Love & Faithfulness (readings for Dec. 29, 2018 annotated)

Key

What these passages tell us about God

What these passages tell us to do

What these passages tell us not to do

Commentary

Hyperlink

Reading 1 1 JN 2:3-11

Beloved: The way we may be sure that we know Jesus is to keep his commandments.  Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.  This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to walk just as he walked.

Beloved, I am writing no new commandment to you but an old commandment that you had from the beginning.  The old commandment is the word that you have heard.  And yet I do write a new commandment to you, which holds true in him and among you, for the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.  Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness.  Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

This instructs the same sort of faithfulness in the ordinary discussed in connection with today’s gospel. We must consistently do what God calls us to do, both in our general obligations and with regard to the specific things God has tasked us with. 

But the second paragraph underlines the spirit in which we do those things: in love for each other, particularly others that we may dislike or disagree/have conflict with. That makes our faithful performance of our duties truly faithful. 

This seems to be getting at the same dynamic Jesus spoke of in Matthew 5:21-25 & 38-48.That love is not an emotional affection, but an intentional effort to suppress anger towards and to affirmatively help those who we have difficulty dealing with.

That commanded to love is especially important in this time of intense political/cultural division in the secular realm. It is equally important within the Church as we struggle to deal with the extraordinary challenges facing us today. We need God’s graces to deal with those things and they will not flow if we give into animus against each other.

Responsorial Psalm PS 96:1-2A, 2B-3, 5B-6

R. (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all you lands. Sing to the LORD; bless his name. R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Announce his salvation, day after day. Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!The LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty go before him; praise and grandeur are in his sanctuary.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

One way we get past/overcome the animus discussed in connection with the first reading is to focus on God and his goodness. That takes our minds off the things that causes conflict between us. This is similar to the approach discussed   in Psalm 37:1-7.

Alleluia LK 2:32

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A light of revelationto the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 2:22-35

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses,the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.  This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.  He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the sight of every people, a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

The extraordinary occurred because Joseph and Mary were faithful in the ordinary: fulfilling their normal obligations as parents. Similarly, this extraordinary event occurred because Simeon was faithful to follow the Spirit’s prompting to do what, for him, was probably an ordinary thing: going to the temple. That seems similar to the dynamic described in Matthew 25:20-23. Along those same lines check out Preliminary Work: What we can learn from Joseph and Daniel.