Friday, 31 January 2025
February 1, 2025 - Have you stopped rowing the boat of life because you are overwhelmed with the storms? Will you start rowing again today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 11:1-2,8-19; Mk 4:35-41
The Gospel reading of today appears
immediately after Jesus has completed the Parable Discourse. It is commonly
referred to as the miracle of the calming of the storm. While this miracle
appears also in the Gospels in Matthew and Luke, the language of the disciples
in Mark is harsh. In Matthew, the disciples address Jesus as Lord, and their
cry is a plea for help, much like our “Lord have mercy” at the penitential
rite. In Luke, like in Mark, Jesus is addressed as “Master” but no allegation
about his uncaring attitude is made. In Mark, the disciples allege that Jesus
is unconcerned about them. Mark also brings out the contrast between the
agitated disciples and the serene Jesus. Jesus is able with a word to calm the
forces of nature, and suddenly, there is a great calm.
The boat has often been seen as a symbol
of Christianity. The storm then would be the trials and tribulations that
attack Christianity from without. Jesus is present with his people even in the
midst of all these trials, even though sometimes it may appear that he is
asleep and unconcerned. He is able with a word to clam these forces, and so
there is no need for agitation and anxious care. We need to keep rowing and
trust that he will see us safely to the shore.
Thursday, 30 January 2025
Friday, January 31, 2025 - Do you more often than not focus on the present or the future? Do you focus on the now or on the later?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb10:32-39; Mk 4:26-34
The text of today contains two parables.
The first of these (4,26-29) is known as the Parable of the seed growing
secretly, and is found only in the Gospel of Mark. The second (4,30-32), known
as the Parable of the Mustard seed is also found in the Gospels of Matthew and
Luke.
In the first parable the point that is
being made is that the one who scatters the seed only does so and then goes
about his routine, not worried about the outcome of his effort. The seed
continues to grow, simply because he has first scattered it. He knows that by
worrying the seed will not grow faster, and so he lets it be.
In the Parable of the Mustard seed, the
point that is made is that from little, there will be much. Small beginnings
have great endings. The parable is a call to begin what one has to do without
worrying about how small or big the outcome will be. The growth is sure and
definite.
When Mark says in 4:33 that Jesus did
not speak to the people without a parable, he is in effect saying that there
was a parabolic character about all of Jesus’ teaching. This means that all of
Jesus’ teaching involved the listener and it was the listener who supplied the
lesson to the teaching and not Jesus. This indicates a freedom of choice that
every listener was given at the time of Jesus. They were the ones to decide for
or against. Jesus would never force them to accept his point of view.
It is sometimes the case that we spend
much of our time worrying about the outcome of our actions even before we can
do them. This attitude does not allow us to be in the present moment and so the
action that we do is not done to the best of our ability. We do not put
ourselves fully into the action that we do. At other times, we do not act at
all but only worry. While the first of today’s parable is calling us to act and
then relax rather than worry, the second is assuring us that our actions will
indeed bear fruit.
Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Thursday, January 30, 2025 - How would you define the WORD OF GOD? Have you assimilated this WORD?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 10:19-25; Mk 4:21-25
The text of today follows immediately after the interpretation of the Parable of the Sower and the seed and contains two similes: that of the lamp and the measure. In Mark they seem to be connected with the response that a person makes to the Word spoken by Jesus. This Word is not an esoteric or secret Word. It is a Word that is to be make known, to be revealed, like a lamp is to be on a lamp stand. If one is open and receptive to this Word (the Measure of one’s openness) one will receive from God not only the ability to understand it but also to assimilate it.
Sometimes
our closed attitudes and minds and our reluctance to accept change and newness
may result in our missing out on all the revelations of the glory of God taking
place around us. If we only open the eyes of our heart to see and the ears of
our hearts to hear, we will be able to find God in all things and all things in
him.
Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - How often have you given into despair and lost hope? Will you continue to hope today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 10:11-18; Mk 4:1-20
The
text of today is taken from what is known as The Parable Discourse in the
Gospel of Mark. The text contains an introduction to the Discourse (4:1-2), the
parable of the Sower (4:3-9), a saying on the kingdom and its secret (4:10-12)
and the interpretation of the parable (4:13-20). It is important that while it
is likely that Jesus uttered the parable, in all probability the interpretation
is the work of the early church. This is why; the interpretation of these texts
must be done separately.
The
parable of the Sower seems to point out that of the four types of soil in which
the seed falls, it is LOST in three types and bears fruit in only one type.
This indicates that while three quarters of the effort are lost, only a quarter
is gain. However, the focus of the parable is not on the loss but on the gain,
which even that one-quarter brings. The Parable is pointing out to the fact
that this is how life often is. Three quarters of our efforts seem to be wasted
and it is possible that when this happens we may give in to despair. However,
we are called to focus not on this but on the enormous gain that the
one-quarter of our effort will indeed bring.
We
may tend to lose heart when we see that most of our efforts do not seem to be
bearing fruit. At times like these the Parable of the Sower offers hope that
even though much of our effort may seem to be lost, the gain that will arise
from it will be enormous. It invites us not to ever lose heart but to keep on
doing our part and leave the rest to God. It is calling us to sow and rest
confident in the hope that God will make it grow.
Monday, 27 January 2025
Tuesday, January 28, 2025 - If Jesus were to point to his family today, would you be counted as a member?
To read the texts click on the texts: 2 Samuel 6:12-15,17-19; Mark 3:31-35
The
text of today forms the second part of the “sandwich” construction that Mark
has used here. He introduced the family of Jesus in 3,20-21, interrupted this
with the text on the Beelzebul controversy (3,22-30) and returns to the family
of Jesus is today’s text 3,31-35. By using such a structure, Mark indicates
that the family of Jesus are also hostile to Jesus. Also, Mark places them
“outside” while Jesus is “inside” the house. This too indicates that they are
not disciples. Jesus then defines family in terms of those who do the will of
God. Some also think that by not mentioning the father of Jesus, Mark wants to
assert that for Jesus and his disciples, only God is Father.
We
may imagine that because we have been baptised are bear the name Christian we are
automatically counted as members of Jesus’ family. However, baptism alone will
not make us members of Jesus’ family, but the living out of the baptismal
promises in our lives. This means that we must each do what we are called to
do, namely our best at every given moment.
