Deacon Peter

The Road Less Travelled

 (Jer.17:5-8; 1Cor.15:12, 16-20; Lk.6:17, 20-26)

In Lewis Carroll’s story Alice in Wonderland, Alice comes to a fork in the road and is puzzled. She asks the Cheshire Cat, ‘which way should I go?’

‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,’ he says.

Alice says she doesn’t much care where she goes, so the Cat replies: ‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.’

Today, our world is a confusion of roads going in countless directions. Some clever people have invented GPS to help us get around, but where should you go when you reach a fork in the road of life?

In today’s first reading, the prophet Jeremiah says that there are basically only two roads in life, and they go in opposite directions. One crosses a salty desert towards death, and the other follows a refreshing stream towards life.

Which one is which? Jeremiah says the wrong way is when we put our trust in man and the things of the flesh, for that’s when we’ll end up like dry scrub in a wasteland.

But the person who puts his faith in God will be blessed like a tree that flourishes, even in heat and drought.

Now, Jeremiah doesn’t say that those who trust in God will escape the heat and drought. Rather, he says that they will stay fruitful and green despite these trials.

In other words, when you turn to God in deep faith and prayer, you’ll find yourself blessed with the strength you need to keep going, even in hard times.

Psalm 1 today says something very similar. Happy is the person who chooses God’s law of love, and avoids the way of sin and scorn. For he will be like a fruitful tree near fresh waters. But those who choose the way of the wicked will be like winnowed chaff, blown towards their doom.

Essentially, then, there are only two roads in our journey through life, and Jesus talks about them in his Sermon on the Plain in Luke’s Gospel today.

He’s speaking to a large crowd near the Sea of Galilee, and he says that God’s first priority is the poor and hungry, and those who weep and suffer from hate. Those who follow the way of God will be blessed, he says, for one day they will inherit his kingdom.

But those who choose the way of the world, those whose lives are all about selfish indulgence, will be left behind. ‘Woe to you rich,’ Jesus says, ‘woe to you who have your fill, woe to you who laugh, and woe to you when the world loves you.’

Here, Jesus is giving us a radical choice: we can either take the high road and live by the values of God’s kingdom (in a spirit of poverty, compassion and mercy), or we can take the low road and live by the values of this world (pursuing money, pleasure, power and prestige).

Only one of these roads leads to eternal life, and sadly, that’s the one least travelled. Robert Frost writes about this in his poem The Road Not Taken:

‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.’

Why is this road less travelled? It’s because too many people have been seduced by the hollow promises of the material life. It’s because our world has taught us to seek immediate comfort and satisfaction, instead of seeking lasting joy in heaven. And it’s because our obsession with physical things has blinded us to the spiritual.

The Cheshire Cat is right. It doesn’t matter which way you go if you don’t care where you’re going.

But if you do care, if you are serious about eternal life, then there’s only one road that will take you there, and you need to choose.

Let’s close with some verses from Choose this Day, by an anonymous poet.

Choose this day whom you will serve,
The world, with its fleeting way?
Or Christ, who calls with a gentle voice,
And offers eternal day?

Choose this day whom you will trust,
The treasures that fade and decay?
Or the Rock that stands through storm and flood,
And guides in the narrow way?

Choose this day, for time is brief,
And the soul is a gift to keep.
One path leads to life and peace,
The other to sorrow deep.

The Conversion of Gary Sinise

(Is.6:1-8; 1Cor.15:1-11; Lk.5:1-11)

We often think of Christian conversion as a quick, one-off event. But for so many people, like the Hollywood actor Gary Sinise, conversion tends to be a slow process.

Gary was born in Chicago in 1955, into an unchurched family with a long history of military service. At school he was quite rebellious and much preferred music to his classes, but then he discovered acting, through which he met Moira Harris. They married in 1981 and had 3 children.

In 1994, Gary acted as Lieutenant Dan Taylor in the movie Forrest Gump. Like the actor himself, Lt. Dan came from a family of war heroes. He’s sent to Vietnam where he loses both legs in an ambush. He survives, but becomes very bitter about being robbed of martyrdom.

Lt. Dan later finds himself on a shrimp boat in Alabama, battling a terrible storm and facing his demons. Again, he survives, but this time he becomes a new man, at peace with God. He has a new wife, new prosthetic legs and new hope.

Shortly after Forrest Gump was released in 1994, Gary Sinise was invited to attend the Disabled American Veterans’ convention in Chicago, to receive an award for so honestly portraying a catastrophically injured veteran. [i]

In his autobiography, Grateful American, he says he was stunned by the welcome he received from 2,500 veterans – ‘a sea of men and women, many with scars, prosthetics, burn marks, crutches, and wheelchairs.’

‘What have I ever done?’ he wondered. ‘Here are all these wounded and disabled veterans – men and women who have sacrificed so much.’ And all he’s done is find his mark and say his lines.

