Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

Gospel: John 3:22-30
After this, Jesus went into the territory of Judea with his disciples. He stayed there with them and baptized. John was also baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, where water was plentiful; people came to him and were baptized. This happened before John was put in prison. Now John’s disciples had been questioned by a Jew about spiritual cleansing, so they came to John and said, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, and about whom you spoke favorably, is now baptizing, and all are going to him.”John answered, “No one can receive anything, except what has been given to him from heaven.

You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ Only the bridegroom has the bride; but the friend of the bridegroom stands by and listens, and rejoices to hear the bridegroom’s voice. My joy is now full. It is necessary that he increase, but that I decrease.

Reflections
“I have been sent before him.”
This gospel text offers a rare glimpse of Jesus from afar. In this case, some of John’s disciples are worried to hear that Jesus is stealing their master’s sig­nature moves—that is, perfor­ming baptisms on his own. But John makes it clear he is not the main attraction but merely the “warm­ up act” for the one who is to come. Casting himself as the friend of the bridegroom, he is not disappointed to hear the news of Jesus. Instead, his joy is complete: “It is necessary that he increase, but that I decrease.”Here is a man whose concern is not with himself but with his mission—a mission that is larger than himself. Are we capable of a similar detachment about our projects and apostolates? Are we resentful when a cause or belief we have worked for is taken up by others—perhaps a new generation with their own way of doing things? Or is our joy now complete to know that other hands have taken up the work, perhaps seeing it to com­pletion?John’s mission was not to proclaim himself, but another. And now that his mission is ful­filled, how can he not rejoice!

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Luke 5:12-16
One day, in another town, a man came to Jesus covered with leprosy. On seeing Jesus, the man bowed down to the ground, and said, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”Stretching out his hand, Jesus touched the man and said, “Yes, I want to. Be clean.” In an instant, the leprosy left him. Then Jesus instructed him, “Tell this to no one. But go, and show yourself to the priest. Make an offering for your healing, as Moses prescribed; that will serve as evidence for them.”But the news about Jesus spread all the more; and large crowds came to him, to listen and to be healed of their sickness. As for Jesus, he would often withdraw to solitary places and pray.

Reflections
“Yes, I want to.”
It doesn’t take much to coax an act of healing mercy out of Jesus; just a leper, in this case, who says “If you want to, you can make me clean.” The leper appeals not from his own de­sire—what he wants from Jesus (though that must be clear). Instead, he appeals to Jesus’ de­sire: that all should be whole and well, that those who are margi­nalized and outcast should be welcomed. (The leper’s submis­ sive attitude recalls Jesus’ later prayer: “Not my will, but yours be done.”) And Jesus confirms the leper’s appeal: “I do want to…”We approach Jesus with our own needs and sufferings, per­haps doubting that they merit his attention or compassion. But he is the embodiment of such compassion. If it were a matter of what he “wanted” to do, there would surely be no end to his compassion.We should approach Jesus with confidence in his power to heal us and fulfill our deepest longing. That may not take the form of physical healing. But as the Epistle of John reminds us, through Jesus God has offered us the gift of eternal life. That is what he wants for us. It only falls on us to want it too.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Luke 4:14-22
Jesus acted with the power of the Spirit; and on his return to Galilee, the news about him spread throughout all that territory. He began teaching in the synagogues of the Jews and everyone praised him.When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as he usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed him the book of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.

He has anointed me, to bring good news to the poor; to proclaim liberty to captives; and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed; and to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he said to them, “Today, these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.” All agreed with him, and were lost in wonder, while he spoke of the grace of God. Nevertheless they asked, “Who is this but Joseph’s Son?”

Reflections
“Who is this but Joseph’s Son?”
Jesus spends little time preaching in Nazareth, the place where he will always be known primarily as “Joseph’s son.”Even as he claims for himself the text from Isaiah, everyone is praising him and admiring what a good job he did reading from scripture. He then delivers what must count as one of the shortest homilies on record: “Today these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.”Well said, Jesus! But listen again to his text and imagine what it would mean to believe this prophesy was co­ming true in your hearing: good news to the poor, liberty to the captives and the oppressed… Here is a wholesale program of social upheaval. The point of the sermon is that these are not just pretty words from “Bible times”; they are happening now, in our presence! And yet Jesus has become so familiar to us that his challenging message glides right past. Nice sermon, Lord! (“Isn’t that the carpenter’s son?”) Every week at Mass we hear such prophetic words, but for us, the family of Jesus, they are so familiar that we fail to see and comprehend: These words are coming true in our hearing!

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Mark 6:45-52
Immediately, Jesus obliged his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, toward Bethsaida, while he himself sent the crowd away. And having sent the people off, he went by himself to the hillside to pray.When evening came, the boat was far out on the lake, while he was alone on the land. Jesus saw his disciples straining at the oars, for the wind was against them; and before daybreak he came to them, walking on the lake, and he was going to pass them by.When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified.

But, at once, he called to them, “Courage! It is I; don’t be afraid!” Then Jesus got into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely astonished, for they had not really grasped the fact of the loaves; their minds were dull.

Reflections
“It is I; don’t be afraid!”
No doubt the sight of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee filled his disciples with terror: “they thought it was a ghost.” John writes, “Perfect love drives away fear,” yet the disciples are far from such perfect love. They are also far from perfect under­ standing of who Jesus is and the significance of his actions. Hav­ ing experienced the miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fishes, their minds remain “dull.” “Wow, wasn’t that great that we had enough to feed everyone?” they are thinking, without re­ cognizing once again a sign of the in­breaking reality of the kingdom of heaven in their midst.“It is I,” says the Lord;“don’t be afraid.”Perhaps we also fail to see things according to their true meaning, and thus we remain afraid. None of us has seen the Lord walking on the waves. No one has seen God. But when we love, according to the Epis­tle, “God lives in us,” and we can see God in the loving deeds of others, especially in the works of mercy: feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, visiting the prisoner. To the extent that such witness frightens us, it is a sign that our faith and our love remain weak. May the Spirit give us courage!

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019