THE BIRTH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST (LUKE 1:57-66)

The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy. Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. “No,” she said, “he is to be called John.” They said to her, “But no one in your family has that name,” and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished.

At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God. All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about through the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. “What will this child turn out to be?” they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

V. The Gospel of the Lord.
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

 

TODAY’S GOSPEL READING (MARK 1:1-8)

The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah:

Look, I am going to send my messenger before you;

He will prepare your way.

A voice cries in the wilderness:

Prepare a way for the Lord,

make his paths straight,

and so it was that John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins.

John wore a garment of camel-skin, and he lived on locusts and wild honey.

In the course of his preaching he said, “Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.”

V. The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

 

TODAY’S GOSPEL READING (LUKE 9:7-9)

(Week 25 of the year: Thursday)

I BEHEADED JOHN, SO WHO IS THIS I HEAR SUCH REPORTS ABOUT?

Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was being done by Jesus; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. But Herod said, “John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?” And he was anxious to see Jesus.

V. The Gospel of the Lord.
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

 

THE BEHEADING OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, BIBLE READING (JEREMIAH 1:17-19)

STAND UP AND TELL THEM ALL I COMMAND YOU; DO NOT BE DISMAYED AT THEIR PRESENCE.

The word of the Lord was addressed to me, saying:
“Brace yourself for action.
Stand up and tell them
all I command you.
Do not be dismayed at their presence,
or in their presence I will make you dismayed.
I, for my part, today will make you
into a fortified city,
a pillar of iron,
and a wall of bronze
to confront all this land:
the kings of Judah, its princes,
its priests and the country people.
They will fight against you
but shall not overcome you,
for I am with you to deliver you –
it is the Lord who speaks.”

V. The word of the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

 

THE SALVATION HISTORY OF ALL MEN AS REVEALED IN THE BIBLE: THE CHRIST AND HIS KINGDOM

MATTHEW 8

“After concluding the Sermon on the Mount Jesus left the mountainside and returned to Capharnaum. Now there was at Capharnaum a centurion, an officer in the Roman army, who had been very kind to the Jews. At his own expense he had built a synagogue for the Jews of the town. At the moment one of his servants was dying. Having heard of the wonderful cures worked by Jesus, he sent some of the elders of the Jews to ask Jesus to cure his servant.

THE CENTURION

Jesus was moved by their plea and started toward the home of the centurion. But the centurion was too humble to expect Jesus, the great wonderworker, to enter his house, and so he said to Him: ‘Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, and have soldiers subject to me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.’

Jesus was moved to admiration at the great faith of this man, who was not a Jew. And so He said: ‘Amen I say to you, I have not found such great faith in Israel. And I tell you that many will come from the east and from the west, and will feast with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom will be put forth into the darkness outside; there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.’ Then He said to the centurion, ‘Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee’ (Matthew 8:5-13).

And the servant of the centurion was cured in that hour.

A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT INCIDENT

This incident in the ministry of Jesus is highly significant. Like the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman it shows us Jesus dealing with a non-Jew. Thus it foreshadows the acceptance of the Gentile or non-Jewish world into the kingdom of heaven to be established by Jesus. But here Jesus states clearly that He and His kingdom will be rejected for the most part by the Jews, His own people, but will be accepted by many from the world of the Gentiles. Jesus knew from the beginning that He would not be accepted by the majority of His own people, but that His person and His message would find a response in the minds and hearts of the other nations of the world. In this present instance, the faith of the pagan centurion and the gracious response of Christ to this faith show that the kingdom of heaven will be universal in its inner nature and scope; salvation will now be extended to the whole world.

THE WIDOW’S DEAD SON AT NAIM

Soon after this there occurred the first great resurrection miracle worked by Jesus. At the village of Naim a widow was burying her only son. Jesus came upon the funeral cortege. His gentle heart took compassion on the grief and the real loss of the widowed mother and he stopped the procession. Then he spoke to the dead man, saying, ‘Young man, I say to thee, arise.’ And immediately the young man returned to life, sat up and began to speak (Luke 7:11-15).

By giving life back to this dead man Jesus showed that He had power over life and death.

‘ART THOU HE WHO IS TO COME, OR SHALL WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER?’ (Mt 11:3)

The news of these wonderful deeds of Jesus spread abroad through the country. Word of them was brought to John the Baptist in prison at Machaerus. Thereupon John sent two of his own disciples to ask Jesus, ‘Art thou he who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ (Matthew 11:3).

WHY DID JOHN THE BAPTIST ASK THIS?

Since John himself had already recognised Jesus as the Christ, the Messias, it is not easy to fathom the meaning of this action. Had he been expecting Jesus to proceed more rapidly with the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth? Was his question a mild complaint at the apparent slowness with which Jesus was accomplishing His mission? Or might it not be that John, sensing that his own mission was nearly at an end, wished his disciples to find out at first hand that Jesus was the long awaited Messias? With this in mind might he not have sent some of them to Jesus to ask this very question, ‘Art thou He Who is to come?’ that is, ‘Art thou the Messias?’

‘THE BLIND SEE, THE LAME WALK, THE LEPERS ARE CLEANSED…’ (Mt 11:4-5)

The answer of Jesus is clear. ‘Go,’ He says to John’s disciples, ‘and report to John what you have heard and seen: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise, the poor have the gospel preached to them’ (Matthew 11:4-5).

In these words Jesus applied to Himself the prophecy of Isaias [Isaiah]. According to Isaias these wonderful happenings would take place in the time of the Messias. In effect then Jesus was saying to the disciples of John that He was the Messias, accomplishing the work of the Messias.

JOHN THE BAPTIST, THE ELIAS WHOM GOD HAD SENT

When the messengers of John had departed Jesus addressed Himself to the crowd which had witnessed the episode. He told them that John the Baptist was the greatest prophet sent by God to His Chosen People. John was, as it were, the Elias whom God had sent to announce the coming of the Messias and the imminent establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.

