Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

 Lectionary: 516A

For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!

Stephen Hawkins, in a TV program about the wonders of the universe, admitted that he and his colleagues may be able to explain how the universe came to be; but they cannot say why. It's not within their competence.  

When theologians and philosophers are shut out of the conversation, the question is not raised nor is an answer posited. Because the Mother of all Sciences and the Queen of all Sciences are not permitted to speak to their progeny, the faithful have no reason to believe in a hypothetical multiverse.  

Although any reasonable person might ask why is there existence and what should we expect of it, when the question is banned, explanations of everything else are severely limited to the pragmatic. Bugs exist to feed birds; and birds exist to spread seeds; and raptors exist to kill weaker animals; and so forth. Apparently, someone has figured out why the human gut has an appendix, but they have not answered, "Why are there humans who have appendices?" 

In the meanwhile, the "man in the street" has a personal philosophy and strong opinions about God; but he, obedient to the "scientists," will not tolerate philosophical or theological discussions. 

Within that grand silence, babies are conceived and born. But, to those who never asked why anything exists, the presence of a baby may seem unnecessary, intrusive, and frankly rude. They may have had reasons for conceiving the child, but perhaps they were thinking about something else at the time: pleasure, or power, or escape from loneliness, anxiety, and futility. None of that matters to the babies whose needs are immediate and demanding. 

Practicing Catholics who take their faith seriously know why there is a universe, and why they have a place in the universe. It's for the glory of the LORD who created it through Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit. Like Mary, they are handmaids and servants of the Lord. 

They know why they desire sexual intercourse, and why babies are conceived. Their healthy, human desires for love, security, and happiness have a reason and purpose in God's world. They protect, nurture, and cultivate their natural affection for babies. They protect the children God gives them; and abhor ideas of abortion, infanticide, and murder. Their families celebrate the greater honor and glory of God. 

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam 

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

Lectionary: 313

David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone,
hurled it with the sling,
and struck the Philistine on the forehead.

Clearly, the Lord was with the shepherd boy as he hurled a stone at the giant Philistine, but we should not discount the skill of the slinger. Behind many phalanxes of ancient hoplites was a host of poor men with slings. They were armed with carefully chosen, round stones to hurl at the enemy's front line.

Slingers had learned their skill as shepherds. and knew how to persuade a wolf, bear, or thief to go somewhere else. The stone might even guide the flock as they could land to the left or right of the leading sheep, who'd decide to go the other direction. 

To the Philistine warrior the boy appeared only with a staff, but then he pulled out a stone and hurled it with a force as much as 130mph at the fellow's forehead. That would hurt! 

Today we celebrate the martyr Saint Agnes, whose name means lamb. Like her Shepherd King, she was led to the slaughter, trusting that God would raise her up. 

Sheep, lambs, and shepherds appear often in Christian churches, songs, and prayers. The Lamb of God may be the most common image of the Word Made Flesh, after his appearance as a man or infant. But he is the Lamb who was slain. Unlike the shoppers who prowl the meat department of our supermarkets, ancient men and women were familiar with the bloody work of preparing sheep, heifers, and poultry for market. The Jews had a religious scruple about using the blood for food, but did not hesitate to eat approved meats. 

Like their pagan neighbors, their preparation of a meal could be combined with a religious ritual and called a sacrifice, thus blessing their food. (A sacrifice is not always going without.) 

To those who witnessed the trial, torture, and crucifixion of Jesus, he appeared like a lamb led to slaughter. He made no protest; he offered no defense; he heard his accusers in silence, and suffered everything they wanted to do to him. Professionals, they did not hesitate to make the ordeal as painful as humanly possible. 

Martyrs do not blow themselves up like Muslim murderers. They walk in the footsteps of Jesus and trust God to humiliate his enemies with their holiness. In the safety of our churches and homes, we pray that we will be found worthy of their company. And, very often, their silent witness is more powerful than a warrior's sword. 

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 312

“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

For freedom Christ set us free!" Saint Paul declared in his Letter to the Galatians; and every age struggles to understand what that might mean. 

That understanding certainly must include the authority Jesus gives his disciples to decide for themselves in every situation. We want to know and do the right thing but every situation is unique. There are precedents, of course. Should we deal with this problem today as we dealt with a similar one yesterday? Will yesterday's answer be right today? We may feel confident but we cannot have absolute certainty. Nothing in life is certain. 

