Father Jean-Pierre Ruiz reflects on the Scripture readings for the Feast of the Epiphany, when the magi undertook a journey of discovery that brought them to Jerusalem, where they found a little Child with a high calling.
Sunday Scriptures
Jesus, Mary and Joseph: No Ordinary Family
ONE OF THE most beautiful Christmas cards I have seen is a play on the typical picture of the Holy Family. In this particular scene, Mary is asleep on a cot made of hay and Joseph is walking while cradling the Infant in his arms. It is a tender scene of the healthy love of a father for his son which, I must admit, makes me very jealous. I have often said that if I have any regrets about my vocation, the regret would be that I will never have a son. So, I find the image of Joseph holding his newborn baby boy quite touching.
Led by Faith to Imitate Christ
At the moment of the Visitation it is not Elizabeth who recognizes the presence of Jesus, but John who leaps in her womb to let his mother know that she is in His presence. It is his joy that causes Elizabeth to proclaim Mary’s blessedness, and question her own worthiness that the mother of her Lord should come to her. But it is precisely because Mary has come to know that she is the mother of the Lord that she went to Elizabeth.
Waiting and Preparing for The Promised One
Waiting for the arrival of a blind date causes anxiety and the arrival, at times, disappointment. Waiting for the return of a loved one from military service causes excitement and the arrival brings great joy. The difference is in the preexistence of a love relationship. Advent is an opportunity to evaluate our love relationship with Christ as preparation for the holy days that are near as well as the eventual meeting with Him face to face.
We Have Work to Do
IN THE FIRST reading from the prophet Baruch, the word “glory” is used six times. He proclaims a joyful message, calling all of Jerusalem to rejoice because they have been remembered by God, Who comes in splendor to bring them into a share of His glory. Their sufferings and pains are at an end and God’s majesty and justice is to be revealed through them.
Jesus: Dark Stranger or Bright Brother?
It is hardly the biggest surprise in the world, but one that we forget so frequently that it would be funny if it were not so sad: Jesus is on our side. He is no one of whom to be afraid. In Advent, when we confront the fact that the Second Coming is closer now than ever before, we start to think about the end of the world and do so with discomfort. Do we forget so easily the one with whom we are dealing? I’m afraid we do.
A King Like None Other
This is the solemn feast of Christ the King and I am going to begin our column with a reference to the famous movie “The Bride of Frankenstein.” It will be a long time before you read another “Sunday’s Scriptures” column that begins on this note, so hang in there.
For Heaven’s Sake, Choose Wisely
In those days, there was quite an emphasis on eternal punishment as an assistance to keeping young and old alike on the straight and narrow road that led in the opposite direction from the place I saw in that picture. In the past generation or two, there has been much less of this kind of “assistance” as the emphasis has shifted rather to the mercy of God and the sacrifice of His Divine Son to inspire us.
Insane? Or People of Faith?
In the First reading today and in the Gospel, two women appear who, by our usual human standards, seem to be out of their minds.
Goodness Never Dies
ON ONE HAND, I was very unlucky with respect to grandmothers. I was born in 1948 but both of my grandmothers died in the late 1930s. Whenever my classmates in school talked about their grandmothers, I always felt kind of sad because I didn’t have one, at least in this world.
