3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A 2014

 3^rd. Sunday (A)

(Isaiah 8:23 - 9:3; 1^st. Corinthians 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12 -23)

Today’s readings speak to us of the joy God’s People experience when the ultimate yoke – no longer that of slavery or of foreign occupation and oppression, but the yoke of sin, the rod of Satan -- is lifted from their shoulders by the proclamation of the Good News brought by Jesus and given to His Church:

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 men make merry when dividing spoils.

 

Jesus, as you heard in the Gospel reading, intended to make His apostles “fishers of men” by associating them with Himself in the work He was about to begin after John’s apprehension and imprisonment:

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew to Galilee.  He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea.  From that time on Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Notice how strongly God impressed upon the great prophet the joy that would be occasioned by this ultimate preaching of Gospel freedom, for he repeated himself several times: ‘abundant joy’, ‘great rejoicing’, ‘rejoice at harvest’, and, ‘as men make merry when dividing spoils’!  And all those differing expressions striving to promote fitting awareness and appreciation of that one transport of delight he heaps together in a short and simple sentence:

 You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as men make merry when dividing spoils. 

Such joy -- joy at God’s saving intervention freeing Israel from slavery in Egypt and from Assyrian terror – was, as Isaiah portrays it, most real and truly intense for those faithful ones who lived through it and cherished the memory of it.  However, Isaiah being a truly great prophet, is also allowed to foresee and foreshadow God’s ultimate future intervention that would bring an end to not only Israel’s, but also the whole of mankind’s, slavery and oppression under the yoke of sin, for all who will truly embrace the Good News of Jesus and the eternal salvation God offers in and through Him.  How wondrous will that joy be for all who will live for it!!  Israel of old had lived through temporal saving events; we, the true Israel of God, are called to know inconceivable joy by living for eternal salvation in accordance with Jesus’ Good News. 

For that purpose and to that end, Jesus chose special disciples -- twelve in all -- to be intimately associated with Himself in His life and work and, in particular, to be witnesses to His resurrection. These men became known as ‘apostles’, a designation highlighting their oneness with Jesus, Himself the apostle and high priest of our confession as the letter to the Hebrews tells us (3:1).  Ultimately, after the defection of Judas Iscariot and the adoption of Matthias, they were known and revered as ‘the Twelve Apostles’, or simply as ‘The Twelve’, who would continue Jesus’ work by establishing and consolidating His Church -- among both Jews and Gentiles throughout the world -- by their authoritative preaching and witnessing, in the power of His Spirit, to the fullness of His Truth (Mark 16:15): 

Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.

 

St. Paul -- the Apostle of the Gentiles and Jesus’ supreme disciple according to the measure of his sufferings for Christ – emphasized the nature of his apostolic calling when he declared:

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. (1 Corinthians 1:17)

Now, People of God, bearing in mind Isaiah’s prophecy of joy and those authoritative words of St. Paul, do you, in this modern age, rejoice to hear the Gospel preached?  Being aware that you need salvation, do you truly want to hear the Church and her ministers’ proclamation of Jesus’ saving Gospel?  Without doubt, there seem to be many in Church on Sunday who are not deeply conscious of their need; for, being more aware of the person of the priest than attentive to Jesus, their appreciation of a sermon depends largely on its length, not on its content.  They much prefer a short -- even a very short -- homily, and when that is the case, they leave the Church positively congratulating themselves on their good fortune.

The great prophet Isaiah foretold joy, gladness, rejoicing, for God’s People privileged to hear God’s Word; and yet, for many today, there is no awareness of privilege, but rather of obligation, weariness, and tedium.  What does that mean?  It cannot mean that Isaiah was wrong or mistaken; God inspired him.  What does it mean then?  Is it not, perhaps, a lamentable but undeniable fact that too many apparent Catholics cannot be regarded as truly living, that is vital,  members of Christ’s Body, but are rather more or less uncommitted hopefuls, perhaps hangers on, or even, in some cases and for whatever reasons, pretenders?

