Facing the Dazzling Light of Jesus Christ

Mosaic of Jesus  in Wash. DC Basilica

In Sunday's Gospel according to Luke, Jesus speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem’s Temple. For Luke, the end of Jerusalem was the prelude to the end of this world. The author uses apocalyptic imagery: wars and earthquakes, famines and plagues, persecutions and betrayals. In the midst of it all, Jesus counsels us to persevere in our life/work of discipleship.

This word of God brings us toward the end of the liturgical calendar, which relives the story of our salvation. In Advent we re-experience the hope for a Messiah. We then have Christmas, the birth of the Messiah. Lent culminates in the dying and rising of Jesus at Easter, and finally, after Ordinary Time, Jesus Christ will come “in great power and glory.” Next Sunday we crown him king of the universe.

Yes, we celebrate the story that began in Genesis: “God created the heavens and the earth,” and that ends on the last page of Revelation: “Come, Lord Jesus.” God will transform this universe into a glorious kingdom in all its fullness. How, we don’t know.

But the question is not how. Rather the question is, are we ready to enter into the dazzling light of Jesus Christ, gloriously alive, when He does come to us in the mystery of our own dying.

You may have read Harold Kushner’s book Living a Life That Matters. As a clergyman, Kushner has cared for many people in their last moments. Those who had the most trouble with death were those who felt they had never done anything worthwhile.

Sunday’s word of God asks, are we ready to face Jesus Christ? What attitudes and behaviors do we have to change now? The key question is quality of life, not length of years. Ultimately, we each will have to stand before the awesome light of Jesus Christ where we will see who we really are, for better or worse.

Life is precious—and so “Be prepared” is an everyday Christian motto.

The beatitudes can be a good guide. Here’s one paraphrase: “If we strive to seek God in our everyday lives; if we spend time listening and consoling; if we heal wounds and build bridges; if others see in us goodness, joy, and serenity; if we can see the good in everyone and seek the good for everyone, blessed are you. You are the face of God in our midst.” Think of your own paraphrases of the beatitudes and live them.

The word of God invites us to be prepared now to stand in the awesome light of Jesus Christ gloriously alive. May that word of God inspire each one of us to value each day of our lives as a gift from God and to become the best version of ourselves today. Amen!

The Gift of Salvation

"Strive to enter through the narrow door" 

The word of God today takes us back to the sixth century before Jesus. In a vision, the author of Isaiah sees all men and women, from all nations, Jews as well as non-Jews, going up to Jerusalem into the temple to worship together the one true God, Creator of us all. This invites us to recognize God’s likeness in all people.

The letter to the Hebrews alludes to the age-old question, why do bad things happen to good people? Of course, there’s no satisfactory answer to human suffering and natural disasters. Yet hardships can help us realize our true selves as sons and daughters of God our Father.  Inescapable suffering, accepted with trust in an all-good God and joined to the sufferings of Jesus, can be saving and healing for ourselves and others. And why do I say that?  Because the sufferings of Jesus were precisely that--saving and healing for all.

In the Gospel, disciples ask, “Will only a few people be saved?” Jesus indicates that many who think themselves respectable or high and mighty may not be first in line for the kingdom of God. And many who are considered down and out will be the first included. God's ways are not ours.

Salvation is ultimately a gift from God. Jesus says that we have to struggle to enter through the symbolic “narrow gate” into the kingdom of God. Many times in life, we can only go through by letting go of our fears and doubts, and by realizing that God is with us as we open these doors into an uncertain future.  Our faith in particular can sustain us, because it helps us overcome these fears and doubts, because it satisfies our basic needs. How is that?

Our faith fosters a healthy self-image . We are made in the image and likeness of God, and through baptism, God lives within us, and we live within God. And people with a positive, healthy self-image generally engage in constructive behavior.

Faith satisfies our longing for happiness. Within every human, being there is a subconscious quest for the ultimate, the all-good. St. Augustine wrote, “O God, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Our primary purpose is to live in a right relationship with God and one another. In heaven, we will see God face-to-face.

Third, our faith gives us a sense of belonging. We are a community of believers, linked by a common bond of faith, grace, and baptism. We gather regularly to offer God gratitude and worship. These encounters with the triune God are wrapped up in the mystery of the sacraments.

We are a community not only of heroes and heroines but also of sinners and scoundrels. But Jesus assures us that God’s mercy outweighs our failures. God gave us the sacraments of initiation, healing and service, grace and power to help us through these times.

Finally, our Catholic faith provides us with a guide in the Bible, with the best news ever: how God offers each one of us salvation through Jesus, who is the gate to eternal life. The risen Christ is present in these scriptures proclaimed in our liturgies.

Yes, as we go through life, our faith will sustain us so we may eventually enter safely that final gate into our eternal home with God.

A Fresh Start With Jesus As Our Guide

Rubens' Adoration of the Magi

Perhaps the best resolution for the new year is to cultivate a focus on the presence of God in our lives, to become aware of God's presence within ourselves and let the glory of God shine forth in our daily routine.
 
Today we celebrate the Epiphany: the manifestation or showing forth of the child Jesus as the messiah to the magi.

We really don’t know who the biblical visitors were--wise men or astrologers or spice traders. All we know is that they were non-Jews who came from far, far away, guided by a mysterious bright star. They came to pay homage to this Jewish baby called Jesus.

In today’s readings, the word of God from Isaiah takes us back to the sixth century before Jesus. The Jews were freed, to rebuild their city of Jerusalem. The author indicates a divine light will emanate from this shining city on a hill and all people, Jews as well as non-Jews, will acknowledge and walk by this light.

Christians see Jesus as this light who illuminates darkness, who shows human beings the ultimate purpose of life: to be in relationship with God and thereby manifest the glory of God through who we are and what we do.

St. Paul's letter to the Christian community at Ephesus in Turkey outlines our future. Jesus is indeed our guide: a beacon of hope for all.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, we have all the ingredients of a great story: exotic visitors, a wicked king, court intrigue, a mysterious star, precious gifts, a new child. The magi give homage to this child with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, highly symbolic gifts about the identity of this child.

Gold can symbolize kingship or divinity, the things of God; and the coin of this child’s heavenly realm are the virtues of self-discipline, compassion, responsibility, friendship, courage, perseverance, honesty, decency, respect and faith in God. Are these virtues the “currency” of our own lives?

Frankincense with its wonderful fragrance and medicinal magic can symbolize healing, and this child came to heal our wounds and bridge the chasm separating us from God and one another. We too are called to be healers.

Myrrh or ointment can symbolize a burial embalmment, and this child through his dying/rising re-established our relationship with God.

Now who is this child? This newborn messiah, completely human and completely divine, is the exemplar or prototype or model of what it means to be an authentic human being. That is why some ask themselves: what would Jesus do in this or that circumstance?

With Jesus as our model, God invites us, from an infinite number of possibilities, to live a holy life, every man and every woman, without exception, regardless of age, race, socioeconomic background, career or calling in life.

Holiness is allowing God to enter into the very fiber of our being so that we can become the best version of ourselves through who we are and everything we do.

Now is the time for us to begin again, to become the best version of ourselves.