Saint Paul's declaration of independence lends itself to reflection on today's teaching about the Son of Man and the Lord of the Sabbath. We have known the latter as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and we recognize his authority:

"I am the LORD, there is no other,
there is no God besides me."  (Is 45:6)

With the revelations of the Christian centuries, we profess that God has taken on human life, and we announce that a son of man is the Son of God. 

Here we are twenty centuries later facing the certain coming of "artificial intelligence." Something which has been made by "man," and has already invaded the consciousness of many young people. But AI has no conscience, ethics, or morals. It's only as useful as its data, and we have long ago lost control of its information and misinformation. We don't know what it "thinks." 

Because it lacks a conscience. it speaks with conviction. It does not suffer the doubt "that makes calamity of so long a life." And it may shorten many lives. 

In the face of this invasion, I believe that the Son of Man and the Spirit of God teach us the courage it takes to be human, 

"If I am not taking risks, I am not doing my job." 

AI knows nothing of taking risks. It may, like its creators, be filled with misinformation and informed by lies, but it knows nothing of the faith which has learned by meeting and trusting God. 

Saint Paul never heard of artificial intelligence, but he knew about something quite similar: the "power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient." He insisted that,  

...our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.

Is the world better off for having artificial intelligence? Or worse? I don't think it changes a thing. So long as we're human we will deal with powers and authorities who are wise and stupid, wicked and righteous; and we will rely on God to guide us in all our affairs. 

Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 311

As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.

Fasting appears often in the scriptures, and is used in three different kinds of prayer. It is first a sign of grief. Understandably, those who are afflicted with great sorrow have no appetite for food, and sometimes must be persuaded to eat. 

Secondly, it expresses sorrow for sin, which should be accompanied by a loss of appetite. I knew a fellow who admitted he was obsessed with eating. He said, "Due to my compulsion, I lost my health; I lost my friends; I lost my self-respect. I never lost my appetite." His regret, as real as it might have been, was never that deep. To rid himself of that form of idolatry, he had to eat less and face the unease that would follow.

"Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning...." Joel 2:12

Finally, fasting expresses an individual's and a group's sincere prayer,

"(Paul and Barnabas) appointed presbyters for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith." Acts 14:23

During penitential seasons like Advent and Lent, and on Fridays, the traditional weekdays of fasting, devout Christians might not feel any particular guilt or remorse for their own sins. They might frankly admit that neither their recent past nor their youth was so scandalous as that of some of the greatest saints. But they practice fasting in solidarity with sinners; and they confess their own sinful impulses that might never have (yet) found the evil company which encourages such behavior. 

Baptism necessarily recalls the submersion of Jesus in the Jordan when he became guilty for us. He took upon himself the guilt, shame, and remorse of all humankind. Stepping into the water, was the first step on the long road to Jerusalem and Calvary. We have gone down into the water and set out with him by accepting our baptism. We admit we are "like the rest of men who have no hope." And we express both hope and hopelessness by fasting.  

As we fast and pray, it usually becomes obvious even to the most pious among us that none of us is far removed from the hypocrisy that stalks our consciousness. "We have sinned; we and our fathers have sinned."
Finally, the Lord reminds us that fasting must lead to acts of charity: 

Is this the manner of fasting I would choose,

a day to afflict oneself?

To bow one’s head like a reed,

and lie upon sackcloth and ashes?

Is this what you call a fast,

a day acceptable to the LORD?

Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose:

releasing those bound unjustly,

untying the thongs of the yoke;

Setting free the oppressed,

breaking off every yoke?

Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry,

bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house;

Clothing the naked when you see them,

and not turning your back on your own flesh?

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,

and your wound shall quickly be healed;

Your vindication shall go before you,

and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,

you shall cry for help, and he will say: “Here I am!” (Is 58:5-9)

BTW: If you read my homily of Sunday (1/18/26) yesterday, I posted an updated version at 2:45 pm. I didn't sleep well with the copy that went up at midnight, but I didn't finish the rewrites until 9:45 am, just before I presided at the 10am Mass. 

It took that long to figure out what I was trying to say; and hopefully, what the Lord was trying to say through me.  

Blessings on you.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 64

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."

The patristic bishops who defined our doctrines during the earliest centuries of the Church, found many prophecies about Jesus throughout the Bible, and especially “The Lamb of God.” After our images of the Word made Flesh as a human being – a baby, a good shepherd, a crucified or risen man – the most important image is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." We heard John the Baptist pointing him out and the Lamb appears many times in the Book of Revelation. It has innumerable antecedents in the Old Testaments.

