June 24, 2018

Nativity of St. John the Baptist M49: 1-6; Acts 13: 22-26; Luke 1:57-66, 80 The readings ask today if I experience the hand of God in my life? I hesitate in replying..I could say ‘no’ from the outset…I could express my uncertainty…I could just say I need more time in reflecting on this. So now more questions: Do I regard my birth as something special? In thinking on this, and realizing that I am not a parent, I perhaps would respond differently than parents reading this blog. They would not look to deeply at their own birth, but I’m sure they remember in detail the birth days and events surrounding each of their children. Often parents put themselves down as they reflect on God’s gift to them seen in their children. How do I look at my birth…is it something special? I would say it is special because every birth is special. Each person is created in love by God to be love. Each day of my priesthood has confirmed this over and over again. That means that each person has been created to be on a ‘mission’ from God. It is that important. Do I focus on this? Do I believe this? Do I want to reflect on this at all? So many would say, no. I would do this too, but the reflection is necessary to get in touch with God in my life. Today’s readings, especially the first reading from Isaiah, have tremendous insights for each person. Isaiah is considered the greatest of the prophets. He had witnessed the collapse of the northern kingdom in the eighth century B.C. to Assyria. Twenty years later Isaiah received his call from God to the prophetic office in the Temple of Jerusalem; this is found in his sixth chapter. The Catholic Study Bible summarizes this call: “The vision of the Lord enthroned in glory stamps an indelible character on Isaiah’s ministry and provides the key to the understanding of his message. The majesty, holiness and glory of the Lord took possession of his spirit and, conversely, he gained a new awareness of human pettiness and sinfulness. The enormous abyss between God’s sovereign holiness and man’s sin overwhelmed the prophet. Only the purifying coal of the seraphim could cleanse his lips and prepare him for acceptance of the call: ‘Here I am, send me!’” In the later chapters Isaiah gives poems about an unnamed servant “whose mysterious destiny of suffering and glorification is fulfilled in the passion and glorification of Christ.” Todays reading comes from what is known as the Second Servant Song. “Listen…” I go back to my parents and how they got my attention: ‘listen to me…stop what you’re doing and pay attention…this is important’…I listened; the oracle calls us to do the same. “The Lord called me from birth…” Before my parents were married ninety years ago and before I was conceived, God was actively involved. I was not an accident. I’m part of God’s plan. Did I know this?…No. I have come to discover that I have been way more than honored to be a part of God’s plan for the world’s salvation. Over time I have been a witness to love, forgiveness, mercy, compassion, healing. People have been touched by this which means they are being touched directly by God who is love. And God knew this would happen with each of these many individuals and God is gracious and pleased. This is the same for every person. When I love, others are loved, which is God’s love. My parents celebrated my birth and baptism. ‘What name to you give your child?’ There’s more to this question than what they planned to call me. What dreams did my parents have for me? The parents reading this: what dreams did you have for your children? How did these dreams align up with God’s plans? God called me and every time I pray He knows it is me since He knows my voice. Am I aware of God’s voice? “You are My servant, He said to me, Israel, through whom I show My glory.” What does it mean to be God’s servant? Do I consider myself ‘top dog’ or do I realize I have been called and this calling involves being what God needs of me, The Christian calling is one that has high expectation. Long before my parents started looking through books of baby names, each child is a child of God. “Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, spent my strength, yet my reward is with the Lord…” God is a gracious God. The name ‘John’ means, ‘The Lord is gracious’. Why is this so? God’s plan, what He told the disciples, who missed it…what he announced through Isaiah and the prophets was being fulfilled. The plan was to restore His people…to bring them life…to let His love flow freely on them… It is God’s plan. It is all about God. God sent John the Baptist to help the people to get ready and be prepared for Jesus, the Messiah. John’s birth was miraculous…so was mine…so is each person’s…a gift from God. John’s dad, Zechariah had doubted God’s messenger. By the time John was born, his heart had been thoroughly changed. He had been full of self-reliance, now he relied on God alone. That happens to each person when we realize it is about God and not about me. And what does God do? “…and I am made glorious in the sight of the Lord..I will make you a light to the nations, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” God loves us…Jesus said this, demonstrated it, lived it by His total love. He told us that God wants to save us, to lift us up into His presence. He shares ALL His graces with us if we will just believe and let God in and be seen through us. I have been called. Each person has been called. Am I listening? Do I respond? Reflecting on the Word from Living the Word says: “Most of us are not prophets like John and Isaiah. Called from our mothers’s wombs, we are formed to be servants of God, to announce the gospel of the Lord. Our lives herald Jesus Christ when we imprint the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, in our words, actions, and attitudes. Meeting us, people meet Jesus. Seeing us, they see Jesus. Encountering us, they encounter Jesus the Christ. By living Jesus, we prepare and point the way to the Lord, like John. Open your ears to hear God’s will. Open your mouths and let God free your tongue to proclaim the Gospel. Allow the hand of God to calm your fears and give you the confidence and trust that Zechariah and Elizabeth exhibited. Then praise God that you have been wonderfully made to imprint the gospel with your life.” So I reflect on: • Do I stop and reflect on the ways in which I announce the gospel of the Lord? • When I think of myself as God’s servant, how do I look at my accomplishments? • What is God’s message of salvation? What must I do to accept this? How do I help others do this? • What message do I bring to others by my words and example? • Who has pointed the way to Jesus for Me? Sacred Space 2018 states: “Today we celebrated the birth of John the Baptist. Like many Old Testament figures who played an important role in the history of our salvation, John is born to a sterile woman, in her old age. Our salvation is all God’s work. Our world is too self-sufficient to admit we need a savior, but perhaps the present situation—with so much violence and pain—may move more of us to ask God to save us. ‘’Indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.’ I certainly do not have such an important mission as John, but whatever I am being called to do, I know that the hand of the Lord is with me. I thank God for His powerful presence in my life, and i ask Him to strengthen my faith.