Today's Gospel Reading begins with Luke's famous account of the care with which he has researched the traditions of the first Christian communities. Luke has the ministry in Galilee leading into the courageous journey of Jesus towards Jerusalem to meet his fate, as he prepares Jesus' disciples for what lies ahead.
The teaching of Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth, concerning his fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and Luke's emphasis upon the traditions of the community, remind us that the world's great religious traditions venerate the writings and teachings that put them in touch with their past. The first reading from the chronicles of Nehemiah describes a moving moment in the reestablishment of the Jerusalem community, after return from the Exile. It is believed that Theophilus simply refers to all who love and seek God. Therefore, this good news is for all of us and our salvation.
READ MOREWe have now moved from the Christmas season into Ordinary Time. Last Sunday, the Christmas season ended with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus' baptism by John was the formal beginning of Jesus' public ministry. During Ordinary Time, the Gospel readings will focus on Jesus' ministry. This Sunday, we hear about His first recorded miracle. The wedding feast at Cana is a well-known account of Jesus turning water into wine, but there is much more going on here than Jesus simply fixing the problem of a shortage of wine. In fact, this passage tells us much about His mother, Mary. She is the one who first brought the request to Jesus to solve the problem. This shortage of wine, in fact, would have been a major embarrassment to the newly married couple and their families. In that culture, it would have been devastating to their reputation. Jesus' response to Mary's request ("Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.") may at first read sound demeaning, but it should not be taken that way.
READ MOREThe Christmas season, celebrating the self-revelation of God through Jesus, comes to an end with the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. Christmas is the feast of God's self-revelation to the Jews and Epiphany celebrates God's self-revelation to the Gentiles. At the Baptism in Jordan, Christ reveals himself to repentant sinners. The Baptism of the Lord Jesus is the great event celebrated by the Eastern churches on the feast of Epiphany because it is the occasion of the first public revelation of all the Three Persons in the Holy Trinity and the official revelation of Jesus as the Son of God to the world by God the Father.
READ MOREThe visit of the Magi occurs directly before the story of the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt. Matthew’s Gospel tells a version of Jesus’ birth that is different than the one in Luke. Of the actual birth of Jesus, Matthew tells us little more than, “When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod...” The story of the census is found only in Luke’s Gospel, but we hear about the visit of the Magi only in Matthew’s Gospel.
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