Catholic Patriots

Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops Lectionary: 520/320 Reading I 2 Tm 1:1-8 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God for the promise of life in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my dear child: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to God, whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy,  as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you. For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God. OR: Ti 1:1-5 Paul, a slave of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ for the sake of the faith of God’s chosen ones and the recognition of religious truth, in the hope of eternal life  that God, who does not lie, promised before time began, who indeed at the proper time revealed his word in the proclamation with which I was entrusted by the command of God our savior, to Titus, my true child in our common faith: grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior. For this reason I left you in Crete so that you might set right what remains to be done and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you. Responsorial Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10 R.    (3)  Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. Sing to the LORD a new song;     sing to the LORD, all you lands. Sing to the LORD; bless his name. R.    Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. Announce his salvation, day after day. Tell his glory among the nations;     among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. R.    Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. Give to the LORD, you families of nations,     give to the LORD glory and praise;     give to the LORD the glory due his name! R.    Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. Say among the nations: The LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved;     he governs the peoples with equity. R.    Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. Alleluia Ps 119:105 R. Alleluia, alleluia. A lamp to my feet is your word, a light to my path. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 4:21-25 Jesus said to his disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;  nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.” He also told them, “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,  and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given;  from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus says the measure that you use will be measured out to you. He is speaking about the loop of grace. God’s love can truly dwell in us only in the measure that we give it away. If we try to cling to it, it will never work its way into our own hearts. But if we give it away as an act of love, then we get more of it, entering into a delightful stream of grace. If you give away the divine love, then you keep it. Love is described in the Christian tradition as a theological virtue, a habit or capacity that comes as a gift from God. This is true because love is a participation in the divine life. God is uniquely capable of love in the complete sense, since he alone can fully will the good of the other as other. What makes real love possible among humans is only a sharing in the love with which God loves, some participation in the divine to-be. When we root ourselves in the God who has no need, who exists in radical self-sufficiency, we can begin to love the other as he does.

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle Lectionary: 519 Reading 1  Acts 22:3-16 Paul addressed the people in these words: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city. At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today. I persecuted this Way to death, binding both men and women and delivering them to prison. Even the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify on my behalf. For from them I even received letters to the brothers and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem in chains for punishment those there as well. “On that journey as I drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’ My companions saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me. I asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?’ The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything appointed for you to do.’ Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light, I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus. “A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law, and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me and stood there and said, ‘Saul, my brother, regain your sight.’ And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him. Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice; for you will be his witness before all to what you have seen and heard. Now, why delay? Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away, calling upon his name.’” Or Acts 9:1-22 Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. On his  journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank. There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, AAnanias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. All who heard him were astounded and said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests?” But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is the Christ. Responsorial Psalm  117:1bc, 2 R.    (Mark 16:15)  Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News. or: R.    Alleluia, alleluia. Praise the LORD, all you nations; glorify him, all you peoples! R.    Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News. or: R.    Alleluia, alleluia. For steadfast is his kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever. R.    Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News. or: R.    Alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia  Jn 15:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia. I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel  Mk 16:15-18 Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, today in our Gospel, Jesus commissions the Apostles to evangelize all people: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” To evangelize is to proclaim Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead. When this kerygma, this Paschal Mystery, is not at the heart of the project, Christian evangelization effectively disappears, devolving into a summons to bland religiosity or generic spirituality. When Jesus crucified and risen is not proclaimed, a beige and unthreatening Catholicism emerges, a thought system that is, at best, an echo of the environing culture. Peter Maurin, one of the founders of the Catholic Worker movement, said that the Church has taken its own dynamite and placed it in hermetically sealed containers and sat on the lid. In a similar vein, Protestant theologian Stanley Hauerwas commented that the problem with Christianity is not that it is socially conservative or politically liberal but that “it is just too damned dull”! For both Maurin and Hauerwas, what leads to this attenuation is a refusal to preach the dangerous and unnerving news concerning Jesus risen from the dead.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 67 Reading 1  Is 8:23—9:3 First the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the end he has glorified the seaward road, the land west of the Jordan, the District of the Gentiles. Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness: for there is no gloom where but now there was distress. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian. Responsorial Psalm  Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14 R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? R. The Lord is my light and my salvation. One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD and contemplate his temple. R. The Lord is my light and my salvation. I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD. R. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Reading 2  1 Cor 1:10-13, 17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose. For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you. I mean that each of you is saying, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. Alleluia  Mt 4:23 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom and cured every disease among the people. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel  Mt 4:12-23 or 4:12-17 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. or When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus begins his public ministry and calls his first disciples. When Jesus emerged publicly and began preaching the kingdom of God, he was taken to mean something very specific—namely, that the tribes of Israel, scattered by sin, were being gathered. The Israelite hope was that, in the Messianic era, Israel would become a godly nation gathered around the common worship of the true God at the temple on Mount Zion, and that this united Israel would become, in turn, a beacon to the other nations of the world. Jesus’ entire preaching and ministry should be read under this rubric of the great gathering. Jesus gathered around himself a band of Apostles whom he shaped according to his own mind and heart and whom he subsequently sent on mission. Priests down through the centuries—from Augustine and Aquinas, to Francis Xavier and John Henry Newman, to John Paul II—are the descendants of those first friends and apprentices of the Lord. They have been needed in every age, and they are needed today, for the kingdom of heaven must be proclaimed, the poor must be served, God must be worshiped, and the sacraments must be administered.

