Ken Ogorek, which I started today. Another great resource from two great educators!

ADVENT RESOURCES

ADVENT/CHRISTMAS READING

God bless!

Are you “incredulous for joy and…amazed” that “the author of life” is “expiation for our sins and..for those of the whole world”? “O Lord, you put gladness into my heart.”

Posted on by
Reply

TODAY’S READINGS

It struck me in hearing the readings proclaimed at Mass that, while Sunday readings are always purposeful in connecting the first reading and the Gospel reading, all four Scriptures fit together in a profound way. Let’s take a closer look at each reading, in particular the phrases in question.

Today’s first reading (Acts 3:13-15, 17-19) has Peter remonstrating his Jewish hearers for what they did to Jesus.

“The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.” (v. 15)

We cooperate with this “author” to make new humans and He provides the soul. He gives the life of grace to that soul in Baptism, gives life back to that soul through Confessions, and strengthens the life of that soul through the Eucharist. This Author writes beautifully, don’t ever forget when you look around and when you look in the mirror.

The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9) is overwhelming in its delight of the Lord:

O LORD, let the light of your countenance shine upon us!
You put gladness into my heart. (vv. 7b-8a)

Wow! When our heart is full in earthly matters, we never want to lose that feeling, but inevitably it fades or is jarred away. But the gladness God brings to the heart can never be taken away if we hold it close. Never let earthly distractions, no matter how severe, disturb your peace, knowing that God is with you when you stay in His good graces.

Then John (1 Jn 2:1-5a) tells us how we honor Jesus Christ for doing the following for us:

He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world. (v. 2)

Thank God! This is truly Good News! This great benefit we have received in knowing Christ and having been initiated into the Catholic faith should be made known to “the whole world.” There is no human that is not a beneficiary of Christ’s sacrifice. We are under obligation to make it known to every soul. What could ever stop us from winning over brothers and sisters to Christ? We must follow the Lord’s commandments and share this requirement with others.

The Gospel has Jesus appearing to the apostles and His Road to Emmaus companions in the Upper Room:

[Jesus] showed them his hands and his feet…
[T]hey were…incredulous for joy and were amazed… (vv. 40-41a)

When was the last time you were “incredulous for joy and…amazed” at what Jesus has done for you and every person who ever has come into existence or who will be conceived? It is far too easy to become complacent in our faith. Let us renew ourselves in the Lord daily , finding joy and amazement in what He has done for us and for everyone. Let us exude the joy of knowing Jesus and share our amazement in how He saved wretches like us, so more wretches will come to the Faith..

BP BARRON SERMON

Christ Appearing to His Disciples After the Resurrection (c. 1795) by William Blake

God bless.

Easter: “He saw and believed.”

Posted on by
Reply

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading for Easter (Jn 20:1-9) gives us John’s version of the scene at Jesus’ tomb. Peter and John race to the tomb after Mary Magdalene’s witness:

“When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.” (vv. 6-8)

“The disciple whom Jesus loved followed Peter into the tomb ‘and he saw and believed.’ What did he see, and what did he believe? He saw that the body of Jesus was not in the tomb, and he saw the cloths that he had been buried in. If his mind worked quickly, he might have deduced that whatever had happened, it was not the work of robbers. But simply seeing that Jesus was no longer in the tomb and that his burial cloths had been left behind could have in itself triggered a surge of faith, a joyful conviction that Jesus had somehow triumphed over death. He did not understand yet how Jesus had done so (verse 9), but he believed with all his heart that Jesus was alive. Perhaps words of Jesus popped into his mind, words about having the power to take up his life again (10:18) or about his going ahead of them to prepare a place for them (14:2-3). Perhaps, though, his belief was not something he could easily have put into words but was nevertheless an unshakable faith that Jesus had broken the hold of death.” (Bringing the Gospel of John to Life, 551)

Or, as some speculate, John may have noted something unusual about the wrapping. There is much on the internet about the shroud but let me direct you to a podcast that I found particularly interesting (here).

Of course, no one then, or today, actually witnessed Jesus arising. I recall the words of Jesus to Thomas a little further on in this chapter:

“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” (Jn 20:29b)

As yesterday’s post laid out, no resurrection -> faith unwarranted. But since we are blessed with so wonderful a Savior, we have hope to go along with faith if we remain in God’s love.

