Where Angels Fear To Tread

Understanding the activity of the angels in our lives

01/14/2025

Mark 1:21-28 Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are– he Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet!  Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

I was talking to a local high school student recently who made the off-handed remark, “We don’t believe in demons any more. What the Bible describes as demons today we know are psychological or emotional illnesses and can be healed by science.” Have you heard that or similar comments before? And I do not think her comment is entirely wrong. But it is not entirely correct either. How so?

Well, some disorders in the past, in a pre-scientific age, may have indeed been psychological or emotional. But without the tools of psychology they were lumped in with spiritual maladies. But I would suggest to you that today we run the risk of the opposite danger: lumping all non-physiological disorders into psychological or emotional categories. If the pendulum had swung too far to the spiritual side in the past, it has swung too far to the scientific side today.

Keep this nuanced perspective in mind as you read today’s gospel. St. Mark records: “In their synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit…Jesus rebuked him and said, ‘Quiet! Come out of him!’ The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.” Now, my high school friend would say those behaviors are symptoms of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, etc.

And perhaps she is right and St. Mark did not have the benefit of modern psychology so he just attributed the man’s erratic behavior to the work of an unclean spirit. But I would supplement that psychological interpretation by adding that in some instances people in the Bible were indeed possessed by unclean spiritual forces. This, as you know, is the perennial teaching of the Church, our faith.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states categorically: “The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls ‘angels’ is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition” (n. 328). In other words, just as there are good angels that do God’s bidding, so there also exist unholy angels that try to thwart his plans.

Sometimes it’s easier to see how the evil angels undermine God’s grace in us by studying how our Guardian Angels enhance God’s grace operating in us. Recently I have enjoyed reading a book by the French theologian Jean Danielou called The Angels and Their Mission. He highlights how the early Church Fathers understood the activity of the angels.

He writes about our Guardian Angels: “They protect the soul against troubles from within and without; they reprimand and punish the soul that turns aside from the right way; they assist it at prayer and transmit its petitions to God” (p. 73). He summarizes these 3 angelic activities as peace, penitence, and prayer.

Have you heard that little voice in your head that tells you to read the Bible more, to stop in church and say a prayer, to invite Fr. John back over for supper? That is the voice of your Guardian Angel speaking. On the other hand, the voice that tells you to steal or lie or be unfair or cheat is the unclean spirit active in our lives. And as he did in the gospel, Jesus silences the voice of the unclean spirits through the grace of the sacraments like confession and the Eucharist.

In other words, we can accept and benefit from the great advances in psychology and psychiatry while also recognizing the unchanging truths of faith. When psychology tries to entirely dismiss spirituality, or spirituality tries to debunk all psychology, both over step their bounds. And perhaps that is also “where angels fear to tread.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!

What Kids Should Do

Answering five questions about the Jubilee Year

01/13/2025

Mark 1:14-20 After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they left their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

This homily is way overdue but I wanted to respond to some questions swirling around like snow regarding the Jubilee Year, being a Jubilee church, and plenary indulgences. As you know, Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee Year beginning on Dec. 24, 2024 and ending on Jan. 6, 2026, and its title is “Pilgrims of Hope.” Then, Bishop Taylor designated Immaculate Conception in Fort Smith as one of the five “jubilee churches” in Arkansas. This a great honor for us, but also a great responsibility. Now, let me address 5 frequently asked questions about these matters.

First, what must a jubilee church do differently from other churches? Being a jubilee church means we have to provide: (1) regular Mass times (we have Mass every day), (2) frequent opportunities for confession (we have confessions on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday), (3) regular times when the church is open for prayer, and (4) information about plenary indulgences. But jubilee churches are NOT required to designate a “holy door” for people to pass through. All our doors are holy!

Second, how do you obtain a plenary indulgence? There are 5 requirements to get a plenary indulgence. (1) Make a sincere confession; (2) receive Holy Communion in the state of grace not conscious of serious sins; (3) pray for the intentions of the pope and make a profession of faith (read the Creed); (4) make a pilgrimage to a jubilee church, and (5) be completely detached from mortal and venial sins. Notice the unique requirement to make a "pilgrimage" because this jubilee is called “Pilgrims of Hope.”