Then he realised: Lt. Dan had come to symbolise the country’s injured veterans, who too often had been cruelly ignored, insulted and even assaulted by others. And he wondered how he could help.

He started supporting veterans and first responders, including paramedics and firefighters, through fundraising and public speaking. And his Lt. Dan Band began performing for charitable causes.

In the meantime, Gary’s family struggled; his wife Moira had become a chronic alcoholic. One day, at an AA meeting, someone said to her, ‘You need to become a Catholic. You need to convert.’

The effect was powerful, because in 2000 she did just that. Moira became a Catholic. She also decided to send their children to a Catholic school, but Gary resisted. He couldn’t see the point.

Eventually, however, he agreed. They started attending Mass together, and Gary began noticing the Church’s positive influence on his family.

On 9/11 in 2001, when thousands died at the World Trade Centre, Gary was devastated. At a memorial Mass that Friday, he heard that service to others is a great healer of broken hearts, and he felt compelled to do something.

He started visiting hospitals and war zones, entertaining on military bases, and raising funds for children in Iraqi schools.

He found that the more active he got, the more his own broken heart was relieved. And he began to wonder if God had given him a life mission.

In 2010 he surprised his family by joining the Catholic Church, and in 2011 he formalised his many projects by establishing the Gary Sinise Foundation.

In today’s Gospel, Luke tells the conversion story of the apostle Peter, and it spells out the stages we all tend to go through as we gradually turn towards Jesus.

It begins by simply observing what’s happening from a distance. Then it involves listening to what’s being said, and allowing it to move our hearts. Next, it involves accepting small commitments within our comfort zone, helping where we can.

Then we’re amazed when the call becomes specific and deeply personal, and something powerful happens inside us. And we start to feel unworthy, perhaps even scared. But then we’re reassured. And finally, that’s followed by acceptance and a deep, personal commitment to Jesus.

These are the steps we all typically experience in entering the life of Christ, and they certainly applied to Gary Sinise.

How do they apply in your own spiritual journey?

In closing, here’s a passage from the book Jesus Calling that Gary likes to quote. It reflects how God works through us to bless others. [ii]

I am creating something new in you: a bubbling spring of Joy that spills over into others’ lives. Do not mistake this Joy for your own or try to take credit for it… Instead, watch in delight as My Spirit flows through you to bless others. Let yourself become a reservoir of the Spirit’s fruit.

Your part is to live close to Me, open to all that I am doing in you. Don’t try to control the streaming of My Spirit through you. Just keep focusing on Me as we walk through this day together. Enjoy My Presence, which permeates you with Love, Joy, and Peace.

Amen.

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[i] Gary Sinise, Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service, Thomas Nelson, Nashville TN, 2019. https://faithgateway.com/products/grateful-american-a-journey-from-self-to-service?variant=39265150566536

[ii] Sarah Young, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, Thomas Nelson, Nashville TN, 2004.

Groundhog Day

(Mal.3:1-4; Heb.2:14-18; Lk.2:22-40)

Today, February 2^nd, is the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple. Years ago, it was known as Candlemas and it was the Church’s day for the blessing of candles. 

In the USA and Canada, today is also Groundhog Day. This is a folkloric tradition that grew out of Candlemas, which itself marks the mid-point between the northern winter and spring.

On Groundhog Day, a groundhog’s shadow is supposedly used to predict the weather, but I’ll come back to that shortly. ^[i] 

In today’s Gospel, Mary and Joseph go to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Law of Moses required every mother to undergo ritual purification and to present her child for consecration to God, 40 days after birth (Ex.13:1-2; Lev.12). 

As the Holy Family enter the Temple, Simeon and Anna are waiting inside. The Holy Spirit long before had promised Simeon that he would not die before seeing the Christ. So, for years he and the prophetess Anna waited patiently.

When baby Jesus finally arrives, Simeon is overjoyed. He holds Jesus in his arms and prays his famous prayer Nunc Dimittis: ‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised…’

This story reveals so much about the character of these saints. Simeon, Anna and the Holy Family are all Spirit-filled and very devout in the practice of their faith. They’re also humble, obedient and patient, and they trust God completely.

Life may be hard, but they’re happy.

Now, let’s compare them to Phil Connors, the actor Bill Murray’s character in the movie Groundhog Day (1993). He’s a cranky TV weatherman who goes to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to report on the annual Groundhog Day festival.

We soon learn that he’s an obnoxious and self-centred narcissist. ‘People are morons,’ he tells his producer Rita. He can’t wait to return home, but a snowstorm forces him and his film crew to stay.

The next morning, Phil’s alarm clock wakes him up and he’s appalled to discover that it’s Groundhog Day all over again. He’s caught in a strange time-loop, and he has to relive this day over and over and over again.

Every day, every little action is repeated, from meeting an old friend in the same place at the same time, to stepping into an icy pothole. Phil’s life becomes incredibly monotonous, but he’s the only one who notices.