BP BARRON’S HOMILY

A FINAL NOTE

Happy Easter! May this holy season be especially blessed for you and your loved ones.

The Two Disciples at the Tomb (c. 1906) by Henry Ossawa Tanner

God bless.

Lent Day 46: The Crucified One is not here (or is he?)

Posted on by
Reply

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading for the Easter Vigil (Mark 16:1-7) gives us Mark’s version of the scene at Jesus’ tomb. An angel speaks to the women:

“You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.
He has been raised; he is not here.” (v. 6)

“‘Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified’: the same name as written on the inscription of the cross is used by the angel to proclaim the glorious victory of the resurrection. In this way St Mark bears witness explicitly to the crucified man and the resurrected man being one and the same. Jesus’ body, which was treated so cruelly, now has immortal life.

“‘He has risen: the glorious resurrection of Jesus is the central mystery of our faith. ‘If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain (1 Cor 15:14). It is also the basis of our hope: ‘if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins…. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied’ (1 Cor 15:17 and 19). The Resurrection means that Jesus has overcome death, sin, pain and the power of the devil.” (The Navarre Bible: St Mark, 197)

Catholics are sometimes accused of keeping Christ on the cross because of our displaying crucifixes. I’ve never had a problem explaining the veneration of the crucifix using the apostle Paul’s words:

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (1 Cor 2:2)

It seems to me a good thing to remember the brutality and ignominy Christ endured for my sake and the sake of all mankind from Adam till the end of time. Our sins do incalculable damage to the Body of Christ. It also helps us to realize that Jesus understands our suffering because He has been there.

But we also know now that suffering and death do not have the final word. Yes, there is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. But for those faithful till the end, no amount of troubles in this life will compare to the glory the Lord won for us for the next life.

So, keep the faith. The Crucified One actually is here — and He retains the scars to prove it.

ARTICLE

An article I came across regarding Holy Saturday. The first two points are of most interest to me because they speak of what Jesus did on that first Holy Saturday when His Body was sealed in the tomb.

A FINAL NOTE

Holy Saturday is a good day to keep noise and talking to a minimum, it seems to me. Recall the silence of the tomb. I am looking forward to reading The Power of Silence which undoubtedly will be a good corrective for our noisy lives.

The Holy Women at the Tomb (1890) by William Bouguereau

God bless.

Lent Day 45: Joseph and Nicodemus

Posted on by
Reply

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading for Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion (Jn 18:1—19:42) gives us John’s account of the Passion, death, and burial of Jesus. It ends featuring two members of the Sanhedrin:

“After this, Joseph of Arimathea,
secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,
asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus.
And Pilate permitted it.
So he came and took his body.
Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,
also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes
weighing about one hundred pounds.
They took the body of Jesus
and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices,
according to the Jewish burial custom.
Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden,
and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.
So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day;
for the tomb was close by.” (vv. 19:38-42)

“Our Lord’s sacrifice produces its firstfruits: people who were previously afraid now boldly confess themselves disciples of Christ and attend to his dead Body with exquisite refinement and generosity. The evangelist mentions that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus used a mixture of myrrh and aloes in lavish amount. Myrrh is a very expensive aromatic resin, and aloes a juice extracted from the leaves of certain plants. They were used as an expression of veneration for the dead.” (The Navarre Bible: St John, 237)

“Up till now [Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus] had not made their discipleship public because they were afraid of the other religious authorities who strongly opposed Jesus (see 12:43-44)…By burying his body, Joseph and Nicodemus perform a culturally significant act of respect and faithfulness to Jesus. Burying the dead was an important service of love in Jewish piety (Tob 1;16-20; 4:3-4)…Through this public act of piety, Joseph and Nicodemus make known their relationship with Jesus.” (The Gospel of John [Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture], 329-30)

“The Gospel earlier noted that ‘even among the authorities’ many believed in Jesus, but out of fear for what would happen to them ‘they did not acknowledge it openly’ (12:42; see also 7:13; 9:22)…

“[Asking Pilate for Jesus’ body] would hardly remain a secret and would manifest that he was a follower of Jesus. He may have previously kept his discipleship a secret to maintain a good relationship with his fellow leaders (see 12:43), but he now casts that aside, identifying with Jesus in his death as had not during his life….