Third, since I.C. is a jubilee church, can we fulfill the pilgrimage requirement by simply coming to Mass at I.C.? I.C. parishioners fulfill the "letter of the law" (to visit a jubilee church) by coming to Mass here on Sunday. However, we would do better and fulfill "the spirit of the law" by making a pilgrimage and visit either the Cathedral of St. Andrew, or St. Edward Church (Little Rock), St. Joseph Church (Pine Bluff), or St. Mary Church (Helena).

Fourth, what does being completely detached from sin mean? That rigorous detachment from all sin mortal and venial means not only avoiding murder, adultery, and robbing a bank. It also involves a sincere and firm conviction to avoid telling small lies, complaining, procrastinating, wasting time, dressing immodestly, vanity, impatience, not praying frequently, not exercising, etc. Put positively, we should strive to be a saint every moment of our lives.

Fifth, is a plenary indulgence a short-cut to heaven? Here I must correct an exaggeration I made recently. It is not entirely correct to say a plenary indulgence is “ a get out of jail free card” (like I did in a homily a few weeks ago!). Why not? Well, on the one hand, it is true that it remits the punishments due to our sins for which we deserve purgatory.

But on the other hand, more than “get out of purgatory”, if you study the 5 conditions of a plenary indulgence, you discover these are really the necessary conditions to “get into heaven.” In a sense, a plenary indulgence is trying to get us to do our purgatory on earth, and that is why they are not easy, especially being detached from all sins, mortal and venial.

We cannot enter heaven still attached to our sins, bad habits, or vices. Only saints can pass through the Pearly Gates, the true and eternal Holy Doors. Remember the parable of the man who tried to crash a wedding party without the proper wedding garment in Mt 22:13? He was thrown out on his ear because he was not entirely purified and prepared. A plenary indulgence will not get you into heaven without also being a saint.

Let me add a final word about all this, and it is perhaps the most important. Ultimately, Pope Francis’ “Pilgrims of Hope” Jubilee Year and plenary indulgence merely follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, St. Peter, who wrote: “God’s divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion” (2 Pt 1:3).

In other words, we receive that "divine power" for holiness and becoming saints through a sincere reception of the sacraments, especially Mass and confession, which is the real purpose of a plenary indulgence and this Jubilee Year. Wise parents are always just trying to find clever ways to get their kids to do what they should be doing anyway.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Worth All the Points

Exploring how inspired authors play words with friends

01/07/2025

Mark 6:34-44 When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat." He said to them in reply, "Give them some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Are we to buy two hundred days' wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?" He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see." And when they had found out they said, "Five loaves and two fish." So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all.

Have you heard of one of the most popular games to play on your phone or Ipad or tablet called “Words with Friends”? Think of the classic board game called Scrabble but on steroids. Our ladies in the church office talk about it at lunch. One reason this game is so addictive is that you can play up to 40 different games simultaneously, and hook up with friends or even with perfect strangers. If you like toying with words, enjoy engaging with people in your spare time, and want to increase your vocabulary, this is the ideal game for you.

In the gospel today we see that the inspired authors of Scripture also played a sort of “words with friends.” How so? Well, they used different words to convey the central truth of faith that Jesus has come to save us and he saves us by giving us himself in the Eucharist as Bread and Wine.

For instance, today in Mk 6:41 we read about four key words that point to the Eucharist during the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Mark writes: “Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to [his] disciples to set before the people.” The four critical words with friends are taking, blessing, breaking, and giving.

If you skip ahead to the Last Supper, we read in Mk 14:22, “While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them and said, ‘Take it, this is my body.’” In other words, St. Mark is playing a sort of Scriptural “words with friends” and his friends in faith (you and I) will see how much his words count because they touch the central mystery of our faith, namely, the Eucharist. Those 4 words are worth a lot of points.

Another word our inspired Scripture author friends used to spell the Eucharist was where Jesus was born, that is, Bethlehem. You probably know that the etymology of Bethlehem is literally “house of bread.” And it was no accident of history, or merely crowded inns, that caused Jesus to be born in a manger – a feeding trough for animals.

Rather, it was the fulfillment of Micah 5:1, which reads: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah least among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from old, from ancient times.” That is, Micah, one of our “words with friends,” had preprogrammed the hearts and minds of the people of God to expect that the Messiah would one day not only lead us but feed us. This Baby would become Bread, the Eucharist.

