The Nazareth Page- A gospel meditation for your home

January 11, 2026 – The Baptism of the Lord - Matthew 3:13-17

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living thirty years mostly in obscurity, Jesus departs his domestic life in Nazareth and begins what’s called his public life. But instead of any kind of dramatic beginning, he joins the group of ordinary people who are making their way to the banks of the Jordan River to be baptised by someone named John, a relative of his. He is providing a water ritual of receptivity to God, a sign of repentance from sin. And an expression of willingness to live a life more in tune with the laws of God as understood in those times. Jesus arrives at the banks of the river, likely feeling much like the others who had gathered there.

Upon his arrival, Jesus receives two messages. One is from John, while the other is from God. John tries to convince Jesus that he should be baptized by Jesus. Why? It’s not clear. Jesus again asks for baptism for himself and John complies. After all, Jesus is fully aware that he is a human being, just like the rest of us. But there is more to this event.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

January 4, 2026 – The Epiphany of the Lord- Matthew 1:1-12

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Like many I first learned about the three individuals who visited the infant Jesus as kings (from afar) who came to see and pay homage to the Christ child as the newborn future king of the Jews. Careful biblical scholarship has tried to gain a deeper understanding of this event and give us a more accurate understanding of the Epiphany.

First we have learned the visitors were “demoted” from being kings to a more accurate portrayal of their status as magi. Or to be honest, was this really a lowering of their status? We know, for example, that the Near East was a center of cultural, intellectual and scientific growth during the lifetime of Jesus. Some have described the magi as somewhat like astrologers or astronomers who studied the heavens to learn more about creation beyond what was known simply through common sense. They were trying to unlock some of the yet unknown secrets of its many mysteries. I would liken them to today’s scientists and cosmologists trying to decipher the mysteries of the universe through the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Why these magi sought their truth by traveling westward on the backs of camels remains somewhat problematic, but Matthew describes them as genuine seekers of what’s important in their world at the time. They also pay a major role in saving the Holy Family from a vicious Herod. Further, this allows a parallel scenario to be drawn in Jewish history. For just as Moses led the Jews from slavery in Egypt, so does Jesus come from Egypt to do much the same, only at a much deeper level of human life.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

December 25, 2025 – The Nativity of the Lord, John 1:1-18

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This Christmas I want to get beyond the glitter and the hype, the materialism and the frantic festivities, the excessiveness and the noise and reflect on the amazing reality that is mostly hidden in contemporary celebrations of this most holy of all days.

We are helped in this approach by the gospel passage that is read at the Mass for Christmas Day. It does not mention Bethlehem or shepherds or wise men. but culminates in what is perhaps the most important words in the Bible: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

Let’s go back to the beginning,” the creation of the universe. It did not begin with nothing, not even the singularity of energy and mass that issued forth in what some call “the Big Bang.” (Although that is part of the story.) The important question for us to ponder is what went before that event, which is now said to have happened 13.8 billion years ago. What existed before that beginning which with the advances of current science we can at least imagine and say this amazing event really happened. But we are left only with guesses as to what went before.

That is unless we believe in God who always exited, always exists, and always will exist forever. Which is something that we cannot prove by human investigation, but we can certainly accept as a truthful description of reality.

The Nazareth Page  - A gospel meditation for your home

December 21, 2025 – Fourth Sunday of Advent, Matthew 1:18-24

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Another person who played a major role in the early life of Jesus was the one locals called “his dad.” His name was Joseph and by trade he worked with wood to perhaps make furniture or door posts needed by neighbors. Back then most all businesses were local. There remains some debate among biblical scholars as to whether he might have been a widower with children. But one way or another he became known as the father of Jesus. Today’s gospel recalls the unusual circumstances under which this happened.

I have always had a special interest in St. Joseph. I attended a church and school named after him. We were given a free day on his feast day in March. All us students were allowed to return home after attending 8:00 Mass. I recall taking the bus home and passing the local public school where the students were working on arithmetic problems. What a good feeling that gave me!

I also became a foster father for dozens of infants and toddlers. I often though of St. Joseph as my special friend in heaven and prayed to him when faced with difficult challenges.  

The Nazareth Page- A gospel meditation for your home

December 14, 2025 –Third Sunday of Advent, Matthew 11 2-11

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Like last Sunday, we recall John the Baptist, the one who set the stage for the coming of Jesus. I once read that next to Jesus and Mary, John appears the most in paintings by artists depicting scenes relating to the life of Jesus. So, we should pay extra attention to how he is presented in the gospel writings. And what Jesus himself said about John.

First, Jesus agrees with those who affirm the importance of John. He described him as a messenger sent by God to prepare for the coming of Jesus. And as Jesus himself noted, among those born of women, none is greater. But then he adds these words: ”the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Once again, the gospels leads us to wonder. What are we to make of this?

