January 28 2024.  Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

​

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading . . .

GOSPEL Mark 1:21-28

Then they came to Capernaum,
and on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said,
“Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

 

SUMMARY

In the first reading, the people of Israel complain to Moses. They do not want to hear the voice of the Lord anymore because it fills them with terror. In the Gospel, Jesus preaches in the synagogue and fills the man with an impure spirit with terror. That is what the authoritative teaching of the Lord does: it makes us feel uncomfortable; it uncovers the deceptions and illusions in our hearts! When Satan tempts us, he rarely does so in a way that explicitly sets us against God. His methods are much more subtle. He leads us to justify and rationalise evil things as if they were acceptable and even good. The term “impure spirit” is very significant. Impure water is water than has something foreign in it. An impure spirit has good elements in it that seem acceptable, but these elements are perverted for deceitful ends. Woe to me if I think I can recognize the deceitfulness in my own heart! Woe to me if I think I can know when I am being led astray by Satan! How am I to win this battle against the deception and treachery within me? How am I to recognize it? The Gospel shows us that only Jesus can flush out the duplicity in our hearts. The man with the impure spirit went to the synagogue every Saturday, but it was only when Jesus spoke that he reacted violently. We all react violently when we encounter the truth. To drive out the deception within our hearts, there is only one solution! That solution is to stay close to Jesus and to the things of God! This will provide us with the constant exorcism that we need!

 

The people of Israel do not want to hear the voice of God directly. It fills them with terror. Moses foretells the coming of the one true prophet who will speak God’s words, but he also warns of false prophets. There are two types of false prophecy: the exterior ones who preach a false Gospel, and the interior perversion of God’s word in our hearts

The theme of the first reading reappears implicitly in the Gospel. Moses announces the appearance of a prophet that will be of equal stature to Moses. This prophecy is made in response to the behaviour of the people at Mount Sinai. They complain that they are unable to bear hearing the words of God directly. When God proclaimed the ten commandments to them they were filled with terror. This is all very natural! The truth is tough to listen to. It wounds us and embarrasses us.  We prefer to hear the truth gradually or through a mediator who brings it to bear on us more gently. Moses accepts the role of mediator but he is aware that he will not live forever, so he announces the arrival of a future mediator. This foretells the coming of Jesus, the one, true prophet. This authentic prophet will have the words of God in his mouth. Moses also speaks of false prophets who will pretend to speak the words of the Lord. This problem of true and false prophecy is a great exterior problem and also a grave interior one. Exteriorly, there are false prophets who misinterpret God’s word and preach a false Gospel. Interiorly, all of us are susceptible to thoughts and patterns of behaviour that misrepresent God’s word.

 

The authority and truth spoken by Jesus flushes out the impure spirit. The impure spirits within us are not evidently contrary to God. They can profess faith in God whilst distorting and misrepresenting that faith

In the Gospel we are presented with Mark’s first account of a demonstration of authority on the part of Jesus. There are aspects of this account that are unsettling. Jesus preaches in the synagogue on a Saturday and he preaches with greater authority than the scribes. How did the scribes teach in those days? The Hebrew tradition involved citing various interpretations of a given text. No single interpretation had more authority than the others. Thus there were many opinions, thousands of beautiful reflections on various passages of scripture, but nothing definitive. Jesus, by contrast, speaks with authority, with the sense of one who has the capacity to define things. This authority is made explicitly manifest by the violent reaction of the man with the impure spirit. Each Saturday this same man would have gone to the synagogue without ever reacting because no one had ever before spoken with authority. The man could easily bear the relativism of the rabbinic practices of his time! For as long as there was a general failure to define things clearly, mistaken practices and attitudes could carry on in a hidden way. The term “impure” is not an accidental one. It is a word that seems to belong to chemistry more than to ethics. Impure water is water that has other things present in it. The fact that the spirit is termed “impure” indicates that it incorporates various elements mixed together. The spirit cries out, ““What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” There is nothing false or deceptive about this statement! The most dangerous temptations are not those in which we do or say something evidently wrong. The most insidious temptations involve being lured into doing something that seems right in itself, but at the wrong time, or in an inappropriate way. Satan is not a beginner when it comes to tempting us. We must be careful if we think we are always able to recognize when we are being tempted. After many years of the spiritual life we are still regularly led astray by the spirit of deception, who is more subtle and intelligent than the human being.