However that may be, for those who are sincerely committed in their faith and persevering in their practice, those who, deep down, acknowledge and confess their need of and desire for the salvation offered by Jesus in the Gospel and in His Church, it most probably means that they are immature members of God’s People.  As St. Paul put it to his converts in Corinth:

Brethren, I could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.  I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal.  (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)

Children don’t want food at times, it is not sweet enough, it does not look sufficiently attractive; their criterion for food is what is pleasant, not what is nourishing.   In a similar way, today, too many physically adult people do not truly appreciate the Word of God which the prophet foretold would bring such rejoicing to God’s People; it fails to call forth joy in, it does not meet with appreciation from, a people surrounded and satiated with what is expressly made and presented so as to be found pleasant and comforting, easy and popular.

Of course it is often said that the preacher fails to make the homily interesting, he is so intellectual, or so dull and unchallenging, and indeed it might well be true in some cases.  But just think: what if your father or mother had just died and the preacher was saying some words about them, or if your son or daughter was getting married and again the celebrant was mentioning them in his address, would not you be interested and indeed most attentive, even though the preacher was not brilliant, even though his words – of themselves -- were dull and uninspiring?  Words about your father or mother, about your son or daughter, could not fail to be of interest to you; you would hang on to every one of them.

Why then are the words of the Gospel, why then is preaching about Jesus and His offer of salvation, so wearisome for many?    Today we heard that:

Jesus went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.

People came to Him -- spontaneously and enthusiastically -- in their spiritual need and with their physical infirmities; can it be that for those coming to Church and finding themselves bored to death with the readings and the sermons, that Jesus is not interesting because they are not aware of their need of Him; because they are in no way convinced of the spiritual poverty and moral weakness waiting to betray all of us in times of trial and distress; because they are not even disturbed by the rampant power of evil threatening the peace and stability of our society and of the whole world today?   In other words, can it be that, deep down, they think Jesus’ Good News is not really as good as the worldly pleasure and prosperity they find themselves presently enjoying and which they like to think is assured for them or will be available to them in the future ?

Certainly Jesus saw a deep-rooted malaise in the hearts and minds of the satisfied and self-contended Jewish leaders in His time:

He said to them, "Those who are well do not need of a physician, but the sick do.   I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17)

He was addressing deeply religious people, but people who were also very human in their willingness and ability to ignore what they did not want to recognize; a people using literal observance of the Law and contempt for the Gentiles – above all their Roman occupiers -- to bolster their spiritual morale.  Today also, Catholic and apparently religious people have practices and distractions that help them avoid, or put-off, any disturbing awareness of their own deep needs or personal insufficiency: for some of them, reception of Holy Communion is one such practice; for others, a quota of good works provide a very comforting shelter.

Perhaps the modern ease of approach to the Eucharist combined with an aversion to hearing the Word of God preached and proclaimed is, in some measure, due to a failure to understand the true relationship between the Word of God in the Church’s proclamation and worship of Jesus, and the Incarnate Word of God -- Jesus Christ our Saviour -- present in the Eucharist.

Most Catholics want to receive the Eucharist, even frequently, believing It to be the key to Eternal Life as Jesus said (John 6:53-54):

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you.   Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.   

However, Jesus also said on that very occasion:

It is the Spirit that gives life; while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.  But there are some of you who do not believe.   (John 6:63-64)

The fact is that our Catholic Faith does not in any way practice or promote magic.  When Jesus speaks of eating His flesh and drinking His blood He is referring to His whole Person and Being: it is the whole life and death, the whole Risen Being, of Jesus the Incarnate Son of God, that offers nourishment for eternal life: eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus is intended to signify and bring about the deepest personal commitment to and oneness with the Person of Jesus, Who lived, died, and rose again for us and for our salvation.   We cannot just join the queue to receive Holy Communion and think that thereby eternal life is ours … that is little more than magical thinking.   Our reception of the Eucharist, is intended to be part of our active participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the sublime expression, fulfilment, and confirmation of our sincere desire for oneness of mind, heart, and soul, with Jesus, through the opening up of our inmost selves to the influx of His heavenly Gift of the transforming Spirit.