‘YOU WILL REJECT ME FOR SEEKING TO SAVE PUBLICANS AND SINNERS’

Those in the crowd who had listened to John’s urgings to repentance and had accepted baptism from John rejoiced at this news. But the Pharisees and the Scribes who had rejected John rejected even Christ’s commendation of him. This led Jesus to speak sadly of His own rejection by His own people. To what shall I liken this generation of men, He complains sadly. You have rejected John and you will reject me, the Son of Man. In your pride, in your complacency, in your own fancied purity, you will reject me for seeking to save publicans and sinners.

‘THY SINS ARE FORGIVEN’ (Lk 7:48)

Soon after this, Jesus accepted an invitation to dine at the house of one of the Pharisees. While there His feet were washed with tears and ointment by a known sinful woman. The Pharisee was scandalised that Jesus should thus allow a sinful woman to approach and touch Him. Jesus took the occasion to repeat again that love was the secret law and foundation of His kingdom. The generous action of the sinful woman was the outward manifestation of her great love for Jesus and for God. Love of God is the means to forgiveness of sin. Hence Jesus said to the woman, ‘Thy sins are forgiven… Thy faith has saved thee; go in peace’ (Luke 7:48, 50)

LOVE IS THE SECRET LAW AND FOUNDATION OF HIS KINGDOM

The Pharisee and his guests missed the lesson of love and its great power. Instead they chose to concentrate upon the enormity of Christ’s claim to forgive sins. ‘Who is this man,’ they exclaimed incredulously, ‘who even forgives sins?'(Luke 7:49).”

‘THE KINGDOM IS LIKE A MUSTARD SEED’

After this, Jesus continued His work of journeying through the towns and villages of Galilee, preaching the good news of the coming of the Kingdom of God. During this preaching journey Jesus spoke in parables of the nature of the kingdom He was establishing. He compared the establishment of the kingdom to a man who sowed seed, the growth of the kingdom to the growth of the seed, the extent of the kingdom to the full growth of a mustard seed or the work of leaven in flour. He compared the desirability of the kingdom to hidden treasure or a pearl of great price. He compared the members of the kingdom here on earth to the wheat and the weeds which grow in the farmer’s field until the harvest and to the good and the bad fish which are brought out of the sea in the fisherman’s net.

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWING OF SEED

In these parables Jesus did not give a full description of the nature of the kingdom of heaven. But He did make clear certain aspects of His kingdom. In the parable of the sowing of seed, some seed fell on the wayside where it was devoured by birds; some on rocky ground where it could not establish itself strongly; some among thorns which choked it as it tried to grow; and only some on good ground which flourished and grew to maturity – in this parable, as Jesus points out, becoming a member of His kingdom does not automatically mean that a man will achieve the ultimate salvation which is the goal of the kingdom. Many men will listen to the word of God which Jesus preaches and will believe it. But some of them will be weak and they will lose their faith through the deceits of the devil or through their own weakness and sinful love for the pleasures of this world. This not only shows us that faith, once it is given by God, must be preserved freely and with strong effort; it also intimates that at any moment of time the kingdom of heaven on earth will include among its members those of strong and those of weak faith.

THE SPIRITUALITY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

In the parable of the seed which grows secretly during the night and surprises the farmer on the next day by the extent of its growth, Jesus seems to be emphasising the spirituality of the Kingdom of God. As the growth of the seed hidden in the earth is for some time unnoticed by the farmer, so also will be the growth of the Kingdom of God on earth. Because it is chiefly a spiritual kingdom, establishing its reign in the hidden souls of men, its growth will not be noticeable fully to the world. But when it is fully grown, at harvest time, that is, at the end of the world, God will manifest its full growth to the world. In this parable then Christ is both teaching positively the spiritual nature of His kingdom and teaching negatively that the Jewish expectation of the establishment of a mighty earthly and temporal Kingdom of God is not involved in the divine plan.

THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVEN

The parable of the leaven also pictures the Kingdom of God as a hidden force, working within the souls of men to bring about the redemption of mankind. Leaven, working unseen within the flour, causes the bread to rise. The doctrine of the Kingdom of God and the graces working within that kingdom through an inner conviction of its truth will raise up a people dedicated to God for all eternity.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH IS VISIBLE

Yet, while the Kingdom of God is spiritual, and its growth invisible and due to invisible forces, still it is also visible. The parables of the mustard seed, of the field in which both good and bad seed are sown, and of the net which catches both good and bad fish, make it clear that the kingdom will be visible in this world.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS UNIVERSAL IN ITS MEMBERSHIP

The parable of the mustard seed shows also that the Kingdom of God will be universal in its membership. Just as the mature mustard tree houses birds of all kinds, so also the Kingdom of God will be the home of all the races of men. Beginning like a small mustard seed the kingdom will grow into a large tree in which all men may take shelter.

THE KINGDOM OFFERS SHELTER TO ALL MEN

The parables of the field in which good and bad seed are sown and of the net which draws up both good and bad fish make the interesting point that the Kingdom of God in this present world will embrace both good and bad men. Visibly then the kingdom will seem to be composed of good and evil men. But at the end of the world God will separate the good from the evil and send the evil into everlasting fire, while the good will rejoice with God in the eternal kingdom of heaven. Perhaps Jesus is saying here that men should not be scandalised at the appearance of evil in the visible kingdom here on earth. Men should imitate the patience of God, Who at the end will render justice according to men’s work on earth.

JESUS THUS DESCRIBES HIS CHURCH, THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH

The kingdom which Jesus preaches is not the kingdom which the people generally were expecting. It will not be a great and powerful earthly kingdom, established suddenly and terribly by the manifest power of God, a kingdom in which all nations are subjected to the temporal dominion of the Jews. It will be a spiritual kingdom, a kingdom growing through the invisible power of God, a kingdom founded on the doctrine preached by Jesus and accepted in faith by men of all races, a kingdom which will grow slowly but widely in the world of men. In this present world both good and evil will be found among its members. But at the end Jesus Himself, the Son of Man, will separate the good from the evil. The evil will be punished, but the good will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of God their Father.