The bishops remembered the blood of the Passover Lamb which the Hebrews put on their doorposts so that the Avenging Angel would pass by their homes when he slew all the first born males of men and beasts. 

“...for you the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thereby, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you. (Exodus 12:13)

The Prophet Jeremiah (11:19) spoke of his own suffering and we hear words about Jesus:

“Like a trusting lamb, I was led to slaughter, I had not realized that they were hatching plots against me.” 

Isaiah described the manner of Jesus’ death five hundred years before he was led to Calvary, 

“Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. 

Our Mass is a sacrifice which Jesus offers for us as we eat the flesh of the Lamb of God, and drink his blood. During this sacred banquet we give to God what he has given to us: that is, our whole being which now belongs to, and is incorporated in, Him. The Lamb of God enters the Heavenly Sanctuary and brings us with him. 

The sacrifices which we inherited from our Jewish ancestors, stood in sharp contrast to the sacrifices of the pagan neighbors in the Levant. Periodically, they offered human sacrifice to their gods of stone, wood, and precious metals. That seemed far more pious, persuasive, exciting, and even cathartic than ordinary lambs, heifers, pigeons, turtle doves, or a sheaf of wheat. The sacrifice of a captured enemy, a slave, or one’s child: now THAT should please the gods! 

In the ancient world, a word was a real thing; it had weight and meaning. Once spoken it could not be unspoken. A word was good enough for a tyrant, king, or emperor; it should be good enough for a god. But you didn’t have to really mean what you said; your sincerity was not important. Pagan prayers, encantations, and sacrifices worked like magic, like abracadabra and hocus-pocus. You don’t have to mean it or believe it, when you say the word or offer the sacrifice, it’s done. And if you did it perfectly – if it looked perfect – your god has to do what you ask.

But the Bible says, God refuses hypocritical sacrifice. He doesn’t want ostentatious signs of our love. As he said through the prophet Isaiah:

What do I care for the multitude of your sacrifices?

I have had enough of whole-burnt rams and fat of fatlings;

In the blood of calves, lambs, and goats

I find no pleasure.

Even Saint Paul said, “If I should offer my body to be burnt… without love it means nothing.”

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob wanted more than even the sacrifice of a child – more even than Abraham’s only son Isaac, “whom he loved.” 

He wanted sincere and genuine love – the kind of love God himself had shown continually when he created Adam and Eve, rescued Noah, befriended Abraham, spoke face to face with Moses, and established a covenant with the hapless, homeless descendants of Abraham. We should return a direct, uncomplicated, humble, human love reflecting his divine love like a mirror reflecting the sun, without ostentation or pomposity. 

God never depended upon our human love, but he acted as if he did. He gave his Word. He surrendered his eternal word in the person of Jesus. It was an irrevocable sign of his faithful, eternal love; and he meant it! 

And he wants the same from us. We must know and believe and feel and act as if we depend upon his love -- because we do! We cannot kid ourselves or anyone else about that. 

Our God can be pleased with a simple, sincere gesture like, “O God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It must be real. Real love and devotion. He is not satisfied with hypocritical displays, no matter how loud, expensive, or ridiculous they might seem. 

And when we offer the Mass, we offer the Lamb of God who offers his own human sacrifice; he offers himself in total, consuming love for us– his people, his own flesh and blood — our God knows it’s the truth, and is pleased. 

We cannot save ourselves or our world. We should have figured that out by now. We cannot create governments that act with both mercy and justice; we cannot concoct medicines to heal our bodies and make us live forever. We will never have the political will to restore the natural balances of soil, water, air, and sunshine. Our sins have made a mess of our lives and our world. There are no man-made remedies, and there never will be. If we’re asking God to help us save the world, it’s not going to happen. It’s as stupid and ridiculous, and will fail just as certainly as King Herod’s attempt to sacrifice Mary’s baby. 

Our salvation must come from God through Jesus Christ or it will never come. And so, in today’s Gospel we hear the prophet John the Baptist announce with enormous pleasure and great excitement, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” 

We are reassured of that, especially by the Apocalypse of John. In that book we hear a countless number of angels with all the patriarchs from Abraham to Moses, and all the Christian martyrs and saints, singing: 

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength,

honor and glory and blessing.”

