The Sunday Gospel For Men

One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The teacher says, “My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”’” The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover. When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” He said in reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.” While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father.” Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed; but after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him in reply, “Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be.” Jesus said to him, “Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you.” And all the disciples spoke likewise. Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to feel sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.” He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.” When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again, “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!” Then he returned once more and found them asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open. He left them and withdrew again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing again. Then he returned to his disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand when the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners. Get up, let us go. Look, my betrayer is at hand.” While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a large crowd, with swords and clubs, who had come from the chief priests and the elders of the people. His betrayer had arranged a sign with them, saying, “The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him.” Immediately he went over to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and he kissed him. Jesus answered him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then stepping forward they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. And behold, one of those who accompanied Jesus put his hand to his sword, drew it, and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels? But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must come to pass in this way?” At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to seize me? Day after day I sat teaching in the temple area, yet you did not arrest me. But all this has come to pass that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. Those who had arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. Peter was following him at a distance as far as the high priest’s courtyard, and going inside he sat down with the servants to see the outcome. The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward who stated, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God and within three days rebuild it.’” The high priest rose and addressed him, “Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?” But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I order you to tell us under oath before the living God whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “You have said so. But I tell you: From now on you will see ‘the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power’ and ‘coming on the clouds of heaven.’” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need have we of witnesses? You have now heard the blasphemy; what is your opinion?” They said in reply, “He deserves to die!” Then they spat in his face and struck him, while some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy for us, Christ: who is it that struck you?” Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. One of the maids came over to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it in front of everyone, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about!” As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazorean.” Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man!” A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; even your speech gives you away.” At that he began to curse and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately a cock crowed. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the cock crows you will deny me three times.” He went out and began to weep bitterly. When it was morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor. Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, deeply regretted what he had done. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? Look to it yourself.” Flinging the money into the temple, he departed and went off and hanged himself. The chief priests gathered up the money, but said, “It is not lawful to deposit this in the temple treasury, for it is the price of blood.” After consultation, they used it to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why that field even today is called the Field of Blood. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of a man with a price on his head, a price set by some of the Israelites, and they paid it out for the potter’s field just as the Lord had commanded me. Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” But he did not answer him one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Now on the occasion of the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Which one do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus called Christ?” For he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed him over. While he was still seated on the bench, his wife sent him a message, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I suffered much in a dream today because of him.” The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus. The governor said to them in reply, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They answered, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” But he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Let him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.” And the whole people said in reply, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.” Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him. Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat upon him and took the reed and kept striking him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him. As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha—which means Place of the Skull—, they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink. After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And they placed over his head the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down from the cross!” Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” The revolutionaries who were crucified with him also kept abusing him in the same way. From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “This one is calling for Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. But the rest said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.” But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.

Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” There were many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him. Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be handed over. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained sitting there, facing the tomb. The next day, the one following the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember that this impostor while still alive said, ‘After three days I will be raised up.’ Give orders, then, that the grave be secured until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal him and say to the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ This last imposture would be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “The guard is yours; go, secure it as best you can.” So they went and secured the tomb by fixing a seal to the stone and setting the guard.

Matthew 26:14-27:66

Passion Sunday

Our Lord’s preparation of his disciples for his Passion is theologically rich. He gives them his body, blood, soul, and divinity in the first Eucharist. He warns them of the trial that he and they are about to undergo. He indicates to Judas—in a final warning—that he knows what Judas is about. He then takes out his three closest disciples to watch and pray with him. And yet, what happens?

Jesus’s three closest apostles—Peter, James, and John—do not stay vigilant in prayer but fall asleep. Judas follows through—to his own eventual sorrow and despair—with his planned betrayal. Although Peter had been adamant that his faith would never be shaken, when the time comes, Peter puts up an ill-thought-out fight and then denies the Lord. The others flee or look on from a distance, and only John (as we learn from John’s Gospel) stays with him at the cross.

After reading this account, you might be tempted to despair. If the apostles who spent three years in the company of God himself were such failures, why should we even bother? But rather than be tempted to quit, we should hear the words of this Gospel reading with joy and assurance for three reasons. First, even Jesus’s apostles needed a Savior, and their failure in no way prevented him from being faithful to the end. Second, though we are not reading about it here, we know that their own failure did not prevent them from returning to him post-resurrection. Or, more accurately, their failure did not prevent him from returning to them. And third, not only did he return to his apostles, but he also promised them the Holy Spirit so that they would be strengthened.

And that’s where you and I are. You may not have heard the Sermon on the Mount with your literal ears, but you have been united to its preacher in your baptism, confirmation, and, most amazingly, the Eucharist. In a way, you and I are in a better position than his apostles, for we have the Holy Spirit right now. And that Spirit gives you the power to think about ways in which you may have abandoned or denied the Lord this Lent. Perhaps it was a resolution to stay awake with him more in prayer—just as Peter, James, and John were called to do—but you gave way to sleep or distraction. Maybe it has been a sin that you vowed to put behind you, but you have done it again. Maybe it was a failure to speak the truth when you had the opportunity to publicly witness to your faith—you may not have spoken your denial aloud, but your silence implied consent to it.

Whatever the case, the Gospel reading of the Passion speaks eloquently of the possibility of failure but also gives comfort to us. This week, we should not let Lenten failures discourage us; we should confess our sins and seek to stay awake with him more by turning our hearts to him throughout the day. We should seek his Holy Spirit so that we would be more and more like him; we should not deviate from the path to the cross, instead we should pick it up and journey right alongside our Lord just as Simon the Cyrenian was called to do, and we should always be about the Father’s will.

In your prayer today, meditate on the Lord’s patience with his apostles and with you (past, present, and future). Ask that he gives you the courage to act on the Holy Spirit’s promptings right now.

The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” He became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?” So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, He cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

John 11:3–7, 17, 20–27, 33b–45

The Raising of Lazarus

Today, we celebrate the third and final scrutiny in preparation for the baptism of the elect at the Easter Vigil. In the exorcism for today, the priest asks God to “snatch us from the realm of death” and to free the elect from “the death-dealing power of the spirit of evil” (RCIA, 175). We are only saved from the evil of death when we are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection (see Romans 6:4-6)

In today’s Gospel, we see a display of God’s power over death. Lazarus was only a sign of what was to come for us—that is, when we die, we won’t stay dead. Lazarus’s resuscitation has given each member hope that God can reach into death, our greatest enemy, and defeat it.