At first he’s amused, but then he becomes bored and then he despairs. He hates his repetitive life so much that he even tries to commit suicide. But he’s always back the next day.

It becomes clear that what’s important in this story isn’t the groundhog’s shadow, but Phil’s. At one point in the film, one of the townsfolk says to him, ‘Watch out for your shadow there, pal!’

It’s his shadow side that’s condemning him to this endless cycle of emptiness. It’s his sinfulness and bad behaviour that are holding him back and making him unhappy. He’s trapped in darkness.

It’s only when Phil opens his heart that things change. He starts noticing Rita, his producer. He’s attracted to her and her happy outlook, and he finds himself inspired by her to do good things. He makes friends, he rescues a homeless man and he even starts learning music and poetry.

It’s only when Phil discovers love that time starts to move forward. He wakes up to find that it’s February 3^rd and he’s been given new life.

The movie Groundhog Day is a parable about life. It’s full of lessons about the state of our hearts and whether we choose to live in the light or in the shadows.

Simeon and Anna in Luke’s Gospel also lived predictable and monotonous lives.  For years they went to the Temple every day, waiting for Jesus to arrive. But what made them different to Phil was their deep faith. The Holy Spirit had filled their hearts with hope, and when Jesus arrives, they’re overwhelmed with joy.

Just like Jesus, we’ve all had an official Presentation. At our Baptism, we were presented and consecrated to God and given a candle lit from the Paschal candle (symbolising Jesus, the Light of the World) . 

At that moment, the priest or deacon said, ‘You have been enlightened by Christ. Walk always as a child of the light and keep the flame of faith alive in your heart…’

This light, this flame of faith and love, is the difference between a dreary repetitive existence and a life of meaning, purpose and joy.

So, the question for you today is this: Is this divine flame burning inside you?

Or are you just living the same old life over and over and over again?

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[i] Midseason weather predictions were important to European farmers. An old English song rhymed: ‘If Candlemas be fair and bright, / Come, Winter, have another flight. / If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, / Go, Winter, and come not again’.  In other words, if the bright sun ‘overshadows’ the brightness of Candlemas Day, more winter is expected. But if the light of Candlemas Day outshines the season’s gloom and darkness, then spring is near. In 1887 German immigrants adapted this tradition in the US to create Groundhog Day. Of course, the weather predictions are notoriously unreliable.

Getting to Know Jesus

(Neh.8:2-6, 8-10; 1Cor.12:12-30; Lk.1:1-4; 4:14-21)

In recent weeks, our Gospel readings have been painting a picture of Jesus, giving shape to his humanity and divinity.

Two weeks ago, at his baptism in the Jordan, a heavenly voice was heard to say ‘you are my beloved Son. I am well pleased with you.’

Last Sunday, as he turned the water into wine in Cana, we learnt more about Jesus: how much he respects his mother, how incredibly generous he is by producing so much wine, and how much he cares about ordinary people, even those living in obscure villages.

And in today’s Gospel, we not only hear that Jesus is a respected teacher and preacher, but we also learn the scope of his earthly mission.

Jesus tells us himself when he reads from the Book of Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth. Using Isaiah’s words about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus says that he has been sent by his Father to bring good news to the poor, to give sight to the blind, to heal the broken-hearted, and to set captives free (Is.61:1).

This is genuinely good news, because Jesus is offering hope, healing and liberation to everyone. And not just to other people, but also to ourselves, because we’re all to some extent poor, enslaved, blind or held captive. We all need hope, healing and liberation. 

Given how much Jesus is seeking to do for us, it’s worth asking: how well do we know Jesus? And are we as close to him as we should be?

In his book, The Joy of Knowing Christ, Pope Benedict XVI writes that there are two ways of ‘seeing’ and ‘knowing’ Jesus. The first is that of the crowd, which is superficial. And the second is that of the disciples, which is more penetrating and genuine.

The crowd, Benedict says, tends to see Jesus as a prophet. This isn’t wrong, but it is inadequate. Today, many people, including scholars, only approach Jesus from the outside. They might recognise his spiritual and moral stature and his influence on human history, and they might compare Jesus to Buddha, Confucius, Socrates and other wise and important historical figures.

But they don’t recognise Jesus as being unique. They don’t recognise him as the Son of God. As Jesus says to Philip at the Last Supper, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me?’ (Jn.14:9). [i]

So, how might we get to know Jesus better?

There are several ways to do this: including by spending quiet time with Jesus in prayer, by regularly receiving him in the Holy Eucharist, by following his teachings (Mt.22:37-39; Jn.14:21), by learning from the saints and from other faithful followers, by being alert to the movement of the Holy Spirit in your life, and by studying the Bible.

Indeed, each of the four Gospels paints a slightly different picture of Jesus. Mark depicts Jesus as a lean and busy figure with a deep compassion for those who suffer. But Jesus himself also suffers greatly, and he is often alone.