​

Woe to us if we think we can recognize the false prophet, or the deceit within our own hearts! Satan is an expert at helping us to justify the indefensible

The impure spirit tries to escape destruction by professing faith in Jesus as the Son of God. The most terrible things are done in the name of God. Things that are done directly against God are relatively easy to recognize. What is more difficult to combat are the false images of God, the misrepresentations of his work, the exhortation to patience when God is actually calling for action, the claim that God is severe about things that he is not actually severe about, falsifications, perversions and half-truths about the things of the Lord. This is the work of the tempter. How do we win this difficult battle? Woe to us if we think we can recognize the false prophet at first sight! The battle is all the more difficult because we react violently when the deceit in our heart is at risk of being exposed. There is a serenity and calmness about thoughts that come from the Lord, inspirations that derive from the Holy Spirit. By contrast there is a violent reactivity associated with the things that have their origin in evil. When our thinking is impure, it is self-contradictory in itself, but it doesn’t show itself immediately: it shows itself when it is confronted with the truth. There are things in our lives that are incompatible with the teachings of the Church, the content of the Gospel and the stirrings of our conscience, but we justify them with a tortuous rationalisation that only serves to obscure the truth. We use our intelligence to justify things that are unjustifiable.

 

Only Jesus can flush out the deceit. We must stay close to him and to the things of God if the deceit is to be driven out of our hearts

So how do we flush out this impure spirit? It is the Lord Jesus who drives it out into the open. This is the important point of the Gospel! The impure spirit attended the synagogue happily every Saturday and only Jesus was able to drive him out. We too have desperate need of real contact with Jesus and the things of God. These things are incompatible with the things of evil. We need to become ever more conscious of those things that dispel darkness and illuminate our lives. There are things we don’t like to speak about, because if we were to speak about them, our self-deceptions would come to the fore. Often we justify things that are indefensible with the expression “You are unable to understand me!” If we can’t be understood, then maybe it is because the way of thinking that we are clinging to is an irrational justification of the deceit that lies in our heart. It is common for people with a spiritual director to notice that there are things that they are afraid to talk about. The things we are afraid to talk about are shadows of the impure spirit within us. We need to be where Christ is if this battle is to be won, for it is the Lord who wins the battle in us! These things we have said about the Gospel today are poor, elementary and incomplete. How much else could be said! Recall those moments when a clear light shone in our hearts and darkness was dispelled! When the deceit and delusion was driven out! We need constant contact with Jesus in order to have this continual exorcism from our inner deceptions.

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!

"Captivating."

— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”

— Cardinal Seán Brady, 

Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."

— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."

— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."

— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

 January 21 2024. Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

​

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading . . .

GOSPEL Mark 1:14-20

After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’

As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen.

And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’

And at once they left their nets and followed him.

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

 

SUMMARY

 In the first reading, Jonah tells the people of Nineveh that the city will be destroyed in forty days if they don’t repent. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus says his first words: “”The time is here! The Kingdom of God is at hand! Repent and believe the Good News!” Both readings speak about a critical moment that has arrived, a moment of change. Life is all about change. We cannot grow if we remain fixed in our ways of thinking and modes of behaviour. We cannot love another person all our lives if we are not willing to change and be changed. Some changes need to be made with prudence, that is true. If we are in doubt about something, then we should not act unless the situation becomes crystal clear. But once something is evidently the right thing to do, then we must act without delay! Jesus calls Peter, James and John and they leave their nets immediately! How often we Christians know the right thing to do, but we wait, and wait, and end up doing nothing! We are potential Christians, but we do not turn the potential into real action. When it is clear that something in our lives is incompatible with the Gospel, then that thing should be left aside immediately – nets, boats, patterns of behaviour! That is what the liturgy this Sunday is calling us to do: to act without delay and do the right thing – that thing that my conscience clearly tells me is the Gospel thing to do.

 

The first reading and the Gospel both speak of the arrival of moments of change and conversion.

