Jun 18, 2020
Gospel Reflection
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body.”
(Mathew 10:26-35).
Reflection: The entire Church is missionary
During his public life Jesus commissioned the apostles to preach the Good News to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and after his resurrection his commission was to preach to Gospel to the ends of the earth. And in the Church’s history the main emphasis on mission has been that by specially chosen persons. This may overlook another mission there from the beginning, one given to all believers. Christ told his first followers, before the choice of the Twelve, that they were the salt of the earth and then light of the world, and that their light should shine before others so that they give glory to their Father in heaven.
Peter in his epistle (1 Peter 3:15-16) told his readers to be always be ready to make their defence to anyone who demands from them an account of the hope that is in them; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. This is a missionary activity. He also told them (2:9) that they are chosen by God as a royal priesthood and holy nation to proclaim the mighty acts of God. The Church, the people of God, has been missionary through its missionary priests and through the financial and other support it provided for the missions. The Church in our own day, in the Vatican Council, and later, has become aware of the mission of the Church as a whole, as God’s people, to the world of our day. As the Council document on Missionary activity puts it, the Church on earth is by its very nature missionary, since according to the plan of the Father, it has its origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit to communicate the love of God to all individuals and to all peoples, and by reason of this it is aware that for her a tremendous missionary work still remains to be done. There is a growing disbelief in God and an active movement of atheism.
Believers are missionary by their knowledge of the riches of their Christian inheritance and by a life in keeping with it.
They should be aware of the profound transformation which is talking place among nations, and work hard so that modern men and women are not turned away from the things of God by an excessive preoccupation with modern science and technology.
Fr Martin McNamara MSC
May 12, 2020
Gospel Reflection
“I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate”
The Gospel (John 14:15-21)
Writing to the Romans (Romans 8:14) Paul says:
“All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God”.
The Sunday readings today stress the part played by the Holy Spirit in the lives of individual believers and of the Christian community. It is by the laying on of the hands of the Apostles that the Holy Spirit came on the believers in the Samaritan town converted by Philip. It is the Spirit of the risen Christ that gave confidence to the believers during their trials, referred to in the letter of Peter. It is the Holy Spirit that Jesus promises to send on his followers as a second advocate, defender, comforter. In our own day the Holy Spirit gives the certainty of faith in Jesus to the individual believer, belief in a world unseen. The Holy Spirit gives consolation of soul, and the joy and peace which Jesus promised before he left. The Holy Spirit guides us as believers to live in keeping with the Gospel message, with purity of heart and with a religious attitude that takes the directions for one’s life from heaven, from Jesus, from the Church, rather than from a worldly secular attitude that does not believe in another world or accept direction from it.
Another thought worthy of reflection arising from today’s Gospel reading is the opposition and contest that there was, and always will be, between Jesus himself, his followers, and the other forces which the Gospel calls “the world”, that is those who were not ready to accept his person or his message, and who maintained, or will maintain, that they had been victorious over Jesus, that he and all he stood for were conquered by his death on the cross. Jesus assured his followers that the Paraclete, that Advocate, the Holy Spirit, that he was to send would convince his followers (and convict “the world”) that the contrary was the case. They should take courage; Jesus had conquered the world. Those forces working against Jesus and his work are still active.
We need not enter in any further detail into this question here, but to recall that in this continuing contest, Jesus and his Father are also active through the Holy Spirit, the Advocate and Comforter. However, we may mention that an obvious example of the ongoing contest between the forces contrary to Jesus is active atheism, and the movement “Atheist Ireland” actively engaged in an effort to destroy belief in God, with special emphasis on vilifying the Catholic Church, attempting to remove any influence of Catholic, that is Christian, religion from public life and the teaching of religion inn primary schools. Today’s Gospel and liturgical readings call for a response on at least two points, namely to recall Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit that gives confidence to the conscience of each believer that he, Jesus, has “conquered the world”, all opposing forces, and gives confidence and peace in believing, and secondly not to forget the advice of St Peter in the Second reading today: have a good knowledge of your religion
“Always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that is in you; but give it with courtesy and respect”.
Fr Martin McNamara MSC
Mar 10, 2020
Gospel Reflection
A spring of water welling up to eternal life.
The Gospel (John 4:5-42).
The theme of water is central to the first reading and the Gospel reading today. Water slakes thirst in the present life and can point to water of another order that looks forward to future fulfilment. In this journey through life and history, faith in the source of living water is a requirement. Our reflection on the reading can combine a little of historical background to the Gospel text, leading into reflection on the central role of faith.