Well, you might ask, “What about the word ‘Eucharist’ itself? Where do our inspired friends use that word in the Bible?” I’m so glad you asked! We find it in Mt 26:27, describing Jesus at the Last Supper: “Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you’.” The English words “gave thanks” were originally written in Greek as “eucharistesas,” where we get “eucharist” meaning “giving thanks.”

When I celebrate Mass for my parents in their home on Fridays, after my dad receives Holy Communion, he says: “Thank you, Jesus, for coming to me. Wash away my sins with your Blood.” I think the longer we live and the wiser we get, we will begin to see everything in our life as a gift, especially the Eucharist.

And there will only be one thing left to say in the end: “Thanks,” in Greek “Eucharist.” Have you ever wondered why so many elderly people love going to Mass even during the week? It is not because they are making up for all the Masses they missed when they were young. They have figured out what life is really all about: everything is gift, and our job is just to give thanks.

And here is a final “word with friends” not originally from Greek but from Latin, namely, “Mass.” Where does that word “Mass” originate? It comes from the dismissal at the end of Mass, in Latin, “Ite missa est,” translated as “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” There are other options for the dismissal, like “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” Or, as Deacon Greg likes to say dramatically, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”

But I like this simpler dismissal because that is the way Fr. George Tribou always ended the Mass at Catholic High School. And when I use that form of the dismissal, it reminds me of him, and I feel I carry on a little of his enormous legacy. So this last “word with friends” – the Mass – did not come from an inspired author of Scripture, but from a very inspiring friend and mentor.

Folks, every time we come to church, be ready to play “words with friends” or a spiritual Scrabble on steroids. If you are good at this game you will be able to use words like “take, bless, break, and give,” or “Bethlehem,” or Eucharist,” and even “Mass.” All these words are used by our friends in faith to teach us about the central mystery of our salvation. And that mystery is worth all the points.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Preseason Practice

Seeing similarities in Scripture, spirituality, and sports

01/06/2025

Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:  Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Are you excited about Arkansas Razorback basketball this year since we recruited John Calipari as the new head coach? Even if you are not, the Associated Press was excited and ranked the Razorbacks 23rd in the nation in the preseason polls. But I think that excitement has sobered up since our first regular season game against Tennessee, where we lost 52 – 76.

In other words, in the preseason we just play a lot of warm-up games against easier opponents. It is in the regular season when we meet the giants of the hardcourt and also see what we are really made of. If you step back and survey a college basketball teams annual schedule, you will discover four distinct seasons.

Think about it: first, there is the preseason practice games; second you enter the regular season where every game counts; third you hope to get into the 64-team playoffs (the Big Dance and win like we did in 1994). And fourthly the off-season, where you get a little bit of rest but also do a lot of recruiting to build next year’s team. The hardcourt Hogs just left the easy preseason and entered the brutal regular season and we got our teeth kicked in. It’s the regular season that really matters.

In the gospel today, we read about Jesus moving from the preseason of his ministry as the Messiah into the regular season. What does that mean? The first two lines of today’s gospel from Mt 4:12-13 read: “When [Jesus] heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.”

You see, in the first 3 chapters (and first 11 verses of chapter 4) of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus has been in his preseason. Matthew recounts Jesus’ birth, his baptism by John, and temptation in the desert. But that was all preliminary preseason practice and relatively easy-peasy. Today, at Mt 4:12, Jesus begins the brutal regular season of public ministry, the competition would get a lot harder, and ultimately, Jesus would have more than his teeth kicked in.

In fact, if we step back and survey Matthew’s entire gospel from a bird’s eye view, we see Jesus’ regular season of ministry begins at Mt 4:12 and goes all the way through Mt 25. And in chapters 26 and 27, Jesus enters the postseason playoffs. How so? Well, those two chapters recount the Last Supper and Jesus’ passion and death.

And it looked to most observers that Jesus had lost in the championship game, just like most people thought Duke would beat Arkansas back in 1994. But just like Scotty Thurman hit that 3-point shot to give the Razorbacks the lead, so Jesus’ resurrection showed he finally defeated sin and death. And Matthew’s last chapter, 28, is all about the resurrection and recruiting new disciples, in other words, the off-season.

May I just draw out one application of this big picture approach to Scripture, spirituality, and sports? Each Christian life should also have four distinct seasons, like we see for the Hogs and for Jesus. We have a preseason practice where we learn drills and discipleship going to school or seminary or the convent.

