Not everybody is outgoing. Not everybody wants to be at the center of
attention. Most people don't mind being in the spotlight from time to
time, but very few want to live in the spotlight. We also want our
space, we want our privacy, we want to be able to escape from the
maddening crowd.

I think we are a little suspicious of those who constantly seek to
remain at the center of attention. We are probably more sympathetic
to those who are shy than those who are relentlessly outgoing. That
overly gregarious person can be pleasant or even entertaining to be
around for a while but at some point it begins to wear thin. We might
wish that they had off-switches.

It seems that a shy person is easier to be around. They are not
competing for our attention, they are not trying to impress us, they
are simply trying to keep out of the way or not to bring attention to
themselves. They generally do not demand much from others and try to
keep out of others' way. Wallflower is not a bad description of the
shy person.

It is an easy assumption that the very shy person is insecure to some
degree. This is also the case quite often for the very outgoing
person, they also can be quite insecure. The difference is in how
that insecurity is expressed. The shy person tends to embrace and
accept their insecurity while those who are overtly outgoing try
conceal their insecurity. The shy try to hide themselves, the
outgoing tend to want to hide their insecurity.

We can look at figures like John the Baptist or Jesus Himself. While
each had his time in the public eye, neither lived for being seen,
neither craved for the attention of others. When they were the center
of attention, it was not all about them, it was all about someone
else.

For John, it was all about preparing the way of the Lord, it was all
about preparing people for and pointing people to Jesus. And Jesus
did not teach, heal, drive out demons, and perform miracles merely to
bring attention to Himself. For Him, it was about preparing people
for the Kingdom of God and pointing them to God the Father.

Both John and Jesus drew crowds and had dozens of disciples, but not
because John and Jesus wanted to be in the limelight, not because they
desired to be famous, not because their egos needed to be stoked by a
crowd of fans. John and Jesus sought to attract people for the
people's benefit and not for any insecure need for
self-aggrandizement.

So when John taught, he did not teach his own doctrine, his own
beliefs, or his own opinions. John was a prophet who taught what God
wanted the people to know. When Jesus taught, He was teaching both as
a Prophet and as God. Jesus is the Prophet that the Lord promised the
Israelites through Moses. The Lord promises Moses that He would “raise
up for them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my
words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him.”

Jesus' words carry more weight than John's or Isaiah's or Jeremiah's
or any other prophet because He speaks not with the borrowed authority
of a prophet, but with His own divine authority. Again, Jesus speaks
with authority not for His own benefit, but for the benefit of others.

The scribes and Pharisees have no authority of their own. They are
not prophets so they don't speak for God like John does. They are not
divine, so they can't speak as God like Jesus does. When they teach,
they have to cite other authorities.

Thus, the authority of John and Jesus threatened them. Some insecure
scribes and Pharisees go out to challenge and attack both John and
Jesus. Some shy away from these two, avoiding them like the plague.
They feel threatened, but neither Jesus or John is a true threat.

But there are true threats out there. These threats are not insecure
at all, but they behave much like the wallflower. They do not want to
be noticed, but not because they are insecure. They want to go
unnoticed so that they can go about their business in secret. They
are not hiding or shying away like an insecure person. Instead, they
are lurking.

We see one such lurker in today's Gospel. The demon that possessed
the man does not want to draw attention to himself, but he can't hide
from Jesus. He probably has been with this man for many years and
quietly came to the synagogue each week as if all was normal. The
last thing this demon wants is to be the center of attention.

Satan and his minions very much want to fly under the radar. They
don't want their intentions and their agenda to be known much the same
as a con artist, a mugger, or a rapist wants to lurk out of sight.
And when they do come out from the shadows, it is either to pounce on
an opportunity or to lure the innocent into their trap.

Indeed, wouldn't life be better and easier if criminals were easily
identifiable, if they wore signs that said 'murderer', 'con man',
'identity thief', 'mugger', or 'rapist'? Wouldn't our spiritual lives
be easier and safer if we could see the moral and spiritual perils
that surround us? Wouldn't Adam and Eve faired better if the serpent
wore a sign saying 'deceiver' or 'father of lies'?

Since demons and human ne'er-do-wells don't wear signs alerting us to
danger, what are we to do? Just like we have to physically protect
ourselves from muggers, identity thieves, and rapists by being
prudent, the same applies for our spiritual protection.

We know that we can't trust complete strangers. We know that we
should avoid some places after dark and we should never be in other
places even in daylight. We know that if it sounds too good to be
true, it probably is.

The same applies spiritually. We must trust Jesus and we must know
Him well enough not to be fooled into following an impostor. If we
know Jesus and what He taught, we will know the spiritual areas where
we need to be very careful and those that we should avoid altogether.
And if we know Jesus and what He taught, we will know the truth and we
will not fall for something that sounds too good to be true.

All of this ultimately hinges on remaining under Jesus' authority and
not letting anyone or anything take His place. So let us stay close
to Jesus Who brings all things to Light, let us obey His commands
because His commands are Truth, and let us trust that Jesus has our
best interests in mind and that He is the Way toward happiness in this
life and in the life to come. In other words, Jesus is our true
source for security.

Maybe you have heard of him, maybe you have not. One of the greatest
scientific minds alive today is Stephen Hawking. Perhaps you have
seen him, he is the British guy in a wheelchair almost always wearing
a tweed jacket and sporting a smile who usually talks through a
computerized voice. Lou Gehrig's disease long ago robbed him of his
ability to walk and recently taken away his ability to talk even with
the help of a computer.

Sadly, after having studied the order and the beauty of the universe,
after having plumbed the depths of creation, Mr. Hawking has chosen to
conclude that there is no God. Despite all of the evidence to the
contrary, he believes that the universe could exist without the
existence of a Creator Who brought it into being. He reasons that if
God is not necessary for creation to exist, then there is no God at
all.