This Gospel text is a rather lengthy reading containing different themes. Central ones are the Samaritan woman, the well and water. In Jesus’ day there was deep enmity between Jews and the Samaritans, who were regarded by the Jews as heretics and not part of the Jewish people at all. The Samaritans, however, regarded themselves as part of the family of the patriarch Jacob, and were awaiting the advent of a messiah, whose nature and mission remain unclear. A noted well in the area was connected with the patriarch Jacob. In the text as John presents it, the episodes in this reading function at two levels – this earthly one, and at a spiritual level, to which the earthly ones point. Thus, the water from the well is a symbol of the water that Jesus will give his followers, welling up to eternal life, that is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Samaritans worshipped at their own sacred site and the Jews at their Temple in Jerusalem, which led Jesus to speak of the coming age when both these would be irrelevant, and God would be worshipped in Spirit and in truth — everywhere.. His own hunger gives Jesus an opportunity to speak of his intense desire, his hunger, to complete the work the Father had given him, with the sowing of the Gospel seed and the ensuing harvest.
Reflection & Dialogue with today’s world: Christian hope brings certainty.
A common feature of the world in which we live is doubt in matters relating to faith, doubt about elements of moral teaching, about truths of faith, even at times about the very existence of God. An assertion of a certain philosophy, prevalent today, is that there is no certainty on anything. All we can have is speculation, guesswork, rather than certainty, opinions that vary from age to age.
An atmosphere of this sort adds to the difficulties on religious observance. Such doubt on fundamental matters is completely contrary to the teaching of the faith in matters relating to truths concerning this life and the life to come. Christian faith is thus described in the Epistle to the Hebrews (11:1): “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen” (NRSV). Two of the terms used there call for our reflection: assurance, conviction.
The assurance and conviction spoken of in this verse are not psychological attitudes of souls rooted in the human mind or soul. They refer instead to the divine, theological, virtue of hope, a gift from God that gives conviction which is beyond that which human nature can provide. This assurance and certainty bring with them a peace of soul, the peace which Jesus has granted to believers, and a peace that no one can take from them.
Fr Martin McNamara MSC
Feb 15, 2020
Gospel Reflection
You have learned how it was said to our ancestors;
but I say this to you.
The Gospel (Matthew 5:17-37).
In this reading he gives a new understanding of the commandments believed to have been revealed to Moses on Sinai, and he does this with authority, implicitly placing himself above Moses. He brings out deeper implications of the commandments. To take some examples: With regard to the commandment “You shall not kill (murder)” – murder was a most serious sin, even blasphemy since it destroyed the image of God in a human person. Jesus goes beyond the negative “You shall not” to the positive, highlighting the regard and esteem in which the human person should be held, and the actions deriving from this: forgiveness and reconciliation, absence of anger and insulting nicknames, such as Raca (an obscure term of abuse), fool or renegade. (These terms of abuse must have been considered very insulting in the original Aramaic setting, given the severe punishment attached.) Jesus goes beyond adultery, to impure thoughts and desires. He goes beyond the permission to divorce to a complete ban on divorce; beyond the permission and practice of taking oaths to advice to avoid all oaths, and lead a simple life where one’s word should be sufficient guarantee. Jesus’ purpose in all this is made clear at the end of this comparison with “those of ancient times”, when he says:
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”
In Sirach’s (Ecclesiasticus’, from which first reading is taken) day the question was implicitly put: “Can we keep the commandments”, and answered categorically in the positive by that sage. Similar questions have been put with regard to the Sermon on the Mount, and indeed with regard to many tenets of Catholic moral teaching. Indeed many have complained that the teaching of part of today’s Gospel reading, from the passage “Do not kill” down to “Do not commit adultery. In this context the words of Dostoevsky’s Grand Inquisitor are recalled, to the effect that “Jesus judged humanity too highly”, for “it was created weaker and lower than Christ thought”. With regard to this we may note that this reading, apart from the ban on divorce, is not a law code. Rather is it a presentation of the nature of the kingdom of God, of Christ’s kingdom, and of the perfection to which those within it are called. The passage clearly states that with Jesus a new age has come, and his followers are called to be witnesses to this new age in their way of life. Another matter discussed today is whether we can live in keeping with the Gospel message, or with the morality as taught by the Church. Christ was once addressed a similar question, to which he replied:
“For God all things are possible”.