Matthew sees Jesus as a relaxed but masterful teacher; the new Moses who delivers his Sermon on the Mount and who leads his people to salvation.

For Luke, Jesus is the prayerful and kindly saviour, the prophet and healer who is empowered by the Holy Spirit. He is a wonderful storyteller who cares about women and children, and he is a loyal friend to both the rich and the poor.

And John focuses on Jesus’ divinity and his mission to reveal God to us all. He portrays Jesus as the bread of life who nourishes us; the light of the world who leads us out of darkness, and the lamb of God who sacrifices himself for us.

Why are we given four slightly different pictures of Jesus? It’s because he is not only human – he’s also divine, and one single depiction of him would not do him justice. But it’s also because we all have our own individual needs, and these multifaceted portraits allow us to choose the Jesus we are most drawn to.

So, if you need someone gentle to accompany you in your suffering, go to Mark.

If you need sensible and down-to-earth advice, then go to Matthew.

If you need someone to remind you of our all-powerful God, then turn to John.

And if you need a genuine friend, Luke’s Jesus will always be there for you. [ii]

And what does Jesus want in return? The only thing he wants is our love.

So, how well do you know Jesus?

Are you as close to him as you should be?

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[i] Pope Benedict XVI, The Joy of Knowing Jesus, The Word Among Us Press, Ijamsville, MD, 2009, p.68.

[ii] Michael T Hayes, Homilies for the Whole Community, Year C, Twenty-Third Publications, New London, CT, 2006, p.130-132.  

Six Stone Water Jars

(Is.62:1-5; 1Cor.12:4-11; Jn.2:1-11)

According to the Gospels, Jesus performed 37 miracles before his crucifixion.

Seven of them are in John’s Gospel, but he doesn’t call them miracles. He calls them ‘signs,’ because they all point to something profound about God and our relationship with him.

Today, John gives us the story of Jesus’ first recorded miracle, at the Wedding at Cana. It’s sometime around the year 30AD, and Jesus, Mary and the disciples are at a Jewish wedding feast near Nazareth.

In those days, such celebrations typically lasted for seven days, however this time the wine is running out. It’s a grave embarrassment for the hosts and an insult to the guests, so Mary decides to do something about it. (This suggests that she must have been a relative or close friend of the hosts.)

Mary says to Jesus, ‘They have no wine.’ She expects her son to fix the problem, but note that she doesn’t tell him what to do.

At first, Jesus isn’t so sure that this is his problem. But Mary simply turns to the servants, saying, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ These are Mary’s last recorded words, and they are significant because they teach us something about her relationship with her son, and about our prayer.

Firstly, Mary’s words reveal how much influence she has over Jesus, and how effective her intercession can be. Indeed, her intercession not only solved this wine shortage; it also started Jesus’ public ministry.

Secondly, Mary’s approach teaches us that when we pray for something, it can be wise to simply hand the issue over to Jesus, and let him pick the solution.

Trust Jesus. He knows what to do.

So, what does Jesus do? He ignores the empty wineskins and he turns instead to the 6 stone water jars standing near the door. He asks the waiters to fill them with water, and miraculously he turns that water into very fine wine.

Now, why are these stone jars there? It’s because they are used for Jewish purification rituals, including handwashing before meals and prayers. The presence of so many jars indicates that this could be the house of a Jewish priest.

Each jar is about a metre tall, and cut from a single block of stone. They are there because ritual purity is critical to the Jews, and the ancient Law of Moses states that stone jars cannot become impure – unlike pottery, which is porous and thought to absorb impurities. (Earthenware pots were usually smashed after their first use.)

The presence of these stone jars, then, symbolises the Old Testament and the covenant God made with man that was initially written on stone rather than the human heart (2Cor.3:3; Ezek.36:26). And the water in these jars reminds us of the water that Moses provided in the desert (Ex.17:6).

But plain water simply sustains you; it’s wine that brings you joy (Zech.10:7).

So, by contrasting the jars of water with the jars of wine, Jesus is contrasting the Old Covenant with the New. He’s making a statement that the ancient world of Moses is about to be replaced by a new age of hope and joy.

The presence of six jars is significant, too, because seven is the perfect number, and six symbolises incompleteness or imperfection. So, Jesus is signalling here that he has come to wash away our sins with the new wine of God’s grace.

Indeed, how plentiful is God’s grace! Each of these stone jars holds ‘20 to 30 gallons’ – that’s the equivalent of 600 to 900 bottles of the finest quality wine – for a humble village wedding!

Through his first miracle, Jesus is essentially announcing that a new age is dawning. And by taking on the bridegroom’s traditional responsibility for the wine, Jesus reveals that he is the Bridegroom of God’s people (‘the Bride of Christ’), fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that God will renew his nuptial love for Israel (Is.61).

So much is embedded in Jesus’ first miracle. It shows just how much God cares for ordinary people and their challenges.