(We hear) every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out:

“To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor, glory and might,

forever and ever.”

(We hear) the four living creatures answer, “Amen,” and see the elders fall down and worship.

Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot

Image of St Anthony
Fighter of Demons

 Lectionary: 310

“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 
Jesus heard this and said to them,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Someone asked a group to share their spiritual goals for 2026. I hoped I'd be no worse by this time next year. 

During our teen years, I suppose, we were all seriously disappointed with the moral state of the Church. We saw and heard things that were not right. Perhaps we quit attending Church and praying daily because it didn't seem "to be working." And we thought we could do better than certain members and most leaders of our peccant Church.

But with time and experience came a measure of wisdom and we realized we were as sinful as anyone else, and then some. We have a record of many -- perhaps innumerable -- instances of willful, unnecessary sins. As I used to say to Veterans in the VA hospital, "If you turn forty years of age and haven't messed up Big Time yet, you ain't even trying!"

I tried. God knows I tried. 

And then I turned back to the Lord and found myself amid that scurvy crowd of tax collectors and sinners. 

And I heard our dear Lord say, "I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Is it any wonder that we love him?    

Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 309 

Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them.
He prayed to the LORD, however, who said in answer:
“Grant the people’s every request.
It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king.”

Despite the complaints of American bishops against President Trump's harassment of Mexican immigrants, they have supported his undoing the former administration's prohibitions against the free exercise of faith. Children may pray in school, protests against abortion may continue, adoptions into Catholic households that reject transgender nonsense may continue, Catholic institutions need not support immoral methods of birth control. 

We hear our traditional ambivalence about human governance in today's first reading. Clearly, the old judge Samuel preferred the ill-defined authority of charismatic religious men and women like himself. The Book of Judges describes some of the heroes of those centuries between Moses and David. Some of them were heroic warriors defending the people; some were rogues; and some of the heroes became rogues. 

In any case, other nations were forming better governments with armies who could invade Hebrew territory and destroy its people with their memories of God, Abraham, and Egypt. It was time for a God-fearing king to govern the people of God. When Saul proved to be a capable warrior but an unrighteous ruler, Samuel was told to anoint the shepherd boy David, who became Israel's model king. He was a devout, courageous warrior and a competent administrator, despite his many wives and innumerable children whom he did not govern well. 

The Church has never sponsored a theocracy. Jesus, with his teaching about paying Roman taxes, and Saint Paul recognized the right of civil governments to govern human affairs.  

President Trump's "...Religious Liberty Commission’s... recommends steps to secure domestic religious liberty and identifies opportunities to further the cause of religious liberty around the world." The commission includes Bishop Barron and Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Mark David Hall, the director of the Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy at Regent University, testified that, 

"...the separation of church and state is not a 'bilateral barrier' but is rather meant only to restrict the state from imposing itself on the church." 

Catholics cannot pretend to be faithful if they do not oppose so-called rights to abortion, euthanasia, gay marriage, or transgenderism. These rights may be legal in temporal laws, but they are immoral in the eternal law of God. Turning a blind eye and hoping they go away doesn't seem to be helping.  

Catholicism includes people of every nation, language, and form of government. Its boundaries are very wide, and we cannot despise human beings who truly need something we can provide, regardless of where they are or where they come from. Americans who see Mexican workers on roofs and road gangs in severe cold and exhausting heat cannot suppose these workers are stealing from the system. We cannot believe that they should be severely punished for a misdemeanor. or that providing food, clothing, and shelter for them is wrong or illegal. 

The Judge Samuel's opposition to kings in Israel was eased by King David's governance. He sinned egregiously when he molested Bathsheba and murdered Uriah, her husband; but he also taught the world the supreme value of Penance and the inexhaustible mercy of God. Because we worship his ancestor Jesus, the Son of David, we pray for our religious and civil leaders, that they will lead us in the practices of justice, mercy, and penance. 

Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 308

Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
Yet now you have cast us off and put us in disgrace, and you go not forth with our armies.
You have let us be driven back by our foes; those who hated us plundered us at will.
Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.

Our responsorial psalm today reminds us of the gracious kindness of our God. This doctrine proves itself to be unacceptable to just about everyone who supposes they should be able to manage on their own. They think, or "feel," that they can attain virtue, excellence, and success by simple will power. 