Sunday, 26 January 2025
Monday, January 27, 2025 - Is your general attitude to life positive or negative? Will you make an attempt to interpret every incident positively today?
To read the texts click on the texts:2 Sam 5:1-7.10; Mk 3:22-30
The
text of today is known as the Beelzebul controversy. Scribes who come from
Jerusalem accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the prince of demons. Jesus
refutes their claim by showing how absurd it would be for Satan to cast himself
out. The strong man whom Jesus talks about is Satan and the one who binds up
the strong man is Jesus himself. Rather than accuse Jesus, the scribes must be
able to see that with the coming of Jesus the reign of Satan is at an end.
The
sin, which cannot be forgiven, is the sin against the Holy Spirit. Since there
is the danger of looking at this sin as a specific sin, Mark clarifies that the
reason why Jesus says this is because they accused him of having an unclean
spirit. This means that the sin spoken of here is an attitude rather than a
specific sin. It refers to the attitude of being closed to the revelation that
God is making of himself in Jesus. It is an attitude of closing one’s eyes and
refusing to see.
Today
the sin against the Holy Spirit is to refuse to believe that the Spirit can
transform me. Practically this means to give up even before one can begin. It
means to give in or throw in the towel. It means not to give the Spirit a
chance to work in our lives. It means a refusal to persevere and keep on
keeping on.
Monday, January 27, 2025 - Timothy and Titus - How would you define mission today? Are you engaged in mission?
To read the texts click on the texts: 2 Tim 1:1-8; Lk 10:1-9
On
Jan. 26, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the liturgical memorial of Saints
Timothy and Titus, close companions of the Apostle Paul and bishops of the
Catholic Church in its earliest days.
Both
men received letters from Paul, which are included in the New Testament.
Timothy
was supposed to have come from Lystra which is in present day Turkey and was
known to be a student of Sacred Scripture from his youth. He accompanied Paul
on his journeys and was later sent to Thessalonica to help the Church during a
period of persecution. Like Paul, he too was imprisoned and his release from
prison is mentioned in in the letter to the Hebrews (Heb 13:23). Tradition has
it that Timothy died a martyr for the faith like Paul before him.
Titus
was born into a Non-Christian family, yet would read the Hebrew Scriptures to
find ways and means to live a virtuous life. He was both assistant and
interpreter of Paul was sent to the Church in Corinth when Paul could not go.
He was Bishop of Crete. According to tradition Titus was not martyred, but died
of old age.
The
Gospel text chosen for the feast is from Luke and is about the sending of the
seventy-two, which is text that is exclusive to Luke . Matthew and Mark have
the sending of the Twelve, as does Luke. This then is regarded as a doublet of
the sending of the Twelve in Lk. 9:1-6.
The
fact that seventy-two and not just twelve are sent indicates growth and
movement. The kingdom of God is preached not just by Jesus or the Twelve, but
also by many more.
In
some manuscripts, the number is recorded as seventy. This is probably due to
the list of nations in Genesis 10, where while the Hebrew text lists seventy
nations, the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) list
seventy-two. This will mean that the commissioning of the seventy-two
foreshadows the mission of the church to all nations.
In
this sending, they are sent in pairs (not in the earlier sending of the Twelve
in Lk. 9:1-6), and ahead of Jesus, in order to prepare the way before him. In
this sense, they are called to be pre-cursors, forerunners like John the
Baptist. The instructions begin with a prayer to be made to God, because it is
his mission that they will be engaged in. At the outset they are warned that
they will need to be on their guard at all times. The strategy proposed is
detachment from things, persons and events. This detachment will help to
proclaim the kingdom more efficaciously. Three interconnected aspects of the
mission are stressed. The missionaries are to eat what is set before them in
order to show the same table fellowship that Jesus showed, they are to cure the
sick and to proclaim the kingdom in order to show that the kingdom is not only
spiritual but also very practical and touches every aspect of human life. They
are to do and also to say.
It
is sometimes mistakenly thought that only religious men and women are called to
be missionaries. However, as the feast of today indicates though Timothy and
Titus were both Bishops in the early Church they were initially lay men (and
Titus was a Non-Christian). Some also think that only those who work in the
villages are to be termed missionaries. However, the sending of the seventy-two
corrects this misunderstanding. The feast of today asks us to reflect on the
fact that every Christian is sent on a mission and called to engage in mission,
simply because mission is to be done where one is. The threefold mission task
in these verses is a further confirmation of the fact that mission includes
every aspect of life and so is not the responsibility of only a few, but every
disciple of Jesus.
Saturday, 25 January 2025
Sunday, January 26, 2025 - To proclaim good news to the poor
To read the texts click on the texts: Neh 8:2-4, 5-6,8-10; 1 Cor 12:12-30; Lk1:1-4, 4:14-21
The
beginning of the Gospel of Luke is unique because Luke is the only one of the
four evangelists who states the purpose of his writing. It seems, from what he
states, that his intention is to supply an orderly account, a doctrinal truth,
and an assurance about the meaning of the whole Christ-event, to Theophilus –
for whom he is writing. Thus, his intention is not merely historical. He will
also narrate the things “that have been fulfilled” so that Theophilus may know
the “truth”.
A
summary of the Christ-event is given in the inaugural act of Jesus when he
comes to the synagogue at Nazareth and reads from the scroll of Isaiah. Jesus,
in all probability, chose the passage that he would read. Even as he read from
this chosen text, he made subtle changes in his reading. The chosen passage,
and the changes he made, brings out what his intentions are for all those whose
lives he will touch. In his reading, the Lucan Jesus omits the phrase from
Isaiah “to bind up the broken hearted” and adds instead, from Isa 58:6, “He has
sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free”. Also, he omits, from Isa 61:2, “and the day of
vengeance of our God” and ends, instead, by proclaiming the “favourable year of
the Lord”.
What
could be the possible reasons for the choice of this reading in his inaugural
discourse? Why would he make the changes he made? One important reason for the
choice seems to be the mention of the Spirit. The Spirit plays an important
role in the Gospel of Luke and, right at the beginning, Luke shows that Jesus’
ministry, which he will soon begin, is empowered by the Spirit by whom Jesus
was anointed at his baptism. Second, the poor are given special prominence in
the Gospel of Luke, and so, the Lucan Jesus begins with an option for the poor.