It demonstrates just how easily God can transform something ordinary into something quite extraordinary. Indeed, he does this at every Mass, when he transfigures the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

And finally, let’s remember the chief steward’s words that ‘you have kept the best wine until now.’

This tells us that for Jesus’ faithful followers, the very best is yet to come.

St Genesius of Rome

(Is.40:1-5,9-11; Tit.2:11-14;3:4-7; Lk.3:15-16, 21-22)

Today, as we celebrate Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, let’s begin with the story of St Genesius of Rome.

Genesius was an actor and comedian who entertained the emperor Diocletian in the 3^rd Century. He and his theatrical troupe generated great laughs by mocking Christianity.

In his last satirical play, Genesius pretended to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. It was meant to be funny, but during his performance something changed inside him: Genesius had a profound mystical experience. As he emerged from the water, he declared himself a Christian.

At first, Diocletian thought this was a joke, but on realising that Genesius was serious, he was enraged. He had Genesius tortured, and when he refused to renounce his new faith, Diocletian had him beheaded. [i]

Genesius had discovered that the Sacrament of Baptism is not a meaningless ritual at all. It’s actually a sacred rite that changes lives.

We can see this in Jesus’ own baptism, because after his immersion in the Jordan his life is never the same again. As he emerges from the water, a dove descends on him and he hears his heavenly Father say, ‘you are my beloved Son, my favour rests on you.’

After this dramatic moment, Jesus goes into the desert to contemplate what it means. And instead of returning to his old life in Nazareth, he begins his public ministry, widely proclaiming the arrival of God’s Kingdom.

So, what does Baptism do for us? Essentially, it gives us a fresh start.

In Greek, the word ‘baptise’ means ‘drown’ or ‘submerge,’ so baptism is a kind of death and resurrection. You die to your old self, and you emerge as a new you, with a new identity as a child of God and with a share of God’s supernatural life (Gal.3:26-29).

As Jesus says, you are ‘born again’ (Jn.3:3-5). And as a newly-adopted child of God, you also gain a new Father, a new brother (Jesus) a new mother (Mary), and you become a member of the Body of Christ, the Church (1Cor.12:27).

Indeed, you become a sister or brother to everyone else in God’s universal family (Eph.4:25), and you are called to use your gifts and talents to help build this community of love.

The American theologian Peter Kreeft says that our transformation in Baptism is like Pinocchio changing from a wooden puppet to a living thing, or like the frog turning into a prince when he is kissed.

But Pinocchio’s story is probably more accurate, he says, because once the frog is kissed, he is no longer a frog. But when Pinocchio comes to life, he is still wooden-headed; he’s unreliable, he makes bad choices and he learns to lie, so that his nose gets longer with every lie.

That describes us well, Kreeft says, because although Baptism washes us clean of sin and fills us with the Holy Spirit’s graces, we still tend to lapse back into the old ways of sin. [ii]

Why do we do that? One reason is because we misunderstand Baptism. Many of us treat it as a one-off inoculation, as though there’s nothing left to do.

It’s true that in Baptism we are reborn in the image of Christ, and therefore in God’s eyes we are made perfect. But when we succumb to sin, we squander that perfection.

Pope Francis says that Baptism is not a magical formula. Rather, it’s a gift of the Holy Spirit which helps us ‘fight against the spirit of evil’ and make this a better world.

However, as with any seed full of life, it can only take root and bear fruit when it’s planted in a terrain that’s actively fed by faith. [iii]

In other words, Baptism is only the start of the journey. The invisible seeds of grace that the Holy Spirit gives us need to be nourished and nurtured before they can bloom.

And how might we do that? By following Jesus closely, and by regularly participating in the sacraments (1Pet.1:13-16).

Today, St Genesius of Rome is the patron saint of actors, comedians and the performing arts.

He teaches us that something very special happens in Baptism, and that there’s always hope for a fresh start, no matter how far away God may seem.

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[i] Arthur Tonne, Talks on the Sacraments, Didde Printing Co, Emporia, KS, 1947:28.

[ii] Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul – Year C, Word on Fire, Park Ridge IL, 2021:156-157.

[iii] https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-baptism-1-full-text/

Our Guiding Star

(Is.60:1-6; Eph.3:2-3, 5-6; Mt.2:1-12)

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, and the end of the 12 days of Christmas.

In Greek, ‘epiphaneia’ means ‘appearance’ or ‘revelation’, so on the Epiphany we remember the moment when the Wise Men of the East discovered the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. 

Christmas and the Epiphany are like bookends at either end of the 12 days of Christmas.  Christmas is Jesus’ birthday, when he’s revealed to Israel as a little boy. And at the Epiphany, he’s revealed to all the world as a divine king. So, together, Christmas and the Epiphany reveal to us the fullness of Jesus’ humanity and divinity.

Now, some people wonder why the Wise Men chose to follow a star. Today it seems like a strange thing to do, but in ancient times people were fascinated by the sky. Indeed, the Magi are believed to have been priestly scholars and astronomers who interpreted the dreams of kings and nobles and who studied the movement of the stars.

