I was in an online Bible study yesterday with a friend from Phatmass. During the course of our study, we agreed that the world is immersed in darkness and life itself can seem a bit dark; however, we were filled with the assurance that, “the Light shines in darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”  There is always at least a glimmer shining through what seems to be a hopeless situation.  It’s no coincidence that yesterday was the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ, a feast also known as Candlemas. 40 days after his birth,  Our Lord’s parents brought him to the Temple at Jerusalem to be dedicated to God.  The Lord entered his own Temple and revealed himself as the Light come into the world to illuminate it. Sharing in our humanity, God reveals to us that he is with us; we are never alone; He is our High Priest who knows what it is to suffer and he sympathizes with us.

Here is today’s meditation by Fr. K  about Candlemas and today’s feast day of St. Blaise—whose name sounds like blaze:

Last Sunday I was struck, as if by a bolt of lightning, by the meaning of the connection between the Scripture readings that were read at Holy Mass.  Very briefly,  I will summarize the readings:  In the 12th chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul describes how all those who have been baptized “in one Spirit…  into one body,” have become members of Christ’s body with different functions (”You are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it”).  In the Gospel, Jesus comes to his hometown of Nazareth, enters the synagogue and stands up to read of the scroll. He read the words of Isaiah the prophet, a messianic passage that people longed to see the fulfillment of:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Jesus hands the scroll back and delivers the shortest a homily ever preached,  “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” He manifested Himself as the One to live the words from Isaiah.

Now, we might wonder about the continuation of the mission of the Messiah:  specifically, where is the ministry of Christ today? Are not people still in captivity? To these questions, I ‘heard’ the answer. Those who are baptized into Christ are anointed with the Holy Spirit and are entrusted with the mission of Christ because they are His extensions. We Christians are to proclaim liberty to captives!

I have learned that ignorance is one of the worst types of captivity man can experience. People perish for lack of knowledge. The teachings of the Catholic Church are truly liberating — God’s people need to be taught how to truly live as children of our Father!  In last Sunday’s  first reading, the Israelites have returned from their exile in Babylon and they gather to hear the Law publicly proclaimed— and they weep aloud.  They weep because it was precisely their deviation from the Law that resulted in their exile in the first place!  Today, God’s people are woefully ignorant of His plan for their lives, ignorant of the Truth–in other words, they are in captivity!

Part II

St. Thomas Aquinas was one  who lived Christ by “proclaiming liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind.” He systematically wrote a massive ‘catechism’ or summary of theology called the Summa Theologica. St. Thomas used the gifts of knowledge and wisdom as well as his intelligence in order to make the truth of God known. His feast day was on Wednesday and so I thought of him in connection to the Sunday readings.  There are also, of course, other methods of making the truth known which I will touch upon before ending this post.

Catholics are to make the Truth known to everyone they encounter. Not in a way that badgers or hits someone over the head, but in a way that exemplifies truth in love; by being a good friend, worker, or listener, answering questions well when they are brought up in friendly conversation. In today’s second reading, St. Paul describes what love really is:

Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, it is not pompous,
It is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Armed with love and empowered with the spirit of Christ, we proclaim liberty to captives using whatever means we have. Recently, the pope has encouraged priests, as well as young adults and youth, to make use of social communications media such as Facebook and Twitter to make the Truth known to the world!

As so often evidenced, the Truth can be met with opposition. Jesus is the Truth, and he was rejected by his own people as illustrated in today’s Gospel. I mean they wanted to throw him off the cliff in his own hometown! If they persecuted the Master they will persecute the servant. But,  as we are reminded in today’s first reading, God chose us from our mothers wombs, and he has made us fortified cities:

“They will fight against you but not prevail over you,
for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.”

And, He empowers us with grace because without Him we can do nothing… but with him I can do all things. So what is there to be afraid of? Bring glad tidings to the poor!

The utter devastation and loss of life caused by the earthquake in Haiti incites the inevitable question: why? Some people, like Pat Robertson, have rather idiotic explanations as to why these things happen: “well, the people (the founding fathers of Haiti) made a pact with the devil and now he comes with payback.” By the way, there is no historical evidence of such a pact — rather, there is evidence to the contrary.  So, why do these natural disasters occur? And why would God allow these things to happen?  The short answer is, it is a mystery.  However, we can understand something of the mystery… these disasters are sure to naturally occur because we live in a fallen world. God permits these disasters only because He brings a greater good of them.

