Day- to- day Compassion

Today’s gospel was described by the late Pope Francis: ‘This is the new law, the one we call the “ the Beatitudes.” It’s the Lord’s new law for us’ (February 2016). It highlights attitudes of the heart rather than just a set of rules to be followed.

We do not stay just with the words of Jesus. His life and teaching were a commentary on this sermon. Jesus invites us to watch how the sermon is lived out in his life. All the qualities – being poor in the spirit, able to mourn our losses and work for peace – are qualities of the human person. This is how we know our need for God, our need for each other. Even in his risen life he was the humble one who could listen to the doubts of his disciples and guide them to further faith, each in his or her own way.

The church is called to live these qualities, which lead us to the compassion of Jesus and to bring compassion in our lives.  Compassion and understanding come from listening deeply to others, especially their joys and sorrows.

Compassion also grows in prayer – by asking for it, and by watching the compassion of Jesus in his life.

Someone working with young people once said that ‘an ounce of compassion is worth a ton of exhortation.’ Marriage, friendship and family life are all enriched by the quality of compassionate listening.

Some time today notice how you are feeling:

share that with Jesus in prayer.

Notice too how these feelings affect

how yow you are with others during the day.

Thank you, Lord, for your compassion for me in all times of my life.

Donal Neary SJ

’Called to Jesus…’

Today’s Gospel describes the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (called the Synoptic Gospels), Jesus’ public ministry begins after his baptism by John the Baptist and after his retreat to the desert where he was tempted by the devil. When Jesus returns from the desert, he hears that John has been arrested.

The first part of today’s Gospel places Jesus’ ministry in the context of the writings of the prophet, Isaiah. Matthew wants to show that Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophecies given to the people of Israel, and he refers to Isaiah to do so. Isaiah says that the Messiah will begin his ministry in Galilee, the land of the Gentiles. When Jesus begins to preach in Galilee, Matthew points to his ministry as a fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy, proof that Jesus is the Messiah.

When Jesus called his first disciples, the Gospel tells us that the fishermen (Peter and Andrew, James and John) dropped everything to follow Jesus immediately. Yet this Gospel tells us little about the prior experience that the fishermen had of Jesus. Did they know him? Had they heard him preach? What kind of person must Jesus have been to invoke such a response? We can imagine that Jesus was a powerful presence to elicit a response as immediate and complete as these first disciples gave.     The Gospel concludes with a description of the ministry that Jesus begins in Galilee. Jesus inaugurates the Kingdom of God with his work. He teaches in the synagogue and preaches the kingdom. His ability to cure people’s diseases and illness is a sign of the kingdom. In Jesus’ ministry, we already begin to see the Kingdom of God among us.

’Look at Jesus…’

As happens each year, the lectionary remains with Christmas themes (and with St John’s gospel) for one more week. It is as if the church is still enjoying Christmas and is reluctant to move on to Ordinary Time and St Matthew.

The passage has a double focus: Jesus and John the Baptist.  John invites us to “look” at Jesus; and reflects on his mission to proclaim Jesus to the world.

We are free to identify and – to celebrate times when some ‘John the Baptist’ (a person, a word or an event) invites us to take a fresh look at Jesus “coming towards us”;  to celebrate our mission as parents, teachers, friends, community leaders or spiritual guides to “proclaim” to the world, and often to ourselves, that those in our care are sacred.

We celebrate the times when some John the Baptist (a person, an event, a scripture passage) challenged us to “look again” at Jesus “taking away” the sin of the world.  By using the singular – “the sin of the world” – the text invites us to identify one particular “sin” which marks our community or culture, e.g. individualism, racism, elitism – maybe our own selfishness. Once we have given it a name, we can celebrate the “lamb of God” who “takes it away”.

Lord, we pray that your church will be truly John the Baptist saying to the world, “Look, there is the Lamb of God who transforms the world by taking away its sins.”

Michel de Verteuil

‘You are beloved…’

Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist had a different meaning from ours. It was more a baptism of sorrow for sin and of forgiveness; in this plunge into the river, Jesus identified with his people in his baptism. At the baptism He heard the best words He could hear; “You are my beloved”.  God led Jesus to John to hear these words.

One of us, one with us, He could now be one for us. Joy flooded his heart as He heard these words. Something happened for Jesus at that moment that only He could know – like bells ringing that only He could hear. Have you heard it in your life? At times we face the huge mysteries love, beauty, friendship, birth, death. And we know in the middle of it all, that we are beloved.

Our call is to be fully involved in life and love. The Christian is called to be involved with others at the times of need, of depth and mystery. Jesus did that – plunging himself into our humanity and with all of us. The feast of the baptism is something new for all. The son of God is one of us. We have a new way of knowing God, not just in the laws of old but in the new Spirit of Jesus.

So let the bells of love ring for us in God; and wherever we find it; let’s ring bells of love for all the most needy of God’s people.

Donal Neary SJ