Gospel Text for Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning 24 December 2021

Luke 2:1-20        In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

Reflection        Glory and Peace. Peace and Glory.  What is this peace of which we and the angels sing? It is the calm contentment of a newborn, carefully swaddled and tenderly tucked in his homeless mothers arms. What is this glory we proclaim? It is the awe and wonder experienced by new parents, aunts, uncles, friends even shepherds in the presence of the least among us, an utterly dependent newborn.  Peace and glory, glory and peace, these two handmaidens tend the birth of peasants and nobility.  Peace and glory, glory and peace, this holy couple is the right response of humanity to the birth of a child because peace and glory acknowledge the arrival of hope writ large on the stage of despair.

And that, dear people of God, is the reason ‘this day’ more than two billion Christians around the world are telling the humdrum tale of an impoverished couple and their newborn “child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” Have you ever wondered why there are more reruns and reproductions of this epic saga than any other other drama in history?  I believe it is because this is a story for all people and all time. It delivers the message our hearts pine for, that even in our dreary dark nights the promise of new life is born, full of peace and glory, glory and peace.

This day many of us are exhausted. Much like Mary and Joseph we have been plodding through the wilderness of uncertainty; wandering and wondering when we will arrive at a safe and happy place where something good, beautiful and true is born?  We are tired of evading surging storms, a shape shifting virus, and heated partisan voices stoking ill will, anxiety and unrest.  But the Way of Faith is not about waiting for a utopian happily ever after life. Cinderella is not the rising star at the heart of the Christian story. 

Ours is a story that bows before the inevitable anguish and adversity of being human and insists, in the depths of our desolation the seed of consolation is born. Our humdrum tale of an impoverished couple and their newborn “child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger”  reminds us that even in dark nights of distress the promise of new life is born, full of peace and glory, glory and peace.

Perhaps you are pushing back and asking, “Have you not heard the news? A global plague is surging. The economy is slowing. Tides, temperatures and inflation are rising. Differing opinions have divided our families, friends, colleagues and country. Suspicion and violence have become the coins of the realm. How can we possibly say, this day is full of peace and glory?”

My point precisely. Right here, right now, this day, in the midst of social and political upheaval, in the throes of a plague and the shifting tides of fortune and misfortune, right here, right now, the angel of God breaks through the dark night and speaks to us in words that are as fitting for this day as they were two thousand years ago.

“Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people.” New light pierces the heart of darkness, and it is here, this day. We do not have to wait for someone to discover a magic elixir and wipe out all disease. We do not have to wait until our debts are paid and retirement secure. We do not have to wait until the perfect assembly of government officials justly rules the land because even in the midst of the most troubled times peace and glory, glory and peace is born. This, my friends, is the gift of Christmas; a newborn wrapped in rags, born on a dark and dreary night, manifestation of hope writ large on the stage of despair.

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                      Merry Christmas

Hebrew Testament text for Sunday 24 February 2019

Genesis 45:3-11, 15     Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there--since there are five more years of famine to come--so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’"

And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Reflection        In the heart of darkness there is a spark of light. In the brilliant blossom of midday hides a hint of gloom. The way St. Ignatius of Loyola puts this is,“In the midst of desolation, when you are riddled with anxiety and things seem as bad as they can get, remember, the seed of consolation is hidden. Likewise, in the midst of consolation, when life is humming nicely along , thriving on peace and abundance, remember the seed of desolation lies within.” In other words, our experience of life fluctuates. We can no more hold onto the good times than we would cling to the not so good ones. 

The theatrical tale of Joseph and his nine half-brothers is a roller-coaster ride from fortune to misfortune, consolation to desolation. As the favored son of their father Joseph (fortune), he is despised by his half brothers who plot to kill him (misfortune), but decide instead to sell him into slavery. Proving himself to be a valuable asset to Pharaoh’s captain of the guard, Pontifer brings Joseph into his home to oversee his household (fortune). It is not long before Pontifer’s wife tries to seduce Joseph. But when he refuses her advances, she accuses him of trying to seduce her which lands Joseph in prison (misfortune).  While in prison Joseph befriends  a couple of the Pharaoh’s servants and correctly interprets their dreams.  (Here again, a glimmer of light in the midst of darkness.)

