Since we are travellers and pilgrims in the world, let us ever ponder on the end of the road, that is of our life, for the end of our roadway is our home (St Columban, 8th sermon).
In England & Wales and in Ireland the Solemnity of the Epiphany is a Holy Day of Obligation and is celebrated this year on Thursday 6 January. In many countries, including Australia, Philippines, Scotland and the USA, the Epiphany is celebrated on this Sunday, 2 January.
You will find Sunday Reflections for the Epiphany here.
The readings below are those for the Second Sunday After the Nativity, observed in England & Wales and in Ireland.
Readings(Jerusalem Bible: Australia,
England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)
GospelJohn 1:1-18. Shorter form: John 1:1-5, 9-14 [omitted] (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition )
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
[There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light.]
The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. [(John bore witness to him, and cried, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.’”) And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.]
In The Ascent of Mount Carmel St John of the Cross writes: When [God] gave us, as he did,his Son, who is his one Word, he spoke everything to us, once and for all in that one Word. There is nothing further for him to say . . .
Consequently, anyone who today would want to ask God questions or desire some vision or revelation, would not only be acting foolishly but would commit an offence against God by not fixing his eyes entirely on Christ, without wanting something new or something besides him.
God might give him this answer, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. I have already told you all things in my Word. Fix your eyes on him alone, because in him I have spoken and revealed all. Moreover, in him you will find more than you ask or desire.'
This passage is used in the Office of Readings, Advent, Week 2, Monday.
Sung by Choir of the Diocese of Rome directed Fr Frisina
Refrain. Verbum caro factum est. Alleluia.
The Word was made flesh. Alleluia.
Hodie Christus natus est et laetantur Angeli.
Hodie Christus, Salvator mundi, in terra apparuit.
Today Christ is born and the angesl rejoice.
Today Christ, the Saviour of the world, has appeared on earth.
Refrain. Verbum caro factum est. Alleluia.
The Word was made flesh. Alleluia.
Lux fulgebit hodie, quia Dominus natus est.
Exulta, Filia Sion; lauda, Filia Jerusalem.
Light shines today, because the Lord is born.
Rejoice, Daughter Zion, rejoice Daughter Jerusalem.
Refrain. Verbum caro factum est. Alleluia.
The Word was made flesh. Alleluia.
Revelavit iustitiam ante cospectum gentium,
et nos vidimus gloriam eius, gloria quasi Unigeniti.
He has revealed his justice to all peoples
and we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son.
Refrain. Verbum caro factum est. Alleluia.
The Word was made flesh. Alleluia.
Traditional Latin Mass (TLM)
Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus
I do not know if any
readers looked at this addition to Sunday Reflections before. But I have
resumed it out of a sense of solidarity with priest-friends and others who are
deeply hurt, discouraged and disillusioned by recent restrictive and petty
legislation in the Church about the celebration of the Mass that nourished my
faith as I was growing up and during my seminary years and the faith of
countless generations of our ancestors and the many who died as martyrs for
celebrating it or enabling it to be celebrated.
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 12-31-2021 if necessary).
GospelLuke 2:16-21 (English Standard Version
Anglicised: India)
The Shepherds went with
haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And
when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning
this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary
treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and
seen, as it had been told them.
And at the end of eight
days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the
angel before he was conceived in the womb.
The above is a setting of the alternative Entrance Antiphon in Latin for today's Mass, also used for the Mass at Dawn on Christmas Day.
Antiphona ad introitum Entrance Antiphon
Cf Isaiah 9:1,5; Luke 1:33
Lux fulgebit hodie super nos, quia natus est nobis Dominus; et vocabitur admirabilis, Deus, Princeps pacis, Pater futuri saeculi: cuius regni non erit finis.
Today a light will shine upon us, for the Lord is born for us; and he will be called wondrous God, Prince of peace, Father of future ages: and his reign will be without end.