In those days, changes in the celestial sky were thought to be a sign of major events, such as the birth or death of a king, and the appearance of a bright new star would have been exciting.

The Magi would have been introduced to the Hebrew Bible by the Jews exiled in Babylon, and they’d have known Balaam’s messianic prophecy that ‘a star shall come forth from Jacob’ (Num.24:17).   

Today, travellers use all sorts of sophisticated technology like GPS to work out where they are and where they’re going. But in ancient times, people navigated differently. The Vikings used to interpret the behaviour of birds. Eskimos studied the snow. Polynesians watched the waves and the Greeks read the clouds and smelt the air. 

And many cultures, including the Phoenicians, Babylonians and Indigenous Australians used to carefully study the movement of the sun and the stars to work out where they were going. [i]

The Polynesians did, too. You can see this in Disney’s movie Moana. Polynesian sailors found their direction by memorising where the stars rose and set, and by using their hands to make calculations. [ii]

Today, the question is: do we know where we are and where we’re going?

When the Wise Men of the East followed the Star of Bethlehem, they travelled about 1,000 kilometres and eventually found Jesus, the ‘bright morning star’ (Rev.22:16). They took a risk. They stepped outside their everyday lives, and were rewarded by discovering the source of all wisdom and joy. 

Which star will you be following this year?

Many people today love following movie stars, pop stars and sports stars, while others chase the stars of fame, fortune and fun. The problem, however, is that these things are hollow. They might seem attractive, but ultimately they only lead to disappointment.

This year, why not do something more meaningful?

Pope Benedict XVI used to describe the Epiphany as a ‘feast of light,’ because it reveals Christ as the Light of the World. Indeed, all our readings today reveal how Jesus shines a bright light into the darkness.

In our first reading, Isaiah has a vision of Jerusalem as a holy city where God’s light will shine, bringing peace and love and hope to all.

In our second reading, St Paul tells the Ephesians that God’s peace and love and hope are available to everyone, regardless of who they are and where they come from.

And in today’s Gospel, Matthew reinforces this message.

The Magi weren’t Jewish; they were complete strangers to Israel, yet they still followed the signs to Jesus. Like the shepherds, they show us that Jesus belongs to everyone, and not just a select few.

Pope Francis once said that the journey of the Magi symbolises the destiny of every person. Our life is a journey, he said, illuminated by the lights which brighten our way, to find the fullness of truth and love which we recognize in Jesus, the Light of the World.

And to the novelist Joseph Conrad, epiphany is ‘one of those rare moments of awakening’ in which ‘everything [occurs] in a flash’. It’s a moment when a light shines in the darkness, when everything becomes clear and we discover something new.

This year, let’s resolve to follow Jesus, to really get to know him, and let his light shine into our hearts.

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[i] https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/secrets-of-ancient-navigators/

[ii] https://theconversation.com/amp/how-far-theyll-go-moana-shows-the-power-of-polynesian-celestial-navigation-72375

The Beretta Family

(Sam.1:20-22,24-28;1Jn.3:1-2,21-24; Lk.2:41-52)

Today, on Holy Family Sunday, we are reminded that the family is a vital pillar of every society.

Indeed, the most joyful and enduring societies in history have been those that strongly believed in the family. Why? It’s because it’s in the family that we learn unselfish love.

Unselfish love is caring for others without expecting anything in return – even when such loving is hard, like when you’re angry, hurt or disappointed.

In today’s Gospel, Mary and Joseph are frantic because they’ve lost Jesus. But this doesn’t diminish their love for him. To their great relief, they find him after three days, and then they return to Nazareth where, as Luke tells us, he grows ‘in wisdom, stature and in favour with God and men.’

Jesus’ Holy Family is the model for our own families. They show us how we can love without fully understanding each other. And they teach us that it’s in the family that we acquire the wisdom and values we need for the future.

Today, let’s hear the story of another holy family, the family of Alberto and Maria Beretta, who married in Milan in 1908.

Alberto was a businessman and Maria was a home-maker, and they had 13 children. Sadly, 5 died from Spanish ‘flu, and another died of tuberculosis. But Alberto and Maria never lost their faith in God.

They were devout Third Order Franciscans, and believed that their first responsibility was to give their children a good education and strong moral and spiritual values.

They went to Mass every morning, and every night they prayed the rosary together, entrusting their day to God.

Their son Giuseppe said, ‘Before learning about faith from books or preaching, we breathed it at home. We touched it with our hands, seeing how our parents spoke to us, loved each other, lived the Gospel and practised it before our very eyes. They were extraordinary people, with great faith in God’s providence.’

As they grew up, several of the Beretta children chose to dedicate themselves to God. Giuseppe became a priest. Virginia became a doctor and a missionary nun in India.