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 311 Reading 1  Heb 5:1-10 Brothers and sisters: Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him: You are my Son: this day I have begotten you; just as he says in another place, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. In the days when he was in the Flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. Responsorial Psalm  Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4 R. (4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek. The LORD said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool." R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek. The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion: "Rule in the midst of your enemies." R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek. "Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor; before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you." R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek. The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent: "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek. Alleluia  Heb 4:12 R. Alleluia, alleluia. The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel  Mk 2:18-22 The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,  but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, in today’s Gospel, the Lord says his disciples do not fast because God is holding a great wedding banquet. You find the theme of the wedding throughout the Old Testament as a motif to express God’s covenant with his people. We’ve fallen apart in sin. We’ve gone into exile. And what does God want? He wants to call us back to a great wedding banquet. Throughout the ministry of Jesus you find that same motif: he will gather the scattered tribes—yes, the elite, but also the sinners and the outcasts. All are welcome around the table of the Lord, establishing this wedding banquet and unity that God wants with his people. Jesus presents himself as the coming together of heaven and earth. He’s the coming together of divinity and humanity in his own person. He is this wedding banquet. “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Because this great banquet is going on!

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 64 Reading 1  Is 49:3, 5-6 The LORD said to me: You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. Responsorial Psalm  Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10  R. (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. I have waited, waited for the LORD, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry. And he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God.  R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. Sacrifice or offering you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, "Behold I come." R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. "In the written scroll it is prescribed for me, to do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!" R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know. R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. Reading 2  1 Cor 1:1-3 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia  Jn 1:14a, 12a R. Alleluia, alleluia. The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him, he gave power to become children of God. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel  Jn 1:29-34 John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.' I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel." John testified further, saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, in our Gospel today, John the Baptist gives witness to the role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ baptism. Baptism is the moment when the Holy Spirit draws us out of this fallen world and into a new world. And with this in mind, we can understand the relationship between Baptism and the other sacraments. Baptism is birth in the spiritual order, the beginning of a properly spiritual life. The other sacraments represent specifications of that life. For instance, a living thing needs to be nourished. This is the role that the Eucharist plays. But do you see why only baptized people can receive the Eucharist? If you’re not alive, there is no point in feeding you.

Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 306 Reading I Heb 2:5-12 It was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. Instead, someone has testified somewhere:     What is man that you are mindful of him,         or the son of man that you care for him?     You made him for a little while lower than the angels;         you crowned him with glory and honor,         subjecting all things under his feet. In “subjecting” all things to him, he left nothing not “subject to him.” Yet at present we do not see “all things subject to him,”  but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor” because he suffered death, he who “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels,” that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers” saying:      I will proclaim your name to my brethren,     in the midst of the assembly I will praise you. Responsorial Psalm 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9 R.    (see 7) You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands. O LORD, our Lord,     how glorious is your name over all the earth! What is man that you should be mindful of him,     or the son of man that you should care for him? R.    You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands. You have made him little less than the angels,     and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the works of your hands,     putting all things under his feet. R.    You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands. All sheep and oxen,     yes, and the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,     and whatever swims the paths of the seas. R.    You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands. Alleluia See 1 Thes 2:13 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 1:21-28 Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,  and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”  Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet!  Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus drives out an unclean spirit from a man in the Capernaum synagogue. And he wants to perform the same cleansing operation in our lives. What God intended from the beginning is that our hearts be temples of his presence. So Christ comes into our world. What does he find? He finds that the temple of our heart is filled up with all sorts of things that are not the divine power. Money, worldly success, the esteem of others, sex—whatever it is, it has now taken the place that rightfully belongs to God. Therefore, when Christ comes into your life, he will always have a cleansing role to play.  Fulton J. Sheen once talked about the “expulsive power” of Christ. When you place him in the center of your soul, he will expel all those things that don’t belong in that center and make them find their proper place. And so Jesus the nonviolent warrior, Jesus the judge, God’s own mind, now comes into our hearts when we invite him through conversion. He will have this cleansing authority and cleansing power.