MAN MUST BE PREPARED TO SACRIFICE EVERYTHING – THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE

After giving this brief description of some of the characteristics of His kingdom, Jesus, in a few short sentences, describes how desirable this kingdom is. ‘The kingdom of heaven,’ He says, ‘is like a treasure hidden in a field; a man who finds it hides it, and in his joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he finds a single pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it’ (Matthew 13:44-46).

So desirable is this kingdom that a man must be prepared to sacrifice everything for membership in it.

JESUS STILLS THE TEMPEST

After describing the nature of His kingdom in these parables Jesus continued his work of founding the kingdom. He preached again at Capharnaum. Then He set sail across the Lake of Genesareth. During the night, while He slept, a tempest arose and threatened to swamp the boat. His disciples awakened Him and called upon Him to save them. At the command of Jesus the tempest was stilled.

MORE MIRACLES AND HEALINGS

On the other side of the lake Jesus was met by a poor man who was possessed by unclean spirits. At the command of Jesus the spirits left the man and he was restored to himself. In this case it would seem that Jesus had once again a miracle for a Gentile, thus showing that the power of His kingdom was to be available to the non-Jewish world. This miracle is also interesting because Jesus is addressed by the evil spirits as Jesus, ‘Son of the most high God.’

On returning to Capharnaum Jesus cured a woman of a haemorrhage of blood which had afflicted her for twelve years. It is worth noting that this woman had been treated for this ailment by doctors, but to no avail.

Following this, Jesus restored to life the daughter of Jairus. This was the second of the resurrection miracles performed by Him. On leaving Capharnaum Jesus was met by two blind men to whom He restored their sight simply by touching their eyes. On the same occasion He also expelled a devil from another possessed man.

RETURN TO NAZARETH

After these miracles Jesus probably returned to Nazareth, His own town. This time He was received poorly. There is evidence that His fellow-townsmen may have resented the fact that He had worked miracles in and around Capharnaum, but had not done so at Nazareth, His own home town. At any rate they refused to believe in Him, which led Jesus to remark,

‘A prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house’ (Matthew 13:57).

JESUS SENT HIS APOSTLES

Leaving Nazareth He travelled through the towns and villages of Galilee, preaching and curing every kind of disease and infirmity. Seeing that the people were sorely in need of help, like sheep without a shepherd, He took compassion on them and determined to send His Apostles to help them.

‘The harvest indeed is abundant,’ He said, ‘but the labourers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into the harvest’ (Luke 10:2).

JESUS SAID THAT HIS APOSTLES WILL BE MET WITH OPPOSITION

Then He gave His Apostles power over unclean spirits, and power to cure diseases and infirmities, and sent them forth two by two to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God. They were to go forth on their missionary journey as poor men, trusting in the providence of God. In His instructions to the Apostles Jesus sounds once again the warning that His doctrine will be rejected by many. His Apostles, He says, will meet with opposition; they will be persecuted for His sake. But this is only what men do to Jesus Himself. They are not, therefore, to be afraid of men. God, Who watches over the sparrows of the air, will watch over them. Everyone who receives the word of the Apostles and acknowledges Jesus before men will be acknowledged by Jesus before God. Those who reject Him will be disowned by Him before God the Father. Finally, Jesus gives to the Apostles a share in His own authority to preach the Kingdom of God.

‘He who receives you,’ He says, ‘receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me’ (Matthew 10:40-42).

The Apostles thereupon set forth to preach the gospel of repentance and the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth. Using the power given them by Christ, they expelled demons from the possessed and cured the afflicted of their diseases.

JOHN THE BAPTIST’S MARTYRDOM

While Jesus and His Apostles were preaching in Galilee, at Machaerus the mission of John the Baptist, the Precursor of the Messias, was drawing to a close. John had reproached Herod Antipas for His incestuous union with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Because of these reproaches Herod had imprisoned John in the fortress of Machaerus and, except for his superstitious veneration of the holy man, would have put him to death. But the anger of his wife Herodias against John was not appeased by his imprisonment.

On the occasion of a great feast given by Herod to celebrate his birthday, Herodias found her opportunity to wreak vengeance upon John. During the course of the feast Salome, the daughter of Herodias, danced for Herod and his guests. The king was so pleased with her dancing – and, perhaps, so befuddled with the wine consumed during the banquet – that he rashly promised the girl,

‘Ask of me what thou wilt, and I will give it to thee’ (Mark 6:22).

Salome consulted with Herodias. Herodias, surmising that Herod would not dare to break his word pledged before his guests, counselled Salome to ask for the head of John the Baptist. Salome returned to the king and said,

‘I want thee right away to give me on a dish the head of John the Baptist’ (Mark 6:25).

Herod reacted as Herodias had surmised he would. Though his superstitious veneration of John made him hesitate, though he was grieved at the request, nevertheless he was too much given to human respect for the opinion of others to go back on his word. He had John beheaded and gave his head on a dish to Salome. Thus John, the Precursor of the Messias, perished, a Martyr to the gospel of repentance for sin.

JESUS ONCE AGAIN TOOK PITY ON THE PEOPLE

Some time after this the Apostles returned to Jesus after their preaching tour through Galilee. Jesus, no doubt perceiving their fatigue, suggested that they should leave the crowds that besieged Him and them and go to a quiet place to rest. Thereupon they entered a boat and crossed to the other side of the sea of Galilee.

But their efforts to find a quiet place to refresh themselves were in vain. Crowds of people followed them on foot around the lake and were on hand to meet them when they arrived on the opposite shore. Jesus once again took pity on the people and preached to them and cured some who were sick.

THE MULTIPLICATION OF BREAD AND FISH

When evening approached, the Apostles asked Jesus to send the people away so that they might find food at the neighbouring villages and farms. But Jesus suggested that the Apostles themselves should feed the multitude. The Apostles felt that this was impossible. A quick canvass of their resources revealed that they possessed only five loaves of bread and two fishes. But the crowd numbered about five thousand men and an undisclosed number of women and children. It seemed obvious that the Apostles could not feed so great a multitude with their meagre supply of bread and fish.

