Lamb of God 
2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
                (Jn 1:29-34)

John the Baptist had a special calling.  God revealed to him that “a man is coming after you who ranks ahead of you because he existed before you.”  His mission was to identify that man, and help others find him.  

I was once asked by the bishop to pick up a new priest at the airport who was coming to the diocese.  How would I recognize him?  Unfortunately, the bishop didn’t have too many details.  But there was no doubt when the people were coming through the gate and our eyes met: there was an instant recognition among priests, you just know.  Of course, it helped that we were both wearing clerics.

When God asked John the Baptist to welcome His Son and bring him to the world, John must have asked God, “how will I recognize him?”  And God said, “On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one.”  John must have baptized thousands of people, but when Jesus of Nazareth came forward he knew.  All four Gospels recount how John literally saw the Holy Spirit come upon him like a dove.  He immediately recognized the one he had been sent to find.  He knew what to look for, and as soon as he saw Jesus, he identified him: “behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  

I think this is our big challenge today.  Recognizing Jesus.  John the Baptist fulfilled his mission 2000 years ago, clearly identifying Jesus, presenting him to the world, and telling his people to go and follow him.  How well are we doing that today?  How well do we identify Jesus in our midst?  How well do we present him to the world?  How well do we get others to follow him?  

Where is Jesus today?  Where do you find him?  This is related to the question of which church is the true Church?  Each group seems to have their own brand of “Jesus.”  I like watching televangelists: Jesus is a magic formula who will bring you health and wealth if you learn to say his name right (“JAY-suhz”).  

To others he is a Bible-based figure who brings salvation easily and quickly when you surrender to him in blind faith.  You simply pick up a Bible and read, then say a prayer, but there is little awareness of how Jesus has worked in the Church for 2000 years of history.  

To others, Jesus is pretty vague.  He teaches about doing good to others and feeling good about yourself.  Jesus is completely non-threatening, always affirming, and basically everyone goes to heaven.  We must accept everyone and everything, not make life difficult for people, and always be politically correct.  

To others, Jesus is an intense emotional experience flowing from conversion, that is expressed in exuberant praise, often with tears and tongues.  I remember a billboard in our town once that said, “Let JESUS happen to you.”  

Going to different denominations, you will find all sorts of tastes and flavors of “Jesus”: he is almost like a soft drink: you can find regular and diet, caffeine or caffeine-free.  A lot of people just shop around until they find the brand of “Jesus” they like best.  

There is no doubt that meeting Jesus results in many of these things, which certain denominations tend to emphasize: blessings & miracles, love of Scripture, faith & surrender, noble intentions and goodwill, charismatic gifts.  

But there is only one Jesus.  He is not different now from when he walked on the earth.  He is not one thing yesterday and a different thing tomorrow.  Jesus is not one person for you and another for me.  Only one man is Jesus, and he is the one pointed out by John the Baptist, when he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”  

John didn’t say, “Behold, the King!  Behold, the miracle worker!  Behold, the liberator and savior of the nation!”  Even though these things are true, people had great misconceptions about the Messiah, looking for a political liberator, or a wonder worker.  Jesus shunned those who treated him that way.  Instead, John calls him the Lamb of God.    

Of all the titles John could have used, why did he call Jesus the “Lamb?”  The lamb is what was sacrificed in the Temple as an offering for sin.  The lamb is also what was eaten at the Jewish Passover meal.  During a Passover, Jesus became the lamb sacrificed on the cross for the sins of the whole world.  At the Last Supper, when all the Jews were eating lamb, Jesus took bread and gave it to his apostles saying “take and eat it, this is my body,” and the same with the wine saying, “this is my blood.”  

Jesus is the Lamb whose blood takes away the sin of the world, and whose flesh is consumed by the faithful.  That is who he is; that is why he came.  And that is what you find right here in the Eucharist, in the Sacrifice of the Mass.  

