Advent Is Here

     It's Advent! Time to get ready for Christmas. But wait, there's more to it than that.

    Sunday was the beginning of Advent, a season of four weeks leading up to Christmas. (Actually, the fourth week is usually shortened, since Christmas falls on different days of the week from year to year.) Advent actually calls our attention to three comings of Christ. Most prominently, we think of his coming into our world as one of us — the Incarnation — and we prepare to celebrate his birth at Christmas.

    But especially as Advent begins, the readings in the liturgy invite us to look forward to the Lord’s return at the end of time. In a way, this aspect continues the mood of the previous weeks. For example, this year, on November 8th we heard the parable of the ten virgins awaiting the bridegroom's arrival for the wedding feast (Matthew 25:1-13); on the 15th it was the talents (Matthew 25:14-30); and on the 11th, the judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46. All three invite the hearer to live so as to be ready for the Lord's return. Then on the 29th, Advent began with Mark 13:33-37, a call from Jesus to be awake, vigilant, for his return.

    Finally, we are reminded that in the time between those two comings, Jesus comes to us daily with his grace. In the Catholic Church and other liturgical churches, we understand this as happening especially in the liturgy when he comes in the Sacred Word and the sacrament of the Eucharist.

    In addition to the reading from Mark, last Sunday we heard Isaiah 63:16-17, 19 & 24:2-7, which previews the Gospel with a prayer that the Lord would come down from heaven and that he would find us acting rightly. We also heard 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 with Paul's assurance of God's fidelity to keep us firm t the end. So all three readings direct our attention to the importance of right conduct in anticipation of the Lord's return.

    Isaiah has a preeminent place in the liturgy of Advent and Christmas. Not only are passages from him read at three of the four Sundays of Advent this year and at all the Masses of Christmas, but he is also read at weekday Masses during the first two weeks and occasionally thereafter — unless some major feast day with its own readings takes precedence. Those of you who follow me on Twitter — @blognaturgesetz — know that I usually post excerpts from scripture every day. Those are taken from the readings assigned for the Mass of the day. So you can follow along and at least get some highlights of what we're hearing for Advent.

2020/07/12, 19, 26 — 15th-17th Sundays in Ordinary Time — Year A

First Readings — Isaiah 55:10-11;  Wisdom 12:13, 16-19;  1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
Second Reading — Romans 8:18-23;  26-27;  28-30
Gospel — Matthew 13:1-23;  24-43;  44-52

There could hardly have been a better time for me to have missed posting on the Sunday readings than the past couple of weeks. Not only are the second readings for all three Sundays from close together in the Epistle to the Romans, but, more importantly, the gospel readings present the entirety of a section in Matthew which may be called "Parables of the Kingdom."


There are seven parables and they can be categorized in different ways, I suppose. I see four groups:

1. sower and seed (first parable);
2. mustard seed, yeast (second and third parables);
3. hidden treasure, pearl of great price (fifth and sixth parables); and
4. weeds and wheat, net cast into the sea (fourth and seventh parables).

The first parable is about the sower and the seed. The type of ground the seed falls on — path, rocky ground, weeds and thorns, good soil — determines its growth or lack of growth. God's word — above all, Jesus, but also the gospel of salvation — is effective for the growth of God's Kingdom to the extent that those who hear it are receptive. The Kingdom of God relies on people who internalize the word then spreading it in their turn.

The second group of parables tell of the internal dynamism of the Kingdom. If it is true that believers must evangelize. the Kingdom of God's growth also take place because of an unseen power which energizes it, just as the mustard seed seems to grow on its own and a bit of yeast has power to leaven a batch of dough. This unseen power is none other than the Holy Spirit. (See the second readings for July 12 and 19.)

The third group tell us the the Kingdom of God is worth more than everything else. That  is because it brings eternal happiness with God and the rest of the members of the Kingdom in a life beyond our present one. Next to that any good thing we can enjoy in this life is only temporary and worthless. That doesn't mean that it is easy to sell everything to buy the hidden treasure or the pearl of great price. There could be some really good stuff, there could be some stuff of great sentimental value. But in principle, we have to be ready to let it go, if necessary. And of course, we can't take it with us when we go. On the other hand, it is also true that most people get to keep most of what they have even as members of the Kingdom. For them, it's a question of understanding priorities.

The fourth group tell of God's patience as well as of a judgment at the end of time. As the first reading on July 19 makes clear, God is lenient and clement. Unlike plants, which can't change in midlife to another species, humans can repent and go from being "weeds" to "wheat." That's what God wants for all of us. Nevertheless, we are free. We can reject him. Jesus uses the image of fire to indicate how undesirable it is to end up as weeds or as what is bad from the net. I don't think this has to be taken literally. More importantly, I think many people whom seem to be rejecting God are not rejecting the true God but an image which may come from a literalist reading of certain passages of the Bible (Atheists can be the most fundamentalist of fundamentalists.), or feel-good stories told to children about a god who always protects us from harm which most adults learn to treat as fables, or scare stories of an angry god designed to keep people on the straight and narrow.

After all the parables, there is a final comment that "every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old." Perhaps the wisdom of Solomon (see first reading for July 26) is needed to know which to bring out when, but Jesus insisted he was fulfilling te Law, not abolishing it. Christians retained the Old Testament, and after 2,000 years we have retained the New as well. We also look to many writings of those who have lived and worked since the time of Jesus. But the Church is not static. We are always adapting to changing times and cultures as we attempt to present the word of God to people everywhere.

2020/07/05 — 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time — Year A

First Reading — Zechariah 9:9-10
Second Reading — Romans 8:9, 11-13
Gospel — Matthew 11:25-30



As is usually the case, the first reading has been chosen to accompany the gospel passage, while the second reading is independent of the other two.


The Meek Savior Who Gives Us Rest

Jesus tells us that he is meek and humble of heart, that his yoke is easy and his burden light. He is also the one who reveals the Father to us. Zechariah tells us that this meek man is our savior and our king. He will have a world-wide rule that will be one of peace. In other words, he will bring rest to our souls.

