The Contrast of Good vs. Evil

 The Gospel for this coming Sunday, The Epiphany of the Lord, is a familiar one.  The Gospel is Matthew 2:1-12, which tells us about The Wise Men travelling to see the baby Jesus.  On the way to their destination, they speak with the evil King Herod. 

The Gospel explains that when The Wise Men stopped in Jerusalem on their way to see the baby Jesus, Herod hears that they are travelling to see the newborn king of the Jews.  He asks The Wise Men to give him the baby’s location when they find him, so he can pay the baby homage.  (In reality, Herod wishes only to destroy the child because Herod sees him as a threat to his power.) The Wise Men travel on, eventually finding the baby, and they each pay him homage.  

But after the visit, being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, The Wise Men avoid Herod on their return to their homeland and never tell Herod where the baby was.  The story continues, though not in the reading for this week, that Herod went on to have all children under two years old killed, clearly in an attempt to make sure that the infant king of the Jews would be killed. 

What a mixture of pure joy and pure horror this part of the Gospel delivers.  The birth of Jesus was the greatest, most blessed event in all of history.  The birth of the world’s wholly benevolent king.  Jesus was holy.  He was purely good.  But the story feels marred by being linked with a great evil, the evil of Herod having innocent babies killed.  Herod was threatened by Jesus and unleashed horrible violence against much of his world, hoping to destroy Jesus.   

I am greatly vexed by this same reality in our lives; evil people are “troubled” by good and therefore seek to destroy good.  It is as though evil people cannot contemplate that the goodness is real, or at least logical, and therefore they must eliminate good so the world can “make sense” again.  The warped perception held by evil people is that good must be eliminated to maintain order and their own dysfunctional power.  Have you seen this phenomenon?

Yet, with all the sadness and horror of this section of the Gospel, it is more memorable to us as the telling of the wonderful event of Jesus’ birth.  The story is more memorable as the best news ever, despite the tragedy which follows.  Why is that?  Why is the taste that’s left in our mouths from this story often a sweet one, when there is so much bitterness and gall in the story taken as a whole?

The answer, I think, is because good triumphs over evil in the end.  Herod, for all his scheming, did not win.  Herod caused untold heartbreak, which would unfold for generations to follow, but he did not win.  He caused pain and damage, but he did not succeed in destroying goodness.  The goodness of Jesus, and indeed the goodness of The Holy Innocents who were slaughtered, persisted.  Indeed, the evil of the slaughter only made the goodness brighter by comparison.  Evil was the dark contrast that made the light visible.  Good won, evil lost. 

Jesus is the light and the goodness.  All survivors of the trials and tribulations of this world, current and past, and all those who fall under the weight of same, are the beneficiaries of the light and the goodness.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have made it so.  We may not feel like part of a victory, but we are.  It's just a victory that can often be very hard to see.    

Goodness and light always, always, always triumph over evil.  All too often, it does not feel that way.  But without exception, it is true.  That is my belief.  This is our creed.  

May God bless you, each and every one of you.

- The Older Brother 

Behold this child......

 “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted...." 

Christmas blessings to all! 

I have to say that I find it curious that Jesus would be referred to as a "sign that will be contradicted" even at His birth, so long before His ministry was to begin. After all, He is the Word Incarnate; the Son of God. During His ministry, He spoke to us as "God With Us" and with all authority. He healed the sick and gave sight to the blind. He even raised the dead! Surely anyone with ears to hear and eyes to see would be compelled to listen and to observe.

 But we are told many times in scripture, that God's ways are not our ways. Who hasn't read a scripture passage and found it to be confusing? Who hasn't read a parable such as the one about the workers in the field, and thought "hey, that's really not fair to pay the workers that labored all day in the hot sun the same wage as those that only worked an hour in the late afternoon?" So many times and in so many ways, our sense of balance is thrown off in the reading of the scriptures. "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you......" 

Yes, the world we live in demands adherence to a different code than that which Jesus gives us. Perhaps it's only natural to question the logic in scripture. There is a clear difference between questioning and contradicting - but even so; like Mary, perhaps we are supposed to ask "How can this be?" 

And maybe that's actually the point; we engage with God when we ask Him such questions. 

May the peace of Christ be with you this Christmas and always,

                                                              + Theophilus

 

        The Incarnation: A Resounding Yes!

Luke 1: 26-38 (12/20/20)

From the prologue of the greatest story ever told, we see a fourteen , year old devoutly Jewish teenager taking on the incredible role of the Mother of God.  After being visited by one of God’s angels and being told that “The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you,” Mary is confused and unsettled by the message.  Although perplexed, Mary responds with a resounding “yes” to the angel.  Combined with a deep faith and unconditional trust in God,  the first chapter of a story told countless times begins.     

Mary’s uncontested affirmation offers us an opportunity to evaluate our “God responses”  to the One who is.  God appears to break all the known rules from that period by selecting the most unlikely candidate for such a mission.  This young, humble, and non-pretentious teenager will now usher a new covenant into the history of mankind.  There seemed to be no doubt in her heart that what she was being asked to do was anything but the truth.  For Mary, “there was no turning away from this message.  Can you recall a similar invitation the was offered to you that you too could not refuse?