One evening several years ago, during the early evening TV news, they reported on a children's chess tournament. One boy captured hearts as he admitted with frank astonishment, "I tried and tried as hard as I could, and I lost." 
Yeah, kid, I know the feeling. 

We were created to know, love, and serve God in this world, and be with him in the next; but not to save ourselves by will power, physical strength, mental ability, conquest, or persistence. Nor can we prove our worth or virtue to God's satisfaction, although we might win the esteem of everyone on Earth. 

Our greatest strength is our willingness to let God be God, along with the willingness to be directed in this life toward our salvation. Jesus has shown us the way, which is obedience. He has given us the Holy Spirit who empowers us to turn away from evil -- regardless of its fascination -- and to act rightly, love justice, and walk humbly with our God. But that willingness and zealous obedience cannot come to those who will not turn away from evil and learn to do God's will. (Psalm 34:15; 1 Peter 3:11: Isaiah 1:16)

The medieval "Cloud of Unknowing" tells us that God cannot resist the helpless soul who turns to Him. The anonymous author knew the pathos of those who pray earnestly, and fail to turn their hearts, minds, thoughts, and emotions to the love of God. Hopelessly distracted, we can only say, "Help me, God! I can't do it." 

Very often, as we collapse in utter despair, we find deep reassurance. 

Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 307

He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”

The Fall of Public Man (1977) by Richard Sennett is a landmark sociological study on the erosion of public life and the rise of individualism, arguing that the boundary between public and private spheres has blurred, leading to a decline in political engagement and a focus on self-absorption. Sennett traces this shift from the 18th century, examining how urban society's evolution has diminished the "public man" and distorted personal development by making private life overly intense and public life less meaningful. A later edition includes an epilogue that extends this analysis to the digital age and social media." 

Taijitu

I've copied the above directly from Google AI. I read Sennett's book in 1985 and have not forgotten its impact on me. I must find that later edition and read his further discussion of our present dilemma. 

The boundary between public and private shifts continually, like the dark and light halves of the Taijitu. (The dots represent the presence of the opposite within their opposites.)  Private and public mutate as often. 

In today's gospel we find the public, aroused by the Lord's healing of everyone who came to him, regardless of their infirmity and its severity. He has caused quite a sensation and his disciples see an enormous opportunity. They may not know the exact nature of this opportunity but it's certainly too good to pass up. 

Clearly the Lord has something else in mind, and it's summed up with a cryptic expression, "...for this purpose have I come." At the moment it entails preaching to nearby villages, and apparently healing people there. But his purpose will become more clear only as they follow the Lord to Jerusalem and Calvary.

The Life of Jesus must be a revelation -- an apocalypse -- of God's purposes which impact both dimensions of human life, the public and the private. Responding to the Word entails public action and personal response. This ancient mystery now revealed stops everyone in their tracks. If I fail to take significant time from the expectations and demands of others to ponder what it means to me, I risk losing the salvation I announce to others. In fact, the Gospel may become only another weapon against them.

Jesus had to serve the purpose of the One who had sent him. He was not his own man. 

In our time, when employers pursue and track down their employees at anytime day or night, weekend or weekday, holiday or workday; depriving them of personal time and space, family and faith, the Gospel calls us to serve the purpose of the Hound of Heaven who comprehends both light and dark, and does not destroy us. 

  

Optional Memorial of Saint Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

 Lectionary: 306

“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”

We've all studied at several institutions of learning; and hopefully we learned not only to study but the extraordinary value of learning. The discipline improves our minds, teaches good habits, and creates valuable citizens. 

But, very often, we assumed what our teachers assumed, that the facts and figures we memorized had a remote kind of existence apart from ourselves. They would exist whether we learned them or not. The distance of the moon from the Earth is predictable and stable, and hasn't changed in millennia. Most of us cannot tell that distance and don't need to; it has no authority and little meaning unless we happen to be NASA engineers. 

When Jesus taught with authority he wasn't teaching facts and figures. His disciples were not memorizing anything, not even a catechism. But they were learning a new way of thinking, feeling, acting, and being. Although they had always recognized the authority of one human being over another, they were learning that this particular human being had divine authority over them; and would be rewarded with infinitely more authority as he underwent his passion, death, and resurrection. 

They began to appreciate that authority as they heard Jesus of Nazareth announce Eight Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount; and they saw his authority when he healed a leper. They may have felt something similar to Abraham's experience as he watched fire and brimstone consume Sodom and Gomorrah. They must have wondered, "Who is this man? What kind of man is he that he can draw us to him? Where did he get such authority, and where will it take us?" 