One may ask, “what good can come out of this tragedy; just watch the news.” It is definitely painful to behold the suffering that is happening in Haiti. But can any good come out of it? Haiti, a country that was largely ignored by its wealthy neighbors is now the recipient of such an outpouring of love. There are so many good people reaching out to their needy brothers and sisters. The country will be built up better than it was before the earthquake. I do not mean to trivialize the suffering of the Haitian people…this is the only explanation to the question “why?”  God is closer to them now more than ever. Ours is a God Who suffers with his people. Members of the One Body of Christ need to continue praying for their fellow Members who have entered into the Passion.

I read a very inspiring and hope filled message on the Catholic Relief Services’ website. Please check it out. Additionally, here is an article about how Haitians celebrated Sunday services and Masses with heroic faith.

The following is text from a press release issued for Dr. Martin Luther King Day by Priests for Life:

Monday, January 18, 2010

Dr. Alveda King, Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., released the following comments today on the celebration of her Uncle’s life.

“Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of a Beloved Community where all are treated with respect and dignity,” said Dr. King. “He fought against society’s exclusion of people who were treated as less than human because of their appearance. Today, we are compelled to continue Uncle Martin’s fight by standing up for those who are treated as less than human because of their helplessness and inconvenience.

“The unborn are as much a part of the Beloved Community as are newborns, infants, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. Too many of us speak of tolerance and inclusion, yet refuse to tolerate or include the weakest and most innocent among us in the human family. As we celebrate the life of Uncle Martin, let us renew our hearts and commit our lives to treating each other, whatever our race, status, or stage of life, as we would want to be treated. Let us let each other live.”

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, will join Alveda and her family as a program participant in the Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Commemorative Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Priests for Life is the nation’s largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.

Haiti quake aftermath: bodies in streets, hotels used as hospitals - LA Times

Here is a message from the Pope in which he appeals to “the generosity of all people so that these our brothers and sisters who are experiencing a moment of need and suffering may not lack our concrete solidarity and the effective support of the international community.”

Join me in praying for the victims of the earthquake:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners, now
and at the hour of our death.
Amen

Donate to Catholic Relief Services and get updated relief info.

Today I begin again. Again. This new year had a new impetus for me yesterday. It was the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord and the end of the Christmas season.  Jesus Christ was born to came to bring me humanity into union with God. St. Paul explains that,

“when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir.”

Gal. 4:7

When I was baptized, I entered into the Life of Christ and became a child of God in actuality. He is my Life and my Light: I shine with his light which I must transmit by through everything I do and to whomever I come in contact with. I am to emanate Christ in some small way in my small corner and throughout the world, making it a little better, holier. This is what my mission is, what it means to be a Christian: his mission is mine. The love of Christ impels me to pray, read, study, teach, work, design graphics, utilize social communications media, enjoy film, be a better son (in my relation to parents and to God), be a better brother and friend, and (to) just be. —My new year’s & every day’s resolution—.

Sacra Famiglia

Ludovico Lana (1600’s)

I never would have believed it until I had read it for myself: wild elephants attack homes of anti-Christian persecutors in Orissa, India while leaving Christians unharmed. Exactly one year after a massacre of Christians by Hindu fundamentalists,  animals cry out in protest.  It is as though these elephants are saying, “we worship our Creator, the God of the Christians—stop persecuting Him or we’ll be back…”

Amazing, don’t you think?

“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

The Magi, stargazers from Persia, sought the King whom the brilliant star pointed to. They followed the star which led to a house in Palestine where a little child sat on his mother’s lap. They literally saw the Light—the Infant King, the Sun of Justice, God come down into the world. The Light of the World has been revealed…

A week before Christmas I found myself in the shadows cast by the difficulties of earthly existence. I was tempted to despair, and depression threatened to paralyze me. In my miserable state I longed for my deliverance…I was in genuine anticipation for Christmas. The Mystery of Christmas gives me reason for hope: The Eternal God has leapt down from heaven, assumed a human nature in the womb of one of his creatures, and was born into our poverty so I could be reborn to share in his Divinity—unto eternity. And on that day that never ends, I will have a resurrected body free of defect and distress.

So I rejoice with Magi, basking in the radiance of the Light of the World who changes us into himself, into light bearers. Like the Magi, I find the Christ Child with his Mother. May she accept the gift of myself as a present to my God, Priest and King. Holy Mother of God, you are the star who we must follow until we behold the face of God—pray for us and guide us on the Way.

Happy New Year everybody! Best wishes for a blessed 2010!