As we reflect on the Incarnation and approach a new year that is complete with uncertainty, chaos, and trepidation, let us go to Our Lady seeking her courage, humility, and intervention in all that awaits us.  She is our Holy Queen whose consent to God resonates throughout the universe and who we should emulate in our daily lives.  “Thank you, Mary,” for your resounding yes and Pray for us Mother of Heaven.  The Pilgrim. 

 

Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near

 

The Gospel today comes from the Gospel according to John (1:6-8. 19-28) In his preface to the Gospel, John the Evangelist speaks about the one who comes as a witness (bearer of testimony). The purpose of this witness is to point out the Light of the world.  When this Light comes, it will bring mankind out of the darkness of sin. John the Baptist is the witness. Being a witness does not come without a price!

Who was John the Baptist? Apart from Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, John the Baptist is probably in the top five (5) of the most theological significant figures in the Gospels. As was the case with Jesus, his birth was recorded. His entrance into the world was marked by angelic proclamations and divine intervention. (Gospel of Luke), John the Baptist is clearly a pivotal figure in the salvation history of God. When asked about his identity, John replied that he was not the messiah, or a prophet announcing the messiah, or one such as Elijah, or the prophet, Moses. Rather, John identifies himself as the prophetic voice: I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “make straight the way of the Lord.” (Isaiah)

John the Baptist was the messenger for the coming Messiah. His central theme of preaching was, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near.” His preaching did not come without sacrifice. To be an ambassador of Christ, you will die for the Truth. John the Baptist in simple term was not a “yes-man.”  He willingly confronted the hypocrisy of the religious establishment. He did not hesitate to expose the immorality of Herod and accepted to die a martyr’s death than compromise his convictions.

How are we preparing for the Lord to make inroads in our lives, into our hearts this Advent? Are we hearing the voice of God in our times? Do we accept the Messenger of Truth, or are we listening to popular opinions, theological errors or fake news? 

Each one of us who has heard the words of the Gospels have seen the importance to be a witness to Christ. Like John, God calls us to bear witness to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the one who was born in a manger under the star of Bethlehem, the one who lives among us in the Eucharist, and the one who will come again in his glorious reign as the King of Kings.  In this, there is no greater witness to the truth of God’s work of salvation. It is my prayer that we begin to hear again, the voice crying out in the wilderness.

 

St. John the Baptist, pray for us!

 

Bernard of Clairvaux

 

A little like John.

      In this weeks Gospel Mark 1:1-8 we find John the Baptist performing Baptism’s in the river of Jordan.  John’s role was to prepare the world for Jesus. He performed these  baptisms for the people all over Judea. It was their chance to repent and clear up all their old sins. John was laying down the foundation for Jesus to build his ministry upon. It was John who explained that although he baptized with water, Jesus was going to be baptizing with the Holy Ghost.  I often wonder what it must have been like back then to hear someone speak about Jesus. What It must have been like to hear someone say that they are unfit to untie the sandals of Jesus. That's what John the Baptist said. Thats quite an introduction.  Luckily, Jesus didn’t disappoint.  Today, baptisms take place a little different because of covid but at least they still happening. At least we are still introducing more people to Jesus.  Have you done your part in bringing people to Jesus? Do you  actively introduce people Jesus.? The truth is, as a believer you always represent Jesus in some way. We represent Jesus when we open our mouths and speak about him. We represent Jesus how speak about our enemies. We represent Jesus  when we choose not to gossip and partake in the nonsense of the world.    As a believer, we are watched. Our actions and reactions are on display for the world to see and they want to know how we live. The world wants to know how we can manage to keep the faith and believe even when it seems like the whole world is going in a different direction.  As followers of Christ a lot of our friends and family look to us for guidance (whether they say it or not). They look at us to see if our belief is real.  Do we really have the faith we claim to have?   In some ways we are no different than John in the river. Introducing people to the Christian life, showing people that asking for forgiveness of sins and accepting Jesus into your life can be change everything. 
 
       I find that one of the most beautiful aspects of being a believer is that God’s Grace is always available. There is never a right or wrong time. God is ready when you are.  Whatever happened last month, last year or even yesterday does not matter. You can turn it all around with a decision to believe. It can start with a decision to drop all of your past sins in the hands of Jesus and begin living a different life.  John the Baptist promised that Jesus was coming, and he was going to baptize the world with the Holy Ghost. Imagine being immersed in the spirit of the Holy Ghost. Imagine what every minute of everyday must feel like being bathed in the power of the Holy Ghost. That is what Jesus wants for us. That is what Jesus died on the cross for.  Jesus came, lived, was tortured, and died for our salvation. He died so we didn’t have to live in sin. As a believer I feel that I owe it to him to bring more people to into our church. I think we can all be a little like John the Baptist. We can all  introduce as many people to Christ as possible. I’m not telling you to stand on a corner and preach. I’m asking you to   let people see Christ through you.  I’m asking you to be an example of what Christ can do.  Let them see Christ through your behavior, your language, your love of others and most importantly, the way you love of Jesus.