They wondered and they asked but they could not know the answers until they appeared radiantly before them. Only in retrospect would they realize what the Lord had done for them. And then, with the authority of that knowledge, they would tell the world. 

Every Christian must experience the personal authority of Christ before speaking of him. They must know his right to judge and condemn, and his right to demand that they repent, turn away from sin, and be reborn in the Gospel. They must know his authority to heal the traumas of their past, even as they learn about the love they should have found in parents, siblings, and friends. They must be prepared to go where he sends them, say what he commands them to say, and stand down when he would have them withdraw or retire. 

They must learn not only his authority to forgive sins but also the authority he has given them to forgive those who sinned against them. There is no reason to hold resentments, nor can they afford to hold them. Resentments are like useless property; they only encumber us with their dead weight. The Lord's disciples want and ask for the authority to forgive immediately whenever they experience a hurt or disappointment. They want nothing to taint the purity, joy, and freedom of being alive in Christ. 

Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Collect of First Week of 
Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 305

Her husband Elkanah used to ask her: 
“Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat?
Why do you grieve?
Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

The Bible often recalls the lives of ancient, obscure people of no historical importance, and honors their stories of disappointment, sadness, relief, and redemption. And the Bible usually dismisses the more famous persons as irrelevant to God's plan. The names of heavyweights like Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus may get a passing mention, but are forgotten as readily. If you want to know what God is doing, pay attention to those who love the Lord and not to anyone in Washington, Moscow, or Tel Aviv.

We have to notice in the story of Hannah her similarities to other women of the Bible; especially Sarah, Ruth, Elizabeth, Anna, and Mary of Galilee. None of these women were noticed by the world at large with the possible exception of Sarah, who was ogled by the Egyptian Pharaoh. All of these women were childless; some because they were barren into their advanced years; others because they were young, unmarried virgins. But they appear in Salvation History because God will amaze the world as they bear children. 

In our story today, the unhappy Hannah is afflicted not only with childlessness but also the insults of a jealous rival. Elkanah's other wife is quite fertile but less attractive than the lovely Hannah. However her life story fits neatly into God's plan, for she will be the mother of Samuel, the last of the judges of Israel. He will anoint both Saul and David as kings, and open a new chapter in Israel's history.

Hannah resembles Mary the Mother of God in several ways besides her childlessness. Her sadness wins Eli's sympathy. And so we can imagine God's sympathy Mary prays for the coming of the Messiah. Unlike the prayers of sinful humanity, her purity and her pleas are irresistible even to God.  

Secondly, Mary's Magnificat echoes the sentiment, joy, and satisfaction of Hannah's song, which we will recite or sing tomorrow as the responsorial psalm. 

My heart exults in the LORD,

my horn is exalted by my God.

I have swallowed up my enemies;

I rejoice in your victory.

There is no Holy One like the LORD;

there is no Rock like our God....

The story of Hannah takes us deep into Salvation History as we have returned to the weekdays of Ordinary Time. The word ordinary refers to the ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc....) and is not intended to disparage these less solemn liturgical events as routine, humdrum, or quotidian. 

We also remember her odd but generous response to God's mercy. Satisfied with bearing a son, she gave him to God at Shiloh and the tender care of the aging Eli. Samuel grew up as a consecrated, life-long Nazirite who never tasted wine and whose hair was never cut. If she visited the boy occasionally, we are told nothing of it. Mary also surrendered her son to God's plan of salvation. 

Reflecting on this story:

We do not know how we might be remembered by family, friends, and strangers. History remembers Peninnah as an unpleasant woman who tormented hapless Hannah. She wanted the exclusive devotion of her husband. Although the Church today denounces polygamy, and might sympathize with Peninnah's plight, she is nonetheless less attractive than the inconsolable Hannah. The latter would have been crowned by "the worst daytime show in television history," as the Queen for a Day. 

We cannot know, nor do we need to know, how important every day, and every encounter of every day, might be in God's plan. If anyone remembers any of us in 2126, it might be a single incident of generosity or meanness. And so we hope that the Lord will direct our moods, thoughts, words, gestures, and actions for they might figure deeply into God's plan of salvation for a friend, a relative, or someone we've never met. 