“Pilate may have known, or known of, Joseph of Arimathea as a member of the Sanhedrin; Pilate would not have known that he was a disciple of Jesus. Thus Pilate might have understood that Joseph was finishing off what other Jewish leaders wanted done…

“When [the leaders of the Sanhedrin] wanted Jesus arrested (7:32, 45), Nicodemus invoked the law of Moses to defend him: ‘Does our law condemn a person before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?’ (7:51). This was hardly a profession of belief in Jesus, but it did indicate to other leaders tat Nicodemus was sympathetic to Jesus (see 7:52). Now by participating in the burial of Jesus, Nicodemus makes his allegiance public, as does Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus said, ‘When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself’ (12:32). Joseph and Nicodemus are the first of them.” (Bringing the Gospel of John to Life, “544-45)

“Joseph figured in New Testament apocryphal writings (e.g., the apocryphal Aces of Pilate and Gospel of Nicodemus) and was later given a preeminent place in medieval legend as the first keeper of the Holy Grail. His feast day is March 17…

“Tradition says that Nicodemus eventually became a member of the Christian community.” (Catholic Bible Dictionary, 474, 649)

I find it interesting to speculate on minor characters, or those only briefly mentioned in encounters with Jesus. Thus, the research reflected above. As the last resource above mentions, tradition has these men to go on to be Christians. This makes perfect sense, particularly once the Resurrection came to light. How long did they remain in the Sanhedrin? Not long I imagine (whether voluntarily or involuntarily). Did they try to evangelize their fellows after the Resurrection? I wonder. Might they have been pillars of the early Christian community? Seems likely. Could they possibly have provided the Gospel writers with inside information on the workings of the Sanhedrin?. I believe there is no question. How powerful must have been their witness to all these events!

These men prove it is never too late to change and find courage in the truth. And that, instead of giving in to worldly status and demands or just plain despair, their minds and hearts turn to things of heaven and they become men of conviction and action.

Monastery Church: Altar of the crucifixion, Mecklenburg | Gaston Lenthe |
(Longinus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus)

God bless.

Lent Day 44: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me”

Posted on by
Reply

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading for the Chrism Mass (Lk 4:16-21) has Jesus returning to His hometown of Nazareth. He stuns His synagogue listeners (undoubtedly including many friends, relatives, and acquaintances) by declaring Himself the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 61:

”“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” (v. 21)

“Christ’s words…show us the authenticity with which he preached and explained the Scriptures…Jesus teaches that this prophecy, like the other main prophecies of the Old Testament, refers to him and finds its fulfillment in him (cf. Luke 24:44ff). Thus, the Old Testament can be rightly understood only in the light of the New — as the risen Christ showed the Apostles when he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (cf. Luke 24:45), an understanding which the Holy Spirit perfected on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:4).” (The Navarre Bible: St Luke, 78)

“Jesus make a bombshell announcement…With Jesus, the time of waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises in Scriptures is over (see 24:27, 44). The messianic jubilee announced by Isaiah is at hand! ‘Behold, now is the acceptable time’ (2 Cor 6:2 RSV).” (The Gospel of Luke [Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture], 100)

“In the Greek of Luke’s Gospel, ‘today’ is emphatic. ‘Today,’ right now, even as you listen, ‘this scripture passage is fulfilled’…Isaiah’s prophecy serves as Jesus’ job description as he begins his ministry. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plans, bringing salvation to his people.” (Bringing the Gospel of Luke to Life, 118)

What is the job description, per Isaiah?

[T]o bring glad tidings to the lowly,
to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
To announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God,
to comfort all who mourn;
To place on those who mourn in Zion
a diadem instead of ashes,
To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning,
a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit. (vv. 61:1-3)

Who are the lowly? All of us sinners. The brokenhearted? All of us, at one time or another, sometimes for a long time? Prisoners? Those enslaved to habitual sin and all who place some created thing ahead of the Lord. Mourners? Those who have experienced loss, particularly loss of the grace of God through serious sin. How do these return to gladness? A return to God through Reconciliation.

Thank you Jesus for freeing us from slavery to sin and providing us the Church and the means of salvation through her, namely the Sacraments. Two we commemorate as being instituted today: Holy Orders and the Eucharist. Let us have recourse to the Eucharist and Reconciliation often and never let us spurn these great gifts.

For a dramatization of this episode in the synagogue, watch here.

God bless.