While the rich are not excluded, it is very clearly the poor who will have
preference. “Poor” in Luke primarily means the economically poor, but also
includes here, captives, the blind, and the oppressed. In a word, Jesus has
come primarily for the marginalized, the scum of society, and those who are on
its fringes.
What
has Jesus come to proclaim to these? What are the implications of his
proclamation for us today? Jesus has come to proclaim a year of God’s favour.
He has come to show, through his word and deeds, that the God he will reveal is
a God whose intention is to liberate the impoverished and the oppressed and, in
that respect, fulfil the ideal and social concern of the Jubilee year. Jesus
has come to announce God’s promise of liberation for all the poor and
oppressed, regardless of nationality, gender, or race. The radical
inclusiveness of his message was not easy for all to accept. Many preferred to
be exclusive. They wanted a Messiah who would fit in with the categories they
had set. Thus, not only was the message of Jesus scandalous, he was himself a
scandal. Since they closed their minds and hearts to his inclusive message of
God’s unconditional love, they were unable to receive it.
The
implications of the proclamation of Jesus for us today are, first; the kingdom
that Jesus proclaimed, and that we must continue to proclaim, must be a kingdom
that has the poor at its very centre. The rich are not excluded because the
kingdom is all inclusive. Yet, there can be no doubt that the preference must
always be for the poor, the marginalized, the impoverished, and those of no
consequence. Even as we work for the kingdom, we must keep in mind that others,
too, are called to the same task and responsibility. Thus, as Paul reminds the
Corinthians, and us, we must remember always that we are one body made up of
many parts. We must be able to accept, not only unity in diversity but unity,
even in diversity. This means that the work being done by those of other religions,
other faiths, and other orientations, as long as it results in furthering God’s
kingdom, is good and to be commended. We must learn to work, not only for
others, but with others, as well. God’s word is a word that cannot be
restricted to any particular group or community. It is a word that is freely
given to all who are willing to understand and to accept it. In the first reading of today, Ezra, the
priest, exposes the word of God to the people and tells them to not be sad and
to not weep. We, too, need to understand that the word is not a word that
causes sorrow or brings tears. It is not a word that causes division or strife.
Rather, it is a word that builds up because the Lord is, indeed, our strength
and our hope.
Because
this is the case, and even though we realize that, despite our very best
efforts, the kingdom will always remain beyond our grasp, we keep striving,
never giving up, never giving in. We keep as our model and inspiration the
mission and person of Jesus who, even on the Cross, continued to say “Amen,
Amen”.
Friday, 24 January 2025
Saturday, January 25, 2025 - Saul changed his name to Paul after meeting the Lord. What will you do as a result of having met God?
To read the texts click on the texts: Acts22:3-16; Mk 16:15-18
Paul’s
entire life can be explained in terms of one experience—his meeting with Jesus
on the road to Damascus. In that instant he saw what he could become through
grace and not law. It was a revelation to him that no matter how low a person
may have fallen; God’s grace could always lift him/her up. It was also a
revelation of the heights of mysticism one could reach if one opened oneself to
God’s unlimited and unconditional grace.
The
story of Paul’s conversion is narrated twice in the Acts of the Apostles
(Chapters 9 and 22) and Paul himself refers to it in some of his letters (Gal
1:13-14; 1 Cor 9:1-2; 15:3-8).
The
conversion of Saul to Paul was the conversion and transformation of a person
who lived out the letter of the law, but forgot its spirit. However, once he
allowed God’s grace to enter his heart, all that mattered to him was Christ and
through Christ divine, gratuitous love. From the moment of his transformation,
the focus of his preaching was that salvation was FOR ALL and that no amount of
merit could save, because salvation was a free gift of God.
The
first reading for the Feast speaks of his conversion and the Gospel text is
from the longer ending of Mark and is an apt description of Paul’s power and
actions after his transformation. He did indeed proclaim the Gospel to all
creation and today invites us to do the same.
His
Gospel may be summarised in one sentence, “God was in Christ reconciling the
world to himself” (2 Cor 5:19)
Thursday, 23 January 2025
Friday, January 24, 2025 - If Jesus were to choose a nickname for you, what would that be? Why?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 8:6-13; Mk 3:13-19
Mark narrates here the choice of the
twelve disciples. The number twelve makes this group representative of the
twelve tribes of Israel and thus Jesus would be seen as the one who has come to
restore Israel.
Mark makes three points in his narration
of the choice of the twelve. The first is that the primary reason for the
choice of the Twelve is “to be with him”. This means that their primary
responsibility is to accompany Jesus on his journey to the Father. The second
point is that besides “being with him”, they are also sent out to preach and
heal, to say and to do, word and action. The Kingdom of God is not merely a
spiritual enterprise, but connected intimately with the whole of life. It is a
practical enterprise as well. The third point that Mark makes is that some of
the Twelve are given nicknames. Simon is named “Peter” (which means “rock”) and
James and John are named “Boanerges” (which means “sons of thunder”). These
signified their function. Judas Iscariot is not renamed, but Mark gives us an
indication already here of what he will do in the future.
Each of us also received a new name at
our Baptism: the name “Christian”. The challenge is to hear Jesus call our name
and to have the courage to answer that call.
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Thursday, January 23, 2025 - If you were to choose one word to describe your relationship with Jesus what word would you choose?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 7:25-8:6; Mk 3:7-12
Mark gives in these verses a summary
account of the themes that have appeared from the beginning of the Gospel.
Jesus' popularity increases and he cannot appear in public without being pressured
by great multitudes seeking to he healed. Jesus' reputation has spread even to
those towns where he did not go personally. The use of the term multitude here
and the mention of the names of places as far as the region around Tyre and
Sidon are an indication that Jesus’ authority is much greater than that of John
the Baptist to whom in Mark people came from only the Judean countryside and
Jerusalem (1,5). These multitudes are not necessarily disciples, and could have
come to see Jesus out of curiosity or even to receive healing.
Mark once again has the command to
silence, which is where Jesus commands the demons not to make him known. While
some interpret this command as belonging to the rite of exorcism, others see it
as Mark's desire to reject the testimony of the demons as evidence for Jesus'
identity.
It is possible that we relate to God or
Jesus as we would relate to the local grocer and go to him only when we need
something. The text of today challenges us to review our relationship with
Jesus and ask ourselves what he really means to us.