Enrico became a Capuchin priest and worked for 33 years as a missionary in Brazil. He has since been declared venerable and is on his way to sainthood.

And Gianna, the tenth child, is already a saint. She had wanted to become a missionary nun in Brazil, but became a paediatrician instead, and in 1955, aged 33, she married Pietro Molla. [i] [ii] [iii]

Like Gianna, Pietro came from a large and deeply Catholic family. Shortly before their wedding, Gianna wrote to him, saying ‘With God’s help and blessing, we will do all we can to make our new family a little cenacle where Jesus will reign over all our affections, desires and actions.’

They had a son, two daughters and two miscarriages before their last pregnancy in 1961. That’s when a tumour was found in Gianna’s womb. Wanting to save the baby, she refused radical surgery and only agreed to a limited procedure to remove the fibroma.

Shortly before the birth, Gianna asked Pietro to promise that if a choice was needed, he should choose the baby’s life over hers. ‘I insist,’ she said.

In 1962, Gianna Emanuela was born, but Gianna herself developed a fatal infection that caused immense pain. As she suffered, she repeatedly prayed, ‘Jesus, I love you.’ She died a week later, aged only 39.

Pietro was devastated, and went on to raise their children himself. He was present with the children when she was canonised St Gianna Beretta Molla by Pope St John Paul II in 2004.

St Gianna had often wondered what God wanted of her. She prayed about it and eventually decided that God wanted her to be a wife, a mother and a doctor. She applied herself unselfishly to all three.

‘A vocation is a gift from God,’ she once wrote. ‘And our concern should be to know God’s will and to walk on that path, not by forcing things, but by being patient.’ [iv]

The Berettas became holy because their family taught them how to love.

As Thomas Merton says in his book No Man is an Island, unselfish love is from where true happiness comes. The more we give it, the happier we’ll be. [v]

And where’s the best place to learn this unselfish love?

In our family.

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[i] https://aleteia.org/2024/01/17/the-extraordinary-beretta-family-a-nursery-for-holiness/

[ii] Of the unlisted children, Ferdinando became a doctor, Francesco a civil engineer, Zita a pharmacologist, and Amelia died in her 20s.

[iii] https://saintgianna.org/famoflife.htm

[iv] Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla: A Woman’s Life. Pauline Books, Boston, 2002: 71-72.

[v] Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Harvest Books, New York, 1955:3.

Nutcracker

(Is.9:1-7; Titus 2:11-14; Lk.2:1-14)

Every year at this time we see so many Christmas decorations, from Christmas trees to Christmas lights, nativity scenes and even Nutcracker dolls. What do they all mean?

The Nativity scenes, of course, tell the story of Jesus’ birth in a humble stable – and this, of course, is what Christmas is all about. The Christmas lights represent the angels who lit up the night sky for the shepherds (and our candy canes symbolise the shepherds’ crooks).

The stars reflect the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Wise Men from the East, (and Santa reminds us of the three gifts they gave Jesus).

And the Christmas Trees? St John Paul II said that the Christmas tree symbolises Jesus, who is always with us. The Christmas tree, he said, is the evergreen Tree of Life in the Book of Genesis (2:9). Evergreens represent undying life, and eternal life is exactly what the resurrected Jesus offers us.

Our circular wreaths represent God himself, for God has no beginning or end.

And the Nutcracker dolls? Traditionally, they remind us of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet, and the story of a young girl who gets a Nutcracker doll for Christmas. But that’s just a fairytale.

There’s a much better story that Nutcrackers point to. A true story.

Mother Julian of Norwich was born in England in 1343. She was a mystic who spent her life praying and meditating. When she was 30, she got very sick and as she slowly recovered, God gave her several visions.

One vision was of a hand holding a little hazelnut, as round as a ball. ‘What is it?’ Julian wondered, and God replied: ‘That is everything that has been made.’

She spent the next 20 years wondering what that could mean, and she wrote down her thoughts in a book called Revelations of Divine Love. It’s the oldest book ever written by a woman in English.

Julian wondered how something as small as a hazelnut could even exist, and how it doesn’t just vanish because it’s so small. Then she realised three things about it. It exists because God made it, God loves it and God looks after it.

God must have made that nut, she thought, otherwise it wouldn’t exist at all. God must also have loved it to have created it. And God must still be looking after it, because it continues to exist.

Julian then realised that this applies to all of God’s creation, because the world is full of things which have been created and sustained by God’s love.

But things don’t always stay the same, she thought, because God allows them to change. Small things like hazelnuts can grow into big trees, and even big trees eventually grow old and decay.

That’s why, Julian says, we shouldn’t look for peace and joy only from created things. We tend to put all our faith and hopes into things we can see, hear, taste and touch. But created things cannot give us true contentment when they are always changing and only partially reflect the beauty of their maker.

If you want lasting peace and joy, Julian says, you must get as close as you can to God himself, for he is always wise, always good and he never changes. He is the source of all life, and he wants us close to him.