In our day so many try to measure the best of this or that. And even in the time of Jesus, social and religious status meant something. Maybe this kind of calculation has always been common among we humans. We seem to evaluate others by wealth, social position, appearance, successes and so forth.

The Nazareth Page  - A gospel meditation for your home

December 7, 2025 – Second Sunday of Advent, Matthew 3:1-12

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For many years I have been writing these Nazareth Pages, and while they are saved somewhere in my computer, I compose each one fresh. As I reflect on the gospel for each Sunday, I approach it by thinking it’s my first time to do so. I read each Sunday gospel imagining that I am not the same person who read that gospel four years back.  So, I am receptive to noticing something new in the inspired word. And I am rarely disappointed.

This second Sunday of Advent, we are told of the time when John the Baptist was approached by local religious leaders who wanted to know if he were the Messiah, the one sent by God, No, he said. Rather I am here to prepare for his coming.  My baptism signified repentance from sin, but the true Messiah will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. It will be the beginning of God’s life-giving presence among us.  

God will come to us in the person of Jesus. This ‘incarnation” of God in Jesus means that God is becoming uniquely present to our world, active in our world and transforming those of us blessed with living in this world. Then and now.

The Nazareth Page -A gospel meditation for your home

November 30, 2025 – First Sunday of Advent -Matthew 24:37-44

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Happy New Year!  Today marks the first day of the liturgical year in the Catholic Church. And in typical fashion, we are not only to think of beginnings, but also finality. Thus, we are reminded of what attitude would be best for us as we prepare for the end of our final moments of earthly life. Note that we are not given a date for this to happen, but only that it will end.  

Even in today’s scientific times, many seem to believe that the end of the world is coming soon. I’m not sure what this means for such believers in the practical order. They are not “survivalists” in the sense that they believe in some major disaster ending life on earth as we know it, but they are ready. They have food and other essentials stored underground somewhere. Perhaps in their backyard or as it’s sometimes said, “in an undisclosed location.”

In the time of Jesus, many Jews were hoping for the immanent coming of a messiah, sent by God to restore prosperity and better times for God’s chosen ones. There were many theories about how and when this might happen. Omens of the impending event were popular.

The Nazareth Page- A gospel meditation for your home

November 23, 2025 – Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - Luke 23:35-43

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Historians have filled in some of the background events that were going on during the lifetime of Jesus. What I find most interesting is that while Romans controlled life in Israel for decades, there was oftentimes serious resistance to their rule. This often took the form of local uprisings on the part of Jews under Roman dominance.

One of the major ways the Romans showed their vicious power was to capture and kill anyone they thought was in their way, To show their power, they often publicly crucified Jews, hundreds or perhaps thousands of them. Surrounding this violent chaos Jesus lived and eventually died at the hands of the Romans.

Today’s gospel described some of the circumstances of the death of Jesus. Next to him being crucified were two other Jews who seemed to know about Jesus, and perhaps a little about his powers. One asked him to miraculously free them from their fate. The other accepted what was happening and asked to be part of whatever the future of Jesus entailed. One asked for a miracle while the other was willing to accept whatever was ahead for all of them.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

November 16, 2025 – Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Luke 21:5-19

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I once thought that the four gospels were written like the daily newspaper. Events were recorded soon after they happened. The various evangelists were there with Jesus, perhaps taking a few notes and after he ascended into heaven, they immediately wrote their gospels.

Now we know this is not how they were created. For starters, they were written decades after the events they describe. And they were written in light of what happened during the decades after Jesus was no longer walking and talking with them. Some of what they wrote in their accounts were influenced by events occurring well after his earthly life ended. Like persecution and even martyrdom.

Helping gain a deeper under understanding of these later events, the gospel writers tried to recall what Jesus had taught them. Their lives would face moments similar to what he had undergone. While we all hope for times of peacefulness and enjoyment, we can also can expect days of challenge and hardship. Like Jesus did.

The Nazareth Page-A gospel meditation for your home

November 9, 2025 – Dedication of Lateran Basilica-John 2:13-2

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Rarely does a feast day connected with a church building, however important to the Catholic Church, outclass and replace the regular passage of ordinary Sunday celebrations. But we are talking about the Roman Catholic Church, and this particular church, the Lateran, is one of the four great churches of Rome. In fact, it was the major church of Roman Catholicism for hundreds of years and is still the cathedral for the Diocese of Rome. The only church structure that exceeds its importance is St. Peter’s in Vatican City. Many church councils were held at the Lateran Church.

What I find important today however is the selection of the gospel for today’s liturgy. The scene is familiar to many. Jesus enters the temple area in Jerusalem and is clearly angry. What he witnessed was its evolution from a truly holy space where God is worshipped to a major money-maker for Jewish leadership. Its purpose had changed.