We should understand this rest ultimately in an eschatological sense. Certainly there is comfort in the hope given by our faith, but we still have trials and troubles of many different kinds in the present life. Genesis tells us that God rested from the work of creation on the seventh day. It is when we join him in the new creation that we fully enjoy the rest for our souls which Jesus promises to those who come to him



Living by the Spirit

The second reading also reminds us that the ultimate fulfillment of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is our resurrection. But for now, there is a struggle going on between the flesh and the spirit.

It's not that the body is bad. After all, it is to be raised as Jesus was. It's that we have sinful tendencies — tendencies which draw us away from God and from living holy lives such as the Spirit inspires.


Conclusion

Jesus reveals God the Father to us, and gives us the Holy Spirit to enable us to live according to his example and teachings. We have the promise of the rest that is eternal life with God.

2020/06/28 — 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time — Year A

First Reading — 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a
Second Reading — Romans 6:3-4, 8-11
Gospel — Matthew 10:37-42



I see two messages in last Sunday's readings. One is in the first part of the gospel and it goes along with the second reading. The other message is in the second part of the gospel, and the first reading illustrates it.


A Prophet’s Reward

Jesus tells us that those who receive us receive him and the Father, and since our baptism makes us prophets, those who receive us will have their reward. The story from Second Kings gives an example. The woman of Shunem was hospitable toward Elisha. She knew he was a man of God, and she wanted to be generous toward him. She wasn’t expecting anything in return. But she received a reward. And it was not just a small token of gratitude. It was probably the greatest thing a woman could hope for in that culture and that time: a baby son.

This reminds us of what Jesus says in the parable of the Judgment of the Gentiles: any good deed done to the least of his brothers is done to him and will obtain eternal blessedness for the benefactor. Not only does this encourage us to imitate the kindness of the woman of Shunem; it also gives us a reason to expect that God will give his reward to everybody who shows kindness to us.



Losing One’s Life for Jesus’ Sake

The second reading begins by reminding us that baptism unites us with the death of Jesus in order that we might also have a share in his new, glorified life. That new life isn’t just for the next life, after we die. St. Paul tells us it has already begun: we must be dead to sin and live for God here and now.

When Jesus tells us we must lose our lives for his sake in order to find them, it means the same thing. There are places where persecution of Christians is so bad that people are literally losing their lives for Christ. But for us, it is more metaphorical. We take up our cross and lose our life when we live the life of holiness to which we are called by our baptism. And if the words about not loving parents or family more than Jesus seem startling, demanding, and almost impossible, let’s remember that love is not a zero-sum game. To love Jesus more does not mean loving parents or family less. And we aren’t talking about emotion. We are talking about a conscious choice. If our family members are somehow leading us into a sinful way of life, we need to refuse to follow their lead. If we don't follow the example of others — whether it's smoking, having another drink, playing a sport, or anything else, sinful or not — they can feel rebuked, and they can resent it. But we mustn't let them draw us into bad behavior. Because we still love them, this can feel like carrying a cross. What Jesus is telling us is simply that we don’t give up our Christian way of holiness even if someone we love wants us to.


Conclusion

We should want to be people who are received as representatives of Jesus, as righteous men and women, so that kindness to us is kindness to God. We don’t let others lead us away from Jesus, we lead them to Jesus.

Corpus Christi Sunday — 2020/06/14

First Reading — Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a
Second Reading — 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Gospel — John 6:51-58

The feast day formerly called Corpus Christi — and widely still called that — occurred on June 14 this year. In the Roman calendar, it is the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, but the bishops of the United States decided that it was so important to the faith of the people that they transferred it to the Sunday following Trinity Sunday so that all Mass-goers would share the celebration.  During my sophomore year at Georgetown, I was living in a dorm adjacent to the quadrangle where Dahlgren Chapel was. One day a freshman asked me if I went to Mass every day. When I said, “No,” he was amazed, and asked how I could fail to take advantage of the opportunity just outside my door to participate in the sacrifice by which we are redeemed and receive Jesus himself into my body and soul.

Church law requires us to attend Mass every Sunday (or the vigil Mass on Saturday) unless we have serious reason to miss — or we have a dispensation because of a pandemic or the like. But when we realize what a privilege it is to be able to participate in Mass and receive Jesus in Communion, the obligation will not feel like a burden. We want to be there, law or no law. Some of the reasons are found in our readings for today. I say some of the reasons because the Eucharist is so multifaceted, so meaningful, that one could speak for hours without exhausting the topic. But here are some things which the readings tell us.


Manna  When Jesus says he is the true bread which came down from heaven, he is reminding his hearers of what we hear in the first reading. After the Israelites had left Egypt, they wandered for forty years in the desert. What we heard today is part of Moses’ speech to them just before the end of their journey, as they were at the Jordan River, just east of Canaan. Twice he tells the people not to forget  all that the Lord has done for them, and twice he reminds them of the miraculous food God provided for them, a food called manna, which had never been known before. They were absolutely dependent on God for their existence in the desert and fir their arrivsl st the promised land.


Bread of Life  It is the same with us. Jesus tells us that his flesh is true food, and his blood true drink. This is a food previously unknown. Cannibals can eat someone’s body once, but Jesus’ body and blood are made available over and over to the whole world. But unlike the manna in the desert, which sustained physical life, this food gives eternal life. We need this food to reach end end of our journey, life in God’s presence. It’s important to note what Jesus says about those who have the eternal life conferred by eating his flesh and drinking his blood: he will raise us on the last day. We will have a bodily resurrection. People sometimes wonder how this is possible, but we should realize that our bodies are not the same aggregation of atoms and molecules through our life. Atoms come and atoms go,but we are the same person. And the God who created the whole universe can seurely recreate or bodies and join them to our souls.

We sometimes use the phrase, “Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity” to emphasize how completely we receive Jesus in Communion. Jesus only speaks of flesh and blood, but the fact is that it is impossible to separate them from his soul and divinity: in him humanity and divinity are inseparably joined in one person. We receive the entire Jesus in Holy Communion. And this is also why we receive his blood as well as his flesh in the sacred host: the two are inseparable joined in Our Lord’s risen body.