The first reading tells the short story of the mission of the prophet Jonah. Jonah had to undergo an interior journey in order to become a prophet, but here we just see the episode when he finally exercises his ministry and prompts the conversion of the city of Nineveh. This was the capital of Assyria and the fiercest enemy of Israel. The Gospel is from the first chapter of Mark, the most ancient of the Evangelists, and it gives us the very first words spoken by Jesus in this narrative: “The time is at hand! The Kingdom of God is near! Repent and receive the Gospel!” Jonah, by contrast, says something much more negative in tone: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed!” What is the connection between the first reading and the Gospel? The theme in common is that of a time that has arrived. Nineveh was a great city that required several days to cross. The conversion of such a city represented a change of historic proportions. Everyone, from the great to the small, put on sackcloth and repented. In the Gospel there is an explicit call on each person as an individual to change.

 

Change, conversion, flexibility, openness – all these are necessary in life

How does the human being change? There can be no doubt that the theme of Sunday’s liturgy is conversion. Conversion is something that is necessary. It does not happen once and for all - it must occur continually. Our hearts and minds must be living and flexible, not petrified in stone. It is impossible to live without conversion, without the willingness to abandon one’s fixations and modes of behaviour. Love is impossible if we are unwilling to adapt in the face of the things that happen to us. How can we raise a child if we are unwilling to move beyond our own interests? How can a man love a woman all his life if he is not willing to enter into the rhythms, surprises and states of soul that characterize her? Life involves allowing oneself to be changed by things. Of course there are some things in life that are non-negotiable, but a certain flexibility and openness are necessary if we are to grow in step with reality. A good way of offending someone is to tell them that they are inflexible, unchanging, wearing blinkers that only permit them to see things as they wish. We must open our eyes and be always capable of a new synthesis. In Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis says a beautiful thing, paraphrasing the Gospel line that says “where your treasure is, there also is your heart”. Pope Francis modifies this slightly, saying, “where your synthesis of life is, there also is your heart”. All of us see the world from our own perspective, but this viewpoint is never complete, no matter how balanced and mature it might seem. We need to be changed and enriched constantly. Ecclesia semper reformanda est - the church is constantly in need of reformation and evolution, though it remains the same church. We too must be malleable and flexible, though always remaining ourselves and remaining faithful to the truth.

 

There is a time for everything. Some things require reflections and discernment. Sometimes it is not the right moment to act. But when it is clear what the Lord wants from us, then we must act without delay

So when does the moment of conversion arrive? Both texts this Sunday point to the question of time. “Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed!” “The time is fulfilled! The Kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Life is not just a series of uniform events. There are moments when it is right to do something and other moments when it is not appropriate. If you do something wrong, then there is a time to correct that error before it is too late. There is a time to speak to children on a particular issue. When that time passes, it is no longer possible to speak productively of that thing. When we say an offensive word to someone, then the time to make amends is immediately. Later it is much more difficult to put things right. Sometimes it is better to wait until things calm down before speaking about a particular problem. The point is that life has a rhythm. We must enter into this rhythm and do the correct things at the correct time. When Peter, James and John are called by Jesus, they leave their nets immediately. Sometimes we are called to something, and the response should be immediate. Waiting is the wrong thing to do. It is true that things must not be done in haste. The things of God are done in a balanced way. But when it is clear that the time is at hand and God is calling, then we must not wait a second. In the interval of time during which we delay, the work of destruction enters. There are forty days till the destruction of Nineveh, and the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand right now. Once I have understood what it is I must do, then I must wait no longer! This is not haste. It is doing what must clearly be done. When something appears to our conscience as something right, good and appropriate, then we must not delay. St Augustine tells us that while something is in doubt, we should not make a firm decision. But once things are obvious then we must act. How many people refuse to do that which is clearly right to do! How often we behave like potential Christians, a dawn of Christianity that never becomes day, a handful of promises that never becomes concrete. We wait and wait without acting, even though it is evident [k1] what the Lord wishes us to do. When it is apparent that something should be abandoned, then it must be abandoned immediately. Firstly we should use all of the discernment that is possible in this world. But once things are clear then we must act, leave Zebedee and the boats behind. The things that have nothing to do with the good must be put aside - whatever it might be - boats, nets, ways of life. If Nineveh waits, the city will be destroyed. If Peter delays, his opportunity will vanish and he will become an anonymous figure. If we are to be true to our calling, then we must enter into the rhythm of life. When the truth is clear in our hearts, then we must act without delay

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!