The regular season begins when we choose a vocation: marriage, priesthood, religious life, or the consecrated single life (yes, that’s a real vocation). The playoffs is life after your spouse dies or you retire from active ministry and it can be an extremely grueling and painful period. An elderly friend says: “Getting old ain’t for sissies,” and neither is the playoffs.

And some people may fear death and feel like that means we lost the championship game to the Duke Blue Devils. But “au contraire mon frere!” just as the moment when all looks lost (death), Jesus hits that winning 3-point shot and give us the victor’s crown, that is, the resurrection and eternal life. And that will be infinitely sweeter than winning the NCAA Division I national championship.

Today, too many young people are stuck in the easy preseason practice, and don’t get married till they are 30 or later. Many of our seminarians have had careers and are thus called “delayed vocations.” It can be tempting to stay in the preseason and only play practice games that don’t count. But you were put here on earth to get into the regular season.

And the elderly can feel that what they do as widows or in retirement doesn’t matter, or they are just wasting time. But they are in the playoffs. And it’s time to buckle down spiritually because every game matters and you should finish strong. Every team give it their all, and their best, in the playoffs.

So, yes, I am excited about the hardcourt Hogs’ season under Coach Calipari, even if we did taste blood in our mouth after the first game. And I am excited about the regular season of Christian life even if we get knocked down a few times. As John Shedd said in 1928, “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Three Wiser Women

Giving an update on the I.C. capital campaign

01/05/2025

Matthew 2:1-12 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod,  behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

I saw a cartoon recently that put a whole new spin on the visit of the 3 wise men from the east, the feast we celebrate today, the Epiphany. As you would expect, the cartoon depicted Mary and Joseph kneeling prayerfully next to Baby Jesus in swaddling clothes in his manger.

But standing on the other side of the manger were three women who were dressed conspicuously like the counter-parts of the 3 wise men. One woman stretched forth her hands with a gift and said, “Fresh diapers.” The second woman showed her gifts and declared, “Casseroles for the week.”

And the third woman smiled and revealed her gift and said, “Lots of baby formula.” The caption below the cartoon read: “After the three Wise Men left, the three Wiser Woman arrived.” In other words, the cartoon was contrasting the practical gifts of the wiser women against the symbolic but impractical gifts of the wise men, namely, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

After all, what practical value were the gifts of the wise men? You cannot eat or drink them if you were hungry, you cannot wear them if you’re cold, and you sure don’t want to get any myrrh in your diaper! And yet, their impractical gifts were symbols of faith, and faith is the best gift we can ever give Jesus. Indeed, faith is the only gift Jesus wants (or even needs) from us.

Today I want to give you an update on our “Yesterday, Today, and Forever Campaign.” And in some surprising ways all our projects resemble either the gifts of the 3 wise men, or the gifts of 3 wiser women. How so? Well, the centerpiece project of our campaign is a new back altar where we will place the tabernacle so Jesus will be in the front and center of our sanctuary.

And when you compare this altar project with the other useful and necessary projects, it appears very impractical, extravagant, and maybe even a waste of money. But this altar is ultimately a gift of faith; in a sense, a manger made of marble for the Baby Jesus to sleep on.

As you can see on the list of YTF campaign projects for the church, the new back altar was estimated to cost $200,000 but hopefully it will come in a little less than that. It is being built with marble in Italy and should arrive by the end of January. The first weeks of February, therefore, you will see some construction behind the main altar while it is being installed.

Another impractical but faith-filled gift is the new statue of St. Patrick that will arrive and be installed at the same time as the altar in early February. We would not enjoy worshipping in this magnificent Gothic church were it not for the faith and sacrifices of the intrepid Irish who founded I.C. church in 1843. In other words, the altar and statue are like the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They are impractical but important.

Now let me share the projects that are more like the “fresh diapers, casseroles, and baby formula”, that is, the practical, down-to-earth, common sense projects that we need very much. Projects we have already completed (or almost finished) are (1) refurbishing the pews and the new kneeler pads. (2) We upgrades to the stairwell in St. Anne’s Convent.

(3) We bought a new A/C unit at the Youth Building. And over at Apollo’s house (where we priests also live), (4) we’ve painted the outside trim. (5) We repaired the mortar in the chimney and basement walls so the rectory won't collapse. And (6) we installed a new fence for Apollo. All combined, these “church projects” cost $213,062.