Ultimately, Christ’s death and resurrection secured humanity’s hope that death would not have the final word for us. What Christ did for us on Calvary and in the tomb is still being worked out with each generation. It will come to completion when the world is brought to its apex in the second coming of Christ and the final judgment.

Each person, you and I, have to prepare for this final coming by hosting the life, death, and resurrection of Christ in his own body and soul. Christ has to be alive in us so that the evil one will not pull us into eternal death. We secure this life of Christ through trusting and believing in all that he has revealed and taught in scripture, participating in the celebration of the Eucharist, and emulating the saints. May we consistently repeat the words of Martha, “Lord, I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

Christ’s voice reached into Lazarus’s dead body and awoke it. We can only hope that we are hearing this same voice while we are still alive. We must choose Christ now. Jesus is crying out into all our souls with the same message that awakened Lazarus: “[C]ome out!” Come out of darkness, ignorance, and sin; come into his light and life.

In your time of silent prayer today, ask that all baptized men and women and all who are preparing for baptism might “triumph over the bitter fate of death” (RCIA, 174) by choosing Christ this day and every day to come.

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam”—which means Sent. So he went and washed, and came back able to see. His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is,” but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.” They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out. When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.

John 9:1, 6–9, 13–17, 34–38

The Man Born Blind

Today the Church celebrates the second scrutiny. The scrutinies are exorcisms of the men and women who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil. In today’s exorcism, the priest asks that the elect might be enlightened—like the man in today’s Gospel—and freed from the slavery of the father of lies.

Today’s Gospel story gives us great hope. Notice what Jesus did for the man born blind: “he found him.” This means Christ goes looking for us. The act of coming to the Lord begins with God searching for us. The whole story of Christ’s life is one of God seeking us out because we have alienated ourselves from his love and rejected the love of fellow humans.

God meant it when he said, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). From the very foundations of creation, the enemy of man has been isolation from love. Adam and Eve began the process of leaving the presence of God when they chose to sin in the Garden of Eden, and we have been predictable heirs to this behavior ever since. We also have a habit of throwing one another out of our lives. Loneliness is a deep suffering in this life. It is something like a foretaste of hell. We were made to see the truth and live in communion with God.

This communion with God is the way of faith, hope, and love. As the darkness of sin closes our eyes to the love of God, grace moves to find us. This movement of grace is a great mystery, as it may find us early in life as a response to our baptism or may even find us late in life on our deathbed. But there is no doubt that grace and God’s own life and love are moving within human experiences to open our eyes to his will for us.

The Church, and its ministries, try to make us more capable of relating to God. It does this through the sacraments, catechesis, acts of charity, and its mission. The Church continues Christ’s work in and throughout time. God wants to welcome us, give us sight, and restore our communion with him and one another. He gives us the strength to answer the question Jesus asks the man born blind: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

Today, pray for those preparing to enter the Church at Easter. Pray that God may gently lead the elect to Christ, the light of the world. Finally, tell the Lord in answer to His question with conviction, I do believe, Lord.

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water. I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking with you.” Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him. When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

John 4:5–15, 19b–26, 39a, 40–42

The Woman at the Well

Over the next three Sundays, we will celebrate the three scrutinies in preparation for the Baptism of the catechumens who are to be admitted to the Sacraments of Christian Initiation at the Easter Vigil. The Gospel readings on these Sundays will be the same Gospel readings that have been associated with the scrutinies since at least the seventh century: The Woman at the Well, The Man Born Blind, and The Raising of Lazarus.

In today’s Gospel, we see that Christ waits for us when we are in our deepest need. He is there, ready to respond when we announce our most urgent thirst. This need—this thirst—is not for realities that are temporal. No, our deepest thirst is for God himself.

The setting of this Gospel reading is at a well, which has many allusions to marriage in the Old Testament (see Genesis 29). The woman at the well in John’s Gospel is a Samaritan, a non-Jew. She represents the hunger of humanity to find rest in loving and being loved by God. Here, at the well, God reveals himself as the one who wants to marry the world. All thirsts will end in heaven, but they begin to be quenched  even here on earth as we enter more deeply into a vulnerable and realistic relationship with God.

We enter into conversation with God just like this woman at the well. We tell him everything, and he tells us everything about us and himself. Thus, he reveals the meaning and purpose of each our lives. Such a purpose is certainly not one of wandering in thirst from well to well. This would be a purposeless life—a futile life. We were not created to simply seek temporary relief from meaninglessness or pain and suffering. God is always offering us eternal rest as we establish communion with him in prayer and worship.

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” Jesus has revealed himself to be “the truth” (John 14:6), and he is present to us through the sacraments and in the scriptures as the living Spirit. In the above passage from today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is saying that the Father is seeking people to worship Christ. Yes, the Father is actively seeking out all men to worship him in spirit and truth—literally, in Christ. This is how we fulfill the Father’s desire: we share the good news, we give testimony that Christ is the Savior, we are witnesses to the fact that Christ is the one in whom all our thirsts are satisfied.

In your prayer today, bring your pains to Jesus. Tell him everything. He is waiting for you. Allow his love and grace to gush into your souls and fill you with right worship in spirit and truth.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Matthew 17:1-9

Heaven on Earth

The Transfiguration is a foretaste of heavenly glory. In this event, Jesus is taken up into the heavens and clothed in a dazzling white garment. When Jesus is in this exalted state, he dialogues with Moses and Elijah. The former represents the law—for it was to Moses that God revealed his law (see Exodus 31:18). The latter, Elijah, represents the prophets—for this prophet was taken up into the celestial body by a fiery chariot in a whirlwind (see 2 Kings 2:11). More than the law and the prophets, the operation of the Trinity is manifest at the Transfiguration. Concerning this event, St. Thomas Aquinas says, “the whole Trinity appears—the Father in the voice, the Son in the man, the Holy Spirit in the bright cloud.”1 Thus, when Jesus was taken up into the heavens, and an unearthly splendor filled that place, the Trinity, the law, and the prophets were all made manifest.

Although we do not see Jesus shining like the sun, we can experience a foretaste of heaven while we are still here on earth. Today, we will reflect on two of these foretastes of heaven. The first is in our relationship with God and the second is in his sacred liturgy. 

At the end of time, there will be a new heaven and a new earth; the holy city—the new Jerusalem—will come out of heaven from God (see Revelation 20:1-2). We cannot be in heaven—the New Jerusalem—until the end. However, the vital essence of heaven is that we are with God. Every good deed, every act of asceticism, every scriptural reading, every encounter with God, all of these are a kind of foreshadowing of heaven because all of these deepen our relationship with God. 