But Jesus went ahead confidently. ‘Make the people recline,’ He said (John 6:10). When the people had reclined on the grass, Jesus blessed the bread and the fishes and gave them to His disciples to distribute. Then, to the amazement of both the disciples and the people, the bread and the fish proved inexhaustible. From hand to hand they were passed, never lessening, until all those present had received enough. And when the meal was over, twelve baskets of fragments of bread were gathered up.

The people, on seeing this marvellous multiplication of bread and fish, said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world’ (John 6:14). This manifestation of power impressed them so much that they determined to make Jesus King of the Jews.

JESUS’ TEACHING ON THE SPIRITUAL NATURE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAD NOT YET BEEN UNDERSTOOD

It is apparent that the people on this occasion were ready to accept Jesus as a Messias Who would be a worldly ruler, a King Who would lead them to freedom from the Roman domination. The great miracle of multiplying the bread and the fishes showed them that Jesus had great power over nature. They would use this power to free themselves, to take vengeance on their enemies and, who knows, to dominate the world. The previous teaching of Jesus on the essentially spiritual nature of the Kingdom of God had not been understood or accepted by them. They were still imbued with the desire for worldly power and glory.

JESUS WITHDREW TO PRAY

Seeing their mood and anxious to preserve His own disciples from this faulty contagion of worldliness, Jesus made His disciples enter their boat and set out across the lake to Bethsaida. Had He Himself gone with them, the crowd would no doubt have followed Him immediately. But Jesus had no intention of further inflaming their erroneous ambitions. Hence He remained on the same side of the lake, but withdrew from the crowd and went up the mountainside to pray alone. The people settled themselves for the night as best they could.

JESUS WALKS ON WATER

Meanwhile, out on the lake a sudden storm arose. The disciples of Jesus could row only with great difficulty. By the fourth watch of the night they had gone only a little way across the lake. At that time, aware of their difficulty, set out on foot across the lake. Wishing to test the faith of the Apostles, He made as if to pass them by.

The Apostles, not believing their eyes, cried out, ‘It is a ghost’ (Matthew 14:26). Jesus then spoke to them, ‘Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid’ (Matthew 14:27). For the moment, Peter’s faith and courage revived and he said, ‘Lord, if it is thou, bid me come to thee over the water’ (Matthew 14:28). When Jesus bade him to come, Peter bravely stepped out on the water. But the force of the wind and the waves affrighted him and his faith failed. He began to sink and called upon Jesus to save him. Jesus reached out and took hold of him and brought him safely to the boat, saying to him, ‘O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?’ (Matthew 14:31). When they had entered the boat, the wind fell and they reached the other shore in safety.

By thus walking on the waters Jesus gave His Apostles still another manifestation of His power over nature. The Apostles were moved to admiration and they worshipped Him, saying, ‘Truly thou art the Son of God’ (Matthew 14:33).

‘SEEK THE BREAD WHICH ENDURES’

After they landed, Jesus was recognised by the people of Genesareth, and they began to bring Him their sick relatives and friends. Touched by their need, Jesus worked many cures. Then He went back to Capharnaum.

On the following day the crowd which He had left on the other side of the lake pursued Him to Capharnaum. Doubtless they were still intent upon making Him their king. But Jesus would not countenance their ambitions. Patiently He sought to enlighten them again on the true nature of His kingdom. You have sought Me, He said, because I fed you with ordinary bread. Seek not the ordinary bread which perishes; but seek the bread which endures unto life everlasting, the bread which I, the Son of Man, will give you.

The crowd did not understand Him. They ask Him, ‘What are we to do in order that we may perform the works of God?’ (John 6:28). Jesus replies, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent’ (John 6:29). What Jesus asks of them, then, is not the external works which men perform in this world, but an internal act, an act of faith, an act of belief in Himself as one sent to them by God.

PEOPLE MIGHT BE UNWILLING TO GIVE UP WORLDLY HOPES IN ORDER TO RISE TO THE SPIRITUAL HEIGHTS REQUIRED BY JESUS’ DEMAND

Now the people understood very well that Jesus was asking them to do something extraordinary. They had heard His preaching, His teaching on the Kingdom of God; they had seen His mastery over nature; they knew of His claim to be able to forgive sins; they were aware that He claimed to be a Lawgiver in His own right. They had surmised that He might be the Messias. But they looked only for a Messias who would make them prosperous and powerful in this world. But it was now clear to them that Jesus was demanding to be accepted as something else, something immeasurably higher, someone superior to Moses, their great prophet and lawgiver, someone more excellent than their great and impassioned prophets. Yet He did not wish to accede to their expectations for the establishment of a great worldly kingdom of the Jews. Unable to rise to the spiritual heights required by His demand, and unwilling to give up their hopes for worldly power and domination and revenge upon their enemies, they objected to His demand. Moses, they argued, gave our forefathers manna in the desert, truly bread from heaven. You, they said, have given us only ordinary bread from the earth. Give us some other sign, some sign than that given us by Moses, so that we may believe in you.

‘GIVE US SOME GREATER SIGN, SO THAT WE MAY BELIEVE IN YOU’

Jesus replies that the true bread from heaven is that which comes down from heaven to give life to the world. When they ask Him to give them always this bread, He says to them,

‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I have told you that you have seen me and you do not believe… For this is the will of my Father who sent me, that whoever beholds the Son and believes in him shall have everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day’ (John 6:35-36, 40).

THE TRUE BREAD OF LIFE FOR THE WHOLE WORLD

Jesus Himself is, then, the true bread of life for the whole world. Men who lay hold on Him in faith shall have everlasting life, and He will raise them up on the last day. The entrance to the true Kingdom of God is Jesus Himself. To accept His Person in faith is to enter the Kingdom of God and to find life everlasting.

The people were unwilling to accept Jesus as their life. We know this man, they said; He is the son of Joseph and Mary, whom we know. How can He say that He came down from heaven.

‘HE IS THE SON OF JOSEPH AND MARY; HOW CAN HE SAY THAT HE CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN?’