Jacopo Bassano's painting Adoration of the Shepherds captures beautifully the opening words of the Entrance Antiphon: Today a light will shine upon us, for the Lord is born for us. Light is breaking through from the heavens at the top but the much greater light at the bottom is radiating from the Child in the manger, lighting up the face of Mary and, behind her, that of St Joseph, and those of the shepherds in awe of what they are seeing: glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Even the donkey and one of the shepherds' dogs in the bottom right-hand corner seem to have some sense of the wonder of the occasion.
Caravaggio's light in his painting of the same scene below is much more subdued but so deeply touching.
The First Reading (Numbers 6:22-27) emphasises this: The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be
gracious to you;the Lord lift up his countenance upon
you and give you peace.
The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 66 [67]) in turn reinforces the theme of the light of love shining from the face of God: God, be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its light upon us.
The Preface of the Mass, addressed to the Father, draws our attention once again to the theme of the Light that has come into the world: For by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit she conceived your Only Begotten Son, and without losing the glory of virginity, brought forth into the world the eternal Light, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Communion Antiphon reminds us that the Light that has come into the world in Bethlehem never goes out: Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and for ever (Hebrews 13:8).
The Prologue to St John's Gospel, read at the Mass During the Day on Christmas Day and at the Mass on the last day of the year, speaks of the same Light: In him was life, and the
life was the light of men.The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome it. There was a
man sent from God, whose name was John.He came as a witness, to bear witness about the
light, that all might believe through him.He was not the light, but came to bear
witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens
everyone, was coming into the world (John 1:4-9). This gospel used to be read at the end of every Mass, known as 'The Last Gospel'. It still is when the Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated.
We need to focus on the reality that the Word of God, the Light of life, Jesus Christ, God-made-Man, is living among us and has conquered the darkness through his death and resurrection. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Three years ago on this very day, The Solemnity of Mary, The Mother of God, here in the Republic of Ireland abortion on demand up to twelve weeks came into law. This, for me, was the day of greatest darkness in our whole history. Yet the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Despite the fact that in the whole Christmas Season, which ends this New Year on Sunday 9 January, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we are celebrating the Light coming into the world, there are hints of the darkness that still lingers. We have the Feast of the Holy Innocents on 28 December where the infant boys in Bethlehem were slaughtered. This is echoed in the gospel for the Epiphany. We saw the pain of Mary and Joseph in last Sunday's gospel when they could not find the 12-year-old Jesus after their pilgrimage to the Temple.
The 16th-century (or earlier) English song, the Coventry Carol, according to the Wikipedia entry, takes the form of a lullaby sung by mothers of the doomed children. And the martyrdom of the young boys in Bethlehem continues to inspire such ministries as Rachel's Vineyard (in Ireland here), which reaches out to women and men [who] have been wounded by abortion. On Rachel's Vineyard retreat weekends participants truly experience the healing truth that the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The Coventry Carol
Sung by Anúna, arranged by Michael McGlynn
Traditional Latin Mass (TLM)
I do not know if any readers looked at this addition to Sunday Reflections before. But I am resuming it out of a sense of solidarity with priest-friends and others who are deeply hurt, discouraged and disillusioned by recent restrictive and petty legislation in the Church about the celebration of the Mass that nourished my faith as I was growing up and during my seminary years and the faith of countless generations of our ancestors and the many who died as martyrs for celebrating it or enabling it to be celebrated.
Octave-Day of the Nativity
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 01-01-2022 if necessary).
GospelLuke 2:41-52 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)
Now the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem every year
at the Feast of the Passover.And when
he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.And when the feast was ended, as they
were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did
not know it,but
supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began
to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances,and when they did not find him, they
returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.After three days they found him in the temple, sitting
among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.And all who heard him were amazed at his
understanding and his answers.And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And
his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your
father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be
in my Father's house?”And they did not understand the saying that
he spoke to them.And
he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.
And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in
stature and in favour with God and man.
Today is the Feast of The Holy Family of
Jesus, Mary and Joseph. On 19 March the Church celebrates the Solemnity
of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today's
gospel refers to Joseph and Mary as the parents of Jesus. Mary
says reproachfully to her Son, Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress. To the puzzlement of both Mary and Joseph, Jesus
replies, Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?
St Matthew shows clearly the role of St Joseph in
the life of Jesus:an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to
take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy
Spirit.She will bear a son, and you shall
call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).
