Monday, December 6, 2021

St Nicholas -- 6 Dec 2021: A Reflection

The readings from Mass today include a section from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah:

            Here is your God,

                he comes with vindication;

            With divine recompense

                he comes to save you.


The psalm (85) includes:

        Truth shall spring out of the earth,

            and justice shall look down from heaven.


And, the Gospel (from St Luke) contains the question:

Who but God alone can forgive sins?


Jesus, the living bread come down from heaven, the way the truth and the life, who is one with the Father, the Son of Man, has the authority on Earth to forgive sins.

The passage from Isaiah is fulfilled in Christ, because HERE IS OUR GOD, who come to saves us.  The psalm is fulfilled in Christ's resurrection and ascension because he who is the Truth has sprung out of the tomb, out of the Earth.  And He who is our justice has ascended into heaven where he looks down upon heaven and earth.

And even more telling the passage about God is fulfilled that says He speaks and worlds are created.  You see, Jesus says to the paralyzed man "rise, pick up your stretcher and go home."  The Gospel then says:

He stood up immediately before them,
picked up what he had been lying on,
and went home, glorifying God. 


We have seen incredible things today.  Yes who would believe what we have heard?  To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

A new world was created, a paralyzed man rose and walked.





Thursday, June 24, 2021

The Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist

 In the Office of the Readings for today, 24 June, the non-biblical reading is portion of a sermon by St Augustine where he contrasts Jesus, the word of God, with John, a voice crying in the wilderness:

John was born of a woman too old for childbirth;  Christ was born of a youthful virgin.


Along this line of thought I offer you a poem entitled Voice and Verb:


Children sing tra la tra lay

The meaning lost not found

Empty sounds fill hallowed grounds 

and echo back all day


Passion plays are full of sound

Yet meaning passes on

One, not Juan, a mother's son

From heav'n to earth did bound


Voices carry sound upon

the wind, to distant ears

Welling tears surpassing fears

for hearts so full of song


Verb is keening yet it sears

A heart to mark its' place

Amazing grace, the long embrace

will kiss away your tears