Jesus is aware of their murmurings against Him and He says to them that no one can come to Him unless God, His Father, draws him. But He makes still another appeal to them. He tries to substantiate His demand by telling them that He has seen God, His Father, Who has sent Him. Because He has seen the Father His words are true, and those who believe in Him will find life everlasting. Then, in the face of their disbelief, He insists:

‘I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the desert, and have died. This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that if anyone eat of it he will not die. I am the living bread that has come down from heaven. If anyone eat of this bread he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world’ (John 6:48-52).

JESUS TEACHES AN EVEN GREATER AND MORE SPIRITUAL MYSTERY

In the face of the lack of belief of the Jews Jesus enunciates an even greater and more spiritual mystery. Not only is Jesus the bread of life in the sense that man may, by faith in Him, lay hold on eternal life, but He is the bread of life in this wise that men, by eating His flesh, which is bread from heaven, may live forever.

‘HOW CAN THIS MAN GIVE US HIS FLESH TO EAT?’ (Jn 6:53)

There can be no mistake about His meaning. The Jews understood Him literally. He meant that they were to eat of His flesh, if they would gain life eternal. They objected: ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ (John 6:53). Jesus refused to retract His words. On the contrary He insisted on them:

‘Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He who eats of my flesh and drinks my blood has life everlasting and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. As the living Father has sent me, and as I live because of the Father, so he who eats me, he also shall live because of me. This is the bread that has come down from heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this bread shall live forever’ (John 6:54-59).

Many of those who had followed Him then left, for, as they said, ‘This is a hard saying. Who can listen to it?’ (John 6:61).

JESUS DID NOT TAKE ANYTHING BACK OF WHAT HE SAID

Seeing that the Jews understood Him literally, and realising that they would leave Him because they could not bring themselves to accept so mysterious a doctrine, Jesus would surely have corrected their misunderstanding if they had misunderstood Him. In a matter so important to His mission as the means of attaining eternal life in the Kingdom of God, Jesus would not have spoken so obscurely as to mislead the very people He had come to save. If He did not mean to be taken literally, He could have said, for example, I do not mean that you are truly to eat My flesh and drink My blood. I mean that you must accept the divine revelation I bring you from heaven.

‘DO YOU ALSO WISH TO GO AWAY?’

But Jesus did not do this. He stood by His words, as the Jews understood them, and He allowed them to depart from Him. Then, emphasising the literal truth of His words, He turned even to His chosen Apostles and disciples and said to them: ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered Him simply: ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of everlasting life, and we have come to believe and to know that thou art the Christ, the Son of God’ (John 6:68-70).

MANY PEOPLE LEFT JESUS BECAUSE OF THIS DOCTRINE OF HIS

The majority of the Jews present on this occasion took the words of Christ in a grossly materialistic sense. Jesus tried to enlighten them, saying, ‘Does this scandalise you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascending where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; and the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe’ (John 6:62-65). In these words Jesus tried to show them that they were to eat of His flesh spiritually, not carnally. He would become, by His very real presence under the sign of bread, the spiritual food of their souls. In this sense His words are spirit and life. But still they refused to accept His words and many left Him forever.

THIS FAILURE DID NOT MEAN THE END OF JESUS’ MISSION

This incident, in the course of which Jesus promises to give His own flesh as the bread of life, is the last incident which the evangelists record of the first ministry of Jesus in Galilee. As the incident shows, this ministry ended in failure. Jesus had come preaching repentance and the imminent coming of the Kingdom of God. He had claimed power to forgive sins. He had acted, in the Sermon on the Mount, as a Lawgiver in His own right. He had explained the essentially spiritual nature of His kingdom and its indispensable basis, charity, love of God and love of men. He had claimed to be the Messias, the Anointed One of God. He claimed to have seen the Father face to face. His Apostles had accepted Him as the Son of God. He had demonstrated His claims by the mastery over nature which He displayed. While these manifestations of His power had gained Him the allegiance of the Apostles and a few disciples, it had not gained Him the allegiance of the multitudes. They sought Him out so that they might benefit by His power; they would have accepted Him as a political ruler, a military saviour. But they would not acknowledge Him as their spiritual leader, the saviour of their souls. After His refusal to lead them as their king and after His insistence that He Himself was the bread of eternal life for their souls and bodies, they deserted Him for ever.

JESUS HAD ALREADY FORETOLD HIS REJECTION

But this failure did not mean the end of Jesus’ mission. He Himself had already foretold His ultimate rejection by His own people. But in God’s plan the mission of Jesus was not yet fulfilled. Jesus would go on, preaching the kingdom to His own people and preparing His Apostles for the establishment of the kingdom throughout the world.”
– Martin J. Healy S.T.D., 1959
(Headings in capital letters added afterwards)

 

1st MAY, GOSPEL READING (JOHN 3:31-36)

THE FATHER LOVES THE SON AND HAS ENTRUSTED EVERYTHING TO HIM.

John the Baptist said to his disciples:
“He who comes from above
is above all others;
he who is born of the earth
is earthly himself and speaks in an earthly way.

He who comes from heaven
bears witness to the things he has seen and heard,
even if his testimony is not accepted;
though all who do accept his testimony
are attesting the truthfulness of God,
since he whom God has sent
speaks God’s own words:
God gives him the Spirit without reserve.

The Father loves the Son
and has entrusted everything to him.
Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son will never see life:
the anger of God stays on him.”

V. The Gospel of the Lord.
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

 

THE MIRACLE OF THE CURSED FIG TREE WAS A SIGN OF THE PUNISHMENT OF JERUSALEM FOR ITS REJECTION OF THE MESSIAH

THE LAST PUBLIC PREACHING OF JESUS

“Jesus had come to Jerusalem to offer His life as a ransom for the sins of mankind. Men could receive the gift of salvation He promised, of the eternal life which He came to give them, if they would believe in Him, accept Him as the Messias, as, in fact, the very Son of God.

Some men had come to believe in Jesus. The twelve Apostles and a small band of intimate disciples gave themselves wholeheartedly to Jesus. Perhaps some large number of the people, impressed by the miracles of Jesus, were at least interested enough to await some further sign of the power and intentions of Jesus. But the leaders of the people, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, were opposed to Him. So determined was their opposition that they had resolved to put Him to death. Since the people generally were looking for a political Messias, the death of Jesus would cause them to forsake Him completely.