Joseph's first responsibility was to be the husband
of Mary and, as such, was to name her Son, thereby becoming his legal father.
In some paintings of the Nativity St Joseph is a background figure, or partly
hidden in the dark, but clearly protective of Jesus and Mary, and in an
attitude of worship towards the Infant.
The Greek-born Doménikos Theotokópoulos, (1541 – 1614) who settled in Toledo, Spain, as a young man was known as 'El Greco', 'The Greek'. In the painting below he captures the role of St Joseph as a protective parent.
As a child I saw my parents as my father and
mother. Now I remember them not only as that but as husband and wife. And
sometimes I think that the Church over-emphasises the importance of the family
at the expense of marriage, which is the foundation of the family. St Joseph's
primary responsibility was to be the husband of Mary and, as such, to be the
one known as the father of Jesus, even though Mary's Son wasn't his.
And in today's gospel
Mary painfully discovers that, in a sense, he isn't hers either, as he
says, Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house? At
the beginning of his adolescence Jesus was, in his humanity, coming in touch
with his heavenly Father's will. The mystery of Jesus being both God and Man is
something we cannot fathom. St Paul says that Jesus though he was in
the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (Philippians
2:6).
But
this incident shows us that Mary and Joseph as parents suffered the same pain
that every parent of an adolescent goes through. They were learning that they
did not 'own' Jesus, that they would have to let him go at some stage.
I
recall some incidents involving my father. One was when I was no more than
three, possibly only two. Like St Joseph, he was a carpenter and made a little
saddle that he put on the crossbar of his bicycle on which he went to work
every morning. I recall him taking me for a 'spin', probably on a Saturday
afternoon, in the area where we lived at the time, I sitting joyfully on the
little wooden saddle he had made. It's like a short video in my mind that
captures a moment of sheer delight between father and son.
Then when I was around ten he taught me how to ride
a bicycle. I borrowed that of a cousin a little older than me. Dad held the
back of the saddle tightly so that I wouldn't lose balance and stayed with me
patiently. Then at a certain point I realised that he wasn't holding it anymore
and that I was moving forward without falling. He knew when to let go.
He taught me how to swim around that
same time, with the same approach. He gave me a sense of security - but didn't
cling on when I didn't need that kind of security anymore.
My
parents taught me what trust was by trusting me. In Ireland the symbol of
adulthood was - and maybe still is, I don't know - the key to the house. I was
given the key when I was only 13. None of my friends had that privilege. On one
occasion three years later when I came home very late on my bicycle from a dance my
parents were waiting at the door sick with worry, as Mary and Joseph were sick
with worry when they couldn’t find Jesus. Nobody on our street had a telephone
and mobile phones probably weren't even in the imaginations of science-fiction
writers then. But all I got was a well-deserved scolding from my parents, standing together, who
still trusted me to use my key responsibly.
As I look back now, I see clearly that my parents were husband and wife first, and father and mother second. That did not mean that they saw parenthood as being of lesser importance but that they saw it as being a consequence of being married. I think they had their priorities right.
The Feast of the Holy Family reminds us that marriage is the
root of the family. Joseph, son of
David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in
her is from the Holy Spirit.She will bear a son, and you shall
call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:20-21).
Featuring Alison Krauss (singer), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Natalie MacMaster (fiddle), Shane Shanahan (percussion) and Cristina Pato (bagpipes).
As far as I know, The Wexford Carol is the only Irish Christmas carol that is widely known and performed internationally. None of the performers in the video are Irish.
The Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord has four different Mass
formularies, each with its own prayers and readings. Any of the four fulfils
our obligation to attend Mass. These are:
Vigil Mass, celebrated 'either before or after
First Vespers (Evening Prayer) of the Nativity'; that means starting between
5pm and 7pm.
Mass During the Night, known before as 'Midnight Mass'.
Mass at Dawn.
Mass During the Day.
The readings from the Jerusalem Bible for
the four Masses are all on one page but with links to each individual Mass. When
you click on 'Readings' below from the New American Bible you will find links
to the readings for each of the four Masses.