Likewise with good works so approved by many who show little respect for the Word of God proclaimed in the Church.  The fruit of good works is, indeed, required, as John the Baptist demanded of those coming to him for baptism in the Jordan, but only as the expression and consequence of the personal commitment of faith and obedience to Jesus:

“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”   Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the One He sent.”  (John 6:28-29.)

People of God, some want to approach Jesus but only from a position of strength, so to speak; to draw near to Him, indeed, but confident in their own goodness.   They do not want to feel, to be made aware of, their own emptiness and need. And yet, without that saving awareness no one can turn to God as Saviour.

You have been called and chosen by God for salvation, otherwise, you would not be here; and though I am now admonishing some, I have no desire or intention to discourage any, for I am urging all to recall those words of Jesus: 

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you; for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  (Luke 11:9-10)

People of God, the word of God has gone forth from the prophet's mouth:

You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as men make merry when dividing spoils.  

Those words -- the Scriptures assure us -- will not, cannot, return to God fruitless: and God's faithful people will always rejoice both in His living Word and in His Eucharistic Presence.  Whether we will be found among them is up to each one of us: but none should try the childish practice of blaming others for what is personal indifference.  If you are looking and longing for God, then, whether the sermon is poor or the liturgy long should in no way cause you to close your mind or seal your heart.  If the words spoken are a sincere expression of the truth about God, and if the liturgy is celebrated with reverence, you should and can participate and worship, love and learn: and, being humble and faithful enough to learn, you will, soon enough, be granted to rejoice with all the blessed; because the God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – in Whom you believe and trust is, indeed, awaiting you in the Eucharistic celebrations of Mother Church, where He will not fail to  comfort, strengthen and enlighten you, by His Presence and by His welcome in both Word and Sacrament.

Second Sunday of the Year (A) 2014

2^nd. Sunday of Year (A).

(Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; 1^st. Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34)

In the first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard that God, speaking immediately to His Chosen People but ultimately embracing His promised Messiah, had said:

It is too little 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. 

Out of all the nations on earth, God had specially chosen, cherished and taught, one people, which became known as Israel.  By the time of Isaiah that teaching and cherishing had been ongoing for over a thousand years, and Isaiah himself was one of a line of prophets sent by God to His Chosen People to form it into a servant worthy and able to take God’s Name and His saving Word to the whole world.  Israel could not be the definitive Servant of God’s salvation because she herself, in her degree, shared in and was wounded by the sin of the world. Nevertheless, she would be the stock from which that ultimate Servant of God would rise Who would be uniquely able to fittingly reveal the Name, manifest and proclaim the Word, and show Himself to be the Salvation, of Israel’s God for the good of all mankind.
 

By means of the Old Testament covenant with Israel God did ultimately prepare a people able to bring forth the wondrously holy and sublimely beautiful Mary of Nazareth, of whom we read in the Song of Songs (2:1):

            I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys, a lily among thorns.

Uniquely adorned with true and God-rejoicing humility, she it was who would welcome, endow with human flesh and blood, nurture and bring up, the Son and Servant of God that He might become the Son-of-man foreshadowed in the prophecy of Isaiah:

Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above, like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.  Let the earth open and salvation bud forth.  (45:8)

In Jesus – Son of God, become Son of Mary and Son of Man -- not only the Chosen People are called to become children of God in the well-beloved Son, but also the Gentiles -- who for millennia had walked in darkness and lived under the shadow of death -- are to be evangelized, invited, and empowered, to turn from their former ways and embrace the Good News of Jesus brought to them by His universal Church founded upon the Apostles.   The proclamation of the New Testament is, indeed, God’s offer of salvation to all nations through faith in Jesus, the Spirit-anointed-Saviour Who brings glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to men of goodwill.  For mankind is to become one again in Jesus; sharing, as adopted children, a common heritage in the Kingdom of the Father, a heritage which the only-begotten-Son has won for them by shedding His blood on the Cross of Calvary before rising again on the third day; a heritage for which the Spirit bequeathed by Jesus will prepare them.  

