St. John Neumann, Bishop
1 John 3:11-21  +  John 1:43-51
January 5, 2017

“Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’”

It might seem odd that, on a weekday of Christmastide, the Gospel passage illustrates a scene from the life of Jesus as an adult.  However, the Gospel narratives of St. John—like those of St. Mark—begin with Jesus already an adult.  Today’s Gospel passage, however, does come from the first chapter of John’s Gospel account, in which John narrates “preliminaries” in the unfolding of Jesus’ ministry. Continue reading →

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious
1 John 3:7-10  +  John 1:35-42
January 4, 2017

“Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the Devil.”

One of the words in today’s First Reading—“revealed”—can help us focus on serving others to foster love.  We continue to hear from the First Epistle of St. John.  The Beloved Disciple is very blunt in his epistles.  He has just as sharp a sense of evil as he does of divine love.  Surely John’s perception of both was whetted on the rock of Calvary. Continue reading →

The Most Holy Name of Jesus
1 John 2:29—3:6  +  John 1:29-34
January 3, 2017

“Now I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God.”

While the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus is only an optional memorial in the Church’s liturgical calendar, its meaning dovetails beautifully with the Scriptures the Church proclaims today from the writings of St. John. Continue reading →

Sts. Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church
1 John 2:22-28  +  John 1:19-28
January 2, 2017

“And now, children, remain in Him….”

St. John the Evangelist often writes in a style that can leave you scratching your head.  Even when he tells a story in his Gospel account with a straight-forward plot, there’s a pervasive sense of double meanings. Continue reading →

Mary, the Holy Mother of God
Num 6:22-27  + Gal 4:4-7  +  Luke 2:16-21
January 1, 2017

“…God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law….”

2017 will see the celebration by many of our separated brethren of the historic start of Protestantism.  On October 31, 1517 the Augustinian priest Martin Luther publicly set forth questions he wanted debated within the Church.  Following this event, thousands of Protestant denominations emerged that today teach and practice contrary and even contradictory beliefs. Continue reading →

The Seventh Day within the Octave of Christmas
1 John 2:18-21  +  John 1:1-18
December 31, 2016

“Thus we know this is the last hour.”

Because the Nativity is always celebrated on December 25, the seventh day of the Octave of Christmas is always December 31.  While the world prepares to celebrate tonight the passing from one year to the next, the Church encourages us to meditate on what is eternal by means of one of the most beautiful passages from the Gospel. Continue reading →

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph [A]
Sirach 3:2-6,12-14  +  Matthew 2:13-15,19-23
December 30, 2016

“He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth….”

The Holy Family, still weary from their journey to Bethlehem, and weary from their search through Bethlehem to find suitable lodging, were forced after Christ’s birth to flee their own country for the foreign land of Egypt, out of fear for Jesus’ life.  But this was only the first of many sorrows for the Holy Family. Continue reading →

The Fifth Day within the Octave of Christmas
1 John 2:3-11  +  Luke 2:22-35
December 29, 2016

“Whoever loves his brother remains in the light….”

The branch of theology called Christology does nothing more than explore answers to the question posed by the old Christmas hymn:  “What child is this?”  Many Scripture passages about the nativity and early life of Jesus reflect on the question of His identity.  For example, the three gifts of the Magi represent the Person before whom they prostrate themselves.  When Mary and Joseph are confused at finding the child Jesus in the Temple, Jesus drives home the point that He is the Son of God who belongs in His Father’s House. Continue reading →

The Holy Innocents, Martyrs
1 John 1:5—2:2  +  Matthew 2:13-18
December 28, 2016

“Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:….”

As did the feast of St. Stephen the Proto-Martyr, today’s feast on the fourth day in the Christmas Octave points our attention to the way in which birth and death are intertwined.  Birth and death are not just ends of an earthly spectrum.  The link between them is more profound than that. Continue reading →