Tuesday, 21 January 2025
Wednesday, January 22, 2025 - Is there a synchrony between your words and your actions?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 7:1-3,15-17; Mk 3:1-6
The Gospel text of today concerns a
Sabbath controversy. Though Mark does not specify at the beginning of this
episode who it was that was watching Jesus for a reason to accuse him, at the
end of the episode they are named as Pharisees and Herodians. While Pharisees
had no political authority at the time of Jesus, they were influential.
Herodians were a group of wealthy people who were partisans of Herod Antipas.
It is important to note that Jesus does
nothing to break the Sabbath rest, but his question is the reason for the
hostility. The response to Jesus' question is silence which here may be
interpreted as an indication of the hostility of his opponents and of their
intention to destroy him. Anyone who truly cares about the law will agree with
Jesus and rejoice that a man has been made whole again. Though the man in this
case is not in any way near death, Jesus adds to the second part of his
question the words "to save life or to kill?" This seems to be Mark's
way of anticipating the intentions of Jesus' opponents. The point he seems to be
making is that they object to someone being made whole on the Sabbath because
they are concerned about the law, yet on the same Sabbath, they will not
hesitate to plot the destruction of someone else. The contrast between their
words and their deeds is strongly brought out.
Often in our lives there is a dichotomy
between what we say and what we do. Our actions do not always match our words.
There are also times when we say one thing and do another. The call of the text
of today is to be as consistent as we possibly can. One way of doing this is to
avoid judging others too easily. Another way would be to avoid promising what
we know we will not be able to deliver and to think carefully before we speak
and commit.
Monday, 20 January 2025
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 - Focus on the human person. The rule will take care of itself
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 6:10-20; Mk 2:23-28
Today’s text is a pronouncement story.
In such a story, the saying of Jesus is of central importance. In this story,
it appears at the end where after Jesus pronounces that it was the Sabbath
(rules and regulations) that was made for the human person and not the other
way around, he identifies The Son of Man as Lord even of the Sabbath.
The Gospel of Mark does not explicate
what the Pharisees are complaining about. They surely could not be complaining
that the disciples of Jesus were stealing because they were plucking ears of
corn, since Deut. 23:25 permitted a person to pluck ears of grain when he/she
went into a neighbour’s field. Luke 6:1 seems to indicate that the objection of
the Pharisees was that the disciples of Jesus were rubbing the heads of grain
they had plucked in their hands which could be considered as threshing and
therefore work, which was prohibited on the Sabbath (Exod 34:21). As he
often does in his responses, Jesus takes the objectors beyond the immediate
objection to a higher level. Here, he focuses not just on the question of work
on the Sabbath or the incident that is questioned, but beyond: to the Sabbath
itself. The Sabbath is at the service of the human person and not the human
person at the service of the Sabbath. In other words, human needs take
precedence over any rules and regulations. This must be the primary focus.
There are times in our lives when we
treat rules as ends in themselves. One reason why we do this is because we have
an image of God as a policeman who will catch and punish us if we do not follow
the rules, as we ought to. Another reason could be that we expect that God will
be gracious to us and bless us if we are faithful in flowing the rules. It is
possible that sometimes we are so focussed on following the rules that we
believe God has set for us that we might lose sight of human persons whose
needs we must respond to first.
Sunday, 19 January 2025
Monday, January 20, 2025 - How often have your actions been motivated out of fear rather than love? Will you perform at least one action from love today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 5:1-10; Mk 2:18-22
The text of today is a controversy
story, and concerns one of the three important traditions of the Jews: fasting,
the other two being alms giving and prayer. The question of the people compares
the behaviour of Jesus’ disciples with that of John’s disciples and the
Pharisees. The latter fast whereas the disciples of Jesus do not. The law
required that people fast only on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16,1-34; 23,26-32;
Num 29,7-11), though there were other reasons why a person might fast including
as a personal expression of sorrow or repentance (1 Kgs 21,27; 2 Samuel 3,35).
The Pharisees were said to fast twice a week (Luke 18,12). Since the people
considered Jesus as a prophet or religious teacher, they would have expected
his disciples to fast as other sects did. In his response to the people, Jesus
clarifies that with his coming the new age has dawned, which is an age of
freedom. He does this first by using the analogy of the bridegroom, and states
that those who fast at the wedding are seriously insulting the host or
bridegroom. However, even though there is the element of celebration in the
analogy of the bridegroom, there is also a sombre note, which speaks of the
bridegroom being taken away, and seems to refer to the death of Jesus, which
will be an appropriate time to fast. The unshrunk cloth and the new wine refer
to this new age, whereas the old cloak and the old wine skins refer to the old
age. The two are incompatible. An attempt to patch an old garment using a new
or unshrunk cloth will result in a worse tear; just as to put new wine into old
skins will result in a great loss. The conclusion of the saying of Jesus
emphasises that the presence of Jesus brings newness and to understand him one
will need to give up the old categories that one has.
If we can talk of a rule or regulation
that Jesus gave his disciples, it would only be the rule of love. All the
actions of Jesus’ disciples must be motivated by love. This means that one may
or may not fast, but that one will always and every time only love.
Saturday, 18 January 2025
Sunday, January 19, 2025 - Will you do what the Lord tells you and so allow him to turn the water of your life into wine?
To read the texts click on the texts: Isa 62:1-5; 1 Cor 12:4-11; Jn 2:1-12
While
Year A is known as the year of Matthew, since the Gospel readings during this
year are taken mainly from the Gospel of Matthew, Year B is known as the Gospel
of Mark, for the same reason. Year C, in which we are now, is the year of Luke.
However, in all three years, the second Sunday in Ordinary time takes the
reading from the Gospel of John. In year A, the text deals with the
identification of Jesus by John. In year B, the text discusses the first
disciples who follow Jesus and remain with him and, in this year, the text
concerns the wedding feast at Cana and the turning of water into wine.
John’s
placement of the story of the miracle at Cana, at the beginning of the ministry
of Jesus, gives it an added significance. This is so because it is the first
public act Jesus performs in John’s Gospel. Thus, it serves as the inaugural
event of the ministry of Jesus. It also serves as a forerunner of things to
come. Numerous themes are highlighted in this miracle, like Jesus’ hour, his
glory, the sign pointing to a deeper reality, and the faith of his disciples in
him. All these serve to indicate how the miracle must be interpreted.