Two years in the desolation of prison pass before word gets to Pharaoh that the prisoner  Joseph can interpret dreams and he is summoned to do so for the Pharaoh. Hearing the Pharaoh’s dreams Joseph predicts seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine and advises Pharaoh to stockpile grain during the years of abundance, which the Pharaoh then puts Joseph in charge of overseeing (fortune).  When the famine devastates, people from all over come to Joseph to buy the only grain available and escape starvation. (Consolation in the midst of desolation.)

Meanwhile, the famine is decimating Joseph’s father Jacob and his family so the half-brothers travel to the Pharaoh to buy grain. Although they fail to recognize Joseph, he recognizes them. After a series of clever exchanges, Joseph manages to cajole his half-brothers to return home and bring his only blood brother Benjamin to him. Skipping through time and many juicy details we arrive at this week’s Hebrew Testament text. 

The half-brothers have returned with Benjamin whereupon Joseph reveals the light in the midst of darkness, consolation in the midst of desolation. "Come closer to me." And they come closer. He says, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.” Joseph sees beyond the immediacy of the rise and fall of his fortune to a thirty thousand feet above the ground perspective. “God sent me before you to preserve life.”

At the start of this story how many of us could see this outcome? How many of us could see the blessing to countless people saved from starvation as a result  of Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery? 

Embedded in the details of our own personal, social or political ups and downs more often than not we forget that although we are distinct individuals we are also always participating in an interconnected, interdependent something more than we can wrap our minds around. And so we take heart and put our faith in St. Ignatius’ teaching, “In the midst of consolation is the seed of desolation, in the midst of desolation is the seed of consolation” and refuse to be imprisoned by the vagaries of life’s ups and downs. 

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Gospel text for Sunday 17 February 2019

Luke 6:17-26        Jesus came down with the twelve apostles and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, 

for you will be filled.

“Blessed are you who weep now, 

for you will laugh.

“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets."

"But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

"Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry.

"Woe to you who are laughing now,

for you will mourn and weep.

"Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”

Reflection       Jesus has just come down from the mountain where he had been praying and chose the twelve whom he named apostles, ones who are sent forth. Then Jesus looks at his disciples and says, “Blessed are you when you are poor, or hungry or weep or people hate and exclude you.” 

What does he mean, to be blessed? To be blessed is to be made holy. To be holy is to be sanctified or set apart, purified, redeemed and made happy. For those of us who commit to love Jesus more dearly and follow Jesus more nearly (and be sent out to continue his work) the promise is, even while in the  midst of suffering the holy abides with us, thus we are blessed, no matter what.

Then Jesus reverses course and declares, woe to you who are rich, full, laughing and when people speak well of you. Woe is an interjection of grief, “Oh no…!” When we are on top of our game and the world seems to be in our pocket, we cannot cling to things of this world therefore, woe will inevitably befall us. Oh no, inevitably our good fortune will fade. 

In his sermon on the plain Jesus directs us to break out of our dualistic categories of right and wrong, good and bad, woe and blessing.  When seemingly bad things happen we have reason to hope and be holy. When seemingly good things happen we have reason to grieve.  Could this be Jesus foreshadowing St. Ignatius of Loyola’s insight that in the midst of desolation is hidden the seed of consolation, the promise that all will be redeemed and restored to holiness when we choose “with God life?” Likewise, tucked away in the heart of good fortune (consolation) is the seed of desolation because we cannot cling to fortune, inevitably it will pass?