He once believed that the universe came into being from nothing, which
is exactly what science has been telling us now for over eighty years
ever since the scientist and Catholic priest, Georges Lemaitre first
proposed the Big Bang theory. Every scrap of evidence collected by
science for that last century has basically confirmed the Big Bang
theory which states that at one point the universe did not exist but
came into being in one cataclysmic explosion. Mr. Hawking, however,
has recently chosen to believe that there was never a time when the
universe did not exist, essentially rejecting the accepted Big Bang
theory.

He believes that the Big Bang occurred but that the universe is
eternal and therefore needs no eternal Creator. The universe just is
and has always been in existence even before the Big Bang according to
Mr. Hawking. Is there any evidence to support the existence of an
eternal universe? Absolutely not.

In fact, at a symposium held two weeks ago in honor of Mr. Hawking's
70th birthday, all of the papers presented by his scientific
colleagues refute the possibility of an eternal universe. The best
science we have today insists that the universe once was not and then
suddenly came into being through an immense explosion, much like
Genesis tells us “Let there be light.”

Indeed, science has been saying for over eight decades what Christians
have known for twenty centuries, that the universe came into being
suddenly from nothing and that “the world in its present form is
passing away.” At some time in the future the universe will cease to
be, and both science and the faith agree on this point in general
terms.

Mr. Hawking is choosing to believe that the universe is eternal
despite all evidence to the contrary because he refuses to accept the
possibility of an eternal Creator. One of the brightest minds ever,
one of the greatest scientists ever, chooses to reject scientific
evidence because he can't accept the existence of God.

Of course we can't judge Mr. Hawking and the millions of people that
refuse to acknowledge the possibility of God's existence, but we must
be concerned about their souls. We should pray for them, that they
may hear the voice of God in their hearts and to turn towards their
Creator. The people of Nineveh didn't believe in God, yet they heed
His warning that comes through Jonah. They hear, they believe, and
they repent.

Why? Because their time of wickedness was running out. God's message
through Jonah was clear: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be
destroyed.” Nineveh was facing imminent doom and this motivated them
to repent from their ways of wickedness and to seek atonement.

But what if Jonah has said 'Forty years more and Nineveh shall be
destroyed' to the Ninevites? Would they have put on sackcloth, would
they have changed their ways, or would they have just gone about their
business putting off changing their ways? What if astronomers
discovered that a huge asteroid was headed for earth and that it would
destroy the world as we know it? Would people turn to science or the
government for an answer? Would they turn to God, but only as a last
resort?

Some, like the Ninevites, would repent and turn to God. Sadly, many
people would not turn to God, but they would turn against Him. They
would be angry that the world as they know it was facing imminent
demise. They love their earthly lives and they love the things of the
world. Love for their lives and for their possessions blinds them
from loving their Creator, the Creator of their lives and the Creator
of the world they cherish.

This why Paul urges us to live “weeping as not weeping, rejoicing as
not rejoicing, buying as not owning, and using the world as not using
it fully” because we live in the world but not for the world.
Instead, we live for the Kingdom of God, which Jesus assures us is at
hand.

And the best way to keep life in this world in perspective is to heed
Jesus' teaching from the Sermon on the Mount: “seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you” (Mt 6:33). How much different would Mr. Hawking's
life be if he studied the universe not just with eyes of reason but
also through the lens of faith? How much better would our world be if
we sought the Kingdom of God first and not served the kingdom of
worldly possessions? How much better would the world be if everybody
repented and followed the ways of God?

If we seek first the Kingdom of God which is at hand in this world, if
we keep the good and bad things in this world in their proper
perspective through the lens of faith, if we heed Jesus' call to
“repent and believe in the Gospel,” then we would not fear the news
that the world or our lives are ending.

Indeed, if we take the Gospel seriously and live it through faith,
hope, and love, then the news that we will die in forty minutes, forty
days, forty weeks, or forty years will not bring us dismay. If we
live the Gospel, we will be able to part with any possession or even
our lives as easily as Peter, Andrew, James, and John abandoned their
nets to follow Jesus.

Some events stick with us. The attack on Pearl Harbor, the explosion
of the Space Shuttle Challenger, the assassination attempt on
President Ronald Reagan, Neil Armstrong walking on the moon, the
Berlin Wall going up, the Berlin Wall coming down, the assassination
of John F. Kennedy, and September 11th.

These are all important events over the last seventy years. They were
all front-page news for several days or even weeks. They were all
events that changed history or changed the lives of millions. Many of
these were bad events that scarred our nation or the world, but some,
like the fall of the Berlin Wall and man walking on the moon were
joyous and marvelous events.

We have our own personal momentous events: A husband's and wife's
first date, the day that he proposed to her, their wedding day, the
birth of their children, the marriages of their children, the births
of the grandchildren, and so on. And then there are the personal
tragedies that we each face: the deaths of loved one's, the diagnosis
of a serious disease, the loss of friends, the end of a marriage, the
betrayal of a loved one.

Whether of personal, national, or global significance, there are
events that are utterly unforgettable. They are so unforgettable that
we recall not just the event, but many of the circumstances that
surround the event. Where were you when you heard about September
11th? What were you wearing when your husband proposed to you? How
did you feel when the space shuttle exploded? What were you doing
when Reagan was shot?

It was a Monday afternoon during spring break of my junior year in
high school when John Hinkley tried to kill President Reagan. I was
at work when we heard of the assassination attempt. Many of my
coworkers did not like Ronald Reagan at all. It would be safe to say
that they hated him. But that day they had nothing bad to say about
him at all. They set aside their dislikes and were able to see the
good qualities of Ronald Reagan. He went from that despised guy in
the White House to their respected and honored president.

It was the same when President Kennedy was assassinated. Likewise,
people rallied around the president after Pearl Harbor and after
September 11th. It would be fair to say that these events not only
changed our lives, they changed how we see the world.