One Body  St. Paul draws out one consequence of our consuming the body and blood of Jesus. We are made one. The Eucharist creates unity among us, creates community. This isn’t just with our fellow parishioners. We are one with the Church around the world. We need to live that basic unity even if we legitimately disagree about questions which the Magisterium of the Church hasn’t settled, or if we disagree about secular issues. The Body and Blood of Christ make us one.

Our unity is necessary because, like the Israelites in the desert, we can’t make it alone. We don’t consecrate the Body and Blood of Christ ourselves; we need the ordained priesthood. We support one another in our difficulties and celebrate our joys. We need to be in community. We need others, and they need us.


There is much more that could be said about the sacrament of the Lord’s Body and Blood, but what we have in these scriptures make clear what a privilege it is, what a joy it should be, to be able to participate in the Mass and receive the sacrament. It makes us a community, it sustains us on our way to heaven, it gives us resurrection and eternal life. How could anybody prefer something else? We should always remember what God has done and continues to do in this wonderful sacrament.

2020/06/07 — Trinity Sunday — Year A

Trinity Sunday was June 7 this year. Before it is too far in the past, here are some thoughts about the doctrine of the Trinity and the scripture passages assigned for this year.

First Reading — Exodus 34:4b-6,  8-9
Second Reading — 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Gospel — John 3:6-8

Introduction

The most appropriate readings the Church could find to set before us on the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity deal with peace, mercy, kindness, and salvation for eternal life. Although there are other passages which speak more explicitly of the three persons of the Trinity, and we hear some of them in other years, this year’s readings seem to direct us to think about what this God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit means for our lives.

We Can’t Understand

But for starters, lets just listen to some of the ways the doctrine has been formulated through the centuries, as recounted by Wikipedia.

In Trinitarian doctrine, God exists as three persons or hypostases, but is one being, having a single divine nature.[81] The members of the Trinity are co-equal and co-eternal, one in essence, nature, power, action, and will. As stated in the Athanasian Creed, the Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is uncreated, and all three are eternal without beginning.[82] "The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" are not names for different parts of God, but one name for God[83] because three persons exist in God as one entity.[84] They cannot be separate from one another. Each person is understood as having the identical essence or nature, not merely similar natures.[85]
According to the Eleventh Council of Toledo (675) "For, when we say: He who is the Father is not the Son, we refer to the distinction of persons; but when we say: the Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, and the Holy Spirit that which the Father is and the Son is, this clearly refers to the nature or substance"[86]
The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) adds: "In God there is only a Trinity since each of the three persons is that reality — that is to say substance, essence or divine nature. This reality neither begets nor is begotten nor proceeds; the Father begets, the Son is begotten and the holy Spirit proceeds. Thus there is a distinction of persons but a unity of nature. Although therefore the Father is one person, the Son another person and the holy Spirit another person, they are not different realities, but rather that which is the Father is the Son and the holy Spirit, altogether the same; thus according to the orthodox and catholic faith they are believed to be consubstantial."[87]

The doctrine of the Trinity is mind-boggling. But we believe it because Jesus said to baptize people in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And we realize that our minds are limited. Here as elsewhere in speaking of God, we can say things which are not false, but even when we say things that are true, they can’t fully express the truth, and often, we can’t even fully understand them.

So what can we say beyond, “We can’t understand”? We can say what John says in his first epistle: God is love. And that’s what we see in the readings of today’s Mass. We see a God who is merciful and will accompany us despite our disobedience. We see a God who comes into the world to save, not to condemn. We see a God of peace who calls us to live in peace.

2020/05/31 — Pentecost — Year A

First Reading — Acts 2:1-11
Second Reading — 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
Gospel — John 20:19-23

Introduction

We are sent by Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work he has given us as a Church and as members of the Church.


The Descent of the Holy Spirit

The story in the first reading of the descent of the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost, with the loud sound and the tongues of fire, is familiar to most of us. We are familiar with everybody being able to understand them, despite any language barrier. There are a couple of details that I hadn’t paid much attention to. The first detail isn’t even stated in the text. But they were in the house when they received the Holy Spirit. Then the people who gathered at the wind-like sound heard them speaking. They must have gone  out from the house. The Spirit moved them. It may have been only a few steps, but they were no longer closed in. They had gone out on mission.

The second detail, which gets lost in the amazement that everyone can understand them in his or her own language, is that they were “speaking … of the mighty acts of God.” Can we doubt that those mighty acts were the resurrection and ascension of Jesus as well as his teachings and miracles?

Something similar happens in the gospel, and again I’m paying attention to a detail I had tended to overlook. There is an appearance of the resurrected Jesus in his glorified body, no longer subject to the limitations of matter. He confers the Holy Spirit on the disciples and empowers them to forgive (or retain) sins. But tucked in between those things are his words, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” The disciples now have Jesus’ mission as their own. Perhaps forgiving sin could be one way of summarizing it, but it surely involves “speaking of the mighty acts of God.”


Different Gifts — One Spirit

The passage from Corinthians extends what we learned from Acts and the gospel. The Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different people so that each one can do something worthwhile. Let’s remember that Paul isn’t writing to the people who received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The apostles aren’t the only ones who have gifts for some benefit. He’s writing some decades later to the community of converts at Corinth. It’s not just the leaders of the community, but “we were all given to drink of one Spirit.” Everybody in the community has a gift. Perhaps the most important gift is what he says at the beginning of the reading: being able to say “Jesus is Lord,” which is also a way of “speaking of the mighty acts of God.”


Our Pentecost

What Jesus said to the disciples, he says to us, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” We receive the Holy Spirit at our baptism with specific gifts at confirmation. It’s not just clergy and other church leaders who have the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit aren’t limited to those who serve in church ministries or on committees or on staffs. The differing gifts of the Spirit are also given to those who spend their days at work and their evenings at home and their weekends relaxing. I hope they make it a priority to pray regularly and come to Mass and send their children to religious education, because those thing are very useful in building up the community of believers. But just considering oneself a believer, considering oneself a Christian, amounts to saying “Jesus is Lord.” That self-image is a precious gift from God which has been received and accepted.

Conclusion

Our job today is not to judge how well others are doing with their gifts. We are invited to be consciious of what a great gift it is to have the Holy Spirit living in us, enabling us to do something in the world, something that Jesus sends us to do with the power of the Spirit making it possible.

