Feast of the Presentation of the Lord_A - My Messenger_020220

Deacon Tom Writes,

“My Messenger”

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Year A

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” as the saying goes. In today’s first reading the Prophet Malachi speaks of another messenger whose anticipated arrival was awaited with much desire by the Jewish people. Malachi writes that this mysterious person will be pleasing to the Lord and will purge every tinge of imperfection from his priests and his people. He will fulfill the covenant and be swift to judge with justice. Malachi writes that “You will find him in the temple”.

While our Christmas season has faded into the past, our feast today celebrates the Jewish ritual in which the first-born male born was presented in the Temple as a sacred offering to the Lord. What a thought! The most precious gift we receive from God is symbolically offered back to the Lord, the source of all that we have… and all that we are.

How our faith really challenges us! God’s messenger, God’s Word, God’s revelation of himself to his creation was manifested in such a fully recognizable and human experience, a child….  a vulnerable, needy, dependent, infant in whom lies the salvation of a broken world.

The Feast we celebrated today calls to mind our need to present ourselves to the Lord; that we are called to offer our very being and the work of our hands to do what God asks of us in bringing about the Kingdom of God here in our time, where we work and live and go about our daily tasks. 

Jesus enters into the human family in an ordinary way, subjects himself to the rites and rituals of the Jewish faith in order to fully embrace our human condition. Throughout his ministry, Jesus continues to draw closer to the Father and discerns what is God’s Will for him. And, by so doing, Jesus becomes for us the “The Way, the Truth and the Life.”

The Prophets Simeon and Anna tell Jesus’ wonder struck parents somewhat of the foreboding road that lies ahead… there will be challenges for their child to overcome, there will be pain and suffering for him and them, too. Isn’t that the story of life? Perhaps that’s why God’s Messenger begins his story where we all do, an infant. May our journey through this life, like Jesus’ follow the path God has laid out for us. And may we follow his example and place our hope and trust in him.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

The Epiphany of the Lord_A - God's Wonderful Plan_010520

Deacon Tom Writes,

“God’s Wonderful Plan”

The Epiphany of the Lord, Year A

As we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany today we recall God’s immense love for his people that gave rise to his taking upon himself our human natures so as to become one with us and claims us as his own. The Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer we hear today tells us how the Father “revealed the mystery of our salvation in Christ as the light of the nations…” This light dawned on that first Christmas day when Mary gave birth to her Son Jesus, who is both Son of God… and Son of Mary.

It was difficult for the Jews of Christ’s time to understand that God willed salvation for everyone; that salvation was not reserved for the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob alone. True, God revealed himself through the Jewish people, but God intended Christ’s redemptive work to be shared by ALL.

This Feast we enjoy today celebrates the reality that God has not restricted or limited the saving work of Jesus Christ. It is through this revealing Christ to the world that God, again, in the words of today’s Preface, “you made us new by the glory of his (i.e. Christ’s) immortal nature.” What an encouraging thought in light of the many challenges we face today…that we can tap into this newness of life and love that Christ offers each of us.

None of us have the power to change things very much on a global scale. But, each of us can do something to show that we have been renewed and animated by Christ’s love and presence in our lives. We can do little things that make a big difference in the lives of the people we encounter every day. We can pray for one another; we can visit someone mourning the loss of a loved one. We can show that we have been renewed by Christ’s love whenever we visit a sick friend, welcome a stranger, give hope to the despairing, write a card or make a call to someone immobilized by old age or illness. We, ourselves, are renewed whenever we are animated as a member of the Body of Christ to be stewards of God’s grace or give witness to God’s transformative power by telling others how God has transformed our lives. We are renewed each time we realize God’s wonderful plan is to make all things new, even us.  Yes, our destiny is to be remade in the image of Christ… “to put on the new self, created in God's way in righteousness and holiness of truth”(EPH 4:24).

Have a wonder-filled New Year experiencing God’s love and sharing that love with others every day of the year!

Deacon Tom