We can say the same for Andrew and the other apostle that met Jesus
for the first time at the invitation of John the Baptist. Their lives
will never be the same, they will never see the world the same way
once they begin to follow Jesus. The other unnamed apostle was John,
the brother of James, the son of Zebedee, the very author of our
Gospel reading.

And we can tell that John and Andrew's lives have changed. They no
longer follow John the Baptist who they knew to be a prophet but now
they begin to follow Jesus. They no longer see John the Baptist in
the same way now that they have met the Messiah. Meeting Jesus was of
such profound importance to John and Andrew that they not only
proclaim that “We have found the Messiah,” they also remember the very
time of day when they met Jesus. We are told by John “It was about
four in the afternoon.”

John remembers this tiny detail decades later when he wrote his
Gospel. For John, meeting Jesus was a life-changing event. And when
Simon meets the Messiah for the first time, Jesus lets Simon know that
his life will be changing also. Jesus makes this clear when He says
to him “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas”
which is translated as Peter.

With this one phrase, Jesus is saying that He knows Simon. He knows
Simon's father. Jesus even goes so far as to rename him Peter. Who
gave Simon his name? His father did at Simon's circumcision. By
renaming Simon, Jesus tells Peter that He Himself is more important
than Peter's biological father. He is also telling Simon that meeting
Jesus is even more important than the circumcision that made Simon a
member of the Chosen People.

It should be no different for us. If John can remember that it was
four in the afternoon when he first met Jesus, has Jesus had such an
effect in our lives that we remember little details like this? Do we
remember the details our first Communions? Do we remember when Jesus
began to have an impact in our lives? Have we gone to loved ones
proclaiming Jesus to them like Andrew did?

Either way, we have the opportunity to meet Jesus every week in the
Eucharist and this encounter is more momentous than that first meeting
between Andrew, John, and Jesus. They beheld and met Jesus, we behold
and we receive Him. Beholding Him and receiving Him should absolutely
change our lives and change how we see the world.

So when I or another priest proclaims “Behold the Lamb of God,” we
should have the same enthusiasm for following Jesus as Andrew and John
did. We should have the same urge to bring others to Jesus just as
Andrew brought his brother Peter to Jesus. We should recognize that
receiving Jesus is a more overwhelming reality than any event that we
have experienced in our own lives. Indeed, receiving Jesus in the
Eucharist should change our lives by helping us become more like Him
and it should help us see the world differently, to see the world as
God sees it.

The Magi arrive in Jerusalem seeking the newborn King of the Jews.
And naturally, they go to Herod's palace assuming that a king will be
born of kings. Not anyone can just stand up and declare himself to be
king, not everyone can declare his son to be king except a reigning
king. So it is a good assumption on the part of the Magi that Herod
or one of his close relatives has just celebrated the birth of a baby
boy.

The Magi logically assume that they will find the new king in the
palace, and if not there, then somewhere in the capital city of the
kingdom. Kings are born into royal families and royal families do not
live just anywhere. So imagine how perplexed the Magi are when they
do not find a newborn king in the palace nor anywhere in Jerusalem.

King Herod and the chief priests were equally surprised. They had no
idea a King had been born. Thus, the Magi know something that Herod
and the priests do not. And Herod knows something that the Magi do
not, and the priests know something that neither Herod nor the Magi
know. Herod knows that this newborn King is the Christ, that He is
the Messiah. The priests know where the Messiah is to be born.

The Magi know that a King is born for the Jews by the advent of a new
star in the heavens. Somehow, they interpret this star as evidence
for a new Jewish King. This star does not tell them Who this new King
is, it does not tell them that He is the Messiah, and it does not tell
the Magi where He will be born. Likewise, the Scriptures tell the
priests that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem and that He will be
the Son of David. But the Scriptures do not tell the priests when the
Messiah would be born.

Somehow, Herod knows that this particular newborn King is the Christ.
We have no way of knowing how Herod figures this out or how he comes
to know this. Perhaps he had a dream like Joseph did, telling him to
take Mary into his house, or like the Magi did telling them to avoid
returning to Jerusalem. It might even be the gifts that the Magi
bring for the newborn King. The baby King rates gold, frankincense,
and myrrh. Herod, the reigning king of the Jews gets nothing from the
Magi.

So we see pieces of a puzzle all coming together in this meeting of
the Magi, Herod, and the priests. The Magi announce the birth of the
King, Herod declares Him to be the Christ, and the priests proclaim
that the newborn King of the Jews is to be found in Bethlehem. No one
holds all of the pieces, and they all confess what they know to bring
forth the identity, significance, and the location of the newborn
Messiah.

This could hardly be considered a work of collaboration. Herod, the
Magi, and the priests do not like one another at all. The priests
don't like the Magi because they are gentiles and because they study
the movement of the stars. The priests despise Herod. In their eyes,
Herod is worse than a gentile. He is an apostate Jew, he comes from a
despised people, he is a puppet of the Romans, and he lives a
profoundly wicked life.

Herod does not like the Magi because they disrespected him publicly by
not bringing him any gifts and not paying him homage. Herod also does
not like the priests much either. No doubt Herod is tired of being
criticized for his wicked lifestyle and his close association with the
Romans. The chief priests even go so far as to condemn King Herod
publicly for his brutality and for marrying his first cousin and his
own niece.

Herod, the priests, and the Magi have no reason to like one another
yet God entrusts the news of the birth of the King of the Jews to
complete pagans, God entrusts the knowledge that this King is the
Messiah to the profoundly wicked Herod, and God entrusts the location
where the Messiah was to be born to the priests through the
Scriptures.

What does this say about God? What does this say about the newborn
Messiah? Firstly, it tells us that this Messiah, although He is the
King of the Jews, is not meant only for the Jews but for all peoples.
God could have entrusted the news of Jesus' birth to any number of
Jews, but He chose the pagan Magi instead.