When we do these good deeds, we should happily think of the heavenly kingdom, the end of time, and our death. Thinking about heaven is deeply related to thinking about death. Centuries ago, it was common for people to meditate on the four last things: heaven, hell, death, and judgment. Our Christian ancestors did not want death to befall them quickly because they wanted the time to prepare themselves spiritually before their individual judgment. They were ready to embrace suffering in reparation for their sins—even the sufferings that accompany death. The saints embraced any suffering as an opportunity to share in the cross of Christ so that they, and others, might come to the glory of heaven. All of their asceticisms and good deeds were foretastes of heaven as they formed the saints’ relationship with God. 

The second type of heavenly foretaste is the sacred liturgy, the Holy  Mass. In the liturgy, we partake in the sacrificial action of eternity. Every sign and symbol at the Mass and in the church should point us to think about the heavenly reality. The union of the signs of the earthly liturgy and the heavenly liturgy was well illustrated in a report that was brought to Vladimir I, Grand prince of Kiev, by his emissaries returning from Mass in the Great Church of Constantinople. Vladimir’s emissaries recounted this Mass saying: 

We know not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth, there is no such splendor or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We know only that God dwells among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of the other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty.2

Hopefully, you have the same experience at Mass and see that the action you are participating in is a heavenly reality.

In your holy hour today, reflect on these earthly foretastes of heaven. Do you see how your good deeds point to heaven and how the Mass touches the heavenly reality? Allow the grace of these moments to change your life so that you can spend eternity with God in heaven.

1Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, 3, 45, 4 ad 2

 2Samuel H Cross and Olgerd P. Scherbowtz-Wetzor, eds. and trans., The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text (Cambridge, Mass.: Mediaeval Academy of America, 1953) in Alexander Rentel, “Byzantine and Slavic Orthodoxy” in The Oxford History of Christian Worship, eds. Ceoffrey Wainwright and Karen B. Westerfield Tucker, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000). Also see: René Marichal, Premiers Chrétiens de Russie: Introducion, choix et traduction des textes, Chrétiens de tous les temps 16 (Paris: Cref, 1966) 52-53, in Marcel Metzger, The History of the Liturgy The Major Stages, trans. Madeleine Beaumont, (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 1997), 86.

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

Matthew 4:1-11

Temptations 

 As we heard in today’s Gospel, Satan attacks Christ using his identity, saying, “If you are the Son of God….” Satan hopes to provoke Jesus into defending himself and performing a miracle, thus submitting to Satan’s prompt. But Christ does not give in to the devil. He cannot be moved by temptations or outside forces; he acts only out of his own freedom.

Satan knows that we are different, so he often successfully takes the same approach with us that failed with Christ. He tempts us with our identity. To one, he says, “You know God is mad at you, so why not drink tonight?” To another, he says, “You are not loved by God. How could you be? Think about your sins.” To a third, he says, “You will never become holy; you are always making mistakes, weak and filled with faults.”

Satan always tries to make us believe that we are broken and repulsive to God or that God has already abandoned us. The two most common satanic lies are: “There is something wrong with me” and “I am alone.” When we buy into these lies, we usually sink deeper into sin. At times sin fills the man with a defeatist attitude. He thinks, “Well, since I already started drinking I might as well keep going,” or, “Since I already started looking at pornography I might as well keep doing it.”

But God moves you toward freedom no matter the depth of sin you have entered. Once you begin sinning, you are not condemned to stay there. Grace is offered for you to stop at the 2nd drink; nothing is inevitable or determined in our behavior. God knows that he can reach you and he keeps trying. Even the next day, when you awaken with regret—and a headache—God is there, not to condemn you but to refresh you with his life.

The world of condemnation and rejection belongs to Satan. He wants to take us to that world, but we do not have to go. We can always move toward the resurrection, toward the light and freedom. Do not start going down the road to self-condemnation. Always reach out for grace. Remember, as  Fr. Jacques Philippe says in his book Interior Freedom:

The person God wants to touch and to transform with his love is not the person we would have liked to be or ought to be. It is the person we are. God doesn’t love ideal persons, he loves actual real persons” (Interior Freedom 32).

In your Sunday holy hour, recall the times that the devil has tempted you using your identity. Did he pull you toward pride or fear? Then take comfort and know that you are not alone. You are not wounded beyond the gaze of Christ’s love. 

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand over your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 5:38-48

Perfection

“Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That is a daunting command. Too often, we understand that command through the lens of our contemporary anxiety-ridden culture. We interpret that saying of Christ to mean that we cannot make mistakes, that we cannot fall into error. All must be perfect, without blemish, without weakness, because in perfection we find our identity. The counselors’ offices are filled with men bearing such anxiety. 

Christ is not commanding the perfect execution of all human action; he is commanding something more vexing. He is commanding that we act like God in loving all. We are to love those who do not love us. We are, in other words, to will the good of those who will our harm. In this way, we are to be perfect.

God’s love is available for the sinner and the saint. The entire scripture is a testimony to God’s love seeking out and penetrating the hearts of “sinners,” of bad people. To leave the bad people without love would be to leave them without God, for God is love. He wants us to participate in his love and join him in converting bad people into good—enemies into friends. 

We are not to act like God out of our own willpower. It is too puny—too wounded. We are to act like God out of our willpower infused with God’s love. This infusion happens through prayerful communion with God and through faith, hope, and love.

Forgiving those who have harmed us means being configured to Christ upon the cross, who says, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). To forgive someone is to incorporate the wound they inflicted upon you into your love for them. In other words, the wounds do not sever your communion with another but instead become the occasion for your love to deepen. Forgiveness is always a miracle. Forgiveness is always divine, always unexpected, and scandalous to modern rules and values. 

Our culture and society today teaches us to “cancel” the enemy, to shun and exile him to the margins of influence and commerce. However, in Christ, the enemy is always our future brother. There is no clearer evidence that one has allowed Christ to inhabit one’s will and heart than forgiving one who has harmed us. 

Such forgiveness does not have to happen all at once. It usually proceeds in degrees, as the victim slowly relates all the pain to God in prayer and, over time, becomes enabled to set his heart free from the prison of hate, revenge, and anger. Such freedom does not have to occur in the perpetrator’s presence. God can free us from the chains of unforgiveness even after the perpetrator has left our presence or died. Forgiveness is a gift God gives victims; if they are open to it, this gift frees perpetrators. This is perfection: forgive as you have been forgiven. 

