What Is Ordinary Time? (2nd Sunday - Cycle A)

The Feast of the Baptism of Lord, which we celebrated last Sunday, marks the beginning of Ordinary Time in the liturgical cycle of the Catholic Church. Ordinary Time has two parts: 1) the shorter stretch between the end of the Christmas season and Ash Wednesday and 2) the much longer period between Pentecost and the first Sunday of Advent. The phrase "Ordinary Time" has an unfortunate connotation in the English language, suggesting that this period is plain old ordinary and that nothing special is happening during this time. But nothing could be further from the truth.

At the heart of Catholic liturgical practice is the concept that every Mass, regardless of how grand or simple it is, expresses the fullness of our faith. In that sense, no Mass is ordinary, since the Mass is the most intimate union we can have with God on this side of Heaven. The various feasts and seasons of the liturgical year do not add new concepts to the Mass but serve to highlight different aspects of our faith, helping us to reflect on them more deeply and to enter into them more fully.

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Photo Credit: The Sea of Galilee by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.

Baptism Is the Foundation (Baptism of the Lord - Cycle A)

At the time of Jesus, baptism was already a custom showing repentance and a sense of recommitment to the spiritual life. Culturally, ritual bathing could be the sign of inner spiritual cleansing. Of course, Jesus himself had no need of cleansing. Being God Incarnate, he was free of all sin. So why did he need go through baptism? In fact, in the Gospel of Matthew, John the Baptist himself wonders why Jesus would want to be baptized by him, given that Jesus is the Lord.

Two reasons come to the fore as to why Jesus had John baptize him. One was to set an example for his future followers. Jesus made baptism the foundational sacrament of the Church, the entryway into the new life of salvation he offers to all of humanity. Even though Jesus did not need to get baptized, he underwent baptism to show the way.

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Photo Credit: The Baptism Site of Jesus in Jordan (c) 2016 by Zoltan Abraham.

The Magi Knew the Answer (Epiphany - Cycle A)

The Feast of the Epiphany commemorates the arrival of the Three Wise Men, also known as the Three Kings or the Magi, who traveled a long distance, most likely from Persia, to see the child Jesus. The visit of the Magi has deep theological significance. Jesus was born among the Jewish people and was the fulfillment of the ancient Hebrew prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. However, the Magi recognized that his mission was not just to the people of Israel, but to the whole world. His work of redemption was to be for all of humanity.

When they find the child Jesus, the Magi prostrate themselves before him, which is a sign of worship. Thereby, they recognize Jesus as the true power in the world. They do not reverence Herod, who is the local king, installed by the Roman Empire, which controlled the area. Nor to do the Magi show worship to the Roman Emperor, who was regarded as a divine figure. Persia was outside the control of Roman Empire and the Magi show no sign of bowing before the power and majesty of mighty Rome. Instead, they single out the child Jesus for their obeisance. The true power in the world is not the emperor controlling formidable armies but the child Jesus, who is God Incarnate.

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Photo Credit: The Adoration of the Magi by Edward Burne-Jones from Wikimedia Commons.

All Happy Families Are Like the Holy Trinity (Holy Family - Cycle A)

One of the most controversial topics in New Testament interpretation today is St. Paul's statement, found in the long form of this Sunday's Second Reading, "Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord" (Colossians 3:18). Many would prefer not to discuss the passage at all. Oftentimes the short from of the reading is used at Mass to exclude this line. But precisely because the passage is so controversial, we should talk about it.

Discussions of the passage often neglect the context. The next line reads, "Husbands, love your wives" (Colossians 3:19). In our contemporary culture, the word "love" has been greatly weakened and has often been reduced to little more than being nice. But the New Testament concept of love is much more substantial. To love means to act in a Christ-like manner. Christ showed love by giving himself fully, even at the cost if his own life.

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Photo Credit: Igreja São João em Porto Alegre, Brasil : Vitral Sagrada Família from Wikimedia Commons.

Every Mass Is Like Christmas (Christmas - Cycle A)

The celebration of Christmas in the Catholic Church has four distinct Masses - the Vigil, the Mass during night, the Mass at dawn, and the Mass during the day, each with its own set of readings. The Gospel for the Vigil Mass starts with the genealogy of Jesus. Some might want to skip over those lines, not wanting to bother with the difficult biblical names.

But we can learn a great deal already from the genealogy. The people of Israel had waited many years for the coming of the Messiah. Indeed, the entire Old Testament period was a time of preparation for Christ. The Israelites were waiting for a great king, a powerful military conqueror, who would subdue their enemies and usher in a new age of glory for Israel. But when he arrived, the Messiah was much more than what they had hoped for, beyond, in fact, their wildest expectations, as we shall see below.

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Photo Credit: The Nativity with Donors and Saints Jerome and Leonard from Wikimedia Commons.

Our Lady Always Points to Christ (Advent IV - Cycle A)

The dogmas of the Catholic Church are teachings that the Church has declared definitively. These teachings are to be held by all the faithful as a part of being Catholic. Most dogmas have been declared by Ecumenical Councils, which are the gathering of all bishops, with the approval of the Pope, but some dogmas have been declared by the Pope himself directly.

Over the centuries, the Church has established four dogmas about the Virgin Mary: 1) Mary's Divine Motherhood, which makes her the Mother of God, 2) Mary's Immaculate Conception, meaning that she was conceived without original sin, 3) Mary's Perpetual Virginity, having remained a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Christ, and 4) Mary's Assumption into Heaven body and soul at the completion of her earthly life.

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Photo Credit: Overview of advent wreath in 2023 at Masarykovo náměstí street in Třebíč, Třebíč District from Wikimedia Commons.

A New Level of Being (Advent III - Cycle A)

In the Gospel Reading for this Sunday, John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus to ask him if he is truly the Messiah. Why, we might wonder, is John doubting? Is he wavering in his faith? Given all that we know about John, the answer is undoubtedly no.

John the Baptist was the sightly older cousin of Jesus, who recognized and greeted our Lord while they were still in their mothers' wombs, when the Virgin Mary visited Elizabeth. As an adult, John dedicated his life to preparing the way for the public ministry of Jesus, leading a rigorous ascetic life in the desert. As he preached repentance, John was imprisoned by King Herod for challenging his unlawful marriage. But John did not waver. He paid the ultimate price when he was beheaded by the king for preaching God's word. Therefore, John is not likely to have doubted Christ.

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Photo Credit: Adventskranz mit drei brennenden Kerzen from Wikimedia Commons.