St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Holy Innocents

(December 28, 2009)

“If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us”

Scriptures: 1Jn 1: 5 – 2: 2; Ps 124; Mt 2: 13 -18

How do I react to gift in another person, in other people? “Of what use is it to have eyes if the heart is blind?”

There is a point of “communion” between us and God, between us and other people. For John it is the light. The first truth this light of God reveals is that we are sinners in need of God’s help. Relating to God means seeing more and more clearly what we need to work on with God’s grace to strengthen our identification with his Son like these innocent children. The psalm affirms the certainty of this rescue by our God who keeps sending his light to guide our steps into the way of peace.

The gospel presents a contrasting picture. Herod has “communion” with Christ in kingship, but he cannot stand it. Why? Partly because he cannot bring himself to see his limitations as ruler; he cannot handle his need of ‘external help’. If there should be any ‘real messiahs’ they should come from the house of Herod – he thinks. That is his darkness and blindness made explicit by the fact that the scriptures in which he and his sages believed indicate clearly such prophecies from the living God. Herod is portrayed as the perfect example of one in whom the truth does not dwell at all. Before I read for you my understanding of God is calling you to do with somebody else’s giftedness through a story, I need to say that Jesus is the main character for us to consider. The coming of Christ on earth, as the fathers have taught us sends to heaven those on earth who are his own: Stephen the first martyr on the 26^th, John the apostle and evangelist on the 27^th, the holy innocents today. Men, women and children of all walks of life are called to be close friends of Christ in different ways. They all said “Yes” with various degrees of awareness and levels of consent. We are therefore in good company with them in our own struggles to say, “Yes Lord, I will follow you wherever you lead me!”

Here is the story of how to receive the blessings given by God to other people, with the spirit of John the Baptist and the spirit of Christ Jesus: a spirit of thankfulness for having others as spouse, siblings, friends, colleagues…etc. Our innocent comes from knowing God’s greatness, even through others.

A story, originally from  Anthony de Mello, S.J.

A holy man dedicated to prayer and contemplation in a secluded place receives an unexpected visitor: the abbot of a well-known monastery.

“What is it you seek?” asked the holy man.

The abbot recounted a tale of woe. At one time, his monastery had been famous throughout the western world. Its cells were filled with young aspirants and its church resounded to the chant of its monks. But hard times had come on the monastery. People no longer flocked there to nourish their spirits, the stream of young aspirants had dried up, the church was silent. There was only a handful of monks left and these went about their duties with heavy hearts.

Now this is what the abbot wanted help in discernment about: “Is it because of some sin of ours that the monastery has been reduced to this state?”

“Yes,” said the holy man, “a sin of ignorance.”

“And what sin might that be?”

“One of your number is the Messiah in disguise and you are ignorant of this.” Having said that the holy man closed his eyes and returned to his contemplation of God.

Throughout the arduous journey back to his monastery the abbot’s heart beat fast at the thought that the Messiah –the Messiah himself—had returned to earth and was right there in the monastery. How was it he had failed to recognize him? And who could it be? Brother Cook? Brother Sacristan? Brother Treasurer? Brother Prior? No, not he; he had too many defects, alas. But then, the holy man said he was in disguise. Could those defects be one of his disguises? Come to think of it, everyone in the monastery had defects. And one of them had to be the Messiah!

Back in the monastery he assembled the monks and told them what he had discovered. They looked at one another in disbelief. The Messiah? Here? Incredible! But he was supposed to be here in disguise. So, maybe. What if it were so-and-so? Or the other one over there? Or. . .

One thing was certain. If the Messiah was there in disguise, it was not likely that they would recognize him. So they took to treating everyone with respect and consideration. “You never know,” they said to themselves when they dealt with one another, “maybe this is the one.”

The result of this was that the atmosphere in the monastery became vibrant with joy. Soon dozens of aspirants were seeking admission to the Order—and once again the church echoed with the holy and joyful chant of monks who were aglow with the spirit of love.