We should be filled with gratitude, People of God, as we think on this: God trained the Jewish people for 2000 years, and then, in His immense mercy and goodness, put us -- in Jesus -- alongside and together with those He had chosen and cherished for so long!!  As St. Paul told the Christians of Rome (11:16-17):

If the root is holy, then the branches also are holy. And you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in to share the rich root of the olive tree. 

Let us now turn to today’s Gospel passage where you heard John the Baptist, the fore-runner of the promised Messiah, revealing Jesus to the Jewish people:

“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.” 

You remember the scene when Jesus was coming up from the waters of the Jordan used by John for his baptism?  It was then -- when Jesus was dripping with water -- that John saw the Spirit coming down upon Jesus in the form of a dove, the symbol of peace, signifying here peace between God and man, and peace among men of good will; that peace which Jesus -- the promised Prince of Peace – alone could bring about.

Think of that scene, People of God, and then remember the words Jesus was later to say to Nicodemus, a leader among the Jews:

Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.  (John 3:5)

Water and the Spirit: what did they mean for the Jews and the Gentiles, both called in Christ, the Saviour of the whole world, to become God’s children?  Listen, and wonder at the wisdom, the beauty, and the goodness, of God; for, in order to save mankind from the bonds of sin and death, God had to convict mankind of their sinfulness, in order that they might turn from sin, reject it, and embrace -- gratefully and wholeheartedly -- God’s offer of eternal life in Jesus, His beloved and only-begotten Son.

The Chosen People had, over thousands of years, become a supremely spiritual and moral people; and yet, although they had been given a Law which was holy, they had, in their observance of that Law, become ever more reliant on their own efforts: they had come to think that they were able to observe that Law by themselves and imagined they could, in that way, prove themselves worthy to be the Chosen People of God.  They came to regard themselves as having been chosen, not out of God’s boundless mercy, but because of their own particular spiritual superiority and ability; to believe that God had been right in choosing them, because they -- above all other nations -- had the strength of will and moral character to keep His Law.  There, People of God, we recognize the sin of the Jews: spiritual pride.

In this scene by the Jordan where John was offering a baptism of repentance, the Jewish people were being told that it was only by God's free gift of the Holy Spirit -- to be given through Jesus the Lamb of God -- that they could practice a holiness acceptable to Him Who is the all-holy One; only by God’s Gift, which is the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Holiness, could they become holy; and the Spirit was wholly Jesus’ to give, which is why the Spirit was to be seen descending and resting upon Jesus as He came up out of the waters.

The Gentiles on the other hand, although they had risen to great social and cultural heights in the ancient empires, and most recently in the glories of Greece and the achievements of Rome, nevertheless, they had become morally degenerate despite all the truths they had glimpsed, the beauties they had created, and the grandeur of the social fabric they had established.  They had sunken into all sorts of moral abominations for which the Jews had come to despise them, despite themselves being subject to Rome’s omnipresent and all- subduing military power.

St. Paul, himself born and reared as a strict Pharisee, expressed this awareness of the Jews with regard to their conquerors when he wrote to the Romans:

Although they (the Gentiles) knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. …. God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.  (1:21-32) 

There you have the Gentiles’ sin: wallowing in abominations for which they needed to become repentant if they were to be washed clean; a cleansing symbolised by the water dripping off Jesus as He came up, out of the waters of the Jordan. 

Water and the Spirit for the cleansing of Jews and Gentiles: water and the Spirit, whereby Jesus would take upon HImself and redeem the sins of the world!  The whole of human life had been infected with the sin of Adam from its lowest depths to its highest achievements: social life, intellectual vigour, and spiritual aspirations, all had been stained by the Gentiles’ lust for pleasure and power, and the spiritual pride of Judaism; all had to be convicted of their sin in order that forgiveness and fulfilment could be offered to all.

People of God, as we recall these truths, let us rejoice with the deepest gratitude to the Father Who sent His beloved, only-begotten Son as:

The Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world;

let us have generous appreciation for that people specially chosen of old to prepare the coming of Him Who -- as the Glory of Israel and Light of the Gentiles – now offers peace and salvation to all who believe in His Name; let us, finally, open our hearts to embrace His gift of the Spirit Who -- as the eternal bond of love between Father and Son -- wills to make us members of the heavenly Family and eternal Kingdom of God the Father.      