"Captivating."

— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”

— Cardinal Seán Brady, 

Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."

— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."

— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."

— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

January 14^th 2024.  Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

Gospel: John 1:35-42

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

GOSPEL John 1:35-42

As John stood with two of his disciples, Jesus passed, and John stared hard at him and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’ Hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, ‘What do you want?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi,’ – which means Teacher – ‘where do you live?’ ‘Come and see’ he replied; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day. It was about the tenth hour.

One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. Early next morning, Andrew met his brother and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ – which means the Christ – and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked hard at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ – meaning Rock.

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . Both the first reading and the Gospel present scenes in which people are brought to the Lord with the help of others. Samuel did not know how to answer the call of the Lord until the priest, Eli, told him. In the Gospel, John the Baptist points out Jesus to two disciples, whilst Andrew brings Peter to Jesus. Sometimes it is a relatively insignificant person who has the role of bringing a great prophet or saint to the Lord. But why do we need others in order to come to the Lord? Why can’t we all have a direct cable to God? Why can’t the Holy Spirit speak directly to me without going through others? Why can’t we have our own personal Wi-Fi connection to the Father? In our individualistic world the notion of complete autonomy without the need of others has become a great dream. But this is not how it is with the Lord! God does not want us to relate to him as individuals! His goal is the complete communion of all people with him. Salvation is communion, and it cannot be achieved in individualistic fashion. We need to love others and be loved by them. We need to be helped, disturbed, troubled, aided, evangelised by others. It is not important how insignificant is the person who leads us to God. What is important is that we attain communion with him through others.

The first reading and the Gospel emphasize the point that we need others to bring us to the Lord

In the first reading Samuel hears a voice calling his name and thinks it is his master, Eli. When this happens the third time, Eli realizes that it is the Lord that is calling Samuel. It is only when Eli tells Samuel how to respond to the Lord that the avenue of real communication is opened. Samuel repeats the words that Eli has given him and this is the beginning of a relationship of dialogue between Samuel and the Lord. In the Gospel we have a similar theme. John the Baptist points out Jesus to two of his disciples. They follow Jesus and the Lord asks them what they want. “Where do you live?” they ask. Jesus gives the famous reply, “Come and see!” This is an invitation to refrain from relating to him merely in the abstract; they must enter into a living experience of him. The disciples follow him, enter into the experience and the relationship deepens. One of the two is Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Andrew goes to Peter and tells him that they have found the Christ. Three times in this passage we are explicitly given the translation of words: “Rabbi” means “Teacher”; “Messiah” means “the Christ”; and “Cephas” means “rock”. It is no accident that in such a brief passage we are told three times the meanings of words. In the first reading, Eli had to decode what was happing to Samuel. In the Gospel John the Baptist had to decode what was happening to the disciples. The Evangelist himself throws in his contribution by decoding for us the meanings of certain words. Simon Peter, in turn, receives from his brother an introduction to the Lord Jesus. All of this emphasizes the point that we cannot experience, touch, receive the faith unless through the service of other people, as Eli did for Samuel, John the Baptist for the two disciples, and Andrew for John. Why did the Evangelist leave in the Hebrew words when he could easily have given just the Greek term, as the other evangelists did? Because John wants to show us that there is something original, something which we have not touched that we need his service of evangelisation in order to experience.

Why do we need mediators? Why can’t the Lord speak to us directly?

In order to reach Jesus we need a bridge, and it must be the right bridge. But why couldn’t Jesus just go directly to people? Why did Peter need his younger brother in order to encounter the Lord? Why did the first two disciples require the testimony of John the Baptist in order to follow Jesus? Why does someone as impoverished as me engage in this ministry of trying to introduce the word of God to others? Why can’t we have a direct, vertical relationship with the Lord? Why doesn’t the Holy Spirit speak to me directly inside my head? Why do I need a priest to make real the sacraments? Why do we need a church? Wouldn’t it be better if we all had our own individual direct cable to God? A Wi-Fi connection to the Lord that is all mine?