The Baptism of the Lord  Lectionary: 21  Reading I Is 42:1-4, 6-7 Thus says the LORD: Here is my servant whom I uphold,      my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit;      he shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting,      not making his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break,      and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth;      the coastlands will wait for his teaching. I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,      I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you      as a covenant of the people,      a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind,      to bring out prisoners from confinement,      and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. OR: Acts 10:34-38 Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered in the house of Cornelius, saying:  “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. You know the word that he sent to the Israelites  as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,  what has happened all over Judea,  beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached,  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good  and healing all those oppressed by the devil,  for God was with him.” Responsorial Psalm Ps 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 R. (11b)  The Lord will bless his people with peace. Give to the LORD, you sons of God,             give to the LORD glory and praise, Give to the LORD the glory due his name;             adore the LORD in holy attire. R. The Lord will bless his people with peace. The voice of the LORD is over the waters,             the LORD, over vast waters. The voice of the LORD is mighty;             the voice of the LORD is majestic.  R. The Lord will bless his people with peace. The God of glory thunders,             and in his temple all say, “Glory!” The LORD is enthroned above the flood;             the LORD is enthroned as king forever. R. The Lord will bless his people with peace. Alleluia Cf. Mk 9:7 R. Alleluia, alleluia. The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, listen to him. R. Alleluia, alleluia.   Gospel Mt 3:13-17 Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, Matthew’s account of Jesus’ baptism points to the significance of this foundational sacrament. Listen to the great theologian Gregory of Nazianzen: “Baptism is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift. . . . It is called ‘gift’ because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; ‘grace’ since it is given even to the guilty.” Jesus said, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.” Baptism is the sacramental ratification of that choice. And this is why we speak of Baptism as justifying us and washing away our sin. We are—all of us—born into a deeply dysfunctional world, a world conditioned by millenia of selfishness, cruelty, injustice, stupidity, and fear. This has created a poisonous atmosphere that conditions all of our thoughts and moves and actions.  Do you see why the stress on grace is so important? Baptism is the moment when the Holy Spirit draws us out of this fallen world and into a new world, the very life of the Trinity. That’s why Baptism involves being born again, lifted up, enlightened, transformed, saved—and why the Church speaks of the baptized as a “new creature.”

The Epiphany of the Lord Lectionary: 20 Reading I Is 60:1-6 Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!  Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD. Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13. R. (cf. 11)  Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son; He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment. R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more. May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him. R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save. R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. Reading II Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6 Brothers and sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace  that was given to me for your benefit,  namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation. It was not made known to people in other generations  as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:  that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Alleluia Mt 2:2 R. Alleluia, alleluia.  We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 2:1-12 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod,  behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,  “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled,  and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,  He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,  for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.” Then Herod called the magi secretly  and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said,  “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word,  that I too may go and do him homage.” After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,  until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star,  and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures  and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,  they departed for their country by another way   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, the story of the Magi told in today’s Gospel is a summary of the principal dynamics of the spiritual life. Watching the night sky with scrupulous attention for signs of God’s purpose, the Magi evoke the importance of alertness in the spiritual order. We must keep our eyes open to see what God is up to. Once they saw the star, they moved, despite the length of the journey. Sometimes people know what God wants them to do but they don’t act, either out of fear, laziness, or the influence of bad habits. The Magi teach us to move. When they spoke to Herod of the birth of a new King, he tried to use them to destroy the baby. When you walk the path that God has laid out for you, expect opposition. The wise men came to Bethlehem and gave the child their precious gifts. When you come to Christ, break open the very best of yourself and make it a gift for him. Finally, they returned to their home country by another route. As Fulton Sheen commented so magnificently: of course they did; for no one comes to Christ and goes back the same way he came!