2020/05/10 — 5th Sunday of Easter — Year A

Better late than never, I hope, here are some thoughts about the Mass readings for May 10.

After two Sundays in which the first reading, from Acts, gave portions of Peter's address to the people on Pentecost, today we skip forward — past the healing of the cripple and Peter and John's subsequent run-in with the Sanhedrin — to the event which is generally regarded as the establishment of the diaconate. Acts 6:1-7. There are several elements to consider.

• The initial duty of the deacons was "to serve at table." Feeding the hungry is one of the "corporal works of mercy" which gain one entry into he kingdom of the Father, according to Matthew 25:35.
• The duty of overseeing the distribution is an item of control over community goods. In subsequent centuries, deacons came to be responsible for administering the goods of the Church. From their intimate knowledge of church administration, they were often considered ideal candidates to succeed deceased bishops (including popes).
• But the first deacons also had to be "reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom." These qualities led Stephen to proclaim the gospel of Jesus as Messiah boldly and irrefutably, leading to his martyrdom Acts 6-7. Philip also evangelized, and he baptized the Ethiopian eunuch. Acts 8:4-8, 26-40.

Eventually, the diaconate came to be treated as the final step of preparation for priesthood. When the Second Vatican Council called for the restoration of the diaconate as a permanent ministry, the primary focus was on the ministry of service (but not broader administration within the Church). The ministries of word (including proclaiming the gospel at Mass and at least occasional preaching) and sacrament (baptizing, ministering Communion, serving at the altar during Mass, and presiding at weddings and funerals outside Mass) were also part of the restored diaconate. It is tempting to read "serve at table" expansively to include serving at the altar table.

For the other readings, I'll quote what I wrote about the three years ago.

In the second reading — 1 Peter 2:4-9 — we have a metaphor of stones. Christ is a living stone, and we too are to be living stones built into a "spiritual house," the Church, with Jesus as the foundation. As parts of the Church, we are not inert. Being living stones, we are to be a priesthood, offering sacrifices to God. Of course the most important sacrifice is the one in which we join with the Church as the Church unites with Jesus in offering the sacrifice of Calvary. Beyond that, through Christ we can offer our personal sacrifices to the Father by enduring sufferings and obeying God's will as we understand it.


The gospel — John 14:1-12 — presents a scene at the Last Supper. First,  Jesus promises that he will prepare a place for the disciples (and us) in his Father's house and he will take us there. He tells Thomas that he is the only way to the Father, the truth, and the (eternal) life. He assures Philip [not the deacon we read abut in acts, but the apostle] that his identification with the Father is so close that to see him is the same as seeing the Father.

Although Jesus is the sole way to the Father, we are told in Matthew 25:31-46 that explicit faith in him is not required. Works of mercy toward his least brothers are sufficient.

The Father is in Jesus and Jesus in the Father, so that he is the image of the Father. In the same way, the parable of the vine and the branches, John 15:1-10, tells that Jesus is in us and we are in Jesus, which makes us images of him and, by extension, of the Father, which is what imposes on us the duty of loving one another and letting our love overflow in service to our neighbors.

2020/05/03 — 4th Sunday of Easter — Year A

Three years ago, on the 4th Sunday of Easter, I posted an overview of "Good Shepherd Sunday" and the readings assigned for the Mass. I think it's still worth reading, and I invite you to do so. Beyond that, I want to share some of what I heard via livestream from St. Anselm Abbey this morning. Fr. Mathias, O.S.B, gave the homily at the monks' Mass. In it he mentioned the Mass as the place where Jesus is shepherd and gate. We hear his voice in the scriptures, and through him we come to the pasture where we are fed.

The pasture has a deeper dimension than we generally realize, and Fr. Mathias illustrated it with a quote from Scott Hahn. As an Evangelical, Scott snuck into a Catholic Mass to see what went on. He was amazed to hear all the scripture quoted, not just in the readings but at other points. It culminated for him when the congregation addressed Jesus three times as "Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world." He knew that the Book of Revelation calls Jesus "the Lamb 28 times. Then the priest held up the Host and said, "Behold the Lamb of God," and he realized that this was equivalent to the scene in Revelation 4-8. He wanted to jump up and shout, "Do you people know where you are? You're in Heaven right now!"

2020/04/16 — 3rd Sunday of Easter — Year A

We are still celebrating the resurrection of Jesus with its consequences for us.

The first reading — Acts 2:14a, 22-33 — gives an excerpt from Peter’s address to the people on Pentecost. After reminding the crowd of the death of Jesus, Peter goes on to proclaim his resurrection, using Psalm 16, with its promise of deliverance from death, to support his testimony. Since David, believed to be the author of the psalm, has died, the promise must be a prophecy about his promised descendant, the Messiah; and it is fulfilled in Jesus. At the conclusion of Peter’s speech, as later verses tell us, his testimony with its scriptural support proves persuasive, and 3,000 people were baptized.

The responsorial psalm quotes some of the same verses we heard in the first reading. The congregation’s refrain, “Lord, you will show us the path to life,” accepts the prophecy of overcoming death as applying to believers as well as to Jesus himself.

The second reading — 1 Peter 1:17-21 — speaks of the “futile conduct” (another translation has “futile way of life”) handed on by the hearers’ ancestors. I see two senses for this phrase. It can be understood as referring to the entire way of life of the Gentiles before their conversion. Rather than continuing in that way of life, sinful in a number of ways, those redeemed by the precious blood of Christ are to live virtuous lives, “with reverence.” In another sense, the futile conduct can be considered the pagan sacrifices and rituals invoking nonexistent deities. By contrast, Jesus’ sacrifice is offered to the true God and thus can truly save us from sin, so that we have faith and hope in God, who raised Jesus from the dead — implying that we look forward to a like resurrection.

The account in today’s gospel of the disciples’ encounter with the risen Jesus — Luke 24:13-35 — can readily be understood as a primitive witness to the general form of the Mass. The “congregation” gathers, and Jesus is with them. The scriptures are explained. We have readings and a homily. After that comes the breaking of bread: bread and wine are prepared and blessed, with Jesus’ words being central to that blessing. Then the body and blood of Jesus are distributed to the people. The disciples’ zeal to share the good news about Jesus should also be reflected in our desire to share that good news.