Secondly, the fact that it is Herod who proclaims that this King is
the Messiah tells us that the Messiah did not come only for the holy
but to deliver sinners from their wickedness. God chose a profound
and notorious sinner to reveal the identity of the Messiah. God could
have entrusted the fact that this Child was the Messiah to the
priests, but He instead chose to work through a truly depraved man.

And the testimony of the Scriptures provided through the priests
reveals that God is faithful to His promises. God could have
initiated a covenant with the gentiles separately from the Jews.
Instead, He works through the Jewish people and their covenants to
bring the rest of mankind into a covenant relationship with Himself.

God sets out to form a new covenant that does not divide the world
into Jew and gentile, but to unite all as brothers and sisters, as
sons and daughters of God. St Paul describes it: “the Gentiles are
coheirs [with the Jews], members of the same body, and copartners in
the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

The universality of the new covenant does not end with eliminating the
distinction between Jew and gentile. God reveals the Messiah's birth
to the Magi who are the ancient forerunners of today's scientists.
God reveals His son to a king, to a politician. And He has revealed
Himself and His Son through the priests and scholars of the covenant.

In other words, there should be no conflict between science, politics,
or true religion. God brought ancient scientists, a king, and priests
together at the birth of Jesus; those who were enemies before were
united by the news of Jesus' birth. Sadly, the Magi, Herod, and the
chief priests all go their separate ways as divided as ever because
Herod and the priests rejected Jesus. How different things might have
been had Herod and the priests joined the Magi in seeking out the
Messiah.

So, if there is animosity and division between men, it is not God's
will. Division and animosity are evidence that Jesus has been
rejected by one or both parties. If there is conflict between science
and the Church, it is because science has banished Jesus from its
endeavors. If there is conflict between Church and state, it is
because the state rejects Jesus. If there is division and animosity
between individuals, it is evidence that Jesus has been rejected by at
least one party.

So we need to examine our own lives. If there is animosity and
division, we must recognize this as an absence of Jesus. We need to
be careful not to assume that the other party is the one who is
estranged from Jesus or has rejected Him. It could be us. And if it
is, we do well to imitate the Magi and seek out the Messiah. Jesus
will not hide Himself from us if we seek Him with a sincere heart. He
will even guide us to Himself just as He guided the Magi to the manger
by the light of the Gospel.

Some years ago, a man fulfilled one of his life-long dreams of
traveling to the Holy Land. He had been saving up and planning it for
years and scheduled his trip well over a year in advance. He studied
guide books and developed a strategy for making the most of his time
in Israel. And of course he had to visit Bethlehem where everything
started.

While at an open air market in Bethlehem, this man saw a nativity set
made out of olive wood. It was exquisitely carved by hand and it was
clear that the figures were crafted with more than simple skill and
dexterity. They had been carved with faith and devotion, and this
faith and devotion was unmistakable. The traveler fell in love with
the nativity set and bought it.

On his way home he flew out of Tel Aviv. When he had booked his
flight the previous year, the various factions in and around the Holy
Land were at relative peace with one another. By the time he went on
his trip, however, that peace had evaporated. There was growing
tension and violence: car bombs, molotov cocktails, rock throwing,
suicide bombers, mortar shells, rockets, and tight security measures.

These strict security measures were most evident in the Tel Aviv
airport. This man's luggage was not just x-rayed. Everything in his
bags was taken out, examined individually, and in some cases, x-rayed
separately. The traveler watched as the security guard carefully took
each piece of his nativity set and examined it meticulously. And
after visual inspection, each figurine was x-rayed one-by-one.

The traveler was shocked by the thoroughness of the examination and
was growing impatient like a typical American. He politely asked if
this level of scrutiny was truly necessary.

The security guard lifted a figurine in his hand and gestured with it
saying 'We have to be sure there is nothing explosive in this set.'
He handled the figure carefully as if it might be a bomb. It just
happened to be that the figure that the security officer was waving in
front the traveler was the baby Jesus. The traveler began thinking
that the screener had a point. What better way to get explosives on
an airplane than inside a hand-carved figurine.

The incident with the inspection of the nativity set stuck in the
traveler's mind. It finally dawned on him how ironic it was that the
man was waving an olive-wood baby Jesus while talking about
explosives. Of course the security guard was worried about dynamite,
TNT, C-4 or some other high explosive. The traveler, however, became
increasingly aware of how spiritually explosive the birth of Jesus
truly is. The birth of Jesus is the most explosive event in the
history of the universe.

Indeed, here we see God entering into His own creation. He is not
simply popping His head in or observing from above like we might gaze
down upon a nativity scene. No, the Second Person of the Blessed
Trinity has become a participant in the course of human events and not
simply a spectator. As the first chapter of John's Gospel tells us,
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14).

This is a truly explosive reality. Not explosive in the sense of
bombs detonating or missiles exploding causing havoc and destruction.
It is explosive in the sense that nothing will ever be the same once
God becomes man. It is just like a bomb cannot be unexploded: once it
happens it cannot be undone. The old ways of man are being laid waste
and the new creation of the Kingdom of God has begun. We are all
participants in this spiritual explosion which will resonate until the
very end of time.

Who would have known, who would have suspected that God would enter
into humanity to become like us in all ways but sin? And who would
have expected this to happen within the ancestry of Joseph, Jesus'
legal foster father? St Matthew begins with this genealogy not
because it points to Jesus' divinity. No, quite the opposite, it
points to Jesus' humanity.

A few of the people in Jesus' family tree are familiar to us today,
but most are not. We recognize names like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Ruth, David, and Solomon. Tamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba, the mother of
Solomon are more obscure to us today. But the people of Jesus' time
knew that Tamar committed incest, that Rahab was a prostitute, and
that Bathsheba was an adulteress. They would have also recognized
that there are murderers, liars, thieves, and idolators among the
Joseph's ancestors.