The Baptism of the Lord 2026

Lectionary: 21

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan
to be baptized by him.
John tried to prevent him, saying,
“I need to be baptized by you,
and yet you are coming to me?”

We can well imagine Saint John's astonishment when Jesus came wading through the muck of the Jordan River to be baptized. I suppose we've all been surprised to find someone truly holy and widely respected coming to us for a blessing or favor. As Elizabeth said to Mary, "Who am I that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?"

But we should notice Jesus' cryptic response, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” He might have said, "The Father wants me to do it this way!" John would certainly respect that reply. It makes sense and, like the centurion, he too was guided by a higher authority and acted as he was told to act. But, if Jesus had said of his Father's superiority, he might have suggested his own superior virtue as An Obedient Son, (and not like those others.)  

"Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” follows the style that reappears in the Beatitudes of Chapter 5. Jesus said, "Blessed are they who...." He named those who are blessed but not the One who's giving the blessing. Obviously a blessing must be given by someone; otherwise, it's just a vague "Good Luck" which is tossed willy-nilly, here and about, without purpose or meaning. 

As he spoke to John, he refrained from speaking directly of God and his unique relationship to Father. "It is fitting..." allows for the distance between the divine and human; and Jesus stands before God with us, as a human being. 

He never spoke the Holy Name which was given to Moses on Sinai -- and it never appears in the New Testament. Neither Jesus nor his disciples nor any of the New Testament authors ever pronounced the Name of God. Devout Jews today call it the tetragrammaton when they speak about it.  

In fact, as we see in his conversation with John the Baptist, Jesus often avoided direct reference to God. Americans, who like clear, direct speech without allusions or euphemisms regardless of how rude it might sound, scorn such delicacy. 

Long before this encounter in the Jordan River, Isaiah had said of the Messiah, "His delight shall be the fear of the Lord!" Jesus' response to John -- “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” reflects his Fear of the Lord (which) is the beginning of wisdom. 

Reverence is not something to be taken for granted; and the Baptist knew what he meant. "Oh, I see." he might have said in equally cryptic language. In that moment they shared a secret just as their mothers had shared an enormously important message when Mary came calling on Elizabeth. The moment would come when the world must witness the Glory of God. On that day all the warring nations of the world with their nuclear weapons and ICBM missiles and robotic drones will hear, "Be still and know that I am God. Supreme on the Earth, supreme in the Heavens! That day was immanent but it had not yet arrived. 

The Christmas season closes with today's feast, The Baptism of the Lord. Today we set out for the deep of 2026. This is a mid-term election year in the United States, with an implied referendum on the presidential administration. For that reason alone 2026 is heavy with apocalyptic implications of judgment and death. We would do well to remember the Lord's reverence for the name of God, and for every human being made in the image of God. 

Christians, and Catholics in particular, are charged with bringing reverence and fear of the Lord into our political conversations. There is no need for exaggeration, hyperbole, or stretching the truth. Swearing and cursing are taboo to us. They don't help; they persuade only those who've already made their decision. Rather, we should express what we know and believe, and admit what we're not sure of. 

We don't know, for instance, what will happen. Our faith assures us that God's kingdom will come but, beyond the grapes of wrath being trampled in an enormous wine press, it doesn't say what that future will look like, or when it might happen. We do not accept any form of determinism.

Our faith doesn't say when women will be regarded equally as men, or children will be protected as they should be. The Communists prophesied a workers' paradise without capitalists. Lincoln predicted the government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Baha'i expects a world federal system that is both democratic and humanitarian. Star Trek used to say there'd be no poverty in the 25th century. 

American Christians and Catholics might imagine a future but we don't know what it will look like and we do not judge others for their visions, dreams, or efforts to make the world a better place. Rather, we do to others as we would have done to us. We ask people to listen to us, and we listen to them. We want respect for our opinions, we respect those of others. We need the support of others, we give our support to them. We share and share alike. 

We do this in the name of God, but we don't need to go around telling everyone we've done it in the name of God. Saint Peter wrote, "If anyone should ask the reason for your hope," you should, 

sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.... And do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.

When the Lord was baptized Saint John hesitated because he knew Jesus was utterly innocent. There was no guilt, suspicion, or stain of sin anywhere in the Man. But, by his baptism, Jesus appeared sinful like any other human before John, before the crowd on the shore, and before Almighty God. He repented for our sins and by his baptism shared guilt for sins he had never committed. 