Some
have interpreted the miracle as Jesus’ rejection of the waters of purification
and hence, a symbol of Jesus’ rejection of Judaism. Others have interpreted it
as the replacement of the old with the new. However, neither of these
interpretations seems to fit the context. They seem to read into the text what
is not actually there. The jars standing there are empty and so, there can be
no question of rejection or replacement. They are filled with water on the
instruction of Jesus and, filled “to the brim”. It is in these details that the
interpretation must be sought. Therefore, two points are being made. The first
is that the old vessels are filled with a wondrous new gift. The second is that
this gift is not given in measure but given abundantly. With the coming of
Jesus, gifts, like that of new wine, will be given in abundance.
That
this is the better interpretation is confirmed by the scene of the intervention
of Jesus’ mother and his response to her, in which he makes mention of his
“hour”. Jesus’ response to Mary, while seemingly harsh, is not really so, It
must be seen more as a form of disengagement. Jesus’ hour, the hour set by the
Father, has not yet arrived. Thus, even his mother does not have claim over him
and what he is to accomplish. This is determined by his Father, and by his
Father alone. No human, no matter how close he/she might be to Jesus, can
hasten it. Mary understands this and this is why her instruction to the
stewards is “Do whatever he tells you”. Mary will leave Jesus free to act.
Accordingly, Jesus acts freely at this “hour” and through this act, gives a
glimpse of what he will accomplish when the hour set by the Father actually
arrives. Here, he merely converts water into wine, which John refers to as a
sign. It is a sign because it points to greater things that are to come. It
points to a time when he will convert his body and blood into a living sacrifice
of praise. He has come to bring abundance to his people; he has come to
vindicate then; he has come to save them.
This
is also the theme of the first reading of today in which Isaiah speaks of the
people’s vindication and salvation because of the coming of the Lord. This
vindication will be public and will be seen and witnessed by all, much like the
miracle at Cana. Forsakenness and desolation are things of the past. Now, the
new and the novel have come and will remain. No longer will the negative hold and
sway over the people. This is because God brings, with his coming, all which is
positive.
This
vindication and salvation will remain at the theoretical level if it is not
translated into action. Paul, in the second reading of today, shows how this must
be. Two ways are indicated. The first is the recognition of the individual’s
gifts, of which there is a wide variety. Each is blessed with a special talent
and gift and, each of these is unique. There is no greater or lesser; there is
no good or better. They are different and so, need not be compared. The second
is that the gifts of the individual are not for him/her alone. The gifts of the
individual are for the sake of the community since they have as their source
and origin, one Lord. If the gifts are used for one’s own glorification and
praise, they are of no consequence whatsoever. However, if they are used in
humility, and for the sake of the community, then they become gifts of the one
Spirit and of the one Lord.
Friday, 17 January 2025
Saturday, January 18, 2025 - When you look at an egg will you see the eagle? Has your stereotypical way of looking prevented you from seeing people as they are?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 4:12-16; Mk 2:13-17
If in 2:1-12 through the incident of the
healing of the paralytic, Mark portrayed Jesus as one who had the authority to
forgive sin, in the text of today, he shows Jesus as reaching out to tax
collectors and sinners. There are two episodes, which are connected. The first
is the Call of Levi and the second is the dinner in Levi’s house during which
Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners.
In Matthew 9:9, the tax collector who is
called is named Matthew, but in Mark (and Luke 5:27) he is called Levi.
However, the name Levi does not appear in any list of twelve whereas Matthew
appears in all the lists. The tax collector at the time of Jesus was a
person whose duty it was to collect tax or duty on goods crossing the border.
They were accused of charging more than the required amount and so were
considered as thieves and seen as dishonest. This is the kind of person called
by Jesus to discipleship. The structure of the call of Levi is similar to that
of the first four disciples in mark (1:16-20). Here too, it has five parts,
Jesus passes by, sees Levi at his work, calls to him, Levi leaves his work and
follows Jesus. Immediately after the call and following, Jesus goes to Levi’s
house for a meal during which many tax collectors and sinners sit at table with
him. This leads to the scribes of the Pharisees complaining probably that Jesus
was not observe that higher standard of holiness that would be expected of him.
Jesus responds to their objection in two parts. In the first part, he states a
common proverb of the time (“Those who are well have no need of a physician,
but those who are sick”). In the second part of his response (“I have come not
to call the righteous but sinners”), Jesus states explicitly the reason for his
coming: to call sinners. The force of this mission statement of Jesus will be
understood better when we realise that the righteous referred to those who were
zealous for the law and tried to live it out as completely as they could,
whereas sinners meant those who deliberately flouted/flaunted the law and paid
no heed to it. Jesus has come to seek those who everyone considers evil.
Many of us tend to look down on those
who may not come up to our expectations or behave the way we want them to. We
may also often judge others by what we see and be too quick to do that. The
challenge for each of us is to realise that our way of looking may be a
stereotypical way of looking and that we may be looking with a prejudiced view.
Thursday, 16 January 2025
Friday, January 17, 2025 - Is there an area in my life in which I suffer from paralysis? Do I believe that Jesus can heal me?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 4:1-5,11; Mk 2:1-12
The text of today is a pronouncement
story, which also contains a miracle. A pronouncement story is one in which the
saying of Jesus is the central point. Some pronouncement stories contain
miracles, whereas others do not (2:23-27). In the story of today, it seems that
Mark has converted an original miracle story in which a paralytic is healed
into a pronouncement story (by inserting the dialogue between Jesus and the
scribes after the words, “said to the paralytic” found in 2, 5a, and repeating
them in 2,10b), to bring out the point that Jesus has the authority like God to
forgive sin. In his challenge to the scribes, Jesus is able to prove that he
has this authority to forgive, because he has been able to heal the man
completely. Mark might also be indicating that Jesus wanted total healing for
the man rather than just physical healing. The response of the crowds is of
amazement.
We come across here for the first time a
“Son on Man” saying, which is used for the second time in 2:28 and after that
only from the Passion and resurrection predictions in Mark (8:31; 9:31; 10:33;
14:62). Characters in the Gospels never use this expression to describe
Jesus or refer to him; rather Jesus uses it of himself. While the expression
could be used to mean a human being, it seems that the evangelists intend the
expression to refer to Jesus’ special status. Here, he has special authority
and that to forgive sin.