Today, ask the Lord to give you the grace of perfection—the grace to forgive and to love. 

Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one."

Matthew 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37

Free from Within

In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges his disciples to surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees—he invites them to be more than mere “rule followers.” Although he respects rules, more importantly, he invites us to internalize the truth of the moral rules and live this truth as our own. To remain a rule follower under fear or compulsion is not the glory of the disciple. Such a life does not flow from a love of truth and holiness. It is true that one who follows rules keeps order within the sphere of behavior. However, Christ is looking for inner freedom and integrity. In the fullness of the Christian life, lust will not become promiscuity because a man does not desire it, anger will not become violence and envy will not birth theft because these disordered desires have been deflated by one’s participation in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Our moral behavior flows from somewhere deep within our heart and soul, not simply from a superficial rebellious streak. Our lust, our anger, and our murderous ways need to be healed from within. We need to be set free from interior influences, from desires gone astray, from unchecked and unreasoned impulsive behavior. Jesus wants us to know that our acts are ours and that part of being saved by him is becoming aware of what is within us and giving it to Christ for inner healing, as he is the Divine Physician. This type of living is part of the abundant life that Christ promises. 

A man who simply follows rules does preserve public order, as no violence occurs and no theft is perpetrated, but the man who is refraining from such behavior still wants to steal and still wants illicit sexual behavior. Christ wants to set us free from within. 

As one’s prayer life, worship life, and ascetical life deepen in Christ then progressively, developmentally, in time, and patiently a man undergoes a startling renewal. His desire for sin diminishes. He begins to anticipate that if he follows the promptings of sin he will end up, not in a place of fulfillment, but of boredom and meaninglessness. 

With the light of Christ flooding our minds we actually begin to foresee the fruitlessness and irrationality of choosing sin. And so, by the power of being in communion with Christ, a man comes to say ‘no’ to sin. He says no not simply because such behavior is against a commandment or religious rule, but because he knows that such behavior undermines his very dignity and his communion with God. This is freedom indeed. And such freedom is attained by stopping the evil thought or desire at its first appearance in the mind. If we welcome it and think about it, desire then awakens to push us toward that which we know is evil. In the power of the Spirit, when the first thought to sin arises simply turn and ask our loving God to empty its attraction and reveal its true nature to us—a nature always at odds with our lasting happiness.  

In your holy hour, today and in the coming days, ask the Lord to heal you from within so that your righteousness might surpass that of the Pharisees. Ask the Lord to free you from every inclination to sin and to orient your heart and soul toward worship of the true God, today and every day moving forward.

Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."

Matthew 5:13-16

Public Witness

Christianity, being a Christian, involves public action. The apostles declared fidelity to Christ before crowds, governments, towns, and cities. Jesus himself died before men in public, attesting to his great love for mankind and his Father in Heaven, by the power of the Spirit. 

During the course of human history, many have tried to make Christianity a private devotion. Even in our own time we have seen a subtle shift in language from respecting freedom of religion toward claiming to respect the freedom to worship. True freedom of religion is not only the freedom to go into a building and worship. It also implies that one is free to fill the public square with the speech and behavior that flows from worship, as long as it does not interfere with the common good.  Religion is not free if it is only given sanction to inform one’s private emotions or thoughts. 

The good news is supposed to set men free, not simply make the worshipper feel loved. Such experiences of being loved by God and loving God in return are essential to the human experience of faith. But such reciprocal love between an individual and God must also bear public fruit. 

Sometimes it is difficult to give testimony about God’s love and his laws in public, and so we shrink from such occasions in the name of respecting others’ privacy. If we do this too often, however, we lose the very vocabulary of salvation and become mute before others when they approach us looking for relief from our time’s superficial philosophies, therapies, and self-help pursuits.  

We need to be bold in articulating what we believe and why we love God. We have to affirm that such love has a right to be spoken and acted upon in public, or we may find ourselves confined to church buildings and banned from public testimony. We are called to let our light shine. We are called to be the light of the world, not simply the light of the sanctuary. We may be tempted to ‘go along to get along,’ but such compromise is not prudent. It is simply self-preservation, or tepid conviction. All the apostles except one died a martyr’s death. Their light attracted the attention of those who prefer the dark. But through their public commitment to Christ the church spread and the good news reached even those in the dark. 

In your holy hour today, reflect on how you can bring the fruits of your life devoted to prayer, asceticism, and fraternity into the public eye. Ask that the light of these graces might shine before others “that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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.”

Matthew 5:1–12a

The Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit. What does this mean exactly? Think of the opposite of being poor in spirit—which is being prideful. When someone is prideful, they are “puffed up” and “full of themselves” (see 1 Corinthians 13:4–5). The antithesis of pride is humility. Therefore, you are a blessed man if you humbly acknowledge that God is God, and you are not. 

Blessed are they who mourn. How is it that the sorrowful are the happy ones? Isn’t this a clear contradiction? No, even though it may seem to be. Those who mourn are blessed since they mourn over the right things. In other words, they place their joy in eternal things and not in the things of this world. Precisely in their earthly mourning, they experience a hopeful joy for eternity. Even though they are bound to encounter sorrow in this valley of tears, the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, is their comforter. 

Blessed are the meek. What is meekness? It’s certainly not a word you hear every day. Meekness is not weakness; rather, it is the controlling of the emotion of anger through right reason and love. Moses is an example of meekness. He was said to be the meekest man in the world (see Numbers 12:3) because he only had righteous anger (see Exodus 32). However, he eventually became embittered and spoke words that were rash when he was tested at the waters of Meribah (see Numbers 20:10–11, Psalms 106:33). Sadly, this prohibited him from inheriting the promised land (see Deuteronomy 32:51–52). Moses’s punishment serves as a kind of warning for us: if we want to enter into heaven, the true promised land, then we must learn to control our anger (see Ephesians 4:26–31). 

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Our Lord also says many times elsewhere: “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34; compare 5:30, 36, 6:38, 9:4, 17:3–4). This should be our greatest source of motivation. 

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. In one sense, this means: “the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you” (Matthew 7:2). But as St. John Chrysostom says, “The reward here seems at first to be only an equal return; but indeed it is much more; for human mercy and divine mercy are not to be put on an equality.”1 You receive far more mercy from God than you could ever show others. 

Blessed are the clean of heart… Blessed are the peacemakers. Remember well that you were made a child of God in your baptism. Cherish this new identity and this new dignity that was bestowed on you by God the Father. If we remain pure and persevere to the end, then, by God’s grace, “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). 

