The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for the home 

February 18th, 2018 – First Sunday of Lent
Mark 1:12-15

Don’t be fooled by the brevity of today’s gospel. Just a couple of lines, but those lines communicate one of the most important ideas in all the gospels. After noting the many days Jesus spent in the desert and his being tempted by Satan, we hear the big announcement from Jesus himself. “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

End of story? No, just the opposite. The Beginning! We will have to read all the four gospels, the many inspired letters of St. Paul and others, to give us the whole meaning of what that entails. Some prefer calling it “the reign of God” because the use of language more fitting to royalty might create the wrong impression. Certainly, Jesus was no king in the usual sense of that word. Also, the word “king” is obviously a masculine designation and the kingdom of God is for all.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for the home 
February 11th, 2018 – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Mark 1:40-45

A certain president created a stir when he claimed that the crowd at his inauguration was the largest ever. Apparently, he enjoyed popularity. As it seems, many do. Today’s gospel suggests that Jesus was ambivalent about popularity. Of course, he wanted to communicate a message from God, but not all the time. We might ask, “Why not? Isn’t that part of why he came to dwell among us? To tell us the truth about God and to show us how to live as disciples of the truth”?

In today’s gospel Mark describes Jesus healing a leper. Such a wonderful act would impress people. Leprosy was a dreaded disease at that time. Its victims were known in the locales where they lived. Their condition was visible and feared. Lepers were not allowed to live near others. They were forced to live outside the towns and villages and if anyone got close to them, they were told to ring a bell that would warn people of their presence. If someone healed a leper, they would immediately attract attention. So why did Jesus tell the healed leper to keep it quiet? Allow it to be something between just the two of them.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for the home 
February 4, 2018 – Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Mark 1:29-39

As I write this, the news is filled with statistics about those who have been afflicted with the flu. They say that this flu season is worse than predicted. It seems particularly hard on children and the elderly. Everyone is advised to get flu shots, but we are reminded that they are not 100% effective. In all of this we are reminded that we are not immune from the dangers of getting sick, or even dying. That’s just the way it is.

This Sunday’s gospel addresses the power of Jesus to heal. We are introduced to a situation involving Peter’s mother-in-law. I once had a scripture professor who took delight in pointing out that it was not Peter who requested help, but an unnamed “they.”

My professor called this a kind of mother-in-law joke. We all smiled. He also suggested that this passage implicitly meant that Peter, the first pope, was married. All of this was interesting, but it was not the main point in Mark’s gospel. Someone is ill, and Jesus heals her. By doing this, Mark was intent on communicating two other things. First, Jesus cared about others and second, that those who received his attention and care are then called into service.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for the home 

January 28^th, 2018 – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 1:21-28

 The worlds described in much of contemporary literature and cinema contain all kinds of creatures. Some look like exotic and terrifying animals (often greatly enlarged) from an earlier era. Some look like they are part-machine and part-human. Some are small and slithery (often millions of them) and some are gigantic and very scary. Some stories come from ages long past and some from the distant future. All those worlds seem populated by a few good creatures and lots of evil ones. The goal is always the same: survival! Somehow the evil forces must be overcome, conquered, destroyed … or else! Fear abounds until a hopefully victorious conclusion.

You might be surprised to learn that people during the time of Jesus had created a world much like what I have just described. They believed that the world was filled with all kinds of spirits. Some were benevolent or angelic and others were the opposite. Belief in evil spirits or demons was commonplace. Unravelling what might be purely superstitious from reality was difficult. One thing was certain. The spiritual world as then imagined readily created fear and anxiety among many.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for the home 

January 21^st, 2018 – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 1:14-20

 Fishermen can be difficult people to live with. They can be moody. Set in their ways. Their success at fishing is dependent on their knowledge of the waters, their reading of the weather and most fisherman have their own secrets about how to be good at what they do. They are practical men who are proud of their profession and likely to be quite devoted to doing it well. In other words, they are self-directed. No one tells a fisherman what to do.