So if Jesus is willing to graft Himself into such a broken and wicked
family tree, what does this mean for us? If Jesus is willing to adopt
such an ancestry, will He hesitate to adopt us sinners into His family
as well? This is the truly explosive reality of the Word taking on a
human nature and dwelling amongst us sinners.

Jesus does not become a human to visit us like a tourist might visit a
foreign land. He does not see us a figurines but as lost sheep,
wayward brothers and sisters in dire need of His help. He does not
fly in and out of our humanity but enters the world like we do and He
would leave His human body like we do as well. Jesus is conceived,
develops in the womb, is born of the Virgin Mary, grows, lives,
teaches, suffers, and dies as true man and true God. And He does so
out of love. God's love for sinful man is the most explosive force in
the universe and Jesus' birth is an explosion of that love which does
not destroy but recreates.

The Book of Ecclesiastes is not the most uplifting reading. Solomon,
the son of David and King of the Jews, laments at length as he nears
the end of his life. “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
What profit have we from all the toil which we toil at under the sun?
One generation departs and another generation comes, but the world
forever stays... What has been, that will be; what has been done,
that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun!” (Eccl 1:1-3, 9).

This is coming from a king with great power. This is coming from a
man with vast riches at his disposal. This is coming from a man who
is profoundly wise. This is coming from a man who lacks nothing in
this life. Solomon has everything that this world has to offer, and
yet he declares it all to be nothing more than vanity.

Solomon recognizes that there is a certain futility in life, a
futility that becomes more and more evident as the years pass. A
child has wonder, to him everything is new under the sun. To a young
man, he has his whole life ahead of him filled with potential,
adventure, and glory. To the newlywed couple just starting their
lives together, they have great aspirations for the children they will
bring into this world.

Imagine how frustrating life must have been for Zechariah and
Elizabeth. Today, most do not regard childlessness as a bad thing.
Indeed, many would prefer to remain childless. But in times past,
especially in Biblical times, being barren was considered a curse, a
reproach. If Solomon laments “One generation departs and another
generation comes,” imagine how vain it would seem for a couple like
Zechariah and Elizabeth when there is no natural hope for a next
generation.

No doubt they began their marriage with great hopes for their children
and even hoped to have the blessing of seeing their children's
children. No doubt Solomon once had great hopes for his reign as
king. Indeed, he even built a magnificent Temple for God, an honor
that his father David was denied by the Lord. Solomon has it all yet
declares all to be vanity, Zechariah and Elizabeth have nothing but
their own piety and integrity, which may have seemed vain to their
neighbors.

Their devotion might have seemed vain because there was no founded
hope as yet for salvation. They, like all of the Jews awaited the
Messiah, they awaited the coming of the great king, the one that God
had promised to David: “I will raise up your heir after you, sprung
from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father
to him, and he shall be a son to me.”

It is clear that Solomon was not the fulfillment of this promise nor
were the successors of Solomon. Most of the twenty-one kings that
descended from David are described in the Scriptures as having done
“what was evil in the Lord’s sight.” Jehoram, the sixth successor to
David, is described exactly in this way but it goes on the say that
“Even so, the Lord was unwilling to destroy the house of David because
of the covenant he had made with David and because of his promise to
leave him and his sons a lamp for all time.” (2Chr 21:7).

But David's line of Kings did come to an end. After four hundred
years of king after king after king doing “what was evil in the Lord’s
sight,” David's throne was empty. But before the last king of David's
line was deposed, Isaiah prophesied “a shoot shall sprout from the
stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of
the Lord shall rest upon him” (Isa 11:1-2).

In human terms, it seemed hopeless that the promised King of David's
line would come to save the Jews. David's line was merely a lifeless
stump. In human terms, it seemed to Zechariah and Elizabeth that they
would remain childless. In human terms, given the inevitability of
suffering, pain, and death, it seemed to all of humanity that life in
this world is nothing other than “Vanity of vanities!” Indeed, in
merely human terms, “All things are vanity!”

Not so with God. If we derive hope from mere human endeavors, our
hopes are utterly misplaced, they are utterly vain. If the hope of a
Messiah rested solely on the righteousness of the kings that succeeded
David, that hope would have been betrayed by the first successor of
David. If our hope of eternal salvation rests upon our own efforts,
then our hope of salvation is also vain.

We must trust that “nothing will be impossible for God.” Nothing.
David was promised that the Messiah would be born of his line, not
because David was able to sire the Messiah but because God would raise
a Shoot “from the stump of Jesse.” Elizabeth conceived a son in her
old age not because of her or Zechariah's natural fertility, but
because their prayer for a child had been heard by God. And the
Virgin Mary could not conceive the divine Messiah unless the “power of
the Most High overshadowed” her.

We need to know that there is always hope because “nothing will be
impossible for God.” Things seem to be “Vanity of vanities” only in
human, worldly terms. And life will be vain unless we anchor our
hopes in God and what He has promised us. So let us follow Mary's
lead, let us hope as she hoped. She knew it was humanly impossible
for her to bear a son let alone the Son of God. Therefore, let us
take Mary's hope-filled words for our own: “May it be done to me
according to [God's] word.”

One of the perennial favorites of our entertainment industry, whether
it is the movies or television, is law enforcement. From the very
dawn of both cinema and TV, the cop show has been a staple in American
entertainment. Even westerns were in many respects cop shows where
cars were replaced by horses, tommy guns were replaced by
six-shooters, fedoras were replaced with cowboy hats, and diamond
smugglers were replaced with cattle rustlers.