Baptism of the Lord Year A 2014

Baptism of the Lord (A)

(Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17)

Our readings today ended with and culminated in the voice of the heavenly Father Himself declaring:

            This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased.

Notice that when John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to some of his disciples he did so by telling them of the mission Jesus would fulfil, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), just as the prophet Isaiah himself had done in our first reading, Here is My servant whom I uphold, My chosen one with whom I am well pleased … he shall bring forth justice to the nations.

At Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, however, the Father Himself -- speaking directly from heaven -- does not reveal Jesus by any words indicating what He had been sent to do for us; far from that, indeed, infinitely more than that, He proclaims simply and solely, the Person of Jesus; and, in doing so, He reveals His own Self, with the words:  

            This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased.

With that proclamation the Father gives us a glimpse of the very essence of Divine Life and Beatitude in which the Father and Son are eternally One in the Holy Spirit of Love; and by manifesting His sheer delight in His Son made flesh, He thereby invites us to delight -- with Him -- in Jesus, ourselves; not simply, nor even primarily, because of what He does for us and on our behalf, but because of Who He is, the Holy One of God, both in Himself and with the Father.

There can, therefore, be no doubt about the focal point of our celebration today: we must look at, and seek to grow in appreciation of, Jesus, the Father's only  begotten and well-beloved Son, God’s chosen Servant in Whom His soul delights. 

Because it is well known that in the Church’s process of canonization it needs to be shown that candidates for such an honour had practiced Christian virtues to a heroic degree, it is easily assumed that holiness demands, first of all, the verifiable practice of public virtues.  This then leads certain devout, but nonetheless misguided, Catholics to think that holiness of life calls for the determining of a list of such virtues, which are then to be given special attention, one by one, and perfected by and in personal practice, until, hopefully, all are mastered … while always, of course, rejecting sin and avoiding occasions thereof.

Such thinking, however, is negative in its appreciation of Christian spirituality, in which -- as the word itself proclaims -- the Spirit should lead: it is also too redolent of pride in its reliance on human calculation (these virtues, in this order) and human endeavours (attentive practice gradually leading to perfection), and consequently, it projects a very barren approach to, and unattractive picture of, Christian holiness of life.

In truth, Christian holiness in all its fullness and purity cannot be characterized as anything other than a blazing fire of delight in God, above all and in all; as was shown most sublimely by our Blessed Lord Jesus Himself – in His Father’s house and about His Father’s business -- when lost to Mary and Joseph in the Temple at Jerusalem.  For Catholic  and Christian holiness of life, the practice of virtues flows freely and unconstrainedly from such a personally transforming and transcending Gift of divine love under the accompanying and ever-developing spirit of wisdom, self-discipline, and understanding.

First of all, therefore, we must want, seek, and pray to appreciate the Person of Jesus sent and given to us by the Father; and then, in Jesus and by the power of His Spirit, we should try to recognize, appreciate, and respond personally to, the Father, so that we begin to share in Jesus' own love for the Father.  Only in that way can our calling to become true disciples of Jesus be fulfilled, can we, in Him, become true children of the Father, by the Spirit.  

In our endeavour to appreciate something more of Jesus, therefore, let us turn our attention back to the prophet Isaiah who told us, in the first reading:

Here is My servant whom I uphold, My chosen one with I am pleased, upon Whom I have put My Spirit; He shall bring forth justice to the nations. 

And then let us recall what Peter told us in the second reading:

You know how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power.

Both passages clearly relate to St. Matthew’s account in today’s Gospel reading of Jesus' experience on the occasion of His baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist:

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.

  

Now, John had not wanted to baptize Jesus, as you heard:

John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to me?” 