The goal of salvation is communion. The Lord does not want me to relate to him on my own. He wants me to relate to him through others

The fact is that God has ordained things so that we need others in order to encounter him. It is not that I love God in order to help others; I cannot love God unless others help me! I will never reach God unless someone ministers to me in this way, translates the expressions, explains what is happening, breaks the word of the Lord for me. I go to the Lord along with my neighbour, not on my own. We live in an era in which individualism is emphasized above all else; the effort to be autonomous with no need of others. In this society of singles we wish to encounter the Lord by ourselves in a sanitized way. But the Lord doesn’t want me to encounter him without also encountering my neighbour. I am a human person, with a need to love others and to be loved myself. The dream of being able to carry on without the need of anyone else is a hollow one. It is an important and precious thing that I am not an island, that I can be aided, changed, disturbed by others. The goal of salvation is that I will be in communion with others, understanding them and being understood by them. The prophet Samuel needed the poor and inconsequential priest, Eli. Simon Peter would not have been called without the help of his more insignificant brother. Jesus does not come to us without the help of John the Baptist. Our dream of autonomous individualism undervalues and disregards many precious things. Thank God there are others! Thank God we need them! Thank God we are in need of the disturbance, hassle, help and growth that is prompted by others. We need translators, interpreters and evangelisers and we need to be evangelised. Our Christian life is always nurtured by some intermediary who calls us. It doesn’t matter how poor or insignificant that person is. What matters is that we leave our solitude behind.

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!

"Captivating."

— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”

— Cardinal Seán Brady, 

Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."

— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."

— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."

— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.

January 7th 2024.  The Baptism of Our Lord

Gospel: Mark 1:7-11

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

​

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

GOSPEL Mark 1:7-11

In the course of his preaching John the Baptist said, ‘Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’

It was at this time that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised in the Jordan by John. No sooner had he come up out of the water than he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit, like a dove, descending on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.’

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

 

SUMMARY

 In the first reading, people are invited to come to the water to be satisfied. The bounty of the Lord is entirely free, but we are reluctant to come. We prefer to pay for our happiness, to earn our self-esteem. Why is that? Why indeed! The first reading also tells us that God’s ways are not our ways, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. There is a huge gap between our way of doing things and the Lord’s ways, between our patterns of behaviour and the way that the Lord behaves. In the Gospel, Jesus arises from the waters of baptism and the heavens are split open. The gap between God and us is eliminated by Jesus in baptism. Finally we have the chance of thinking like God and behaving like God because Jesus is offering us nothing less than communion with him. But what is the key to making God’s ways our ways, God’s thoughts our thoughts? At the moment of baptism, the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus and the Father says, “Here is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”. God says the very same thing to all of us and he is saying it right now! This is the key to living like Jesus! At the moment of our baptism, the Holy Spirit penetrated deep within us and the Lord said, “You are my beloved child! In you I am well pleased!” It is Satan’s fundamental strategy to convince me that God does not love me because I am unworthy. This conviction leads me in a disordered search to build an alternative identity on the false foundations of the things that I achieve or the things that I possess. My true identity is that I am a beloved child of God who is a source of great happiness for the Lord! As the Psalm for Sunday says, truly the Lord is my salvation! Let us not fear! Let us follow him!

 

God has something good to give us, but we are reluctant to accept it because acceptance involves rejecting our own ways

We celebrate the feast of the Baptism of Jesus with the brief and evocative account from St Mark’s Gospel. The first reading is from the 55th Chapter of Isaiah, the last part of what is sometimes called the “Second Isaiah”. Whether a second Isaiah existed or not, this passage is incredibly beautiful. It tells of people who are thirsty and are invited to come for water and food. All of this bounty is for free, and the people are scolded for spending money on that which cannot satisfy. The point is that we must open ourselves to the bounty which the Lord wishes to present to us gratuitously. And it highlights a problem. Why are we so reluctant to accept the generosity of God? Because we refuse to turn away from our habitual patterns of behaviour! “The wicked man does not abandon his ways, nor the evil man his thoughts. But my ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts.” We do not appreciate this chasm between God’s ways and ours, and we conceive of God in terms of our own schemes, our own categories of behaviour.