Everyone of us can claim there are sins I've never committed. To which the Lord might reply, "Yes, and so...?" The Bible teaches us to say, "We have sinned; we and our ancestors have sinned." We are all guilty, and when we accuse others of sin, whatever they may be, we share their guilt; it appears in the stolen pleasure of accusing them. Jesus blamed no one; but he took the blame on himself. He stood before God in all his innocence and with all our sins; and for that reason we have been forgiven. 

As we enter this mid-term election year let's keep our heads about us and remember there was only one innocent man and one innocent woman in human history. We have all sinned; and, as Saint Paul believed, "...through the obedience of one many will be made righteous.."  

We wait, hope, and pray for That Day. In the meanwhile, with devout reverence for the Name of God, and the Most Holy Name of Jesus, we prepare for it.

Saturday after Epiphany

Lectionary: 217

We have this confidence in him
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 
And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask,
we know that what we have asked him for is ours.

It's easy to miss the point entirely when we hear promises like, "Ask and you shall receive" and, "Seek and you shall find;" and "Say to this mountain "Be moved into the sea!' and it will be moved. 

The Lord's promises are not about giving us more stuff or more power. As Jesus said, "The Lord knows what we need before we ask!" 

Rather, they are invitations to know him and to trust in him as we suffer the disappointments and enjoy the blessings of an unpretentious, inauspicious way of life. They are 

"more desirable than gold, 

than a hoard of purest gold, 

sweeter also than honey or 

drippings from the comb.  Psalm 19:11

Saying that sort of thing at the wrong time or to the wrong party usually comes off badly. It sounds treacly sentimental, like something found in a Hallmark holiday greeting. 

But there is a time even for Hallmark truisms and, during those occasional moments -- perhaps as we reflect at the end of the Christmas season -- it is good to remember how the Lord has accompanied us at every step of the way. If planning for Christmas was too demanding, and the celebrations too noisy, and we're more than relieved that it's over now, we have nonetheless come through with our faith intact. He has been there too. 

We might imagine the excitement of the guests in Cana, suddenly gifted -- I hate that word -- with thirty gallons of the finest wine. They might have known that Jesus provided the windfall but they had no idea what it meant, how much it actually cost, or how much more there is for those who take up their cross and follow him to Calvary. They might have fallen all over themselves in loud, boisterous praise of him as they fell into an alcoholic stupor. 

"...we know that what we have asked him for is ours." 

Yes, he has it in his possession, and he gives it to us according to his plan, and on his schedule. When it comes we know where it came from and we take no credit for it. We are only witnesses who testify to what we see and hear. For knowing the Lord is sweeter than honey and purer than refined gold. Or, as Saint Francis repeatedly said, "You are good, all good, supreme, Lord God, living and true. 

Friday after Epiphany

 Lectionary: 216

Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and Blood. 
The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth. 

The Gospel and Letters of Saint John reveal God's way of saving us through the sacraments. An age which prefers vague, ill-defined words like spirit and spiritual doesn't want to touch people -- especially sick people -- as Jesus does in today's gospel. They prefer his yelling at the distant lepers. "Go show yourself to the priest!" 

Catholics love our tactile sacraments, especially the water and the blood, and we immediately recognize the sacramental references in Saint John's writing. 

But even many Catholics are squeamish about human contact. Many people refuse to receive from the cup despite the Lord's command to "Take and drink!" And some Catholics stand frozen when the priest or deacon invites them to offer one another a sign of peace. Even a handshake is too much for them. 

The Spirit who testifies to the truth invites us into fearless communion with one another, and the kind of intimate contact we enjoy in our own homes. Even during a pandemic and within our own homes we cannot be bothered with the "plague that ravages at noon." 

When COVID arrived in the VA hospital, I was told not to enter the rooms of plague-stricken patients. I'll admit I was nervous when I defied the order, not because of the order but because of the illness. But I am a priest and I had a job to do, and I remembered the 91st psalm -- which is known as "the warrior's psalm." 

He will shelter you with his pinions,

and under his wings you may take refuge;

his faithfulness is a protecting shield.

You shall not fear the terror of the night

nor the arrow that flies by day,

Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness,

nor the plague that ravages at noon.

Though a thousand fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

near you it shall not come.

Such is the power of the sacraments and the authority of our faith. 

The Spirit is the one who testifies,

and the Spirit is truth. 

PS: (I may have finally gotten the illness after retiring from the hospital.)