The beatitudes poetically acknowledge our ever changing human condition. No matter who we are, we endure suffering, injustice and loss as well as fulfillment, joy and gain. Although we prefer to gloss over it, we are all subject to adversity as well as to advantage, we all are vulnerable to change. What makes the difference in how we navigate the good times and the bad is whether or not we set our hearts to love Jesus more dearly and our feet to follow Jesus more nearly. Navigating the vicissitudes of life with Jesus, we are blessed no matter what. 

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Gospel text for Sunday 31 March 2013

John 20:1-18     Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Reflection     Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ devoted friend and disciple. She followed him to Jerusalem, was there for his triumphal entry and humiliating departure. She stood at the foot of his cross and was the first to discover Jesus’ empty tomb. When Peter and the other disciple came and confirmed that Jesus’ body was gone, they “returned to their homes.” But Mary, alone, waited outside the empty tomb - weeping.

For Mary everything was lost, still she did not turn away. She allowed herself to stand in the depth and breadth of emptiness. Mary consented to her desolation and succumbed to the anguish of her loss of connection with her beloved teacher and friend. She looked into the emptiness and she wept. I’m afraid I would be more like Peter and the other disciple. “This is too disturbing. I don’t understand and have no idea what to do. I can’t bear this. I just want to get out of here, go home, have a glass of wine and bury my head under a pillow.”

But Mary did not run away from the desolation of the empty tomb. I believe Mary has something to teach us about navigating the inevitable moments of desolation in our lives. Stay with them. Stand in them. Weep and wait and wonder. Look into the emptiness. And wait. Wait and weep and wonder until from the midst of darkness a glimpse of consolation dawns and we encounter the ineffable Presence of God. 

Mary remained at the empty tomb. She did not turn away from the place of desolation. She did not return home, to the way things used to be. Mary waited at the gapping hole of the empty tomb. She waited and wept and wondered until a glance of consolation arose in her emptiness. This I believe; at the heart of desolation is the seed of consolation if only we stay present and alert to recognize it’s Presence. This is what Easter is about, light rising our of the unspeakable darkness.

Gospel for Resurrection Sunday April 8, 2012

John 20:1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Luke 24:1-12 Reflection on Easter Sunday text

Alleluia Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia! Throughout the world this day people have sung and said these words. And I wonder – is this what was on the lips and in the hearts of Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the other women when “they did not find the body” of their beloved Jesus lying on the limestone shelf in the cool dark cave early that first Easter morning? Things certainly were not as they expected.

When things don’t turn out the way we expect, when we look into the darkness of an uncertain future, when emptiness and confusion fill us – how do we respond? I don’t know about you, but when things don’t work out in accord with the picture in my mind I don’t shout alleluia! When I am perplexed, disappointed, distressed or afraid it is hard for me to see any light never mind shout for joy.

So how is it the women who went to Jesus’ cave prepared to anoint his body with spices were able to find light in the darkness of his empty tomb? The two men (angels) in “dazzling clothes reminded the women that their friend Jesus did not expect his life to be a bed of roses. Jesus expected to be “handed over to sinners and be crucified,” to suffer and die, “and on the third day rise again” in new life. And the women remembered what Jesus had told them.

What if we shared Jesus’ expectation? What if instead of imagining that life is meant to be a steady state of ease and comfort we expected life to be an ceaselessly changing journey of possibilities and surprises? What if instead of imagining that difficulty, disease and suffering where signs of God’s absence we embraced our afflictions as occasions for relying on God’s grace? What if we allowed ourselves to relax into the experience of our lives – just the way they are? What if in the darkest moments – looking into the empty tomb – we remembered that life is endlessly emerging and that the spark of light arises from the heart of darkness? What if we walked The Way of Jesus, consenting to our lives as given and being raised into new life?

Neither consolation nor desolation is constant. Life is not a steady state. Day resolves into night; night is the dawning of day. It is the light found in the remembering of what is not present that is the light of hope. It is this light the women realized in the empty tomb.

Alleluia Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Please engage the "Weekly Bible Reading" for next Sunday and post your reflections.

We look forward to hearing from you. Debra