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. This is to say: “You are blessed when you stand up for what is right—no matter the earthly consequences.”

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. In this last beatitude, Jesus returns to the first. Just as he promised the kingdom of heaven to the poor in spirit, now he promises the kingdom to those who are persecuted. 

In your silent prayer today, reflect on one or two of these Beatitudes and write them down. Ask the Lord to lead you in your prayer and consider what action He may be asking of you.

1Quote by St. John Chrysostom found in Thomas Aquinas, Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers: St. Matthew, ed. John Henry Newman, vol. 1 (Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1841), 152.

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. 

Matthew 4:12–23

Left Their Nets 

After Jesus’s baptism and before his public ministry, John the Baptist is absent from Matthew’s narrative accounts because he had been arrested. When Jesus learns about John’s arrest, he goes to Galilee to the region inherited by the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali in fulfillment of the prophecy (see Isaiah 9:1–2). This same prophecy is the one that predicted how a “child,” a “son” (Isaiah 9:6), would be born in Israel who would be a “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and sit “upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness” (Isaiah 9:7). Knowing full well the implications of his actions, Jesus begins to call his disciples and proclaim the good news of the Kingdom amidst all these Messianic expectations. 

The men he called to follow him were simple fishermen. They probably had heard the scriptures—especially the ones that speak of the Messiah coming from their region—because they attended synagogue services on the Sabbaths. They had faith in God, but they probably didn’t believe these prophecies would come true in their lifetimes. Then, all that changed when they heard the excitement around Jesus’s preaching as he went around exclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

When our Lord calls you, he doesn’t ask you to be someone you are not. God’s grace does not impose itself on you or destroy your individuality; rather, it elevates, transforms, and perfects you into the man that you were created to be. Jesus sees that Peter, Andrew, James, and John have natural skills as fishermen. Jesus then uses those skills to make them great evangelists, saying, “I will make you fishers of men.” Notice the response of each of these men. Scripture recounts how “[a]t once they left their nets” and “immediately” followed him. Their hearts were ready because they were open.

Where is your heart today? Is it scared to let go and let God in, or does it freely offer everything to God, trusting that he will make you the greatest version of yourself? In your meditative prayer today, ask God for the grace to drop your nets—whatever they may be—so that you may follow Christ unreservedly. 

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

John 1:29–34 

Agnus Dei

Ecce Agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi (Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.) This was John’s proclamation when he saw Jesus approaching him in today’s reading. After the Spirit of the Lord had descended on Jesus, John knew that Jesus was the “Son of God” and the savior of the world.

When John—Jesus’s older cousin—identifies him as “the Lamb of God,” he says that Jesus “existed before” him. If you were present among the crowd, surely you would think, “What a bizarre thing to say about a younger man.” However, John was correct in saying this, for Jesus existed before all time. This was neither self-depreciation for John nor empty praise for Jesus; John was speaking out of true conviction from “the one” who sent him to baptize in the first place. In his own words, John says, “The one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.’” And that is all John needed to believe that Jesus was the Son of God born before all ages. 

Throughout sacred Scripture, God is referred to in many ways. For example, he is called El Shaddai, or “God Almighty” (Genesis 17:1, 49:25), the Lion of Judah (see Genesis 49:9), and the Alpha and Omega (see Revelation 21:6, 22:13). These are all impressive and powerful titles, but in today’s reading John calls him a lamb. What does a lamb have to do with God? A lot. The lamb was associated with Abraham’s sacrifice in place of Isaac and was the key sacrificial animal in the Passover (see Exodus 12:3). 

Recall when Isaac asked his father, “‘Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’ Abraham said, ‘God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son’” (Genesis 22:7–8). As the story continues, God provides a ram for Abraham to sacrifice. Note well that Abraham does not sacrifice a lamb. Abraham’s sacrifice is not completed until God provides himself as the lamb with his death on the cross. 

Likewise, the lamb’s blood in the Passover saved the people of Israel from the angel of death and from slavery in Egypt (see Exodus 12:3). The Passover event was a foreshadowing of Christian baptism, where we overcome death by participation in the Paschal Mystery. We are adopted by God and forgiven our sins. 

In the silence of your prayer today, reflect on the title “lamb of God.” Why is the all-powerful God associated with a lamb? Then thank the Lamb of God for taking away your sins and giving you new life.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.” Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

Matthew 2:1-12 

Are You Looking?

Of all the people in the world, why was it the wise men of the East who saw the star and found the child Jesus? Unlike everyone else, they were looking. They knew the prophecy of the coming king of the Jews and looked for a star to indicate his birth. Perhaps they knew the prophecy of Balaam, given long before the birth of Christ, which said that a star would come forth (Numbers 24:17-18). Since they came looking for Christ even though they were gentiles, they must have had a sense that the Jewish Messiah would be more than just a regional king. He was destined to be the king of all nations. The magi perceived the sign and responded on behalf of all of us, welcoming the new king.

Today, we often continue to overlook the presence of Jesus in the world even though he gives us many signs. God has arranged the world to point us toward his Son, giving us little signs and occasionally even big ones—like the star. When we take time to see the signs, we experience epiphany moments: moments when things suddenly become clear and we can see what is beneath the surface. God has a plan and seeks to lead us closer to him each day. He uses each day’s events and the people in our lives to break through to us. We have to take time to look and listen in order to respond. 

Tomorrow Exodus 90 begins. It is time for a new beginning. You will have time to look and listen for the signs that God has given, so that you can find his presence in your life and follow him more faithfully. Like the wise men traveling as a group, you will have a fraternity of men seeking the Lord with you. Like the threats of Herod, there will be challenges. God will lead us to him if we let him. These 90 days will provide us time for a new epiphany. We’re excited for the journey – let’s begin. 

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Luke 2:16-21 

Shepherds 

We begin the new year by reflecting on the shepherds adoring the Messiah. The beginning of a spiritual revolution to renew the world takes place in a stable of all places, with a newborn in a manger surrounded by shepherds. Like the shepherds, we are invited into the mystery of God’s entrance into the world. This new year can be a time of transformation if we take this reality into our hearts—pondering it in prayer, telling it to others, and living it out. 

As the shepherds were watching over their sheep at night, an angel appeared to them saying, “I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12). These humble shepherds received this magnificent proclamation. The whole nation had been awaiting the return of the messiah-king from the Davidic dynasty for centuries. Now the Messiah, the long-awaited Messiah, God’s anointed, was coming to reclaim the throne.