In the past 9 months since we started the YTF Campaign, we have completed 7 school projects on the other side of Rogers Avenue: (1) laying new flooring in the offices and teachers’ lounge, (2) water-proofing the exterior walls, (3) installing no-touch toilets which use less water, (4) adding a new preschool classroom and bathrooms, (5) painting the gymnasium, (6) painting the auditorium and installing new ceiling tiles, and (7) erecting a new cooling tower.

The total cost of these 7 school projects came to $343,217. The total amount we have spent so far, therefore, is $556,279. That is over half-a-million dollars! But the good news is we have raised in pledges and donations $1,493,000, and we did that in just 9 months!

By the way, what is just as impressive is that our parishioners have continued to tithe generously so we can still pay our normal bills. So, the YTF Campaign so far has raised almost $1.5 million more than you already give every Sunday. You can see on our list of projects that we still have some big ticket items, like a new roof on the school, and a new roof on the parish center and gymnasium.

So, if you have not made a pledge or one-time gift, please consider doing so. Maybe you are like the 3 wise men and want to give a symbolic, impractical gift of faith. Or perhaps you are more like the 3 wiser women and want to give a more useful, necessary gift. Regardless of your gift, just don’t come empty handed to visit the manger.

Jesus warmly welcomes all gifts, no matter their size, cost, or value. And the best gift you can give Jesus is the gift of your faith. Why? Because then, the Baby Jesus will give you the greatest gift of all, namely, Himself, which he does at every Eucharist. That is, every Eucharist is like a little Christmas gift-exchange.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

God’s Go-Betweens

Seeing how God uses creatures and creation to come to us

01/01/2025

Luke 2:16-21 The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

I came across this meme on social media last week that gets to the heart of today’s solemnity called "Mary, the Mother of God." And before I share it, let me apologize for its polemical tone. It sounds a little argumentative. But my purpose is not to criticize our Protestant brothers and sisters, but rather, I only want to comprehend better what we Catholics believe.

The meme stated this: “Protestants have a problem when Catholics go to Jesus through Mary. They claim we should go directly to Him. Now, we can go directly to Jesus, and we don’t negate that. What they do not realize is that God did not come directly to us. He chose to come to us through Mary. His ways are better than our ways.”

Can you hear the implicit polemic? But we Catholics should not be trying to “one-up” the Protestants. Nonetheless, the meme does state something very true, namely, God always uses go-betweens when he deals with us human beings. In the Old Testament, God sent the angels, or the prophets, and in the New Testament he comes through his own Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Look at it this way. Even the human flesh that Jesus took for his human nature came from Mary, his mother. Jesus did not manufacture his human nature out of thin air, but out of a woman. Now, no doubt Jesus was fully masculine, still I cannot help but think he had his mother’s eyes, or perhaps his mother’s smile, or maybe his mother’s habits of prayer, like we hear in the gospel today: “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” Jesus often spent the whole night in profound prayer.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote in his masterful book, “The Life of Christ,” these insightful lines: “When the Divine Child was conceived, Mary’s humanity gave Him hands and feet, eyes and ears, and a body with which to suffer” (p. 24). By the way, the first occasion when Jesus would shed his precious Blood was not on Good Friday, but today, 8 days after his birth, when he was circumcised, which we also heard in today’s gospel.

In other words, the Jewish ritual of circumcision at the hands of a Jewish priest was sort of a preview of coming attractions, namely, when 33 years later other Jewish priests would incite the crowds on Good Friday to chant, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” The same body Jesus received from Mary that first suffered under the knife of circumcision was later was thrust through with a lance hanging limp on the Cross.

You see, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity could have come down in all the splendor and majesty of his eternal Godhead and snapped his divine fingers to save us, but he didn’t do that. He came to us through Mary. And in this respect, nothing has changed in the last 2,000 years. God continues to come to us through his creation and his creatures.

For example, in the Eucharist, Jesus comes in the disguise of Bread and Wine. He borrows the lips of silly and sinful priests to utter the words of consecration so that every altar becomes a new Bethlehem. The Son of God is born again to save us, not as a Baby but as Bread.

And what is the Holy Bible itself if not another go-between for God to come to us? In fact, the Bible closely parallels Mother Mary. Protestants revere the Bible like Catholics revere Mary. Protestants don't worship the Bible, and Catholics do not worship Mary. Protestants believe the Bible is inerrant (without errors), likewise Catholics believe Mary is without sin (without moral errors).