As we receive strength from the Eucharist, let us ask God for the grace of constant discerning of our pathway in friendship with his incarnate son: good community life for these monks, good family life for most of us, and our various involvements for the well-being of the larger world.

Holy Family of Jesus Mary and Joseph

(December 27, 2009)

“Whoever obeys his father brings comfort to his mother”

Scriptures: Sirach 3: 2 – 6, 12 – 14; Ps 84; Col. 3: 12 – 21; Lk 2: 41 – 52

Theme: The very ‘natural’ revelation of God’s love in the family if of Christ.

Introduction: Today we hear Jesus speak for the first time in his own voice, in his own words. Jesus is slowly coming of age and developing some convictions. It is true that the age of 12 was the entering of a young man into adulthood as regards the Jewish Torah in which he would be schooled for basic living knowledge or greater mastery of God’s will in order to teach others. Jesus is God’s Son; he does not obey all natural and customary laws as the gospels try to teach us, yet he appears to be like all boys of his age. Mary and Joseph, who, like us focus on Jesus, are parents like all parents, giving the best they have and know to their child, with great love on their part. Like all parents, they cannot comprehend all the desires and inner world of their child. The call is therefore to do our best and give from our heart. God will take care of all the rest. That trust in God’s fulfilling his own law in the heart of a child is also part of being a parent as Scripture teaches us today.

(1) A Normal Family

The Holy Family is foremost a very normal family. They live by the Jewish piety of going every year to the Passover celebration in Jerusalem. We all know that the Passover is the symbolic beginning of the Jewish faith in God’s love and commitment to his people. The going out of their homes and villages to the temple added a surplus of sensitivity to the desert journey for those who came from a distance, like Mary and Joseph coming from Nazareth in the North. The prayers, rituals and gift offerings in the temple are part of the formation of a community dedicated to God. The family is the basic unit of this community of God-lovers. Like our own context shows, Mary and Joseph were kind of geographical ‘inter-racial’ couple, yet both related to David’s house, hence from the same tribe, that is God’s choice.

This normal family obeys the customs of women walking together and men walking together. One day-journey of re-uniting led Joseph and Mary to realize that their child did not associate with either group. He prefers the temple atmosphere and the total dedication to studying and expanding the Torah-Law in Jerusalem. Again, this child is beyond gender-divides. He is God’s child, the savior of all humanity on this textual bridge announcing his public ministry. This family is on its Exodus of love of God. We remember all the troubles in Mary’s life since the coming of the angel Gabriel. We remember the troubles of Joseph who had to grapple with these unpleasant events around his sweetheart’s life. Now we see them anguished by the Way of their Son. They are out seeking the constitution of a new large family of God from the natural feelings for family life: missing each other, communicating thoughts and feelings, sharing everything. In this natural environment any child learns from parents; he or she obeys them. Scripture teaches that this obedience does not take away in any sense the freedom and authentic God-given personality of the child. True education belongs to parents who are called to pass on the values they judge most authentic, the values of love, and the values of mutual concerns.

The book of Sirach and the Colossian epistle confirm this by encouraging family members to honor each other. Children in particular are encouraged to revere their parents who stand as God’s representatives. A sinless family in this light is a family where mutual respect is the rule of love. In other words, there is no way of loving and serving God (except for unusual/exceptional graces of conversion through healing), unless we experience good/just family life. Many adults cannot value paternal imagery because they have not touched the kindness of a human father. Likewise, it is hard to value motherhood if you have never perceived the anguished heart of a tender mother who cares about what happens to you. Paul likewise says to the Colossians, that family relations are better when ruled by forgiveness, the “bond of perfection”. Holiness in a family consists simply in being thankful for one another and swift to forgive one another. Then he gives the three-part guideline for action towards each other: subordination, love and compassionate care. When husband and wife have the peace of Christ in their hearts these attitudes are its fruit. Wild human nature cannot teach subordination without inviting for sinful domination and oppression. But love wishes to submit to every wish of the beloved. This wisdom is difficult to explain or teach.  In following the order current society gives, the joy of being married will come from the enjoyment of loving the other person for who he or she is and for whom he or she is not yet as far as my knowledge goes. I do not know of anyone who has figured out what the order of society and family is in our days as regards this teaching from the world of Pauline spirituality. Is there a need of subordination and of love the way Paul understands them, or do we just live by contract of self-interests colored by the interests of the other just as one condition to fulfill our own dreams and pursuits of happiness?

