News - December 2022 RSS Feed

That is my feeling as we begin 2023! At the start of this year, my thoughts go back to 1973 - a very significant year in my life and, as it turned out, in the life of our country as well. Some explanation is called for here...

"What is today again?" We might be tempted to ask that because the liturgical feast celebrated on January 1 has seen multiple changes and titles over the years. At various times it has been called: The Circumcision of the Lord; The Octave of the Nativity of the Lord; and The World Day of Prayer for Peace. In 1969, January 1 became known as "The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, and also the commemoration of the Most Holy Name of Jesus" - quite a mouthful!  Since 2002, however, the Name of Jesus is celebrated as an optional memorial on January 3. The fact is, January 1 has an ancient history of being a day to honor Our Blessed Lady.

The video series "The Chosen" is an interesting perspective on the gospel - an effective blend of Scripture and dramatic fiction. One scene that I found especially moving shows St. John writing the beginning of his gospel, which is what we hear at Mass today: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John, whose symbol is the eagle, wanted to soar into the very height of the Godhead, the inner life of the Trinity, to start his account of the life and ministry of Jesus - the Word made flesh.

The season of Advent, obviously, is very much concerned with the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Fourth Sunday of Advent is in particular. Today's liturgy seems to have a distinctive Marian quality. We hear Isaiah's prophecy about a virgin conceiving and bearing a son, whom she will call Emmanuel. Today's gospel cites these words and proclaims them fulfilled in the Virgin Mary.

On this Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday, we hear about messianic signs - signs that the Messiah will work. The first reading from Isaiah prophesies these and Jesus specifies in the gospel that he is indeed fulfilling them. So we can and should rejoice that Jesus the Messiah has come, and will come again.