Protestants carry their Bibles everywhere they go, like we Catholics carry Mary’s rosary. In other words, both are simply God’s go-betweens, because that is how God invariably prefers to come to us and save us. Protestants and Catholics have a lot more in common than we think.

Today on January 1st, we stand on the threshold of a new year, indeed, a Jubilee Year, because it occurs every 25 years like an anniversary. And like her Son, Jesus, we too should learn Mary’s habits of prayer and “reflect on these things in our hearts.” Reflect on what things? Well, reflect on how God comes to save us.

Perhaps that would be a perfect New Year’s resolution: take time for prayer and ponder how God loves to use go-betweens in his work of salvation. Heck, maybe in 2025 God wants to use YOU as his go-between to save others. All you have to do is say like Mary, “Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum” (be it done to me according to your word), and you too can become a God-bearer.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Two Hours Traffic

Appreciating John’s prologue and our personal prologues

12/31/2024

Jn 1:1-18 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light  of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

One of the unique features of Shakespeare’s plays is the introductory prologue. Serious students of Shakespeare know there is a lot to learn from those first few lines. For example, listen to the opening 15 verses of the familiar play, “Romeo and Juliet.” “Two households, both alike in dignity, / (In fair Verona, where we lay our scene), / Where ancient grudge break to new mutiny, / Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.”

“From forth the fatal loins of these two foes / A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; / Whose misadventures piteous overthrows / Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife. / The fearful passage of their death-marked love / And the continuance of their parents’ rage, / Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove, / Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage; / the which, if you with patient ears attend, / What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.”

Did you catch all that? Because if you did, you would not have to read the rest of the play. Why not? Well, because the prologue basically touches all the themes you will hear in the play: two feuding families, two star-crossed lovers, their untimely deaths, and the healing of this ancient family rivalry. The prologue, therefore, is the whole play in a nutshell, in this case, in 15 verses.

In the gospel today, St. John takes a page out of Shakespeare’s playbook (pun intended), and introduces the traffic of his entire 21 chapter gospel in the first 18 verses. John touches the main themes he will develop, such as, light and darkness, the Word of God, the testimony of St. John the Baptist, being born again, God’s glory, the Son of God.

In other words, just as Shakespeare prepared his readers for the two hours' traffic of his stage, so John prepares his readers for the 21 chapter traffic of his gospel. Prologues serve as powerful introductions and should not be overlooked or brushed aside quickly, but rather scrutinized closely and studied assiduously.

My friends, I would suggest to you that each of us has a personal prologue in our lives. What do I mean? Well, psychologists tell us that the first seven years of a person’s life are intensely programmatic because in those initial years we develop our basic character and the rough contours of our personalities. Our life experiences in our first seven years essentially tell us what kind of person we will be and what kind of life we can expect to live.

The ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, said, “Give me a child until he is 7, and I will show you the man.” So, today, at the end of 2024, let me invite you to go back in your mind’s eye and through your memory banks and carefully study your own personal prologue, the first seven years of your life. Who you are today was already preprogrammed in those introductory years, like we see in Shakespeare’s and St. John’s powerful prologues.

If I might use myself as a guinea pig, let me share some of my personal prologue. I was raised in India and lived my first seven years in the capital city New Delhi. Even though most of my memories are sketchy, those early childhood experiences made me the man you hear talking to you today.

For example, Indian society, at least in the early 1970’s, was deeply structured in the caste system. People were born, grew up, and died either as the untouchables, lower, middle, or the highest priestly caste. No wonder I wanted to become a priest! Another theme those first seven years touched upon was the traumatic move from India to the United States. It was traumatic but also taught me a great truth: all things are fragile, and finally we lose them. But God alone endures forever.

In the prologue of my life I woke up to the eternal existence of God, and simultaneously, the fickle existence of everything else. No wonder I find myself irresistibly drawn to what is enduring or even classical, like Shakespeare’s plays, and I turn my nose up at fashions and fad that come and go. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen once remarked: “Marry this age, and you become a widow in the next.”

Folks, go back and reread St. John’s Prologue because that brilliant saint has wisely prepared you to hear the rest of his gospel. And then go back and review your own personal prologue, the first seven years of your life. More than you yourself, the Holy Spirit is the Author of your life, and there he too touches the main themes you will see for the 80 or 90 years’ traffic of your life.

Praised be Jesus Christ!