As I was looking over this gospel passage, one word struck me in a way it never had before: “all.” Jesus rebukes the disciples for being “slow … to believe all that the prophets spoke.” This suggests that they believed some of what the prophets spoke. They had hoped he would be “the one to redeem Israel,” that is, the Messiah. But in this hope, they believed the elements of the Messianic prophecies which fit the commonplace expectations about the Messiah, which they (and the apostles) shared — namely, that he would be a great military leader and ruler, like David, and would drive out the Romans and restore Israel to the glory it had under David. This image failed to include other prophecies of the meekness, suffering, and death of God’s servant. So Jesus had to explain all the passages that referred to him. No doubt we see this explanation reflected in Peter’s speech on Pentecost, as well as in all the other references to scripture found in the New Testament and in the writings of the Church Fathers.

Now, we need to be careful not to let our belief become partial. We should not let ourselves become so focused on one part of doctrine, worship and devotion, or right conduct, that we ignore other elements of Christian faith and life. Care for the poor and sexual morality and right to life. Mass and sacraments and private prayer. Scripture and tradition and responding to the “signs of the times.”

2020/04/19 — 2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) — Year A

I wrote extensively about this Sunday in 2016. I began with an introduction to the Sunday, and you can read that at the link. The gospel reading  is the same every year. Here is what I wrote then:

The gospel — John 20:19-31 — tells of two appearances of Jesus after his resurrection. The first takes place on the evening of the first Easter Sunday, and the second a week later, which would be this Sunday. Thomas’ absence on the first occasion, his doubting of what he was told, his subsequent presence and vision of the Lord, with his enthusiastic proclamation of Jesus as not only his Lord but also God, serve as an encouragement to hearers of the gospel to believe. Beyond that, it is an instance of God’s mercy. When Thomas doubts, God does not condemn him or dismiss him from the company of the apostles. He mercifully calls Thomas to faith, just as he mercifully forgives Peter for his denials. So it is with us: God mercifully calls us to repentance and forgiveness — a forgiveness which the conferral of the Holy Spirit on the apostles enables the Church to extend on God’s own authority.

It is also worth noting that Jesus gives his disciples the power to forgive (or retain) sins. Clearly, this is not something they have in their own right. Jesus' sacrifice is what obtains forgiveness, and he has the power to extend that forgiveness. Now he indicates that he will exercise that power through them, sacramentally. We believe that in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (also called Penance or Confession) this power is exercised. Of course God can forgive sins at any time apart from this sacrament, but we have the promise that he does so when the sacrament is received.

One other point worth noting is that the other apostles are no better than Thomas. Like him, they came to believe when they saw Jesus, a week earlier than Thomas. But it is Thomas who acknowledges Jesus as God.

I had intended to write a little something about the first two readings for April 19 — Acts 2:42-47 and 1 Peter 1:3-9 — but rather than delay this any further, I'll just post this about the gospel. You're always free to look up the other readings and see what they say to you.

2020/04/05 — Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday) — Year A

Gospel of the Entry into Jerusalem — Matthew 21:1-11
First Reading — Isaiah 50:4-7
Second Reading — Philippians 2:6-11
Gospel — Matthew 26:14-27:66

I blogged about the Mass readings for this Sunday three years ago. Certainly there is more that could be said about them, and many speakers and writers have done so. But I'd like to base this post on the gospel passage about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which is read at the blessing of palms at the beginning of Mass. One preliminary note: as the citations show, this passage is from the beginning of Chapter 21 of Matthew's Gospel. There are five chapters between it and the passion narrative. In other words, a lot took place in the meantime. There was the cleansing of the temple, followed by many parables and other teaching, and the anointing of Jesus at Bethany. You might want to check it out between now and Holy Thursday.

When the crowds acclaim Jesus as "Son of David," they are recognizing him as the Messiah, since the belief in a Messiah rested on the Old Testament promises that a descendant of David would rule over Israel forever. Te crowds were right that Jesus is the Messiah, but they probably held the general belief that the Messiah would be a political-military ruler who would end the Roman occupation and restore the independence of the Jewish people. As we know, Messiahship did not include military or political rule.

Many preachers lament what they see as the fickleness of the crowd: on Palm Sunday we hear, "Hosanna in the highest," and on Good Friday the shout is "Crucify him!" But when we pay close attention to the closing lines of this passage we hear, "The whole city was shaken and asked, 'Who is this?' And the crowds replied, 'This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.'" Neither the Palm Sunday crowd nor the Good Friday crowd was the whole population of Jerusalem. It is possible that some of the former were part of the latter, but we have no reason to believe that all (or even many) of those who shouted "Hosanna" were there in front of Pontius Pilate.

Still, it is worthwhile for us to be reminded that our faith should be constant and steady. It is certainly not wrong to have moments of great enthusiasm for the Lord in our joy at being saved by his merciful grace. But that enthusiasm should continue into our daily lives as a steady commitment to living according to his call. God's grace should strengthen us to resist the temptation to go along with the crowds who would deny Jesus or depart from the way of love which he teaches.

2020/03/29 — 5th Sunday of Lent — Year A

First Reading — Ezekiel 37:12-14
Second Reading — Romans 8:8-11
Gospel — John 11:1-45

These readings are all about resurrection.

While the passage from Ezekiel used the image of the graves and resurrection as a metaphor for the restoration of Israel with a return from exile, in the context of the other readings, we are led to understand it also as promising actual bodily resurrection to God's people, with the land of Israel symbolizing eternal existence in the presence of God,

The reading from Romans is largely an exhortation to the hearers to live in the spirit, rather than in the flesh. It concludes with the promise that if the Holy Spirit dwells in us, our bodies will be raised like Jesus'.

With these promises of resurrection fresh in our minds, we come to the raising of Lazarus. There is a twofold significance here. At the literal level, it is a miracle. Jesus uses his power — obviously divine — to restore a dead man to life.