Christmas Weekday Lectionary: 206 Reading 1  1 JN 2:29–3:6 If you consider that God is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him. See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen him or known him. Responsorial Psalm  PS 98:1, 3CD-4, 5-6 R. (3cd) All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. Sing praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the LORD. R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. Alleluia  JN 1:14A, 12A R. Alleluia, alleluia. The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him he gave power to become the children of God. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 1:29-34 John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.' I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel." John testified further, saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, today’s Gospel reports John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus. One of the earliest descriptions of Baptism is vitae spiritualis ianua, which means “the door to the spiritual life.” To grasp the full meaning of this is to understand something really decisive about Christianity. For Christianity is not primarily about “becoming a good person” or “doing the right thing” or, in Flannery O’Connor’s famous phrase, “having a heart of gold.” Let’s face it: anyone—pagan, Muslim, Jew, nonbeliever—can be any of those things. To be a Christian is to be grafted on to Christ and hence drawn into the very dynamics of the inner life of God. We become a member of his Mystical Body, sharing in his relationship to the Father. It is so important that we are baptized “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” For Baptism draws us into the relationship between the Father and the Son, which is to say in the Holy Spirit. Baptism, therefore, is all about grace—our incorporation, through the power of God’s love, into God’s own life. 

The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas Lectionary: 204 Reading I 1 Jn 2:18-21 Children, it is the last hour;  and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared.  Thus we know this is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they were not really of our number; if they had been, they would have remained with us.  Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.  But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.  I write to you not because you do not know the truth  but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth. Responsorial Psalm 96:1-2, 11-12, 13 R.     (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! Sing to the LORD a new song;     sing to the LORD, all you lands. Sing to the LORD; bless his name;     announce his salvation, day after day.  R.    Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;     let the sea and what fills it resound;     let the plains be joyful and all that is in them! Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the LORD. R.    Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! The LORD comes,     he comes to rule the earth. He shall rule the world with justice     and the peoples with his constancy. R.    Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! Alleluia Jn 1:14a, 12a R. Alleluia, alleluia. The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him he gave power to become the children of God. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 1:1-18 In the beginning was the Word,     and the Word was with God,     and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things came to be through him,     and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life,     and this life was the light of the human race;     the light shines in the darkness,     and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light,  so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world,     and the world came to be through him,     but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own,     but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him     he gave power to become children of God,      to those who believe in his name,      who were born not by natural generation      nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision      but of God. And the Word became flesh     and made his dwelling among us,     and we saw his glory,     the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son,     full of grace and truth. John testified to him and cried out, saying,  “This was he of whom I said,  ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me  because he existed before me.’” From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses,  grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,  has revealed him.   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, today’s Gospel comes to its climax with the magnificent phrase: "And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."  The Gnostic temptation has tugged at the Church, on and off, for nearly the past two thousand years. This is the suggestion, common to all forms of Puritanism, that the spiritual is attained through a negation of the material. But authentic Christianity, inspired by this stunning claim of St. John, has consistently held off Gnosticism, for it knows that the Word of God took to himself a human nature and thereby elevated all of matter and made it a sacrament of the divine presence. The Greek phrase behind "made his dwelling among us" is literally translated as "tabernacled among us" or "pitched his tent among us." No Jew of John’s time would have missed the wonderful connection implied between Jesus and the temple. According to the book of Exodus, the ark of the covenant—the embodiment of Yahweh’s presence—was originally housed in a tent or tabernacle. The evangelist is telling us that now, in the flesh of Jesus, Yahweh has established his definitive tabernacle among us.

Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist Lectionary: 697 Reading I 1 Jn 1:1-4 Beloved: What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life — for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us—  what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing this so that our joy may be complete. Responsorial Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12 R.    (12) Rejoice in the Lord, you just! The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;     let the many isles be glad. Clouds and darkness are around him,     justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. R.    Rejoice in the Lord, you just! The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,     before the LORD of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his justice,     and all peoples see his glory. R.    Rejoice in the Lord, you just! Light dawns for the just;     and gladness, for the upright of heart. Be glad in the LORD, you just,     and give thanks to his holy name. R.    Rejoice in the Lord, you just! Alleluia See Te Deum  R. Alleluia, alleluia. We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the glorious company of Apostles praise you. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 20:1a and 2-8 On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, on this feast of St. John, our Gospel tells of his coming to faith in the Resurrection when he saw the empty tomb. From this grave of Jesus, we learn that everything we took to be the case is not the case; that what always moved this way, now moves that way. God has shown us his power over death in the most unambiguous way; our lives should not be dominated by the fear of death, and we see the proof of this in the most vivid way imaginable. Some people think that they will make the Resurrection more intelligible or more acceptable to modern people if they allegorize it away, turning it into a vague symbol of the perdurance of Jesus’ cause. But then his grave would be, like the grave of any ordinary hero, sad, wistful, reassuring. Notice please that no cult of Jesus’ tomb ever developed in Christianity; we don’t look back with easy wistfulness. Rather, we allow ourselves to be surprised, turned upside down by it.

Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr Lectionary: 696 Reading 1  ACTS 6:8-10; 7:54-59  Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.   As they were stoning Stephen, he called out “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Responsorial Psalm  PS 31:3CD-4, 6 AND 8AB, 16BC AND 17  R. (6)  Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety. You are my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me. R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God. I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy. R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. Rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your kindness. R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.     Alleluia  PS 118:26A, 27A  R. Alleluia, alleluia. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD: the LORD is God and has given us light. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel  MT 10:17-22  Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus predicts the coming persecution of his disciples. And we can see his prophetic word realized through the ages. Think of St. Peter himself, crucified upside down in the circus of Nero; of Felicity and Perpetua, thrown to wild animals because they wouldn’t deny their faith; of Thomas More, who resisted King Henry VIII and paid for it with his head; of Paul Miki, the Japanese Jesuit, who was crucified for announcing the Christian faith; of Padre Pro, who was shot to death for defying a repressive Mexican government, shouting as he was shot, "Viva el Cristo Rey!"; of Franz Jägerstätter and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whom the Nazi regime put to death; of Maximilian Kolbe, who died at Auschwitz, willingly taking the place of another man. And the list goes on and on. Indeed, the martyrs have come from all corners of the world, and they have spoken Greek, Latin, French, German, English, Japanese, Polish, and many other languages besides. Friends, this, strangely, is the army that undermines the foundations of the fallen world through the centuries. This is the great fighting force that Jesus has unleashed and continues to unleash.

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent Lectionary: 198 Reading I 1 Sm 1:24-28 In those days, Hannah brought Samuel with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.  After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull, Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said: “Pardon, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.  I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.  Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.” She left Samuel there. Responsorial Psalm 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd R. (see 1a) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior. “My heart exults in the LORD,     my horn is exalted in my God. I have swallowed up my enemies;     I rejoice in my victory.” R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior. “The bows of the mighty are broken,     while the tottering gird on strength. The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,     while the hungry batten on spoil. The barren wife bears seven sons,     while the mother of many languishes.” R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior. “The LORD puts to death and gives life;     he casts down to the nether world;     he raises up again. The LORD makes poor and makes rich,     he humbles, he also exalts.” R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior. “He raises the needy from the dust;     from the dung heap he lifts up the poor, To seat them with nobles     and make a glorious throne their heritage.” R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia. O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save man, whom you formed from the dust! R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 1:46-56 Mary said:     “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;         my spirit rejoices in God my savior.         for he has looked upon his lowly servant.     From this day all generations will call me blessed:         the Almighty has done great things for me,         and holy is his Name.         He has mercy on those who fear him         in every generation.     He has shown the strength of his arm,         and has scattered the proud in their conceit.     He has cast down the mighty from their thrones         and has lifted up the lowly.     He has filled the hungry with good things,         and the rich he has sent away empty.     He has come to the help of his servant Israel         for he remembered his promise of mercy,         the promise he made to our fathers,         to Abraham and his children for ever.” Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.   /// Commentary by Bishop Robert Barron:  Friends, in today’s Gospel, we hear the Magnificat—Mary’s great hymn of praise to Yahweh. The hymn commences with the simple declaration, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.” Mary announces here that her whole being is ordered to the glorification of God. Her ego wants nothing for itself; it wants only to be an occasion for giving honor to God. But since God needs nothing, whatever glory Mary gives to him returns to her benefit, so that she is magnified in the very act of magnifying him. In giving herself away fully to God, Mary becomes a superabundant source of life; indeed, she becomes pregnant with God.  This odd and wonderful rhythm of magnifying and being magnified is the key to understanding everything about Mary, from her divine motherhood, to her Assumption and Immaculate Conception, to her mission in the life of the Church.