Fr Martin McNamara MSC
Jan 18, 2020
Gospel Reflection
Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
The Gospel (John 1:29-34)
This is the Second Sunday of the Three Year Liturgical cycle, Year 1 (A) of the cycle, in which the Gospel readings will be from the Gospel of Matthew. But this will only begin next Sunday. We are still under the liturgical influence of the Feast of the Epiphany. Three great manifestations were recalled by the Church for the liturgy of the Feast of the Epiphany: on Epiphany itself the manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles (the Magi), at the Baptism the manifestation by the Father’s voice, and on the Sunday after this (Second of the Yearly Cycle), Jesus’ manifestation of his glory at Cana. In the earlier liturgy, the narrative of the wedding feast at Cana was read on this the second Sunday of each year. It is now read on the Third Year (C) of the cycle while other manifestations from the Baptism period, as in John’s Gospel, are read in years one and two (A and B) of the cycle.
“The Spirit will be given as a gift to the Church by Jesus.”
Thus, in today’s reading we are in the Jordan area with John the Baptist, and the text speaks of the Baptist’s witness concerning his own status and his witness to Jesus. In the Fourth Gospel, there is no account of the actual baptism of Jesus by John, as there is in the other three gospels. Yet this reading tells of what happened there. John calls Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, as if one great sin were involved in the many sins. Jesus is described as the Lamb led to the slaughter of Isaiah (53:7), and as the Passover Lamb offered up each year. By his death he will take away the sin of the world. In this Epiphany, the Baptist manifests Jesus to the world, detailing also the essential detail of his baptism at the Jordan: the Spirit coming down on Jesus and remaining on him. He stresses this point by repeating it, an emphasis in keeping with that of the other three Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. This same Spirit will be given as a gift to the Church by Jesus.
Fr Martin McNamara MSC
Dec 14, 2019
Gospel Reflection
Jesus Christ, the cause of our joy.
Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?
The Gospel (Matthew 11:2-11)
In that Gospel passage, John, the precursor of the One who was to come, proclaimed that One to Come would have the winnowing-fan in his hand to separate good from evil and burn the wicked (chaff) in the fire. Jesus, proclaimed by him as the One who was to come, was doing the direct opposite, a friend of the marginalized and of those reckoned as sinners by the godly. On hearing in prison of what Jesus was doing, John had doubts about Jesus, and this explains sending the messengers with John’s query. In his reply, Jesus lists his actions one by one, all the fulfilment of prophecies, especially those listed in Isaiah chapter 35 (today’s first reading), and in other places in the book of Isaiah (26:19, the dead; 29:18, the deaf; 61:1, the good news to the poor). Jesus’ message for the new age was one of hope, of joy, which fits in nicely with the central theme of today’s liturgy.
Traditionally, this third Sunday of Advent was known as “Gaudete Sunday” from the opening word Gaudete, “Rejoice” in the Latin Entrance Antiphon: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice. Indeed the Lord is near”. In one sense, the basis for rejoicing is the nearness of the Lord. Some biblical scholars believe that the “nearness” in question refers to the second coming of Christ – a point by no means clear. In any event, Christian joy is not founded on belief and expectation of the second coming of Christ. Together with peace, it is a gift from Christ. This joy is a gift that no one can take from believers in Christ (John 16:22). Jesus’ desire is that believers may have his joy made complete in themselves (John 17:13). He told his disciples to rejoice and be glad when people revile them and persecute them and slander them for his sake, and Paul and his early Christians so rejoiced.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say Rejoice. The Lord is near.”
All this may appear to be too theoretical, with little or no bearing on any dialogue with the world in which we live. This is not quite the case. If joy is a gift from Christ it is active in the entire life of believers, not just in religious affairs. The Church currently is kept aware of the scandals and weaknesses within her, but believers know that with the grace of God she is being purified and these will become a thing of the past. Christian joy comes from belief in God who is ever present. When we look around us we can perceive joy – joy at sport events, at football matches where one’s favourite team is supported, but in case of defeat there is no recrimination for something that is but a game. This is evidence of joy and peace. There is joy in conversation, over a drink, with “craic” and music, and in many of the ordinary events of life. And in times of trouble there can also be joy, in the belief that God is near and will see us through. These are a few of the thoughts worth reflecting on on this “Rejoicing” Sunday – recalling St Paul’s words: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say Rejoice. The Lord is near”.
Fr Martin McNamara MSC