Martha and Mary complain in turn that if Jesus had come before Lazarus died, he could have restored Lazarus to health. But Jesus does not always intervene in the normal course of events with a miracle. Every time something bad happens, we can ask why, but there is usually no direct answer. We do know, as this gospel passage reminds us, that God always loves us, even when bad things are happening, even when tragedy surrounds us. Jesus is deeply saddened by the death of Lazarus. God's promise to us is not earthly happiness, but eternal joy in his presence.

In this instance, Jesus responds to the situation by raising Lazarus from death, restoring him to life. This leads many, beyond Martha and Mary, to place their faith in him. The raising of Lazarus tells us, obviously, that Jesus has the power to raise us also, and thus gives us confidence in the promise contained in the first two readings. But our faith also tells us that the promised resurrection goes beyond the restoration of earthly life. It is a promise of a glorified life like that of Jesus after his resurrection.

As I've noted, Lent is the time of preparation for baptism. Especially in Year A, the readings instruct the catechumens about the meaning of their anticipated baptism. Last week, it was the end of spiritual blindness that was the focus. This week, it is being raised from a state of spiritual death to spiritual life. The Holy Spirit gives us the life of grace, a share in God's own eternal life. We are freed from our bondage to sin and walk in the freedom of God's children. As the catechumens look forward to this effect of the sacrament, we reflect on our own spiritual life, begun in baptism and containing a promise for eternity.

2020/03/22 — 4th Sunday of Lent — Year A

First Reading — 2 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Second Reading — Ephesians 5:8-14
Gospel — John 9:1-41

Today's gospel passage calls to mind the line in the hymn "Amazing Grace" which says "I  once … was blind, but now I see." We understand the healing of blindness from birth in the context of Lent: the preparation of catechumens for baptism. They understand themselves as having been born spiritually blind in a pagan culture. Now they are ready to receive spiritual sight in the light of Christ. Some scholars believe that St. Paul is quoting a very early baptismal hymn with the words, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

The Easter Vigil, during which the catechumens are baptized, begins with the blessing and lighting of the Paschal Candle, which is then carried in procession to a place near the altar, during which the deacon chants three times, "Christ, our light," and the people respond, "Thanks be to God." The candle — which is lit at Masses throughout Eastertide and at baptisms and funerals — represents Christ risen, the light of the world.

After the healing, and the man's controversy with the Pharisees, Jesus reveals himself to the healed man as the messianic Son of Man, and the man believes in him. St Paul draws out the implication for all who have been baptized. We must all "live as children of light" and always avoid the "works of darkness.

While Samuel's anointing of David to be King of Israel does not seem to be directly related to the spiritual enlightenment and baptism of the catechumens, there are a couple of points. One is that our merely human sight and estimation don't necessarily correspond to how God sees and evaluates things. We need to see things in the light God gives us. Also, when Samuel anointed Davis, the Holy Spirit came upon him to enable him to fulfill the office of king. At baptism, we are anointed as a symbol of the Holy Spirit coming upon us to enable us to live the life to which we are called as children of light.

2020/03/15 — 3rd Sunday of Lent — Year A

Third Sunday – March 15

First Reading — Exodus 17:3-7

Second Reading — Romans 5:1-2, 5-8

Gospel — John 4:5-42


An obvious theme of this Sunday's readings is water. In the first reading, Moses miraculously brings water from a rock for the thirsty Israelites. In the gospel, a Samaritan woman comes to draw water, and Jesus, apparently thirsty, asks her for a drink. But then he offers her "living water." She thinks he is speaking about physical water. Even when he clarifies that the water he gives becomes an interior spring that confers eternal life, she is still thinking of physical water. But after further conversation about authentic worship in spirit and truth, she realizes that he is the Messiah. Later, many of the townspeople come to faith in him.

The water Jesus promises is a symbol — as in other places in the scriptures — of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is promising her, and all believers, the Holy Spirit for eternal life. And here we come to the second reading. Paul says that our justification come by faith, which in turn gives us hope because the Holy Spirit pours (water metaphor) the love of God into our hearts. So, as in 1 Corinthians, he speaks of the three "theological virtues," faith, hope, and love The greatest of them comes through the Holy Spirit.

So what seemed at first to be about water turns out to be about the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Another point to note is that from early times Lent was the time of final preparation for the baptism of catechumens at Easter. Over the centuries, as infant baptism became more common, that aspect wasn't so prominent, but over the past 60 years it has been renewed. For catechumens, and by extension for all of us, these readings about water and the Holy Spirit remind us of baptism. Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3 that one must be born of water and the Holy Spirit — which happens at baptism — to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus promises us the water of the Holy Spirit, springing up to eternal life.

2018/03/25 — Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday) — Year B

First Reading — Isaiah 50:4-7
Second Reading — Philippians 2:6-11
Gospel — Mark 14:1-15:47

The liturgy of Palm Sunday can begin with a ceremony of blessing of palms during which the passage telling of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is read. It is taken from the current year's gospel, except that in Year B there is an option to read the account from John. Thus, if the blessing takes place at a given Mass, we may hear Mark 11:1-10 or John12:12-16. The version from Mark includes Jesus' sending disciples to borrow the colt for him. John's version includes an Old Testament quote promising Zion that her king would arrive as Jesus did. Central in significance for both is the people's acclamation, "Hosanna!" followed by words quoted at every Mass, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" The irony that a few days later a crowd, possibly including some of the same people, would be shouting for his crucifixion is a warning to us all to be v=clear about where we stand. Our human nature can be fickle. Even if we don't explicitly oppose Jesus, we can ignore his teachings and calls in our life.

The first two readings and responsorial psalm of Palm Sunday are the same every year. The gospel is the Passion Narrative of the gospel being read on Sundays throughout the year. So this year we hear the Passion according to St. Mark.

The first reading — Isaiah 50:4-7 — is the third of four "Songs of the Suffering Servant" in the book of Isaiah. The servant of the Lord undergoes sufferings like those of Jesus, but he has confidence in God that he will ultimately be vindicated.

The responsorial psalm — verses of Psalm 22, with verse 2 as the refrain — is quoted by Jesus on the cross. Like the first reading, it tells of one who is being tormented, but concludes with an expression of confidence in being vindicated by God.