Our own psychological paralysis is often
connected with our lack of forgiveness and keeping feelings of bitterness,
anger and the like in our hearts and minds. One of the keys to wholeness and
good health is forgiveness. We must forgive because it is good for our health.
Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Thursday, January 16, 2025 - Who are those whom you treat as lepers? Will you reach out to them with a kind word or touch today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 3:7-14; Mk 1:40-45
The healing of a leper, which is our
text for today, is also found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, but both
Matthew and Luke omit the emotional reactions of Jesus found in Mark. The term
leprosy was used for any kind of skin disease, and those with such kind of
diseases were considered as unclean and not allowed to be part of society. They
had to live on the outskirts of the city, and had to make their presence known
whenever they entered the city, so that others could avoid any kind of contact
with them and so not get contaminated.
In this miracle, Jesus not only heals
the leper, but also reaches out and touches him. This probably means that Jesus
cannot be contaminated or made unclean by anything from outside. It could also
indicate Jesus’ wanting to reach out to the leper in a personal manner and
treat him as a full human being.
The prayer of the leper is a lesson for
each one of us on the meaning of prayer. In his prayer the leper both
acknowledges his dependence on Jesus through the words, “If you will” and also
has faith in the ability of Jesus to heal through the words, “you can make me
clean”. Prayer means to acknowledge our dependence on God and also to have
faith that God can do what to us may seem impossible.
Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 - Do you use the talents God have gifted you for service, or do you keep them to yourself?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 2:14-18; Mk 1:29-39
The text of today is made up of three
parts. In the first part (1:29-31), we are told of the healing of Simon’s
Mother-in-law. This miracle story follows the pattern of the typical healing
stories of the Synoptic Gospels in which three clear parts can be
distinguished. These are the narration of the case, the cure (in the larger
majority of the healing miracles of Jesus it is merely with a word and/or the act
of lifting the person up) and the confirmation that the person has indeed been
cured. Here, after her healing she begins to wait on Jesus and his disciples.
While on the one hand this detail communicates that she was healed completely
and can now serve, on the other hand, Mark may also have intended to
communicate to his readers, that healing is for service.
In the second part of today’s text (1:32-34),
numerous sick are brought to Jesus, who heals them all. There is also at the
end of this section the command to silence, which is connected to the Messianic
Secret in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus does not allow demons to tell other
who he is, because he did not want to be misunderstood simply as a wonder
working Messiah.
In the third and final part of today’s
reading (1:35-39), we are given an insight into a very personal aspect of the
life of Jesus; his prayer. In this context, the content of Jesus’ prayer seems
to be discernment on whether he must stay or move. While it would have been
easier to stay because of the approval he receives here, as is evident from the
comment of his disciples that he was being sought after, Jesus opts to move
because that is what he sees as his Father’s will, and Mark makes abundantly
clear on numerous occasions in his Gospel that nothing and no one can come
between Jesus and his Father’s will.
The talents that we have and the gifts
that we possess have been given to us in trust. We have therefore to use them
to enhance life and continue to be co-creators with God in his work of building
the new heaven and new earth.
Monday, 13 January 2025
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 - How often is there a dichotomy between your words and your actions? Will you try to synchronise them today?
To read the texts, click on the texts: Heb 2:5-12; Mk 1:21-28
The first miracle in the Gospel of Mark
is an exorcism and is the text for today. At the beginning of this pericope we
are informed that Jesus taught in the synagogue with authority and the crowds
were astounded at his teaching. Mark then immediately narrates the exorcism
story to give a practical example of the teaching of Jesus. The demon
"knows" who Jesus is and also that with his coming Satan’s reign is
ended. Jesus has indeed come to cast Satan out.
The exorcism indicates what it means
that the kingdom has indeed drawn near. This is the first time in the Gospel of
Mark that we come across what is commonly known as “the command to silence”,
which is a technique that Mark uses in his Gospel in which Jesus commands
sometimes demons (1:25,34), sometimes those he has healed (1,44) and sometimes
the family members of the one healed (5:43) not to make known his identity or
that he has been the one who has healed them. While many interpretations have
been offered as to why Mark has used this technique, the one which has found
wide acceptance is that the Marcan Jesus did not want people to mistake him for
merely an exorcist or miracle worker, but wanted them to realise that he was
the Christ who would suffer, die on the cross and be raised.
In this case he is able to exorcise the
demon by a mere word, which the crowd interpret as a "new teaching".
By associating the teaching of Jesus
with the first miracle and having the people regard the exorcism as a “new
teaching”., Mark seems to want to indicate that there is no dichotomy between
Jesus’ words and actions. They synchronise. Jesus does what he says and says
what he does.
Sunday, 12 January 2025
Monday, January 13, 2025 - How will you as a disciple of Jesus make known his love to at least one person today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 1:1-6; Mk 1:14-20
The first Chapter of the Gospel of Mark is about the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, which occurs near the Sea of Galilee and in Capernaum. A number of themes that will figure prominently in the Gospel appear already in the first Chapter. These are: Jesus reaching out to heal and make whole those who come to him for healing (1:29-34, 40-45), his exorcising those possessed by demons and commanding them to be silent about his identity (1:23-28), his being led in all things by the Spirit (1:8,10,12,23-28), the misunderstanding on the part of his disciples and people about who Jesus really is which plays a big part in the Gospel already finds some mention here (1:35-39).
It is also in the first Chapter that
Jesus receives the invitation from God (through the voice from heaven 1:11) to
be both beloved Son and slave. Jesus accepts this invitation as is evident in
the angels attending to him though he is tempted by Satan (1:13) and in his
proclamation of the good news of God, which is that the Kingdom of God has
indeed, arrived (1:14-15).
The public ministry of Jesus begins
after his baptism and his being led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Jesus
comes to Galilee “after John was arrested” (1:14). This could be Mark’s way of
removing John the Baptist from the scene who until this verse had held centre
stage. It could also be a reminder that the fate of John the Baptist will also
be the fate of Jesus. He too like John the Baptist will be “handed over” (9:31;
10:33; 14:21,41). Jesus comes “proclaiming the good news of God” which is an
indication that he is on the side of God and has accepted the invitation issued
to him at his Baptism. The content of this proclamation is that the arrival of
Jesus and his ministry is bringing about the salvation promised by the
prophets. The Kingdom of God has been inaugurated by the coming of Jesus. All
that humans have to do now is to open their hearts to receive it in all its
fullness.