 

Do we think that our ways of living, our patterns of behaviour, are compatible with God? Think again!

When a person has arrived at a stage of crisis in his life, the correct response is not to present him with a ready-made answer. He must first learn to question and contest his old ways of doing things. Similarly, when a married couple is having difficulties, it is not sufficient to present them with a solution. They will mismanage that solution with the same efficiency that they mismanaged their marriage. The first thing they must do is listen and learn to change their whole approach to things, their way of dealing with life on a daily basis. The Lord asks us to listen to him and to be open to his ways, to his thoughts that are so different to ours. It is our entire internal setup that needs to be radically altered. This cannot be achieved by studying theology, or by memorizing the entire catechism. All such study leaves our basic framework of life unaltered. We need to move out of our usual mode of existence, our solitary dysfunctional way of carrying on. If we undertake a regime for losing eight, we must be willing to change our eating habits. If we wish to follow God, we must radically change our ways.

​

How do we learn God’s ways? Jesus crosses the gap between God and us and initiates a life of communion with us. This is God’s way – to live in communion with Jesus

In the Gospel, Jesus reveals the work of God and initiates this new way of being human that was spoken of in Isaiah 55. It begins with baptism, an act of purification. Jesus does not have need of purification, but he enters into the rite out of love for us. He takes us by the hand and teaches us the way. He comes to us as we are, queuing up before John with all the sinners. In so doing, he shows us the new posture that we need to adopt. As soon as Jesus enters the water, John see the heavens split open and the Spirit descend upon Jesus. The opening of the heavens represents the victory of God over the intermediary “gap” that exists between us and the Lord. Anthropomorphically, we locate God in the skies. St Paul refers to the power of evil that prevails in the air above us, for Hebrew cosmology locates Satan in the zone between us and God. Satan is the one who impedes us from going to God and gets in the way of God’s coming to us. God is impeded from coming down because I am under the influence of the tempter and do not listen to the Lord. But in Jesus the heavens are torn open and the gap that existed between us and God is eliminated. His ways can now become our ways, if we allow them to; his thoughts can enter into me; the Holy Spirit can descend into my heart! The new life I lead is no longer according to my own schemes because, finally, between me and God there is no longer a separation. In other words, the new life we are speaking about is none other than communion with God.

 

Satan wishes us to believe that God cannot love us because we are unworthy. But Jesus shows us that each one of us is a beloved child of the Lord

The new life that initiates with the purification in water - the new life that comes from baptism - culminates in the cry from God, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!” This cry from the Lord is also directed towards each one of us individually. The splitting open of the heavens represents the routing of the idea that we cannot reach God, that God cannot come down to us. It is fundamentally a Satanic idea to believe that God cannot love us because we are unworthy of him, that we are too dirty or undignified for him. This idea leads us to the proud and disordered search for a false identity by means of the things that we do and the things that we possess. When the Holy Spirit descends on us in baptism, a voice penetrates to our very interior. “You are my beloved child. In you I am well pleased!” Each one of us is a source of happiness for the Lord, but what is it that impedes us from believing it? Our pretences regarding ourselves. God knows how we are made. He know our weaknesses. In Christ he takes us by the hand and teaches us how much he loves us, and that we are all his beloved children.

“In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes – Tales from an Irish Tour Guide in Rome”

FROM IGNATIUS PRESS

Tales of unexpected blessings, hilarious true stories, unique perspectives on the lives of the saints. An original, entertaining and orthodox presentation of the Catholic faith. You won’t be able to put it down!

"Captivating."

— Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Art History, Rome.

“Entertaining.”

— Cardinal Seán Brady, 

Ireland.

"I laughed out loud many times, and told the stories to others who laughed just as hard."

— Sally Read, Author.

"Enchanting."

— Bishop Brendan Leahy, Diocese of Limerick.

"Unique and insightful."

— Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, Cashel and Emly.