In the gospel — Mark 14:1—15:47 — we hear of Jesus fully aware of what is about to happen to him, saying that the woman who anointed him at the home of Simon the leper had done so in preparation for his burial. Although in the garden he wishes that it weren't necessary, he accepts it as the will of his Father. At the Last Supper, he gives the Twelve his body and "[his] blood of the covenant." "Blood of the covenant" is significant because it recalls the blood of the covenant in Exodus 24:8. To ratify God's covenant with Israel, Moses offers a sacrifice and takes the blood of the animals sacrificed and splashes half of it on the altar and sprinkles the people with the other half, Now Jesus' sacrifice establishes God's covenant with his people and brings forgiveness of sins.
Jesus unflinchingly proclaims his Messiahship and accepts his crucifixion. Others actively seek his death (the Sanhedrin), yield to pressure (Pilate), betray him (Judas), deny him (and repent)(Peter), run away (disciples, young man who ran away naked — instead of leaving all to follow Jesus, he left all to stop following), mock him (Sanhedrin members, Roman soldiers, passers-by, chief priests, those crucified with him), follow loyally (women observing the crucifixion), or come to faith (centurion). If we sin, we are yielding, denying, or running away from him, and seeking our own comfort or pleasure. But he will forgive, as he forgave Peter and the other disciples after he rose.
I was at a lecture where someone asked where was Jesus' mercy when he said of Judas, "better for that man if he had never been born." The answer is that all of God's threats are conditional: this is what will happen if you don't repent and change your ways. When Jesus spoke to Judas, it was a warning and a plea: what you are about to do will turn out very badly for you; don't go through with it. Judas could have repented and been restored to God's grace. God's mercy remained available to him, as it is to all of us.
We might note that the Sanhedrin trial was a kangaroo court. At 14:1, days beforehand, they decide to put Jesus to death. At the trial, failing to get testimony capable of justifying the death sentence, the high priest asserts that Jesus' claim of Messiahship consistent with Daniel 7:13 is blasphemy. But of course, if true, it isn't blasphemy. There is no proof that Jesus' claim is false, just an assertion made in order to justify the predetermined outcome.

The second reading — Philippians 2:6-11 — also speaks of the sufferings of Jesus, putting them in the context of his divinity. As God he was unable to suffer and die, so he became human in order to die for us. His exaltation shows him as Lord, our Savior, deserving of our reverent and grateful praise.

I don't think I'll have a chance to write new posts for Holy Thursday and Good Friday, but the readings are the same every year, so you might want to check out those from 2016 in the archive.

2018/03/11 & 18 — 4th & 5th Sundays of Lent — Year B

Fourth Sunday – March 11

First Reading — 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23

Second Reading — Ephesians 2:4-10

Gospel — John 3:14-21

A unifying thread of these readings is God's merciful care for his people. Chronicles concludes with the release of the Israelites from the Babylonian captivity. In Ephesians Paul speaks not of a political captivity but of the spiritual death of sin. The Israelites did not effect their own liberation. It was the Persian king, raised up by God to liberate them for the consequences of their violations of the covenant. In the same way, it is not our own works that save us from the death of sin; it is God's freely given grace. Jesus died and rose, and God has "raised us up with him."

Jesus' dialogue with Nicodemus, quoted in part in this day's gospel, includes the classic text, "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. The passage begins with a reference to the story in Numbers 21:4-9: the Israelites were being bitten by venomous serpents, and God told to make a bronze image of a serpent and mount it on a pole. Whoever looked at the bronze serpent was healed. Jesus, mounted — lifted up — on the cross heals those who look on him with faith. The grace of faith brings us to leave the darkness of our sins behind.



Fifth Sunday – March 18

First Reading — Jeremiah 31:31-34

Second Reading — Hebrews 5:7-9

Gospel — John 12:20-23

In the gospel some Greek believers in Judaism go to one of  the apostles with a Greek name and ask to see Jesus. He gets the other apostle with a Greek name, and they relay the request of those believing gentiles. Jesus' response, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified," seems enigmatic. I think it has to do with the fact that his message is reaching beyond his Jewish followers. His resurrection must take place before the gentile world is evangelized. The text does not say whether Jesus actually met with those Greeks. It is entirely possible that he did. What is important for us is that their request heralds Jesus' death and resurrection. As in the fourth Sunday's gospel, Jesus again speaks of being "lifted up" (like the bronze serpent) and drawing everyone, Jews and gentiles to himself.

Jesus is the epitome of self-abnegation for the sake of producing fruit. He willingly accepted crucifixion and death in order to be "the source of salvation for all who obey him," and invites all to this obedience. But we are also called to share his attitude of "hat[ing] our life in this world." We will not necessarily have to die directly as a result of following Jesus, but our lives must not be ones of self-seeking.

We believe that Jesus inaugurates the new covenant of which Jeremiah speaks. It is a covenant in which our sins are forgiven and God's law is written in our hearts — the Holy Spirit guides our consciences.

2018/03/04 — 3rd Sunday of Lent — Year B

First Reading — Exodus 20:1-17
Second Reading — 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
Gospel — John 2:13-25

St. Paul tells us that Jesus is "the power of God and the wisdom of God." His death and resurrection show God's power at work in him. He is the authorized spokesman who has a right to specify proper reverence for God's temple. Wisdom (reason, philosophy) seeks to understand the truth of existence: a worthy pursuit. In this, it has the immense advantage of the truth presented by the revelation of God in Jesus and in scripture, that God loves his people and offers us eternal life where all evil is overcome.

The ten commandments set out minimum standards of living in right relationship with God and with one another as members of his people. The two greatest commandments — love God with all your being; love your neighbor as yourself — provide the basis and context for the ten, as well as for all the developments elsewhere in the Torah, the prophets, and the teachings of Jesus.

Do we regard God's law as a burden or do we see it as the Jews regard Torah, a great gift, as expressed in the responsorial psalm (Ps. 19:8-11)? There we say, "The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. … They are more precious than gold …; sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb."

The scriptures of this day point us toward Easter and invite us to renew our faith in Jesus as the one sent by God to save us and bring us into holiness and eternal life through his teachings and above all through his death and resurrection which are not only salvific in themselves but also the proof of his Messiahship.