Readings(Jerusalem Bible: Australia,
England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)
Gospel(Mass During the Night) Luke 2:1-14 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)
In those days a decree went out from Caesar
Augustus that all the world should be registered.This was the
first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.And all went to be registered, each to his own town.And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth,
to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he
was of the house and lineage of David,to be
registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in
swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for
them in the inn.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.And an angel of the
Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were filled with fear.And the angel said
to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be
for all the people.For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the
Lord.And this will be a sign for you: you
will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among
those with whom he is pleased!”
Linus quotes Luke 2:8-14 (Authorized [King James]
Version):
And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto
them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a
sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a
manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men.
Charlie Brown finds satisfaction in Linus’ answer.
He is made joyful. So why is this television special so enduring? Linus’
answer is the perfect Advent message for Christians awaiting the birth of
Christ during a time taken over by commercialism. That’s what Christians who watch this
special take away from it [emphasis added].
The above is a quotation from an article by
Clemente Lisi, Why 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'
Remains Beloved by both Christians and Non-believers. A very
perceptive comment on the article reads: I watched the original airing
of the show in 1965 as an 8-year-old. Many, many times since then. It just
occurred to me as I read your story that one of the main reasons for
the profundity of Linus' speech is the silence before and after he quotes Luke.
No piano, no laughter, no groaning. Just silence. It sets in our minds the
importance of what is about to be said and subsequently what was said [emphasis added].
In his book Jesus of
Nazareth, The Infancy Narratives, Pope Benedict XVI writes on pages 66-67
as follows [emphases added].
'And while they were
there [Bethlehem], the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave
birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid
him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn (Luke 2:6-7, RSV).
'Let us begin our
exegesis with the concluding words of this passage: there was no room for them
in the inn. Prayerful reflection over these words has highlighted an inner
parallel between this saying and the profoundly moving verse from St
John's Prologue (read in the Mass During the Day): He came
to his own home, and his own people received him not (1:11). For the
Saviour of the World, for him in whom all things were created (cf Col 1:16),
there was no room. Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests;
but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head (Mt 8:20). He who was
crucified outside the city (cf Heb 13:12) also came into the world outside the
city.
'This should cause
us to reflect - it points toward the reversal of values found in the figure of
Jesus Christ and his message. From the moment of his birth, he belongs
outside the realms of what is important and powerful in worldly terms. Yet
it is this unimportant and powerless child that proves to be the truly
powerful one, the one on whom ultimately everything depends. So one
aspect of becoming a Christian is having to leave behind what everyone else
thinks and wants, the prevailing standards, in order to enter the light of the
truth of our being, and aided by that light to find the right path.'
+++
Both Rembrandt's
painting above and Murillo's at the top beautifully show this
unimportant and powerless child to be truly the light of the
truth of our being.
The last two years have been dark for all people throughout the world and very dark for many. Most of us have felt powerless at
times, in varying degrees. May the words of St John's Gospel be a beacon of
hope for all of us:
The light shines in
the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it(John 1:5).
Agus tá an solas ag taitneamh sa dorchadas, ach níor ghabh an dorchadas é (Eoin 1:5).
Alternative
Santa
Written
and read by Roger McGough
Roger McGough, from Liverpool, is a poet of the people. This poem, written before Covid-19 hit us, whimsically captures some of the realities of modern life that have since become part of our Covid experience, online shopping in particular. But there is a poignancy in the closing lines of the poem below that describe what we in the Western world have largely lost as social beings and as people of Christian faith in modern times, perhaps accelerated by the pandemic.
And that was years and years ago / Now little children barely know / About Midnight Mass and mistletoe / Christmas carols and candle glow / Sleigh bells ringing across the snow / And Santa singing Yo ho ho / For that was years and years ago / For that was years and years ago.
Note: In the opening lines of the poem Roger McGough refers to 'Father Christmas', a name for Santa Claus used in England, though with different origins from St Nicholas. It has come into the Irish language as Daidí na Nollag.
Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von
Karajan
At the risk of 'overloading' I've included this. The voice of Leontyne Price is for me a proof of both the existence and the beauty of a loving God and that we are made in God's image.