THE JEWISH PEOPLE WERE LOOKING FOR A POLITICAL MESSIAH

Jesus knew this. But His love for His own people induced Him to make one last effort to gain their belief. On the Monday after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem Jesus left Bethany and went again to the Holy City. On the way there Jesus performed a miracle whose strangeness makes us realise that He must have intended it to have a symbolic meaning.

A VERY STRANGE MIRACLE

As the little band approached Jerusalem, they passed near a fig tree. It was early in the spring and the tree might well have begun to show new leaves. But, as St Mark notices, it was too early for the tree to have figs. Jesus went to the tree as if He would find figs upon it. Finding none on it, He said to it, ‘May no fruit ever come from thee henceforward forever’ (Matthew 21:19). Now, when the Apostles passed by the same place the next morning, they saw that the fig tree had died.

With the exception of this one instance, all the miracles of Jesus were productive of good. All His other miracles were signs of love and mercy. There must, then, be a deeper meaning to this miracle than at first sight appears. The general context of what is taking place in this decisive week in the life of Jesus will help us to fathom the intent of this mysterious action of Jesus.

JESUS KNOWS THAT JERUSALEM WILL REJECT HIM

Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem, the City of God. Its people have been prepared for centuries to expect the Messias, to receive Him, and in Him to bring forth the blessing, the salvation of all the nations of the world. But Jesus knows that Jerusalem will reject Him; its people will refuse to accept Him, and consequently they will bear no fruit for the salvation of the world. Because they will reject Him, the salvation of the world, they will be rejected by God, and they will wither away like the fig tree. The miracle of the fig tree is, therefore, a sign to the Apostles of the punishment of Jerusalem for its rejection of the Messias.

‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL NATIONS’

After the rejection of the fig tree Jesus continued on His way to Jerusalem. According to the Gospel of St Mark, when Jesus entered the Temple precincts, he expelled the money-changers from the Temple, saying, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’ (Mark 11:17). The Gospel of St John seems to indicate that this incident took place on the occasion of an earlier visit of Jesus to the Temple. It is, of course, possible that Jesus may have acted this way on two separate occasions.

JESUS ENCOURAGED THE APOSTLES IN THEIR FAITH

The rest of the day was spent by Jesus in teaching the people and in working miracles for those in need. The priests and the Scribes were anxious to bring about His death, but the interest and the approval of the people were too strong. They had to wait for a more propitious moment to trap Him.

In the evening Jesus returned again to Bethany. The following morning, Tuesday, Jesus went again to Jerusalem. On the way the Apostles noticed the withered fig tree. When they wondered at its withering, Jesus told them that even greater miracles could be performed by themselves if only they would have a strong, unwavering faith in God. He said this to encourage them in their faith for He knew that His approaching death would be a great trial for them.

JESUS CHRIST’S AUTHORITY

The enemies of Jesus were becoming increasingly more anxious about the daily teaching of Jesus in the Temple. On this day they made a serious attempt to discredit Him.

Why He was teaching the people, His enemies came and asked Him by what authority He taught as He did. Instead of answering directly, Jesus, in His turn, asked them this question: ‘Whence was the baptism of John? from heaven, or from men?’ (Matthew 21:25). The question placed them in an embarrassing position. The people were convinced that John the Baptist had been a true prophet, in the mold of Elias and Isaias. If the enemies of Jesus were to answer (as they thought) that the baptism of John was only from men, they would lose the support of the people. On the other hand, if they said they thought it was from God, while they would not antagonise the people, they would entrap themselves. For Jesus could then ask them why they had not accepted the baptism of John, and above all, why they did not accept Jesus Himself, whom the Baptist had hailed as the Messias.

Since they had hardened their hearts against Jesus, they could find no escape from this dilemma, except to say, ‘We do not know.’ Since they had really refused to answer His question, Jesus, in turn, said to them, ‘Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things’ (Matthew 21:27).

JESUS MAKES THE POINT MORE CLEARLY

While they were thus on the defensive Jesus pressed His advantage more directly. ‘A man,’ He said, ‘had two sons; and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in my vineyard” (Matthew 21:28). The son replied that he would not go. But later he repented and went and worked in his father’s vineyard. The father gave the same command to his other son. This one said that he would work in the vineyard. But he did not keep his word.

Jesus then asked the priests and the elders of the people which of the two sons had done the father’s will. They were forced to reply, ‘The first.’ Jesus pointed out that while sinners – publicans and harlots – had disobeyed God by their sins, they had believed in John the Baptist and had repented of their sins and returned obediently to God their Father. The priests and elders, on the other hand, while professing obedience to God, had rejected John the Baptist and so had not done penance.

THEY HAD NOT DONE PENANCE

Jesus was not concerned with the acceptance or rejection of John the Baptist by the priests and elders of the people. John had already done his work to prepare the people for the coming of the kingdom which Jesus was to establish. He had already pointed to Jesus as the Messias. It was now the time for the elders of the people to accept Jesus as the Messias or to reject Him, and thus by their example help to save or ruin their own people.

WILL THEY BE SAVED OR RUINED?

The necessity of this decision and its consequences were made clear in the parable of the wicked vine-dressers.

THE PARABLE OF THE WICKED VINE-DRESSERS

The owner of a vineyard, Jesus said, left it in the care of vine-dressers. When the harvest was due, he sent his servants to collect his share of it. But the vine-dressers refused to acknowledge his claim. Instead they treated his servants shamefully, beating some and even killing others. Finally the owner sent his own son, thinking, ‘They will respect my son’ (Matthew 21:37). But they seized the son and killed him also. What, Jesus asked, will the owner of the vineyard do to those vine-dressers? They answered Him, ‘He will utterly destroy those evil men, and will let out the vineyard to other vine-dressers, who will render to him the fruits in their seasons’ (Matthew 21:41).