2017/07/16 — 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time — Year A

This past Sunday's readings include the first of the "Parables of the Kingdom" in chapter 13 of the gospel of Matthew. This parable, like the next few, has an agricultural theme, and the first reading uses related imagery. These images are used to tell us of God's word.


The first reading — Isaiah 55:10:11 — uses the metaphor of rain to illustrate the action of the word of God, which will accomplish God's will. We can think of God's word at creation: when God says, in Genesis, let something be or happen, it is created or happens. When the prophet announces God's word, we can be sure that God will cause his will to be done. We also should think of the opening of the gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:1, 14) Jesus, the Word of God, accomplished the purpose for which the Father sent him into the world — the salvation of the world, the establishment of the Kingdom of God.


The responsorial psalm — verses of Psalm 65 with a refrain based on the gospel — has us reflect on the action of rain as described by Isaiah in the light of the bountiful harvest which good soil produces.


The second reading — Romans 8:18-23 — is part of a series of selections from Romans continuing over several Sundays. It tells us of fallen creation's need for the redemption brought by Jesus. We share in that need. Of course, by the time Paul wrote, Jesus had done the work of redemption, but it was not, and still is not, brought to complete fruition in people or the other elements of creation. There will be a new heaven and a new earth, the Book of Revelation assures us, in which all creation will be raised from its fallen state along with human beings. This will happen when Jesus returns at the end of time.


The gospel — Matthew 13:1-23 — gives the parable of the sower and the seed. Then there is a discussion of the reason for Jesus' use of parables, followed by an interpretation of the parable. The seed is the word of the Kingdom, the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. In Isaiah, we heard that God's word accomplishes his purpose. Here we learn that God accomplishes his purpose through us, as seed needs soil. Some people can fail to further God's purpose. We are not passive. We can refuse the grace which would enable us to further the kingdom, or we can accept the word and provide a "multiplier effect" for the word sown in us and thus be instruments for the accomplishment of God's will.

If we haven't rejected the word, it is important that we not lose sight of its centrality to our existence. We mustn't let created things draw us away from doing God's will for us, because it is in doing God's will that we give the witness to our faith which can draw others toward God's Kingdom and help to make them good soil.

The basic thought in the explanation of why Jesus speaks in parables is that some people refuse to listen to the word of God. It is their choice to be hard, unreceptive ground. For them, no presentation of God's word will matter, but for those who are open to God's word, the parables bring a better understanding than a dry, theological treatise.


When we believe the word of God and conform our lives to the teachings of scripture, we become fruitful in accomplishing God's purpose of establishing his kingdom among us.

2017/05/21 — 6th Sunday of Easter — Year A

As Eastertide enters its last two weeks, the readings turn our attention toward the Holy Spirit.

The first reading — Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 — tells of the reception of the gospel in Samaria. Philip was one of the seven who were appointed to "wait on tables" to insure equity in the daily distribution, as we heard in last week's first reading. In chapters 6 and 7 we hear of Stephen's works, preaching, trial, and martyrdom. Now another deacon is preaching the gospel. Despite the reason behind their selection for ministry (with an installation which has marks of ordination), they cannot refrain from proclaiming the gospel.

Stephen's activity was in Jerusalem, but Philip goes to Samaria. Up to this point, we have only heard of the Church in Jerusalem — the work and preaching of the Apostles there and the opposition from the Sanhedrin, culminating with the martyrdom of Stephen. Philip is the first to proclaim the gospel outside Jewish territory. The Church had to verify that this extension of the faith into foreign territory was authentic.

The apostles' prayer brings the Holy Spirit manifestly upon the Samaritans. Although Baptism brings the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promises, there was with Jesus and the early Church an empowering anointing by the Holy Spirit which believers received. We can see this as corresponding to Confirmation.

The responsorial psalm — verses of Psalm 66 — speaks generally of our joy in the goodness of the Lord. Our joy is based on the Resurrection of Jesus, with all it means. The response, extending the call for joy to all the earth, can remind us of the extension of the gospel beyond Judea.


In the second reading — 1 Peter 3:15-18 — there is a "stream of consciousness" which calls us to good conduct of various sorts and concludes with a reminder of Jesus' saving work. This connects with the theme of the Holy Spirit in two ways. There is an explicit reference to the Spirit's place in Jesus' resurrected life. Beyond that, it is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to sanctify Christ, to give respectful explanations of our faith, and to keep our consciences clear by avoiding evil conduct and doing good.


The gospel — John 14:15-21— like last Sunday's is an excerpt from Jesus' discourse at the Last Supper. He is looking forward to the time after his ascension. He promises the sending of the Holy Spirit, here called Advocate and Spirit of truth. This promise was first fulfilled at Pentecost, again at Samaria and on other occasions recounted in Acts, and the Holy Spirit continues to be given to believers, to dwell in us.

Jesus then promises that his ascension will not leave us orphans: he will come to us. He will return at the end of time to gather those who love him to himself. It seems there is more to this promise than simply that. We will see him when the world no longer sees him. We see him in the sacrament of his Body and Blood. We see him in another way in the least of his brethren.

Next, Jesus tells us that he is in the Father and in us, and we are in him. Elsewhere he has told us the Father is also in him (John 14:10). Implicitly, then when we are in Jesus, we are also in the Father and the Father is in us — and as Jesus had just said, the Holy Spirit is in us. This reciprocal indwelling of the faithful and the Trinity is the form which our baptismal adoption takes. We participate in the life of God, which is eternal life.

An Italian Salesian daily missal I got many years ago draws this point out in a way that explains why Jesus' command at 15:12 is not "Love your neighbor," but "Love one another as I have loved you." The love which exists among the followers of Jesus is of a higher order that that which can exist with non-believers, since it is a  share in the internal love of the Persons of the Trinity. Nevertheless, we are also called to love all our fellow humans. It seems to me that this love is analogous to God's love. The love of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was so great that it "had to" express itself in the creation of a loved universe, including humans with whom the love could be reciprocally shared. God loves all people and wants them to be saved, and the divine love in us must also overflow into to love for all and a desire for them to be saved. This love should motivate us as it motivated Philip's preaching in Samaria. We should not neglect opportunities to explain the reason for our hope; and our lives — keeping Jesus' commandments — should reflect God's goodness.