The Word today, Holy FamilyC

December 30 - January 04, 2025

Monday 30 December

1 John 2:12-17 The write addresses different “constituencies” in the community, children, the young and parents. A little care is needed in understanding: the “world” is not creation as such but evil forces which take us away from God.

Luke 2:36-40 This story continues yesterday, balancing the genders. Calling Anna a “prophetess” can surprise, but there were indeed woman prophets in ancient Israel: Miriam, Deborah, the wife of Isaiah, Huldah and Noadiah. In very old age, the Anna is full of expectation and discernment.

Tuesday 31 December

St Sylvester 1, bishop of Rome

1 John 2:18-21 There is an edgy moment in this reading. Clearly some members have defected (and are dismissed), but the nal tone is afrmative: It is not because you do not know the truth that I am writing to you but rather because you know it already.

John 1:1-18 This great reading was already proclaimed on Christmas Day. We are invited to listen again, with “the ears of the heart” as St Augustine puts it. As you listen, notice that we too are part of the proclamation, part of the Good News.

Wednesday 01 January

Mary, mother of God

Numbers 6:22-27 As a new year opens, we glance back over the previous year, looking not only to the outward events, but also to the inward journey. Have I grown in faith? What nourished me this year?

Galatians 4:4-7 All of us know from within that we are children of God and, in the Spirit, we can call out Abba, Father!

Luke 2:16-21 The portrait of Mary in Luke 1-2 is meant to illustrate discipleship and to inspire disciples. Clearly a woman of faith, she appropriates all that happens by treasuring and pondering. Cf. Luke 2:51.

Thursday 02 January

Sts Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors

1 John 2:22-28 The reading reects profound conict in the community of the Fourth Gospel over Jesus’ identity. It would seem that at least some did not accept the deep teaching about Jesus as the word made esh.

John 1:19-28 All the Gospels are anxious about the identity of John the Baptism and are keen to relativise his signicance. In this late Gospel, John the Baptist sharply denies the various categories used. For this Gospel, he is the voice in the desert where as Jesus is the Word made esh.

Friday 03 January

The Most Holy Name of Jesus St Munchin, bishop

1 John 2:29-3:6 Today we hear a justly famous passage, which goes simply and directly to the heart of the matter. The proclamation of the love of God is completed by presenting the consequences for us as believers.

John 1:29-34 What John says of Jesus reects the understanding of the Fourth Gospel, an understanding which is deep and challenging. Most likely, we are not really hearing the opinion of the historical John the Baptist but the theology of the evangelist.

Saturday 04 January

1 John 3:7-10 The test of good living is not introspection but inspection of how we actually live and what choices we make. As Archbishop Temple put it long ago: it is not the action matters and prayer helps but that prayer matters and action is its test.

John 1:35-42 The question at the centre of this Gospel is the key question for life as such. A slightly more accurate translation could be: what do you desire? The question comes up again in John 20 with a highly signicant adjustment: whom are you looking for?

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024an, December 29). Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122924.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/

The Word today, Christmas Week

December 26 - December 28, 2024

Thursday 26 December

St Stephen, the first martyr

Stephen, “stephanos” in Greek, means “crown” and in the hymns associated with the feast he is called the crown of martyrs.

Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59 The author of Acts devotes a great deal of space to the story of Stephen’s death, much too long to read at Mass. The ex- cerpted reading gives us the motivation for killing him and then moves immedi- ately to his death. The aware bible read- er will hear distinct echoes of the death of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. In this way, Luke reminds us that the disciple is not greater than the master. A disciple is not above the teacher, but every disciple who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. (Luke 6:40) Jesus was a prophet and suffered for his witness — his calling and his destiny are ours too.

Matthew 10:17-22 This remarkable passage — based on Mark but also in Luke — cannot really come from the historical Jesus but seems to be, instead, a reflection on the experi- ence of the early church. Given the way in which Stephen was inspired by the Spirit, this is a wholly suitable reading for the day.

Friday 27 December

St John, apostle and evangelist.

It is not at all probable that the apostle John was also the author of the Gospel, written under his name. As is well-recognised, that late Gospel is the fruit of long reflection and also stages of redaction, some of the latter at the hands of a later “Johannine School.” The further confla- tion of the apostle, evangelist and the Beloved Disciple is, likewise, to be resisted.

1 John 1:1-4 The first letter of John, written later in response to a new crisis, does not come from the evangelist but the later school, mentioned above. Our passage is an appeal to tradition (it echoes John 1:1-18) and experience (heard, seen, watched, touched). Given the critical context, the insistence upon joy is note- worthy.