We approach the manger with the simple, humble shepherds who are called to witness this incredible event. You can imagine how intrigued the shepherds would have been to see the Messiah. Wouldn’t they have expected the Messiah to be born in wealth and power? Instead, they found Jesus lying in a manger, just as the angels had described. Excited, they explained everything from the message to Mary and Joseph who were amazed to see how God’s plan was unfolding. Here were shepherds, simple men, among the first to witness the glory of God in Jesus Christ. We, like the shepherds, should seek out baby Jesus. 

We can imitate the shepherds as we prepare to begin an Exodus on January 9th. One way to do this is by committing to a daily holy hour of prayer, during which we can adore the Lord and ponder the mysteries of our faith. Like the shepherds, we can rest from the grind of life to seek out the Savior. He can lead us into deeper freedom if we listen to his voice calling us, like angels called the shepherds, to “Come and see.” And that’s the invitation for you and me - come and see – to spend time with Jesus, the Savior, every day.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:1-14 

Lying in a Manger

Picture the most magnificent nativity scene you have ever seen, perhaps it is in your home, at church, or in a great basilica. These creches are displayed in many prominent places to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Certainly, this is a good tradition. Yet these beautiful Nativity Christmas scenes, Nativity Christmas tree ornaments, and Nativity Christmas plays can obscure the fact that our Lord was born in abject poverty. The King of kings and Lord of lords could have come into the world any way he wanted, yet he came humbly as a little child lying in a manger. 

Christmas was anything but perfect for Mary and Joseph. They traveled from their hometown of Nazareth to the city of Bethlehem to participate in the mandatory public census. They had to return to Bethlehem because Joseph was from the tribe of Judah, a descendant of David. They did all this, even with Mary nine months pregnant, in order to be obedient to civil law. When they arrived, Mary and Joseph were not welcome in Bethlehem. Don’t let our happy holiday celebrations fool you; Christmas would have been a trying time for the Holy Family, since they were poor, alone, cold, and homeless. 

It was under these difficult conditions that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This was all part of God’s plan. Do you know what Bethlehem literally means? In Hebrew, it means, “House of Bread.” Now today we see Jesus, the “Bread of Life” (John 6:35), born in a manger, the place where animals feed. We also see him coming to us in the Eucharistic bread at the Mass. 

God became man in the form of a baby, lying in a manger. This definitely provides insight into God’s character: Jesus is both humble and self-giving. Today, on Christmas Day, enjoy time with family and friends, but most of all, spend time in silent prayer thanking God for his gift of self. Ask for the grace to make your heart a “manger,” a place that welcomes the Lord even in difficult times. 

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

Matthew 1:18–24

Saint Joseph

Today’s Gospel reading tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ from Joseph’s point of view. The story begins at Mary and Joseph’s betrothal. It is important to understand the historical context for this since a betrothal is similar but different to a modern-day engagement. On the one hand, betrothals were promises of marriage similar to engagements. But on the other hand, betrothals were legally binding and could only be terminated by someone’s death or by obtaining a divorce certificate (see Deuteronomy 24:1–4).

Joseph is described as “a righteous man.” When he discovered that his betrothed was with child before their wedding day, he resolved “to divorce her quietly.” There are three possible explanations for his decision to divorce Mary. Firstly, Joseph could have been suspicious that Mary was ungodly and had been cheating on him with another man (think of American tabloid talk shows that shout: “You are not the father!”). Secondly, Joseph could have been perplexed because he knew that Mary was a holy woman of God who would not commit adultery. But she was pregnant with child and it is not his, so the only option would seem to be a quiet divorce. Thirdly, Joseph could have been made aware that Mary was miraculously pregnant with a child by “the Holy Spirit;” and he would decide to divorce her quietly since he did not understand his part in God’s plan and felt that he was unworthy. Whatever the case may have been, it is clear that Joseph didn’t want to cause Mary any difficulties. But can you imagine what must have been going on in his heart? 

In the end, Joseph became privy to God’s plan when an angel told him exactly what was going on in a dream. Perhaps this detail will remind us of another famous Joseph who understood dreams. This entire account is meant to communicate three vital truths. Firstly, Jesus is a descendent of King David since Joseph is his legal guardian. Secondly, Mary’s virgin birth is the fulfillment of the prophecy in the Book of Isaiah. The angel even quotes the verse explicitly, saying, “Behold, [the] virgin shall conceive and bear a son” (Isaiah 7:14). Thirdly, Joseph is not Jesus’s birth father. Rather, Jesus is the Son of God and is the fulfillment of the same prophecy: “[A]nd [they] shall call his name Immanu-el [which means ‘God is with us’]” (Isaiah 7:14). 

When reflecting on the supernatural origin of Jesus, it is easy to be in awe of God’s goodness. Without Jesus, we could not be saved from our sins. Yet it may also be easy to overlook Joseph, who heard the angel’s message and then “did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him…” Today, pray for the grace to be a man like St. Joseph, the righteous man, the man who listened and obeyed the Lord’s direction.

When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."

As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Matthew 11:2-11

The Christ

Before today’s Gospel, John the Baptist had already displayed great faith in God. Indeed, he had already preached in the wilderness, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). He baptized with a baptism of repentance. When Jesus came to him, he said, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:14). Notice how easily John recognized that Jesus was greater than he was. Furthermore, when there was a dispute over whether or not John was the Messiah, he said, “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him… He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:28-30). John knew he was not the Messiah but longed to know who the Messiah was.

So in this reading, he sends messengers to Jesus asking him if Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus responds in a curious way. He does not give them a clear cut answer; instead, he tells the messengers, “Go and tell John what you see and hear,” and he references Isaiah’s prophecy which we hear in this Sunday’s first reading, which says, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” (Isaiah 35:5-6). These verses prophesy the circumstances and signs that will accompany the coming of God’s Messiah. The verse right before them says, “Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you” (Isaiah 35:4). Jesus links his actions to Isaiah’s prophecy that God will come as the savior.

In his response to John’s messengers, Jesus appeals to his mighty works and deeds, essentially saying, “Let my actions speak louder than my words.” Jesus has already performed the signs that Isaiah said would accompany the coming of the Messiah. He has given sight to the blind (see Matthew 9:27-30), healed the lame (see John 5:8-9), cleansed lepers (see Matthew 8:3), brought the dead back to life (see John 12:1), and given the poor the hope of the Gospel (see Mark 6:12). 

