Jan 5 and 4th two meditations

 

209.doc

Scripture: Lectionary 209: I John 3:11-21. Psalm 100:1-2.3-4.5.  John 1:43-51

During the week after Christmas and up to the celebration of Epiphany we are spiritually being nourished in the Liturgy of the Word by John the Evangelist both in the Gospel and in the First Letter of John.   Both writings reveal and manifest who Jesus is for the community of the Beloved Disciple (and this includes all of us). His writings are clear and very focused on what Jesus means by the commandment of love.  In fact, love and faith are keys to both of these compostions. 

In Jesus' time a commandment of love meant something is done or put into action. It is not simply an expression in words.  It must have an effect in the recipient of that love and in the giver of love.  Our own daily activities are capable of extending such love to those whom we live with, work with or meet in our routine daily schedule. 

We learn by doing and we love by doing more than by saying something to someone about love.  A hug or a kiss is this kind of  love accompanied by the words I love you.  We are asked by Jesus to extend this even to our neighbors and those outside of our community and its beliefs. We are called to love those who oppose us and those who hate us. Here is where the depth of Jesus' love reaches beyond the human.  We can only love in this manner if Jesus is within our hearts and minds and even our emotions. Jesus' love has no boundaries. We have seen this kind of love in Stephen who gave up his life for Jesus and then slowly but surely in the years that followed the death of Stephen the apostles did the same.  Am I capable of such love?

Jesus tells us through our inspired writer whom we name John with these words, "Let us love in deed and in truth and not merely talk about it."  God's words are to be assimilated and lived out in each of us.  There are really no excuses to exclude ourselves from such self-giving and absolute love that costs but is so powerful in helping this world to be a better place.  Jesus has set for us an example of what his love means.  We have both the Gospel of John and the First Epistle of John to reflect upon his life, his truth, and his love.   Perhaps, by giving some time to a spiritual reading of the Gospel and the First Epistle will be a great step toward understanding what John means when he says, "God is love."  St. Paul understood it well on a personal level in I Corinthians chapter 13. That could be supplementary spiritual reading!  Amen.

 

 

 

 

208.doc

Scripture: Lectionary 208, Jan4: I John 3:7-10.  Psalm 98: 1.7-8.9. John 1:35-42:

"What are you looking for?"  These are the first words we hear from Jesus when two of the disciples of John the Baptist come to him after having heard that he may be the Lamb of God or the Messiah.  One of the first to be named is Andrew, the brother of Peter.  Isn't that question of Jesus a beautiful way of inviting us to be his followers.  Do we want to be his disciples?  Surely we are all looking for happiness, peace, and good health.  We desire that our relationships in family and community are wholesome and effective in doing good for one another.  We hear Jesus asking us, "What are you looking for?"  Jesus then speaks again to us and says, "Come and see."  This is now becoming more a sincere statement after a serious question.  We answer with Andrew and the other disciple of John the Baptist with our "Rabbi, where do you stay?" 

Yes, the Gospels call us to the same way these two were called for now the Gospels are kept alive by those willing to listen to Jesus and his invitation and then his call.   We are to remain with him just as they do after their call at four in the afternoon!  This is an effect of our Baptism to listen and to follow Jesus as disciples.  It is not directed to those called to be a sister, brother, or priest or deacon.  It means that all of us are called to Jesus' disciples. 

By listening attentively with our hearts and minds warmed and enlightened that we become disciples, that is, learners who understand who he is and what John meant when he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." 

We may not have a specific time to do this as they did, but we have already begun this through the sacrament of Baptism—the Baptism in Jesus' name, the Father's, and the Holy Spirit's name.  We are called at each moment to be his disciples. Like Andrew we were named at our Baptism with this invitation in mind. 

We realize that the Baptist himself became the revealer that tells us Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away our sins.   We through our living and acting in accordance with our initial commitment through the community of believers now can follow the Lamb wherever he goes. We will learn eventually that Jesus is the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah as the last book of the New Testament tells us. That is not an oxymoron but rather a divine revelation. Amen.