John 20:2-8 We hear a part of a much longer scene in John 20, excerpted to profile the Beloved Disciple. This figure is partly historical (his deaths noted in chapter 21) and partly symbolic (he represents idealised, perfect discipleship and at- tachment to Jesus). He gets to the tomb first, not because he is fleet of foot but because of fire in his heart. Likewise, although primacy of honour is accorded to Peter, it is the charismatic which counts and therefore “he saw and he believed.” The institution takes you only so far!

Saturday 28 December

The Holy Innocents, Martyrs

1 John 1:5-2:2 After the very beautiful first four verses, the letter engages with reality, especially the reality of deluding ourselves about sin. The journey is negative and positive: after darkness comes light; after sin for- giveness. We have our advocate with the Father — here the same word used of the Spirit in the Gospel is applied to Jesus in the letter. The advocacy of Jesus presumes an understanding of his death a little at variance with that in the Gospel proper — in the Gospel the lift- ing up of Jesus is an unveiling of God and his glory, whereas here it is inter- preted in light of Temple sacrifice.

Matthew 2:13-18 The story of the “innocents” is part of the Moses symbolism in the Gospel of Matthew — Moses was also threatened both at birth and later Moses also had to “relocate.” In Matthew’s worldview, the Messiah recapitulates the saving history of Israel, including the Exodus and en- try into the land. The note of tragedy (echoing the Babylonian Exile, already alluded to in the genealogy) underscores the tragedy of the human condition and the need for a savior.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024ak, December 22). Fourth Sunday of Advent. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122224.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/

The Word today, Advent4C

December 23 - December 27, 2024

Monday 23 December

Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24 To music lovers, this reading will sound familiar, from Handel’s Messiah. Malachi says that a gure like Elijah will usher in the end. This was taken to John the Baptist who ushered in, so to speak, the Messiah and the messianic age.

Luke 1:57-66 The birth of John is told to lay the foundation for the similar yet signicantly different birth of Jesus. Both come as the result of a promise. On both occasions, there is “treasuring in the heart.” Both children will enjoy the blessing of God. And yet, one is the forerunner and the other is the Christ.

Tuesday 24 December

2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16 Anyone who comes to Mass on this morning will hear a striking reading from 2 Samuel 7: in reality one of the key texts in the Old Testament. It portrays the delity of God as seen in God’s loyalty to David and his house. It makes for a great nal reaction as we come to mark the birth of Jesus, the son of David, in whom all of God’s faithfulness came to be for us.

There is some word play in today’s reading: house means temple, residence and family line. Even in Nathan’s correction of David, a tremendous promise of God’s faithful through time, it comes to expression.

Luke 1:67-79 The Benedictus takes up the theme of the House of David and goes on to praise God who is now fullling in John and in Jesus his promises of old. The future role of John the Baptist is hauntingly evoked: to prepare the way for him, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins; this by the tender mercy of our God.

Pope Francis on the Annunciation

In this Gospel passage, we notice a contrast between the promises of the angel and Mary’s response. This contrast is manifested in the dimension and content of the expressions of the two protagonists. The angel says to Mary: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever” (vv. 30-33). It is a long revelation which opens unprecedented possibilities. The Child that will be born to this humble girl from Nazareth will be called Son of the Most High. It is not possible to conceive of a higher dignity than this. And after Mary’s question in which she asks for an explanation, the angel’s revelation becomes even more detailed and surprising.

On the other hand, Mary’s reply is a short sentence that does not speak of glory. It does not speak of privilege but only of willingness and service: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (v. 38). The content is also different. Mary does not exalt herself before the prospect of becoming the mother of the Messiah, but rather remains modest and expresses her acceptance of the Lord’s plan. Mary does not boast. She is humble and modest. She always remains the same.

This contrast is meaningful. It makes us understand that Mary is truly humble and does not try to be noticed. She recognises that she is small before God and she is happy to be so. At the same time, she is aware that the fullment of God’s plan depends on her response, and that therefore she is called to accept it with her whole being.

In this circumstance, Mary’s behaviour corresponds perfectly to that of the Son of God when he comes into the world. He wants to become the Servant of the Lord, to put himself at the service of humanity to full the Father’s plan. Mary says: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord”; and the Son of God upon entering the world says: “Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God” (Heb 10:7). Mary’s attitude fully mirrors this statement by the Son of God who also becomes the son of Mary. Thus Our Lady shows that she is in perfect accord with God’s plan. Furthermore she reveals herself as a disciple of his Son, and in the Magnicat, she will be able to proclaim that God has “exalted those of low degree” (Lk 1:52) because with her humble and generous response, she has obtained great joy and also great glory.

As we admire our Mother for this response to God’s call to mission, we ask her to help each of us to welcome God’s plan into our lives with sincere humility and brave generosity.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024ak, December 22). Fourth Sunday of Advent. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122224.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/