Jesus, Mary and Joseph are seen as ‘forgiving’ each other and living according to the family code of their nation and religion. Jesus naturally obeys his parents and they watch over his natural and grace-filled growth. Yet God is the Father and Lord of all, singularly present in Jesus.

(2) The Unique personality of Jesus the normal man

Following the Exodus motive, Jesus goes to Jerusalem accompanying his parents for the first time. But for the last time, he will be accompanied by his disciples. His Father’s House, his heavenly family is a ‘city of peace’ not built by human hands but by the word of God. In the exact same way as he stays in Jerusalem for the first time, he will stay there for the last time, giving appointment to his disciples in the ‘Galilee of the dispersion’ for their restoration as a new people of God. In that sense, Jesus is presenting himself as a unique human character radically marked by God’s grace. He is God’s own Son. Seeing how these saintly people of his human family struggle to gradually understand who he was, we know that any true association with Jesus will lead us to experiences that we could not dream about on our own.

This unique character of Jesus responds to the call of the wisdom of Sirach, “My son, take care of your father when he is old,” by the place Mary and Joseph occupy in the Church’s piety, that is the earthly special home of Jesus to which Mary and Joseph eminently belong. We honor them as he honors them in heaven. If we keep doing so, the three of them will indeed teach us what Paul calls “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Jesus reveals his divinity to those who have a heart capable of love; that means all humanity. However, he wants to honor the Exodus tradition by encountering us on our way of searching for the truth. This truth today is, “Where is Jesus our Son?” Am I personally interested in knowing more about Jesus, in wanting him close to me? Do I feel when he seems distant from me? Do I take action to close the gap to the best of my ability? For us sinners, Mary and Joseph express the act of repentance, of return to Jesus when we lose sight of him due to our sin. We cannot go our own way without his unique character on us. Although we are adults and doing the works of charity, we constantly need the instructions and presence of the Lord in all that we do. There is no ‘absolute point’ coming of age in the kingdom of God except growing in love, and growing in love increases the desire to be with the beloved. In being close to the beloved, we learn that we can never know him or her or them completely. Every day is a new day with them. More so is it with Jesus our Lord. He instructs us by reminding us that he is the “Son of God,” or by showing us a particular instance of what it means to be God’s Son. We are filled with gratitude by belonging to the family of Jesus Christ in the Church, and we sing to God “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” of praise for knowing about these things.

(3) The extended Family of Jesus

Finding Jesus in what matters to Him is becoming a member of his family. Does he not say, “the one who listens to my words and puts them in practice is father/mother/brother/sister to me”? Mary and Joseph, the family of Jesus according to the flesh did also the work of faith in Christ the Lord by seeking his heart, and by giving him to his broader mission. As we see in today’s gospel, their hearts were filled with anxiety (as normal parents experience it), about him. They put their trust in God whose kingdom is the sole comfort of the mother in the case of a son like Jesus. By doing the natural things parents do, they grew into the spiritual family of their Son who is also their Lord and God. What do we learn from their example? Do what is our immediate duty and responsibility to the things of our current life. We value order in society and relationships on various levels. We care about our natural family, we live by the common piety of the Church, particularly the Eucharist. And we let our hearts question what we do by increasing attention to what the Lord is saying, and the ever new ways in which he is communicating his divinity to us. These ways of the Lord are often too ‘natural’ for unprepared hearts to perceive as divine. In that sense Mary and Joseph who experience the coming of the Lord into the flesh were not better prepared than we who believe today. They had the love needed to accept to be transformed by the mystery of God come close. As family of God, the Church presents to us the mystery of God’s incarnation in ways that sound sometimes incredibly simplistic to sophisticated minds, or too unlikely for the skeptical. But for the one who has faith (neither stupidity nor scientism), “nothing will be impossible to God,” and this is not mindless credulity as we can see in Mary who keeps searching for the deeper meaning of the words of the angel when her son grows up. We grow up with the evolutions of our world in science, technology and various awareness-levels of our common heritage. This evolution makes our faith even more viable, for it is simply the beauty of love made real in concrete relations of respect to the knowledge of others and respect to the mystery of others, made in God’s image, after the Only Son.