Thus, we read in today’s gospels the story of how four fishermen, seemingly only on an invitation from Jesus (who was NOT a fisherman), dropped their nets, left their boats, said good-bye to the sea and trailed after this stranger. Can you believe it? Seems like a fish story, doesn’t it?

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for the home 

January 14^th, 2018 – Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, John 1:35-42

 This time each year features major football games. Whether you are a fan or not, it’s hard to avoid all the hype and banter about games that are scheduled to be played. All are considered by their advocates as important, monumental, once-in-a-lifetime events. And more than 99% of people who watch these games will be doing so from comfy couches at home or in their favorite sports bar. Few will actually be at the game. They will not enjoy the game in person.

And because of that, they will miss what true football fans know in their hearts, and that is this: real fans are there in the stands. Freezing, wheezing and shivering. Still, they would not want to be anywhere else. There is no substitute for personal presence.

The Nazareth Page - A weekly gospel meditation for the home 

January 7^th, 2018 – The Epiphany of the Lord, Matthew 2:1-12

 Every year I wonder what’s happening to the religious meaning of Christmas. Certainly, most Christians recall the birth of Jesus Christ, especially as it is described in Luke’s gospel. In our home, my wife has collected many diverse cultural expressions of the stable scene at Bethlehem. Thus, we have many reminders that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus.

But then, like a gigantic cloud that blocks out the light of the sun, another meaning of Christmas overshadows us. Its basic message is about gift-buying. Christmas becomes the time when we give or exchange gifts with others. It can become mostly a commercial event. A materialistic feast that could result in nothing more than giving and getting stuff. Not that this is all bad. Gift-giving and the celebration of Christmas go way back. We are reminded of this connection in today’s feast.

Epiphany means the revelation of God. During Jesus’ life, there are many other “epiphany” moments: The Baptism of the Lord (which marks the end of the Christmas season), the Wedding Feast at Cana, the Transfiguration, the Resurrection appearances. Epiphanies prompt God’s people to say in astonishment: “We saw the Lord!”

With the Wise Men, we proclaim: “We have seen his star at its rising!” The Epiphany is the climax of all gift-giving, because it was on this day the three kings or Wise Men brought their gifts to the Christ-Child in Bethlehem. We bring our gifts of beauty to share with one another and to honor our Lord, the King of all Kings.

Celebrate the Epiphany at Home: 

Gather your family or your CFM group to celebrate the Revelation of the Lord. Here are some ideas for your party:

Keep the year holy at home. Spirituality is a journey taken one step at a time.  You never know--some of these ideas may become habits you’ll carry into the next year, and many more to come.  As the year begins, CFM offers some suggestions for growing in holiness throughout the year.

• Cultivate a sense of gratitude. Greet each child with a smile in the morning, thanking God aloud for the gift that a child is. Summer offers innumerable examples of the glory and abundance of God’s creative genius.  Recognize the wonder of a sprouting seed and the beauty of full bloom. Model for your children an appreciation of God’s gifts.
• Rededicate yourselves to mealtime prayer. Whether it’s a picnic at the park or hotdogs on the run, begin with bowed heads and thanksgiving. Light a candle. Your prayer can be a simple ritual like holding hands, saying “Thank you, God” together and blowing out the candle can be a graced moment for your family.

Reflections of the Gospel for the 4th Sunday of Advent -- Luke 1: 26-38 

God is a god of surprises! Our Gospel this Sunday reminds us that God works in mysterious ways and chooses unlikely people to do his will. A young girl receives a startling visit from an angel. Gabriel salutes her with a title of honor, Full of Grace, and declares that God has chosen her to be the mother of a son. If that news was not astonishing enough, considering her virginity, this is to be the Son of the Most High God. He will rule over the people in an eternal kingdom. Like every child in Israel, Mary would have about this promise of a messiah that would save God’s people. The angel repeats the promises first made King David, that his house and kingdom will endure forever. God’s people clung to this promise over many centuries, through dark days. They expected a powerful warrior that would put their enemies to flight and restore political glory.