In the second half of today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the crowd who John the Baptist was by asking them why so many people have come to see John preaching in the desert. He answers for them that John was a prophet—in fact, the prophet preparing the way for God’s Messiah. John was indeed a great man, but he is preparing the way for someone much greater: the savior of the world. 

Jesus has come. He is the Messiah. We are not to and have no need to look for another. In your prayer today, do two things. Recall the longing for the Christ that the Jews experienced 2000 years ago, and embrace the longing for the second coming of the same Christ at the conclusion of this world. Today, joyously hope for the Messiah’s second coming.

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!” It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Matthew 3:1-12

John the Baptist

Today’s Gospel reading prompts us to reflect on the life and mission of John the Baptist. John was a very peculiar figure. He wore a tunic made of camel’s hair tightened by a leather belt and lived on a diet of bugs and wild honey. Yet, this revolting appearance and lifestyle had a deep meaning. John was dressing just like Elijah the prophet (see 2 Kings 1:8), and he was acting like the “New Elijah,” the one prophesied to come and “prepare the way of the Lord” (see Malachi 3:1). 

The first thing we see him doing is preaching in the desert, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” John is both speaking and acting in conformity with God’s plan. He is fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah, “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God’” (Isaiah 40:3). This message is exactly the same as Christ’s message (Matthew 4:17). 

John is called “the Baptist” precisely because he baptized with the baptism of repentance. This is why people were flocking to him from all over and “were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.”He was none too pleased with those who came to him with questionable motives. Indeed, he called the Pharisees and Sadducees a “brood of vipers” and “sons of snakes.” John the Baptist warns them not just to do the right things outwardly but also to “[p]roduce good fruit as evidence of [their] repentance.”

John’s mission was to prepare the people for the Coming of Christ. In your prayer today, reflect on how you are preparing yourself for his Second Coming and ask yourself, do you “[p]roduce good fruit as evidence of your repentance”?

Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Matt. 24:37-44

Stay Awake 

“Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns the disciples to stay attentive and to be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. To communicate the importance of his warning, he references the famous Old Testament narrative concerning the Flood in “the days of Noah.” How much do you remember about the Flood? Have you ever wondered, “What precipitated the Flood?” In other words, what caused it to happen in the first place? 

According to the biblical account, “When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose” (Genesis 6:1). It seems that “sons of God” is a reference to the righteous line of Seth (Genesis 5:3), and “daughters of men” is a reference to the wicked line of Cain, the murderer (Genesis 4:10). Then the narrative continues, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart” (Genesis 6:5-6). God regretted making man because all the righteous men were choosing pretty girls over God and allowing them to pull their hearts away from God, thereby making women their gods and idols. So, the Lord God decided to flood the earth and all were wiped out except one man. 

Only Noah and his family were saved from the Flood. But why him? What was so special about Noah? It’s quite simple: Noah was not influenced by the godless culture of his time. Rather, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). No one but Noah and his family knew what God was planning to do. And that is because only Noah and his family were God-fearing people. 

You can imagine what life was like leading up to the Flood. People were living by the motto, “Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (Isaiah 22:13). Well, they were right. But St. Paul warns us, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’ Come to your right mind and sin no more” (1 Corinthians 15:33-34). You want to be prepared and ready to meet God since death can take you at any moment—just ask the men in the field and the women at the mill. 

Do not give in to our current godless culture, but learn to fear God as Noah did and put Him first in your life. In your silent prayer today, ask for the grace to “stay awake”, to stay vigilant and to watch for the coming of Christ.

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.” Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Luke 23:35-43

The King 

In this Gospel reading many different groups are taking shots at Jesus. First it is the rulers, saying, “He saved others, let him save himself….” Notice that they aren’t even talking to our Lord, but talking about him—within his earshot. They have no respect. Then they specifically choose to mock his title as “the chosen one, the Messiah of God.” Apparently they were expecting some sort of political revolutionary to be the Messiah—not Jesus. Likewise the soldiers are mocking him, saying, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” See how the soldiers are mocking him more brazenly: addressing him to his face. They think that our Lord’s claims are nonsensical unless he physically gets off the cross and “saves himself.” Lastly, one of the criminals who was sentenced to death near Jesus says, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” This is not a plea made in humility. This is a demand that seems to be made with the same kind of mockery. 

It can be hard for us to understand the ways of God. For example, it can certainly be hard for us to understand suffering and it can be tempting to see evidence of it in the world and think, “If I were God, there wouldn’t be so much suffering.” And that’s exactly where we get things wrong when we start actually thinking, “If I were God….” God is good and God knows best. How do we know this? Simply, look at what Jesus did for us on the cross. God could have become man in order to be a self-serving king. There are plenty of examples of those throughout history. But God became man in order to suffer and die in our place so that we might have eternal life (see John 3:16). 

This is the good news of the Gospel for all people who repent and believe. Just ask the “good thief.” He recognized that Jesus was different from him. He looked into the eyes of love and repented from his sin. He did not join the mockery but instead rebuked the other criminal, asking him, “Have you no fear of God…?” That’s the first step in repentance: recognizing that God is God and you are not. Then, he turns to our Lord and says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He gets it: Jesus is the king of a more glorious kingdom than we can see on earth. And what does he get in return for confessing his guilt? Not mockery, not punishment, and not shame. Rather the criminal is admitted into the kingdom by the king himself. 

Truly God’s ways . . . they are not our ways. Ask God for the grace to let him reign over every aspect of your life today. 

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here— the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.

“Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

Luke 21:5-19

Persecution

What does a hostile persecution of the faith look like? Think of what it would be like to live somewhere in the world where Christianity is illegal; imagine being persecuted by your own family, arrested and imprisoned by the government, and killed for practicing the faith. For many people throughout the world, this is a reality, and Jesus predicted this would be the case.  

As Christian men, we should expect persecution. Persecution is nothing new in the history of the Church. St. Timothy warns us in his second letter saying, “[A]ll who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). It is not hard to find plenty of good illustrations of this. For example, St. Paul had just been stoned, dragged out of the cities of Antioch and Iconium, and thought dead. Then, when he was restored to health, he preached the Gospel in a different city and made many disciples by God’s grace. Next, he returned back to the city that stoned him and exhorted the disciples there, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). 

So what does all this mean for you and I? It’s simple: be ready. Be ready for persecution from the world but know that you were not made for this world. Tell the world that you were made for more. That is the challenge for you and I this day – to be a bold witness, to be ready as St. Paul and so many others who have gone before us. The more you trust in the Gospel and practically apply it to your life, the less there is to fear. 