Conclusion: Let us pray brothers and sisters that our hearts remain open to the refreshing newness of God’s revelation of his presence to us through the various means and instances of our journeys of faith, and our natural journeys of life. All is from God who has united us to Christ, to form a family of God-lovers and lovers of his Peace. The introductory terms of ‘natural’ and revelation come together for one who loves truly, for that person will see what ‘natural’ eyes cannot perceived; This is so because love reveals the orderly nature of God who is Love.

Christmas 2009

Scripture: Is. 9: 1 – 6; Titus 2: 11 -14; Lk 2: 1 -14

“The whole world should be enrolled,” “for the grace of God has appeared, saving all.”

Theme: The world is a creation of God. In it, all peace-lovers enjoy God’s “dominion” and call Him “Father-Forever.”

Introduction: The birth of a child was culturally more important in the Palestine of Jesus days than ours in which voices even cry for prevention of such great events. The meaning of Christmas as  the simple joy of humanity rejoicing in a family event is tainted by the understanding of what a blessing a child could be to parents today. We have many other events that we celebrate but this is God’s way of relating to us: becoming one of us in this particular child, Jesus. Our short reflection may just consist of listing some of things we readily notice as gift and blessings and other realities we need more focus to see, and then the things that only God shows us as sure signs of his love. One guiding question might be who counts as belonging to our Church family of St John the Baptist in El-Cerrito? What place do we have for those we do not yet know? How are we intentionally mindful of “hidden presences?”

(1) Elements of the world readily known and counted

Some people are counted, well respected: Augustus Caesar, Quirinus and other rulers. Joseph and Mary and other citizens. Human passions are recognized. Through passions, many good things have been achieved in our world. Justice and temperance are virtues that we can name. Our own town and cultures count. Our own history counts, the rich count, the priests and leaders of the people count. Those who have given us something or given us love count. Gratitude is important, and knowledge of facts is important. But, are we open to growth?

(2) Elements accepted with due effort

Some groups are barely visible: Shepherds, unborn children, the  poor. The invisible people of prophet Isaiah are now in the light. The “lifting of pressure from those oppressed” by various ills takes the effort of one who cares to remove the obstacles others neglect. Indeed, they will all hang on the shoulder of a little child in the future, whose personality is difficult to perceive now. Some of the obstacles, some of our enemies, we can overcome with great, consistent and sustained effort. However, there are battles and wars that we cannot win without ‘external ‘aid’. We may, with some training and discipline attain a certain level of devout life: willing what God wills for us. The effort can be summarized in the overcoming of fear: fear of the new, fear of opinion, fear of suffering, fear of loneliness. Work at progress is important. But are we open to grateful reception of surprises (beyond what we make)?

(3) God’s consecration of elements beyond our grasp

Things that only God reveals: The angels, the divinity of this particular child, “Christ and Lord” are pure gifts from God to our knowing ability. The unexpected victories in life and miracles come from God. Our “cleansing from lawlessness by our great God and savior Jesus Christ” is beyond the Law that is the highest authority over every citizen. Who among us is totally shaped into pure willingness to do the good? Jesus’ own eagerness to do just what is good by not even having the inclination to do wrong is divine, God’s favor to humanity by coming in the flesh. Let us relish our humanity with the birth of Christ today.