Jesus, however, insisted; He had come to do His Father's will -- all righteousness -- which meant that His life could not be lived in accordance with ordinary human standards, nor could it be subject to merely human judgements, however holy or authoritative those making such judgements might be:

Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  

Isaiah had foretold what mission the Father had in mind for Jesus:

            He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 

Few words, indeed, but full of meaning, because the prophet’s ‘justice’ means God's truth and love, God’s own righteousness, ruling in us and bringing our lives to fulfilment.

Moreover, the prophet foretold how the Servant would go about His work, and so, indirectly, gave us some idea about what sort of person the Servant would prove to be:

He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. 

He will not, Isaiah says, abuse simple people by bombast, nor take advantage of them by any haranguing of emotional crowds; He will proclaim His message of justice and truth calmly, proscribing the violence of excitement, and showing full respect for His hearers.

Isaiah went on to show us another engaging aspect of God's Chosen Servant, when he added:

A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.

And so, though anointed with the Spirit and with power, Jesus would -- the prophet said -- be characterized by His gentleness, His personal respect for, and appreciation of, others.  This Peter confirmed in our second reading, saying:

He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Nevertheless, since Jesus had been given the mission to bring forth true justice on earth, He would inevitably meet with opposition in a sinful world, and this prospect led Isaiah to bring to our attention to yet another characteristic of the Chosen Servant and Beloved Son:

He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth.

And so, though -- in His gentleness and personal respect -- neither breaking what was bruised nor extinguishing what might still dimly glow, the Servant’s anointing with the Spirit and with power will not allow Him to become disheartened or be crushed by His painful experiences of life in a sinful world: He will be strong when facing trials similar to those we still encounter in our daily lives, and remain steadfast when encountering others far greater and more testing than any we will ever know, for He will live through them as the Servant obedient and faithful to His Lord at all times, as the Son in all things loving and witnessing to His Father.  Thus, Jesus would be like us -- one with us and able to understand us -- and yet, for all that, He would be most wonderfully and sublimely Unique: the only true One faithfully bringing forth justice and fulfilling all righteousness,  the supremely strong One, neither faltering nor failing in His mission:

            Till He has established justice in the earth.

And that, People of God, also means that Jesus will never give up seeking to help each one of us to recognise the Father's goodness and appreciate His love, nor in any way ever moderate His endeavours to gradually raise us up, by His Spirit, to become more and more worthy children of such a Father.

Today, however, there are many who try to proclaim the love of Jesus us by telling us how much He empathizes with us in our sufferings because He too has suffered; how His whole longing and aim is to bring us comfort and release, joy, peace and love, now.  And they leave it at that, being unwilling or afraid to speak of any further suffering to be borne or efforts to be made by those who want to belong to God.   And that is a travesty of the full truth; one which, though easy to proclaim, can be deadly in its effects; for it is a half-truth that would leave us no longer looking up to heaven but resting here on earth.  

The true Jesus, the Scriptures tell us:

Will not fail nor be discouraged till He has established justice in the earth;

that is, true justice in the hearts and minds, the lives and loves, of you and me, and all others like us throughout the whole world who will listen to His Good News and learn to fight the good fight here on earth while seeking for and aspiring to a new, eternal, home being prepared for us in heaven.

People of God, we are not always ready, perhaps not always willing, to lift our eyes to heaven, because the devil both abuses our weakness and disguises our ignorance so that we do not truly know our own needs, nor do we dare to recognise our own failings.  But Isaiah tells us clearly in the name of the Lord:

I formed You (My Servant) and set You as a covenant of the people, as 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. 

And so, since we all are – at times -- blind and prisoners to a greater or lesser degree, let us take care lest through pride we reject, or in fear turn away from, God's gift of such a Saviour sent to free us from the bonds of our perhaps well-loved sins and open our eyes to what we might indolently prefer to ignore. Therefore, People of God, putting our deepest trust in those words of the prophet Jeremiah (31:3-4):

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you, again I will build you and you shall be rebuilt,

let us resolve this very day to allow, indeed to beseech, God to rebuild our lives as He sees best, by conforming us in the Spirit to Jesus, in and from Whom alone we can learn to appreciate and love, ever more and more, the Father Who has revealed both Himself and His beloved Son to us in our Gospel reading today:

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."