‘THE OWNER OF THE VINEYARD’ IS GOD

The owner of the vineyard is God. The vine-dressers are the Jews, God’s Chosen People. The servants of the owner are the prophets whom God sent to direct His people. But, over the centuries, the people have rejected the prophets, God’s servants. Now at last God has sent His own Son. But the people will kill the Son of God as they have killed the prophets.

THE CORNERSTONE

It would seem from St Matthew’s Gospel that the elders of the people did not identify themselves as the wicked vine-dressers of the parable, nor Jesus as the son of the owner. Jesus therefore, to point the lesson, introduced another metaphor by quoting from the Scriptures: ‘Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, has become the corner stone; by the Lord this has been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?’?’ (Matthew 21:42).

BECAUSE THEY REJECT JESUS THEY WILL LOSE THE KINGDOM

Jesus Himself is the stone, which the people will reject, but God will make Him the cornerstone of the Kingdom of God. Because they reject Jesus they will lose the kingdom. Jesus makes this clear by using both the figure of the vineyard and its fruits and the figure of the cornerstone. ‘Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a people yielding its fruits. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but upon whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder’ (Matthew 21:43-44).

JESUS DIDN’T COME AS A POLITICAL MESSIAH; HIS KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD

Unable to refute the claim of Jesus to be in a unique way the Son of God, and yet unwilling to accept Him as God’s Son, His enemies then tried to bring about His downfall by making Him appear to be in conflict with the ruling Roman authorities. They sent agents to trap Him. Posing as sincere Jews, anxious to follow the law of God exactly, they asked Jesus, ‘Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?’ (Matthew 22:17).

The question was chosen with great guile. To have answered simply either ‘Yes’ or ‘No,’ would have been disastrous to the cause of Jesus. The answer, ‘No,’ would have been in accord with the sympathies of the people (though not with the sympathies of the Pharisees and Herodians who had sent these spies to ensnare Jesus – which is why Jesus called them ‘hypocrites’). But if Jesus had said ‘No,’ He would have appeared to the Romans as a revolutionary inciting the people to rebellion. Moreover, and this was even more opposed to the intention of Jesus Himself, He would have appeared to His own people as a political Messias, anxious to precipitate a revolt and establish a political Jewish kingdom.

A VERY CUNNING QUESTION

On the other hand, if Jesus had given in answer a simple ‘Yes,’ then He would have forfeited the sympathies of His countrymen by seeming to favour the Roman domination over the Jews. To a people whose Messianic hopes were almost entirely political, this would have meant that Jesus was disclaiming any right to the title of Messias.

Jesus did not answer in words at once. ‘Show me the coin of the tribute,’ He asked. When they had brought to Him a silver penny, He asked them, ‘Whose are this image and this inscription?’ (Matthew 22:20). ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. Jesus then said, ‘Render, therefore, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s’ (Matthew 22:21). The people marvelled at His answer.

THE PEOPLE MARVELLED AT HIS ANSWER

In replying to the question Jesus said ‘Yes,’ but in such a way that both the rights of God and the consciences of the people were protected. In effect Jesus said that it is lawful to obey an existing government (even when the government is unpopular) when that government is levying taxes to ensure the public order and peace. It is even possible that Jesus, by asking for the coin of the tribute, a silver penny, a coin minted only by the Romans and not by the Jews, reminded His countrymen that by using this coin they recognised in fact the loss of their own independence and the legitimacy of the Roman government in fact. Thus, in paying the tax they would be only obeying a lawful authority. But by adding, ‘render to God the things that are God’s,’ Jesus safeguarded the rights of God and the consciences of men.

Moreover, the reply of Jesus maintained intact His own claims. By refusing to counsel rebellion against Rome, Jesus showed once again that He had no desire to become a political Messias and no intention of allowing His own people to cast Him in that role. By insisting on the rights of God He showed that His kingdom was of the spiritual order. Thus, in a few simple gestures and a few simple words Jesus both escaped the snare laid for Him by His enemies and reaffirmed His own Messianic claim.

PHARISEES, SADDUCEES AND THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

On this same day some of the Sadducees came to question Jesus on the resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead, but the Sadducees did not. No doubt the point had often been debated between the two parties. They recalled to Jesus the old Levirate Law of Moses. According to this law, if a married man died before he had begotten a son, then it was the duty of his brother to marry the widow and beget by her a son who would be considered the son of her first husband. In this way the family of the first brother would be continued in history. Now suppose, they said to Jesus, a woman, in accordance with this law, married seven brothers in turn, begetting a son by none of them. When they all rise from death, whose wife shall she be?

THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE SUPERNATURAL CHARACTER OF THE RESURRECTION

Jesus told them that they were wrong in denying the resurrection of the dead. They were wrong because they had not sufficient faith in the power of God; they were wrong because they were ignorant of their own Scriptures, and they were wrong because their view of the resurrection was too worldly, they did not understand the spiritual and supernatural character of the resurrection.

‘You err because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For at the resurrection they will neither marry nor be given in marriage, but are as angels of God in heaven. But, as to the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living’ (Matthew 22:29-32).

‘THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT IS LOVE’

This setback to the Sadducees led one of the Pharisees to ask Jesus again which was the greatest commandment of the Law. Jesus replied, as He had already done previously, that the commandment of love was the greatest commandment in the Law. But then He seized the opportunity to question the Pharisees on the identity of the Messias.

‘Whose son is he?’ He asked them. They said to Him, ‘David’s.’ He then asked them, ‘How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand, till I make thy enemies the footstool of thy feet’? If David, therefore, calls him ‘Lord,’ how is he his son?’ (Matthew 22:42-45).

MEN SHOULD NOT SEEK TITLES FOR TITLES’ SAKE, BUT ONLY STRICTLY IN CONNECTION WITH GOD, THE ULTIMATE FATHER, AND CHRIST, THE ULTIMATE MASTER

Jesus was trying to make them realise that the Christ, the Messias, even though He be a son of David, was yet something more, a Being whom David would call Lord, a Lord Who would sit at the right hand of God. He was using the Sacred Scriptures of the Jews to confirm His own claim to be both Messias and Son of God. But the Pharisees refused to admit this and so they were unable to answer Him.