Conclusion: The enrollment of the whole world means ability to count all those parts that are not yet on the common list. We are called to remain open in our hearts to encounter God in ways not yet revealed. Christmas is about pointers of love around us. Some of them we can see, some take some searching and others come from the light of pure grace. Let our hearts and mind shower peace upon the entire world: on those who share our faith and those who do not, those we love and those we love less. Let us ask God to make the universe his home and give us His peace.

Dear Members and Visitors:

I am so glad that you came to worship with us on this very holy day.  God has special blessings in store for you …  Do you realize that you are loved by God?  It is absolutely true.  You are loved by God; you are a beautiful child of God.  I am afraid that we do not appreciate this fantastic love.  As humans, we can love a few people, but God is infinite.  He can love each and every one of us with a wonderful love.  There is a hymn that says: “I have loved you with an everlasting love.  I have loved you, and you are mine.”  That is the basic message of Jesus.  Jesus, as the Son of God, loved each of us so much that he was willing to die for us.  Now that’s real love!

Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  As you look on the crib, just remember how much you are loved with a mighty and everlasting love.  “I have loved you, and you are mine.”

Have a beautiful Christmas, filled with love.

Fr. John Maxwell

———

The priests and staff of St. John’s wish everyone a blessed Christmas and joyous New Year.

Dear Parishioners

Our patron keeps telling us: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”  The disciples of John the Baptist asked another question: “What should we do?”  Most of us hear these challenging words and do nothing.  I have a suggestion: When was the last time you went to confession?  Most of us do not like confession.  We do not like to accuse ourselves of our sins.  But ignoring the reality of sin is not preparing the way of the Lord in our personal lives.  We are all sinners.  We can fool ourselves, but we cannot fool God.

Now here is the suggestion: on next Monday evening, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m., we will have a beautiful community penance service.  I have invited six priests to help us.  We will gather with our friends and neighbors and pray that our loving and gracious God will forgive all of our sins and mistakes.  We need this forgiveness, and the penance service is a perfect time to prepare our bodies and souls to receive the Christ Child on Christmas Day.  I really invite you to come on Monday and leave your sins at the foot of the cross.  Try it.  You’ll like it.

Peace,

Fr. John Maxwell

Friends,

In the Gospel today, the people asked John the Baptist what they should do.  He told them: “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none.  And whoever has food should do the same.”  That is tremendous challenge to every one of us.  We all have a surplus of clothing and food.  We all have a lot of things.  God has blessed us with plenty, and then our patron ruins everything by telling us to share.  We have a hard time sharing because we treasure and hold onto our things.  I am just like you.  I have too much.  I must hear the words of John and let go of some of my stuff.  The chill of winter is a great time to give some of our stuff away to the poor.

Here is a little poem that fits this theme:

“They may see the good you do as self-serving.
Continue to do good.
They may see your generosity as grand-standing.
Continue to be generous.
They may see your warm and caring nature as a weakness.
Continue to be warm and caring.
For you see, in the end,
It is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.”

“Prepare the way of the Lord.”

Fr. John

Dear Friends,

Three points: I feel like Job in the Old Testament when he prays: “The Lord has given and the Lord takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.”  Health-wise, I was almost back to normal when I got a cold, it turned into pneumonia and then I went to the hospital for six days until Thanksgiving afternoon.  However, God is good and will never send us something we cannot handle with his grace.  “The Lord has given and the Lord takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

This weekend we are celebrating Fr. Ray’s 35^th year of priesthood.  Our parish has been wonderfully blessed with the warm and generous ministry of Fr. Ray.  He is a good friend and fellow priest in the vineyard of the Lord.  The pope has called this the year of the priest.  Let’s thank God for Fr. Ray and for all of the good priests who have served us at St. John’s.

This weekend, the sixth graders of our parish school will commemorate the feast of the Immaculate Conception on Sunday at the 9:30 Mass and on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 9:30 a.m.  It is wonderful to see our children in church and leading us in prayer …  Then on Saturday, Dec. 12, at the 5 p.m. Mass, we will celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  It is good to honor Mary, who played such a crucial role in bringing our Savior into the world.

Peace,

Fr. John