The call of the first four disciples in
the Gospel of Mark (1:16-20) follows immediately after the first public
proclamation of Jesus (1:14-15). Two pairs of brothers are called, Peter and
Andrew and James and John. These call stories have five parts. Jesus passes by
(1:16,19), sees the brothers at their work (1:16,19), he calls to them
(1:17,20), they leave their work (1:18,20), and they follow Jesus (1:18,20).
Though their lives would have been disrupted, they dare to follow and this is
an indication that they recognise that the summons comes from God himself. Some
interpret the “casting of a net” to identify the Evangelical aspect and
“mending their nets” to identify the reconciling aspect of the ministry of the
disciples.
The first public proclamation of Jesus
is about God’s unconditional and magnanimous love for anyone who is open to
receive this love. This love is given freely and without charge. In order to
receive one does not have to “do” anything, but simply possess an open and
generous heart. The call of the disciples seems to indicate that Jesus is aware
that he will need humans to cooperate with him in this seemingly daunting task
and thus chooses his first disciples. The good news includes disciples. It is
not just about Jesus. It includes in the broadest sense the Church. The Church
performs about as well as the disciples in Mark, but it is still part of the
breaking in of God’s reign, or, can be. That is why Mark tells his story the
way he does. This mission of Jesus continues even today and we are those who are
called to be those disciples who will continue it and who are being called at
every moment to make known top everyone we meet the unconditional and
gratuitous love and mercy of God.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
THE GOSPEL OF MARK
The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of
the four canonical Gospels, and is regarded by many as the first Gospel that
was written and that Matthew and Luke have used Mark extensively in writing
their own Gospels.
Unlike the Gospels of Matthew and Luke,
which have Infancy narratives and a genealogy, Mark has neither. His Gospel
begins with the preaching of John the Baptist, continues with the Baptism of
Jesus by John and then moves on to the public ministry of Jesus in Galilee,
which is made up of preaching and healing. The journey of Jesus to Jerusalem
takes up a large part of Mark’s Gospel. Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphantly,
but soon encounters different groups antagonistic to him and matters soon come
to a head resulting in his passion, crucifixion and death. Mark does not have
any resurrection appearances of Jesus, but has only an episode of the empty
tomb. The Gospel ends quite abruptly. The women who go to tomb to anoint the
body of Jesus, which was not there, are told by a young man at the tomb to tell
the disciples that Jesus would go before them to Galilee. However, the women
say nothing to anyone because they were afraid. Since this seems at first
glance a strange way to end the Gospel, verses 9-16 were added to Chapter 16.
That these verses were added later is confirmed by the fact that the style of
these verses is quite different from the rest of Mark’s Gospel and that these
verses are a summary of the resurrection appearances of Jesus in the other
Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Various reasons are offered for the
ending of Mark at 16,8. Some of those who think it was unintentional are of the
opinion that the original ending is lost, others that the author died before he
could complete the Gospel. However, there are others who are of the opinion
that Mark deliberately ended the Gospel at 16:8 and the reason for this is the
connection with the Messianic secret.
There are certain characteristics that
are unique to Mark’s Gospel. These are as under:
1. Mark mentions explicitly and
plainly that Jesus was baptised by John in the Jordan (1:9). While Matthew also
mentions that it was John who baptised Jesus, he has a dialogue between Jesus
and John before the Baptism. It is only after Jesus “grants permission” to John
that John baptises him. Luke does not mention who baptised Jesus except that
Jesus was also baptised along with the people. One possible reason for this is
that the Evangelists were struggling with how they were to narrate the Baptism
of Jesus and that too at the hands of John who in all the Gospels is inferior
to Jesus. Thus it is assumed that Matthew and Luke writing after Mark made
changes to the Marcan text. This is also given as one reason for the priority
of Mark and the historicity of the Baptism of Jesus.
2. The testing of Jesus in the
wilderness does not have a dialogue between Jesus and Satan (1:12-13) like
Matthew and Luke have. Mark is the only one of the three who mentions wild
beats in his narrative (1:14).
3. Jesus’ saying “The Sabbath
was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (2:27) is found only in Mark. It is
possible that Matthew and Luke found this saying too radical to include in
their Gospels.
4. Mark’s is the only Gospel in
which the family of Jesus come to restrain him because they think he has lost
his mind (3:21-22). Matthew and Luke omit this scene from their narratives.
5. Mark is the only writer in
the New Testament who refers to Jesus as “son of Mary” (6:3). Though some think
that Mark refers to Jesus in this manner because Joseph was dead by that time,
a more probable explanation is that the townspeople of Jesus wanted to insult
him by using this title. They could be saying that they knew who his mother was,
but not his father.
6. Only in Mark among the
Synoptic Gospels does Jesus twice use external methods to cure (7:31-37 and
8:22-26). In the first of the two, one probable explanation is that since Jesus
is in Gentile territory, he uses the methods of Gentile faith healers. In the
second, since Mark alone has the scene where Jesus asks the disciples about his
identity (8:27-30) immediately after this miracle, he could be comparing the
two stages of the man’s healing to the two answers that are given about Jesus’
identity.
7. The disciples’ in Mark are
shown in a very poor light. Though they travel with Jesus and are with him
constantly, they are not able to understand who he really is despite numerous
explanations that Jesus gives about himself and his mission.
8. Mark’s Gospel is known as the
Gospel of the Messianic Secret, which is connected with the command to silence.
Often in the Gospel, those who are healed are commanded or warned not to tell
anyone who healed them and demons are always commanded not to make the identity
of Jesus known. The explanation for this which has found favour with many is
that Jesus did not want to be known only as a wonder worker or exorcist, but as
the suffering son of God. This is also why after the first Passion and
Resurrection prediction (8:31), there is no command to silence {except when
they come down from the mountain of Transfiguration and here a time limit is
set namely “until the Son of Man should have risen from the dead” (9,9)}.