The silence of the Pharisees induced Jesus to warn the people against the Scribes and the Pharisees. When the Scribes and Pharisees teach you the Law of Moses, He told them, do what they tell you. But do not follow the example of their actions, for they do not observe what they preach to others. Their own good works they do only to be esteemed in the eyes of men, for they love to receive from men the titles of Master and Father. There is only one Father, God in heaven, and only one Master, the Christ. Men should not seek these titles for their own sakes, but should acknowledge that the perfection which leads to these titles is the gift of God Who alone is truly Master and Father.

A STRONG WARNING AGAINST THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES

After this warning to the people Jesus castigated the Scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy. They were willing to make great sacrifices to convert one man to their religious beliefs, but they destroyed their own efforts by making their converts as bad as themselves. They evaded the harsh law they preached and confused the people by their theological subtleties. They professed great admiration for the prophets of the past and boasted that they would not have killed them as their forefathers had done. But Jesus Himself would send His Apostles to them and they would resist them even unto blood, as their forefathers had resisted the prophets.

JESUS TRIED TO PREVENT THEM FROM FALLING UNDER THE CONDEMNATION OF DIVINE JUSTICE

Now this strong warning to the people against the Scribes and the Pharisees and this terrible denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees were not due to any personal pique on the part of Jesus. The hour of decision for the Chosen People was at hand. They had to accept Jesus or reject Him as their Messias, as the very Son of God.

THE HOUR OF DECISION FOR THE CHOSEN PEOPLE WAS AT HAND

What their history might have been had they accepted Him we do not know. How glorious it might have been, how peacefully triumphant might have been the growth of the Kingdom of God from Jerusalem, from the Chosen People to the other nations of the world, we cannot tell. Misled by their elders, by the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees, they were to reject Jesus the Christ. Jesus, knowing that the elders of the people will mislead them, in denouncing the Pharisees made one last effort to draw the people to Himself and prevent them from falling under the condemnation of divine justice.

THEY HAD TO ACCEPT JESUS AS THE SAVIOUR TO BE SAVED, TO DO WHAT HE TOLD THEM, BUT THEY REJECTED HIM AS THE MESSIAH

In sorrow Jesus addresses Jerusalem itself, the symbol of Judaism, the ancient capital of Israel, the centre of the worship of the one true God,

‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem! thou who killest the prophets, and stonest those who are sent to thee! How often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but thou wouldst not! Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I say to you, you shall not see me henceforth until you shall say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:37-39).

WITH THESE WORDS JESUS ENDS HIS PUBLIC PREACHING

Knowing that Jerusalem will reject Him, Jesus reminds her that she has always rejected the prophets. Now she is about to reject Him, even though His desire has always been to save her and her children. Because she will reject Him, she will be left desolate. Divine judgement is already passed upon her. But the heart of Jesus is not filled with despair for Jerusalem. Now, at this fateful moment, she will reject Him. But, at some undetermined time in the future, she will accept Him and cry out, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’

With these sorrowful words (only slightly lightened by a small word of hope) Jesus ends His public preaching. From this time on, His teaching is reserved for His faithful followers.”
– Martin J. Healy S.T.D., 1959

 

ABOUT “A VOICE THAT CRIES IN THE WILDERNESS” AND FLYING SAUCERS

“Just like the experience of John the Baptist, perhaps we may feel that when we talk about Jesus to others, or we try to put the Church’s point of view on a topic, that we are a voice crying in the wilderness of hostility or apathy.

I remember one of the priests in the parish I grew up in was a member of the Catholic Evidence Guild. He would talk about the times when he would stand on a box on a street corner, or some other public place, and he would speak to passers-by about the Catholic Faith.

Sometimes people would listen, but often people would be indifferent or get into heated discussions or arguments. There are many wonderful stories about these encounters. I remember reading one encounter about a preacher speaking to a crowd of people gathered around his box. He was telling them about God, but a person interrupted him by asking the question, ‘What about flying saucers?’ The preacher responded with a smile on his face, ‘I’m sorry sir, but I’m not interested in your domestic disputes.’ Those who take to the streets to tell others about Jesus are a voice that cries in the wilderness.

Most of us will not venture onto the streets with our Christian message, but in our everyday lives, with family, friends, neighbours, work or school colleagues, we are called to be witness to Jesus and to use every appropriate opportunity to promote the Christian message and the Church’s teaching. To be a voice that cries in the wilderness is a very lonely place to be, but we should not give up, knowing that John the Baptist persevered in order to fulfil the mission given to him by God.”
– From: “Spiritual Thought from Fr Chris”, December 2011

 

7th FEBRUARY, GOSPEL READING (MARK 6:14-29)

IT IS JOHN WHOSE HEAD I CUT OFF; HE HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD.

Meanwhile King Herod had heard about Jesus, since by now his name was well-known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” Others said, “He is Elijah”; others again, “He is a prophet, like the prophets we used to have.” But when Herod heard this he said, “It is John whose head I cut off; he has risen from the dead.”

Now it was this same Herod who had sent to have John arrested, and had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife whom he had married. For John had told Herod, “It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.” As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him; but she was not able to, because Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.

An opportunity came on Herod’s birthday when he gave a banquet for the nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in Galilee. When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, “Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.” And he swore her an oath, “I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” The girl hurried straight back to the king and made her request, “I want you to give me John the Baptist’s head, here and now, on a dish.” The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her. So the king at once sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John’s head. The man went off and beheaded him in prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

V. The Gospel of the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

 

19th JANUARY, GOSPEL READING (JOHN 1:29-34)

THE LAMB OF GOD.

Seeing Jesus coming towards him, John said, “Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I spoke of when I said, “A man is coming after me who ranks before me because he existed before me. I did not know him myself, and yet it was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptising with water.”

John also declared, “I saw the Spirit coming down on him from heaven like a dove and resting on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptise with water had said to me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to baptise with the Holy Spirit.’ Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.”

V. The Gospel of the Lord.
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.