Over the years we have seen an evolution in the nature of the police
drama. At first it was the intrepid lawman versus the dastardly
criminal and the ultimate goal was catching the bad guy. It was
simply a hero triumphing over a villain, justice prevailing over
tyranny. Now it is less about heroism and catching the bad guy but
more about identifying the bad guy and gathering evidence for a
conviction.

Thus, in our cop shows we see fewer gun fights but more crime scenes,
fewer high speed car chases but more chasing of evidence. Catching
the bad guys now has more to do with science than heroics. We see
cops checking driver's licenses, taking fingerprints, tracing the flow
of money, tracking cell phones, and gathering DNA. But one thing has
not changed, one thing remains the same in both new and old cop shows:
the interrogation.

We see both suspects and witnesses being interrogated by the cops.
The main difference in the questioning is that suspects are usually
given more harsh interrogations while witnesses are usually treated
with kid gloves. Witnesses usually want to tell what they know while
suspects have to be tricked or coerced into revealing the truth.

In our Gospel reading, we see John the Baptist being interrogated
first by priests and levites sent from Jerusalem and then by the
Pharisees. It is almost as if John was being interrogated by the FBI
and later by the local cops. And these priests, levites, and
Pharisees are being pretty thorough in their interrogation, first
asking who John is, what he is, and why he is doing what he is doing.

If we look at how they go about asking John questions, it would seem
that they are not treating him as a witness but more as a suspect.
The authorities in Jerusalem and the Pharisees see John the Baptist's
ministry as a threat, they are worried that he is up to something that
they have not sanctioned and something they have no control over. To
the priests, levites, and the Pharisees John is doing suspicious
things, such as baptizing, and since he is doing suspicious things,
John is therefore a suspect.

Because they see John as a threat to their own positions as the
religious leaders of the people, they cannot see that John is not a
suspect but a witness. The first part of our Gospel reading makes
this crystal clear: “A man named John was sent from God. He came for
testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through
him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.” And
John himself is crystal clear as well: “I am not the Christ,” I am not
Elijah, and I am not the Prophet.

They gladly accept John's testimony that he is not the Messiah. But
for the priests and the levites, this is not enough. They still need
to know who John is. Not because they want to know who he is, not
because they are curious, but because they owe an answer to those who
sent them. Again, this is more of an interrogation of a suspect and
not a witness.

The Pharisees are no better than the priests and levites sent from
Jerusalem. They hear John say that he is not the Messiah and they
hear him say that he knows Who the Messiah is. When John says “there
is one among you whom you do not recognize,” he is pointing to the Man
they are looking for. An eyewitness is trying to identify the Man
they are seeking, but since they see John as a suspect and not a
witness, they conclude that he is simply trying to divert their
attention.

They have no interest whatsoever in the identity of the “one among
[them] whom [they] do not recognize.” John was sent as a witness, but
they see him as a suspect. Because they see him as a culprit, as a
threat, they ignore his testimony. John has answers, but they don't
want answers. They want John to cease and desist. They want John to
go away because he makes them uncomfortable.

The very same applies to us. The world wants us to go away. The
world is uncomfortable with us Christians and with the One we follow.
Like John, we are not the Light, but we are sent to testify to the
Light. And like John, the world does not see us as witnesses but as
suspects.

And what makes us suspicious? Because we who have faith, we who have
placed Jesus in the center of our lives, we who are faithful to God
and pray without ceasing, we can rejoice always. We can rejoice in
times of uncertainty, in times of tragedy, in times of persecution,
and in times of adversity. Why? Because Jesus is near. Indeed, if
Jesus is at the center of our lives, He is always with us and this is
cause for joy. Rejoicing always certainly makes us suspicious in the
eyes of the world. Let them suspect us and let us give them reason to
be suspicious. And let us, like John, always testify to Jesus, the
true Source of our joy.

Before becoming a priest, more often than not, I would drive home for
Christmas. Yes, flying is faster and sometimes cheaper than driving,
but I preferred to drive. One reason was that I liked the sense of
freedom and independence that driving gave me. I do not like being at
the mercy of an airline that is just coming out of, is on the brink
of, or is in the process of entering bankruptcy. All too often my
flight would be cancelled due to 'bad weather' when there was hardly a
cloud in the sky nationwide. This would happen when it was more
profitable to cancel the flight. Or if my flight was not canceled,
I'd get a seat right next to a man with a raging case of the flu.

Besides the independence and the ability to avoid those who are sick,
I also preferred driving because it gave me more time to think and to
pray. Driving also allowed me to listen to several audiobooks that I
would not otherwise have time to read. On my last drive home for
Christmas, I picked up a John Grisham novel titled 'Skipping
Christmas.' The title of this audiobook intrigued me and it was
written by an outstanding author who writes very clean and decent
books.

The story centers around a couple of new empty-nesters whose only
child enters the Peace Corps and won't be back home for several years.
Since their daughter won't be home for Christmas, they choose to just
skip the whole decorating, entertaining, shopping, and partying that
come with the Christmas season. Instead, they hope to have a quiet
Christmas and then use the money they saved by not entertaining,
decorating, and shopping to pay for a cruise to bring in the new year.
The prospect of not having the clean, cook, and decorate, the thought
of sailing through the Caribbean and not having to deal with the cold
and the snow was just too enticing for this couple to pass up.

Skipping Christmas seemed lucrative to this couple just like canceling
unprofitable flights are for an airline. They would not have to go
through all of the rigamarole and inconvenience that come with
celebrating the holidays. They would have a sense of independence and
freedom, the ability to do whatever they wanted to do. They would not
be bound by the conventions of the holidays. No presents, no fruit
cakes, no tree, no hassle, no hustle and bustle, no worries.

Unlike their friends and neighbors, this couple was likely to come out
of the holiday season well rested, tanned from the Caribbean sun, and
perhaps even financially ahead by skipping Christmas. Skipping
Christmas and doing their own thing seemed to have no downside at all.
They could sit back, relax, and laugh at all of their neighbors who
were scurrying about trying to prepare to celebrate Christmas. This
couple was warming to the idea of being empty-nesters, with being the
masters of their own destiny.