9. Son of Man
is the major title used of Jesus in Mark. Jesus refers to himself as Son of Man
a number of times in the Gospel (Mark 2:10, 2:28; 8:31; 9:9, 9:12, 9:31; 10:33, 10:45; 14:21, 14:41). Many have seen that this title is a very important one
within Mark’s Gospel, and it has important implications for Mark’s Christology.
Jesus raises a question that demonstrates the association in Mark between ‘Son
of Man’ (compare Daniel 7:13-14) and the suffering servant in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 – “How then is it written about the Son of
Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt?”
(9:12b) Yet this comparison is not explicit; Mark’s Gospel creates this link
between Daniel
and Isaiah, and applies it to Christ. It’s postulated that this is because of
the persecution of Christians; thus, Mark’s Gospel encourages believers to
stand firm (Mark 13:13) in the face of troubles.
10.
Mark often uses in his Gospel what is known as “Sandwich
construction”. This means that an incident is begun, interrupted with another
incident that is completed, and then the first incomplete and interrupted
incident is completed.
Saturday, 11 January 2025
Sunday, January 12, 2025 - What will the consequence of my Baptism be?
To read the texts click on the texts: Is 40:1-5,9-11; Tit 2:11-14, 3:4-7; Lk3:15-16,21-22
The
feast of the Baptism of the Lord concludes the Advent-Christmas liturgical
season. It is also the first Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The
baptism itself is an event that is narrated in all the synoptic gospels and,
though the Gospel of John does not narrate the event, it is referred to in
John’s testimony to Jesus. The fact that all the Evangelists either narrate the
event or allude to it is a clear indication that the early Church saw the
baptism as of prime importance in the life of Jesus. The Synoptic writers also
looked upon this event as foundational to the ministry of Jesus.
Why
is this so? What did the baptism of Jesus mean for the Evangelists and for the
early Church? What does it mean for us today?
In
order to answer these questions, it is important to note the distinctive
features in Luke’s narration of the Baptism scene. First, Luke, alone of the
evangelists, has John in prison before Jesus is baptized, which is why he does
not mention that it was John who baptized Jesus. While this serves, on the one
hand, to show that Jesus is definitely greater than John, it also serves to
point out the fact that, with the Baptism of Jesus, John’s work and era is
over. A new era, the era of Jesus, has begun. Second, Luke, alone, has Jesus
praying at the time of his baptism and the Holy Spirit descending on him in
“bodily form” like a dove. By adding this detail, Luke emphasizes both
tangibility and inexpressibility. The tangibility is expressed through the
words “in bodily form” and the inexpressibility is expressed by stating that it
was not a dove, but “like a dove”. The opening of heaven, at the baptism of
Jesus, signals that he is the Messiah and that the fulfillment of Israel’s
eschatological expectations is at hand. If the closing of heaven brought drought,
the opening of heaven brings God’s blessings. God’s power and mercy are about
to be revealed. Third, Luke, like Mark, has the voice from heaven address Jesus
as “Beloved Son”. The voice at the baptism of Jesus, therefore, discloses both
the identity of the Son and the character of the Father. Jesus is the
“agapetos” of God and God is “Father”.
By
placing the text of the baptism at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Luke
states that all that Jesus will do in his ministry is through the empowerment,
blessing, and approval of his father. By submitting to God’s grace, Jesus finds
his identity and the affirmation from the father that he is, indeed, on the
right course of action.
This
course of action is explicated beautifully by Isaiah in the first reading of today.
With the coming of Jesus, and the beginning of his ministry, a new age had
dawned. Punishment and penalty are things of the past. Now, Comfort is what
people will experience. In other words, baptism brings forth God's comfort,
which is forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness of sins and comfort come both at the
same time and, for this reason, joy is overflowing. The former word of promise,
and the new word of fulfillment, doubles what we might ever have imagined true
joy to be. The Lord, who comes to rule, is a God who will judge tenderly, not
to punish but, to gather. He will be like a shepherd who gathers the sheep to
his bosom and carries them home.
Even
as we experience this, because of the baptism and ministry of Jesus, there is
another side to the story. It is that we, too, like Jesus, have been baptized
and so have experienced, like he did, the outpouring of the Spirit. This means
that, like Jesus, we, too, have the responsibility of bringing healing and
forgiveness to our broken world. This we can do, as the letter to Titus points
out, by giving up everything that does not lead to God. This would mean giving
up all kinds of selfish and self centered attitudes that make us concentrate
only on ourselves. This would mean giving up worldly ambitions which create in
us the desire to have more rather than to be more and to accumulate for
ourselves, even at the cost and peril of others. This would mean reaching out
in loving service, as Jesus has shown us, even if we are inconvenienced or put
out. This would mean giving till it hurts, just as Jesus gave, when he gave,
not merely gifts and healing, but his very self.
At
our Baptism, we receive the kindness and love of God. We receive these gifts,
not because of any righteous action on our part or because we merited it, as
the letter to Titus reminds us. We receive them because God, in Jesus, is a
compassionate, caring, and loving God. The consequence of the Baptism of Jesus
was the giving of himself. What will be the consequence of our Baptism?
Friday, 10 January 2025
Saturday, January 11, 2025 - How will you point to Jesus through your words and actions today?
To read the texts click on the texts: 1 Jn 5:14-21; Jn3:22-30
This is John’s final appearance in the Gospel of John
in which he gives his final witness to Jesus. The reason for the witness is the
report of his disciples that Jesus to whom John bore witness was also baptizing
and that “everyone” was now going to him. This witness begins with John stating
what at first glance might seem like a logical statement, but in its deeper
sense means that Jesus has what he has from God. It is a gift from God to Jesus
and given to him directly. This is why in his earlier testimony, John had made
clear that while he was not the Christ, and he was the one sent ahead of him to
prepare the way. Since he was clear about his role in God’s plan of salvation,
he had no difficulty with accepting it and living it out. He is but the friend
of the bridegroom, who when the bridegroom appears will take his secondary and
less important place. The bridegroom is the one who is at the centre of the
marriage feast. When it begins the friend must recede into the background.
The choice of
this text on the last day of the Christmas Season is apt because it defines the
roles of each of us who like John are friends of the bridegroom, Jesus. Like
John, our role is to prepare the way for him and to point out to him through
our words and actions. If we understand this role and if at every moment we
realize where our authority ends, we can fulfill this role as we ought to.