That’s why Jesus came to us as a baby all those years ago. Baby Jesus, the Son of God, small and fragile and not much bigger than a hazelnut, came to us seeking love.

Jesus grew up and tried to teach us about life and love. Then he returned to heaven, hoping that we would follow him. And in the meantime, he left his Holy Spirit behind to support and encourage us.

Sometimes, even the smallest, most humble thing can be a window into the mystery of God. When you study it closely, you can get a wonderful sense of God’s almighty love and power.

The English poet William Blake wrote about this in his poem, Auguries of Innocence:

To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower: Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour.

Mother Julian of Norwich found God by studying a tiny hazelnut. She learnt how important it is to look beyond the surface of things, because all of creation reflects God’s love and care.

Today, we’re all invited to get close to God by loving little baby Jesus. He is our God who loves to be embraced and enjoyed.

The next time you see a Nutcracker doll or a hazelnut, remember baby Jesus.

Even the smallest things can teach us about God.

Ark of the Covenant

(Mic.5:1-4; Heb.10:5-10; Lk.1:39-44)

In the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones searches for the Ark of the Covenant in Egypt. He bravely fights off the Nazis, but in the end he loses the Ark somewhere in a huge US government warehouse.

The story is fiction, of course, but in ancient times there really was an Ark of the Covenant – a golden chest that God asked Moses to make as a sign of his covenant with Israel. It held three precious items: the Ten Commandments inscribed on stone tablets, a golden jar of manna and the priestly rod of Aaron (Heb.9:4).  

These three things represented God’s power, presence and promises to his people, and the Ark itself reflected that power. Indeed, when the priests started carrying the Ark across the Jordan River, the waters stopped flowing (Josh.3). The Ark made the walls of Jericho collapse (Josh.6), and the Philistines suffered great plagues after stealing it, so they returned it to the Israelites (1Sam.5).

For hundreds of years the Ark was kept in Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. Then just before the Babylonians invaded the city in 586 BC, Jeremiah hid it in a cave (2Mac.2:5). But it hasn’t been seen since. [i]

Now, it’s significant that there are many parallels between the Ark of the Covenant and Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth in today’s Gospel.

The Ark was made pure and holy, and for a divine purpose: to house God’s presence. So was Mary: she was created pure and holy and for a divine purpose, to carry the Son of God.

The Ark stays for three months in the house of Obed-Edom in Judea’s hill country (2Sam.6:1-11). Mary stays for three months in Elizabeth’s house, in the same hill country (Lk.1:39).

And just as ‘the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household,’ so Elizabeth calls Mary and her unborn child ‘blessed’ three times.

When the Ark is brought to King David he asks: ‘How can the Ark of the Lord come to me?’ Similarly, when Mary arrives, Elizabeth asks ‘Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?’

As well, when David sees the Ark, he leaps and dances with joy. As Mary approaches, John the Baptist leaps inside Elizabeth’s womb.

And finally, the Ark goes to Jerusalem, where God’s presence and glory is revealed in the Temple (2 Sam.6:12). Mary goes to Jerusalem, too, where she presents God incarnate in the Temple (Lk.1:56; 2:21-22).

The message here is that Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant.

The early Church Fathers understood this well. St Athanasius wrote: ‘O noble Virgin… clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna… the flesh in which divinity resides.’ [ii]

More recently, Archbishop Fulton Sheen said that just as the Ark carried the law, the manna, and Aaron’s rod, so Mary carried Jesus Christ – the lawgiver, the bread of life, and the eternal High Priest.

And it’s significant, he said, that when Mary was carrying Jesus, she didn’t stay at home. Instead, she went out into the world to see her cousin Elizabeth, and there Jesus’ presence opened the heart of John the Baptist.

Every morning, Mother Teresa did something very similar. She went to Mass to receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Then, bearing Jesus, she went out to serve the sick and the poor in the streets of Calcutta.

We, too, become a blessed tabernacle – a new Ark of the Covenant – every time we receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Just like Mary and Mother Teresa, we become bearers of Christ’s body, blood, soul, and divinity. And we, too, are invited to carry Jesus out into the world.

In her autobiography, Story of a Soul, St Thérèse of Lisieux often speaks about carrying God within her and being a vessel of His love and mercy. St Bernadette of Lourdes also saw herself as a humble vessel, carrying God’s divine grace into the world.

So, the next time you receive the Holy Eucharist, think about what it really means.

The Holy Eucharist unites you intimately with Jesus. It fills you with his graces, it strengthens you against sin and it helps make you holy.

Whenever you receive the Holy Eucharist, you become an Ark of the Covenant.

A dwelling place for God.

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[i] According to Ethiopian tradition, the Ark was brought to Ethiopia by the son of the Queen of Sheba. They say it’s kept in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum, but we cannot be sure because the public aren’t allowed to see it.

[ii] Quoted in Brant Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, Image, NY, 2018:65.