That is, until they get a surprise phone call on the morning of
Christmas Eve from their daughter who announces that she will be home
in a few hours and that she looked forward to celebrating the
traditional family Christmas. And she was bringing home her new
fiance who was also excited about celebrating Christmas with his
future in-laws.

It seems that their daughter had been bragging about how mom and dad
would decorate the house inside and out, about how clean and organized
the house would be, about how the Christmas tree would be decorated
just so. What better way to get to know his future father- and
mother-in-law than celebrating Christmas with them?

When the empty-nesters get the news of the return of their daughter
and the advent of their future son-in-law, they are absolutely
unprepared. Nothing is ready, cleaned, or decorated. Fortunately for
this couple, the neighbors who they have been mocking all season come
to their rescue and help them to prepare their house. The daughter
returns to the traditional Christmas she had always known and her
fiance comes into his future family for the first time ready to
celebrate.

So, are we like this empty-nester couple? Are we unprepared for the
return of the Love of our life? Have we been mocking those who have
been emotionally, mentally, and spiritually preparing for Jesus'
return at the end of time? If Jesus called in the morning telling us
He would return in time for dinner, would we be ready for Him? Would
our spiritual houses be cleaned, prepared, and decorated for His
arrival?

Indeed, we must all be like St John the Baptist and prepare the way
for the Lord in our own hearts, our own souls, and our own lives.
John prepared the way by being “A voice of one crying out in the
desert” calling the world to repentance, but he could not make others
repent. Repentance is ultimately a personal responsibility.

Unlike those neighbors who pitched in and prepared the house of those
empty-nesters for the return of their daughter and the advent of their
future son-in-law, we cannot rely on our neighbors to do the work of
repentance for us. So, as we clean and decorate our homes in
preparation for celebrating the birth of our Savior, let us also clean
our souls through repentance and decorate our lives with acts of
charity to prepare ourselves for His return. Indeed, we might be able
to skip Christmas, but we won't be able to skip the return of Jesus.

The high point in the history of the Jewish people might be any number
of events from the time of Abraham until the present day. There have
been many ups and downs over the last four thousand years. The number
of downs, the number of tragic times seem to outnumber the eras of
triumph. The Jews have been enslaved by the Egyptians, invaded by the
Assyrians, taken from the Promised Land by the Babylonians, persecuted
by the Greeks, and subjugated by the Romans.

Indeed, there would seem to be a great deal of woe in the history of
the Chosen People that continues even into modern times.
Anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, and the present day desire of multiple
islamic countries to destroy the nation of Israel and to exterminate
the Jews as a people are but a few examples of their modern woes. We
might think that what Hitler did was an anomaly, but there are all too
many today the want to finish what the Nazis started. This is both
very sad and very scary.

Yet, there have been triumphs, both ancient and modern: the Exodus,
the entry into the Promised Land, defeating armies much larger and
better equipped, the return from the Babylonian Captivity, the
military victories of Judas Maccabeus, and the founding of the modern
state of Israel. Even the modern Jewish army seems to prevail time
and time again often against overwhelming odds.

Despite all of these triumphs and tragedies, the pinnacle of Jewish
history would probably have to be the reign of King David. While not
perfect or a paradise, under David the people enjoyed peace,
prosperity, and piety the likes of which have not been known to the
Jewish people in the 3,000 years that have passed since David's reign.

One might even say it has all been more or less down-hill ever since
David was succeeded by his son Solomon. Three thousand years of
hatred, persecution, and oppression with a few bright moments, but
none comparing to the reign of King David. And after so many years of
woe and misfortune, one might wonder why the Chosen People have not
simply thrown in the towel.

Individually, some have abandoned their faith considering themselves
to be 'cultural Jews' while others have even completely renounced
their Jewish heritage. But those who have not given up continue to
practice the faith and strongly identify themselves with being Jewish.
Why? Quite simply, it is because they have hope.

We don't use this word today the same way it was used in the past.
The very idea of what it means to hope has changed drastically over
the years. Today, we might say 'I hope it does not rain.' Or 'I hope
that I do not lose my job.' Or 'I hope that Fred does not forget to
pick up milk on his way home from work.'

The way we use the word hope today usually focuses on a particular
outcome: whether or not it rains, whether or not we are laid off,
whether or not somebody does something. There is a desire for a
certain outcome and at the same time a doubt that it might actually
occur. Hope seems to express our aspirations while also acknowledging
that what we hope for may not come to pass.

This type of hope where we simultaneously desire something while
doubting that it will come to fruition is not the classical or
Biblical understanding of what it means to have hope. True hope
leaves no room for doubt because true hope is built upon a foundation
of faith. True faith leads to true hope, and true hope leads to true
love.

The world has been slowly redefining the meanings of faith, hope, and
love. To the world, faith is irrational and superstitious. To the
world, only irrational and stupid people have faith. To the world,
hope merely means to have a desire or aspiration that may never be
realized. To the world, love is merely a stronger form of liking
something, a mere passion, or a mere emotion.

The world gets faith, hope, and love wrong because the world places
its faith, its hope, and its love in mere things. We, however, place
our faith, our hope, and our love in God. No worldly thing is worthy
of our faith because worldly things eventually decay into nothingness.
No worldly thing is worthy of our hope because worldly things
disappoint. No worldly things is worthy of our love because to love a
mere thing is idolatry.

Indeed, our faith in God rests on Who He is. Our trust in God is
founded upon the promises He has made to us. Our love of God flows
from Who He is and what He has promised us. Thus, to love God
requires both faith and hope.