In your silent prayer today, imagine yourself deeply entrenched in a persecution. Where would you be? Are you hiding? Preaching in the streets? Or even, locked behind bars? As you reflect on this, beg God for the grace of perseverance and courage in the face of persecution.

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Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.” Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out ‘Lord,’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” 

Luke 20:27-38

Resurrection 

Marriage is a beautiful thing. From the beginning of time, God created man and woman to complement and complete each other. Having already created the animal kingdoms, God said, “It is not good that man should be alone, so I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). Clearly, God made us to be relational beings. This mirrors God’s Being: God is one God in three divine Persons. In today’s Gospel, the Sadducees are not questioning the goodness of marriage, but they are questioning the relations of married people in the afterlife. 

Seemingly out of nowhere, since this is the first time the Sadducees appear in Luke’s Gospel, the Sadducees come forward and put Jesus to the test. Because they did not believe in the resurrection, they bring Jesus a scenario of what they think is an air-tight argument against it. 

But in order to understand their argument, we must first grasp one of the Jewish commandments in Deuteronomy. There God says, 

When [a brother] dies without a son, the widow of the deceased shall not marry anyone outside the family; but her husband’s brother shall come to her, marrying her and performing the duty of a brother-in-law. The firstborn son she bears shall continue the name of the deceased brother, that his name may not be blotted out from Israel. (25:5-6)

God gave this commandment in addition to the first-ever commandment given to Adam and Eve: “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22). This shows that, in addition to valuing relationships, God values life. But the Sadducees could not see the connection between marriage, remarriage (after the spouse’s death), and the afterlife in Heaven. So they pose a simple question to Jesus, “What if seven brothers were married to one woman but they all die; whose wife will she be in Heaven?” And Jesus says something to the effect of, “No one’s because there is no marriage in Heaven.” 

Jesus’ answer is profound on many levels. First, Jesus is not afraid to directly answer the question of his opponents. Second, he tells us there is no contradiction between remarriage and resurrection; in fact, he gives us an insight into the very purpose of marriage. Third, he gives us an insight into what existence will be like in Heaven. 

Jesus’ answer implies that marriage is a means to man’s ultimate end: which is salvation. Our Lord tells us: “[T]hose who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.” Therefore,  Jesus is telling us that Heaven is an eternal state of being with God, a place reserved for the risen. 

Our Lord’s response would have irked the Sadducees because they had just attempted to argue that belief in the resurrection of the dead is absurd. But Jesus doesn’t stop there; instead, he goes so far as to appeal to their highest Jewish authority. He says, “That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush….” His listeners would have known he was speaking about the great prophet Moses’ experience at the burning bush in reference to God’s theophany—the manifestation of God. Here God called out to Moses, saying, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). Jesus concludes with a question: why would the living God refer to himself as the God of our fathers if they too were not still alive in him? Interestingly, this same reasoning and defense of the resurrection of the dead can be found later in the New Testament from both St. Luke (Acts 7:30-34) and St. Paul (Acts  26:22-23). 

Let’s take a moment to thank our living God today for the great reality and the great gift of the resurrection. Pray to “be made worthy” and that you may persevere to the end in order to experience this gift firsthand on the last day. 

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At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

Luke 19:1-10

With Joy 

Zacchaeus lived in Jericho, a city located northeast of Jerusalem in modern-day Palestine. As the chief tax collector, he was a wealthy man who was the head of other tax collectors in his district. Unfortunately for him, tax collectors had a “bad rep” in those days. The Jews saw them as traitors to their people because they worked for the Roman occupiers. They also had the reputation of cheating people and over-taxing them for the sake of personal financial gain. Despite his bad reputation, Zacchaeus actively sought to find the Lord.

When Jesus passed through Jericho, a large crowd began to form around him. Zacchaeus could not see because he was “short in stature,” so he climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus. According to one source, these trees can grow up to 130 feet high and 6 feet wide.  Here, the irony is that Zacchaeus sought to see Jesus with great effort only to learn that Jesus was already seeking to see him. Our Lord told him, “[C]ome down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And Zacchaeus obeyed the word of the Lord and received him with great joy. 

Some people did not like the fact that our Lord wanted to stay with Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector. In the minds of many of them, being a tax collector was synonymous with being a sinner. But Zaccheaus realized the great treasure he had found in Jesus and he was willing to do whatever it took to be in right relationship with him. That is why he said, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” In doing this, he was justly imposing a serious penalty for restitution on himself (see Exodus 22:1; CCC 2412). 

In your time of silent prayer today, put yourself in the place of Zacchaeus. He was hindered from seeing God because he was short. What hinders you from seeing God? He tried to overcome this impediment. How do you strive to overcome the things that impede your relationship with God? As you end your prayer, remember that even before Zacchaeus climbed the tree, Jesus was coming toward him. God takes the first step - He’s doing so for you, right now - and inspires faith. Today, praise God for inspiring your faith and seeking you out.

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 Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14

Exalted

Have you ever seen someone who is really bad at their job? Image an expert in your field—someone you are told to respect—but he just can’t seem to accomplish the simplest task. You are told to look up to him, but he is failing in his field of “expertise.” This is what is happening with the Pharisee in today’s Gospel.

The first verse of today’s tells us about the intended audience, saying, “Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.” If we are honest with ourselves, we know that this applies to us as well. In one way or another, we are all like the Pharisees in our low moments. Not only do we justify ourselves to ourselves, but we also justify ourselves to God himself. We fail at the simplest things in the fight for our salvation.

When was the last time you thought, “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like [that guy]?” Thinking this way is akin to playing God. As men, we tend to compare ourselves to others and act like we know it all. It is easy to assume the worst of others and the best of ourselves. But inn reality, we need to be more like the humble, little tax collector.

The tax collector’s prayer is the opposite of the Pharisee’s. First, note the difference in their posture as they stand before the Lord. The Pharisee stands confidently, while the tax collector “stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven.” His body language communicates his attitude of humility. Second, the tax collector “beat his breast,” a symbol of repenting from his heart. Third, he prays a short prayer: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Nowhere in this prayer does he compare himself to others or justify himself to God. In other words, pride is absent. This man knows that he is in need of God’s grace and mercy. And that should be our starting point in prayer since “humility is the foundation of prayer” (CCC 2559). 

When you are talking to God, instead of acting like a defense lawyer, remember that you are a “beggar before God.” And, acknowledge that you need God and ask for his help from a place of humility, instead of pride. When you do, God lifts you up, and that is what it means to be exalted. 

Luke 18:1-8

Luke 17:11-19