The Jewish people have persisted through good times and many bad times
because they have placed their hope in God, they have hope in what He
has promised them. They wait in hope for coming of the Messiah and we
wait in hope for His return. Both of these hopes, the First and
Second Coming of Jesus, are the ultimate themes of Advent.

Through the eyes of faith, we hope for Jesus' return knowing that it
is a certainty, not a possibility or probability. Our hope is not a
mere desire or aspiration, but a deliberate trust in what Jesus has
promised. So let us watch, let us keep vigil for His return for His
return is certain. The only uncertainty is whether Jesus will return
before or after we return to him at our passing from this world.

Our Gospel reading is one of the toughest teachings that Jesus
presents in all of the Gospels. Not all accept it. Almost all
Christians accept that Jesus was the Messiah. Almost all accept that
Jesus is true God and true man. Virtually all believe that Jesus died
on the cross and rose from the dead. Almost all believe that Jesus is
the Second Person of the Triune God.

Somewhat over half of Christians believe that Jesus is present in the
Eucharist, or at least they belong to denominations that teach this
truth. Most Christians know that they must forgive others but many
struggle to do so and some even choose to be unforgiving.

Accepting, rejecting, or following some truths of the faith carry
serious consequences. The last two, the teaching about Jesus'
presence in the Eucharist and the requirement to forgive others are
excellent examples. St Paul teaches in First Corinthians “whoever
eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to
answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine
himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats
and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on
himself” (1Cor 11:27-29). Likewise, Jesus teaches that “If you
forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive
you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father
forgive your transgressions” (Mt 6:14-15).

These are very sobering words regarding the Eucharist and forgiveness.
But many Christians do not take these warnings to heart. A man might
tell himself that it is alright to receive Jesus in the Eucharist even
though he has not been to confession since 2nd or 8th grade. A woman
might choose not to forgive her sister thinking that it is acceptable
to forgive some offenses but not others.

Maybe such people are willing to take their chances when it comes time
for God to judge their lives, maybe they simply choose to believe some
parts of the Gospel and not other parts, or maybe they have convinced
themselves that a loving God would never condemn them for profaning
the Eucharist or deliberately withholding their forgiveness.

Finding a good parking spot on Black Friday is something left to
chance. But our salvation should never be left to chance. Whether a
club or a reuban is a better sandwich is a matter of choosing, a
matter of personal taste. But our salvation is not a matter of
personal preferences, choosing some beliefs and rejecting others.
Parents can speak for their underage children. But us dictating to
God what He will do or won't do is not conducive to salvation either.

Yet, when many Christians are confronted with the image of Christ the
King separating the sheep from the goats, they find themselves trying
to dodge this teaching. The most common dodge is that the standards
for judging one man a sheep and another a goat do not apply to
believers.

One protestant commentary I read a while back said that the judgment
scene from today's Gospel only applied to Jews and not Christians.
Yet Jesus says that “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all
the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the
nations will be assembled before him.” All of the nations. Not some,
not one, but all.

One Catholic commentary took this passage to apply to the pagans and
how they treated Christian missionaries. The pagans would be saved by
how they treated the Christians. But this ignores the fact that Jesus
frequently refers to His flock as His sheep. Indeed, our first
reading makes this clear: “As for you, my sheep, says the Lord God, I
will judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.”

The reason why people, even scripture scholars, wish to explain away
the image of the King separating the sheep from the goats is that they
do not want to be judged by the standard of what they have done or
failed to do for the least of Jesus' brothers. To be judged this way
can be daunting. But this is an image of a loving God judging us on
how we have loved our neighbor.

This is a daunting standard because of the scope and the difficulty of
feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked,
sheltering the homeless, caring for the sick, and visiting the
imprisoned. The magnitude of the problem involves most of the human
race at any given moment. And we all will be in need of such
assistance at some point in our lives.

Being judged by what we have done for the least of our brothers is
also intimidating because we just have an aversion to some people.
When Jesus taught the two greatest commandments, loving God without
reservation and loving our neighbor as ourselves, a scribe trying to
limit who he had to love asks Jesus “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus
answered this question with the parable of the Good Samaritan, the
moral of which is that everyone is our neighbor.

Indeed, it is not easy loving everyone. But since we are all made in
the image and likeness of God Who is Love, we are all lovable, we are
all proper objects of one another's love. We could say the same thing
regarding Jesus' suffering and death: out of love, He suffered and
died for all. If Jesus died out of love for all, who are we to deny
love to our neighbor?

If we find it hard to love someone, we need to love them out of love
for Jesus. Was Jesus hungry? Absolutely! Was He ever thirsty? He
said “I thirst” from the cross. Was Jesus ever a stranger or
homeless? “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the
Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” Was Jesus ever in need of
clothes? The Roman soldiers left Him naked on the cross. Was Jesus
ever in need of medical attention? Yes, and it took a brave woman
like Veronica to do what little she could do as Jesus was carrying His
cross. And of course Jesus was imprisoned prior to His trial and
crucifixion.

Now, if Jesus was here before us hungry, dehydrated, naked, homeless,
ill, or imprisoned, would we withhold help? I hope not. We might not
be able to make everything right, but we could at least do what we can
do. Veronica could not heal the many wounds on Jesus' body, but she
could at least provide Jesus with a little comfort and compassion by
wiping His face. In this respect, she is a model for us, that we can
do something for our fellow man.

This is also the lesson of Mother Teresa. She could not cure the
dying, but she could at least tend to their needs and treat them with
dignity and respect. She clothed them, housed them, fed them, gave
them drink, and tended to their medical needs as best she could. And
people would flock to her asking if they could join her in Calcutta or
help finance her work. Her response was 'Find your own Calcutta.'

We can all find Calcutta right here, perhaps in our own families or
our own neighborhoods. We don't have to fix or solve the problems
that our brothers and sisters face. But we can do something for them.
And we must remember, that if we do it for those most in need, we
indeed do it for Jesus.