When you are looking for Jesus, ask yourself, where does John the Baptist today point out Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world?”  Since the time of the early Church, Christians have always heard these words of John in one place: in the Liturgy of the Mass.  Down to the present day, whenever we fulfill Jesus’ command to come together and “Do this in memory of me,” we proclaim “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world; blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb.”  

Where is Jesus today?  Surely he is present in some way in other places, but only the Catholics imitate John the Baptist who actually pointed him out:  “Behold, This is the Lamb of God…”  You can only say that when you have the Eucharist.  

Look around, go visit all the different churches, then study history and come back to the Catholic Church.  Don’t settle for diet versions or imitation brands.  You want the real thing, the Real Presence.  

Our first task, like John the Baptist, is to identify him.  It would be good for us to recognize Jesus more clearly in our midst.  Sometimes we as Catholics don’t recognize Jesus in the Breaking of Bread, even though he is right here.  

After identifying him, our next task is to present him to the world.  Here too we often fail.  People should see Christ in our lives, and the witness of our love and good works.  Often, the reason we do not give convincing witness, is because we ourselves never recognized Jesus clearly to begin with.  

John prayed and fasted in the desert many years before he recognized Jesus and saw the Holy Spirit.  In the same way, our faith must grow and be purified for us to recognize Jesus.  Like the Pentecostals we sometimes need that intense charismatic experience to set our hearts on fire.  Like the Evangelicals we need to discover the power of God’s Holy Word in the Bible.  But it must all lead to adoration, to the Holy Eucharist, Jesus himself present in our midst as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”  Blessed are those who are invited to the supper of the Lamb!  

                                                                                                                                        Fr. Glen Mullan

Baptism of the Lord (A)
             (Ps 29; Mt 3:13-17)

Psalm 29 sings of the glory of God, which thunders from heaven: “The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the God of glory thunders; the Lord is enthroned above the flood; the Lord is enthroned as king forever.”  
The first time the voice of God was over the waters was at the dawn of creation, when the Holy Spirit went forth and separated the waters above from the waters below, bringing forth the world.  The second time God was enthroned over the flood was when the dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, went forth over the waters to bring Noah the olive branch.  The third time God’s glory was manifested over the water was when God sent a mighty wind to part the waters of the Red Sea so that His people might be saved, and thus destroyed the army of the Egyptians.  

Finally, the voice of the Lord was over the waters at the time of Christ’s baptism: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”  

The Baptism of the Lord is the beginning of a new creation.  In these waters made holy by the presence of God, a new world comes forth, full of holiness and goodness.  Just as the “Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,” created the world through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so the Father recreates and redeems the world through His beloved Son, by the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  

The Baptism of the Lord signals a new flood which is the fulfillment of Noah’s flood.  It is not a flood that destroys the world and mankind, but renews the world by destroying evil and preserving sinners.  The waters of baptism do not harm man, they leave him whole, washing away the curse of sin and blessing him with eternal life.  Christ enters the waters of the Jordan with sinners not because he himself is a sinner in need of cleansing, but in order that those waters might be consecrated and infused with the power to cleanse others from sin.  

Through his baptism, Christ elevates the baptism of John from being a purely symbolic action, to being a Sacrament that not only symbolizes recreation and forgiveness, but accomplishes it!  

The Baptism of the Lord is a new exodus, when God’s people are delivered from the tyranny of the devil and brought through the waters to God’s Kingdom.  

Even though John is at first confused by Jesus coming to him: “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me,” Jesus explains how this baptism fulfills all righteousness.  It manifests the glory of God at the beginning of his work; it manifests the fact that he is the “Christ,” the one anointed by the Holy Spirit who will accomplish the recreation of the whole world.  

Jesus’ public ministry begins with his baptism by John, and with the revelation of the Holy Trinity.  And it ends with his command to the apostles that they go forth and baptize all nations, “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”  They are the very last words of Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 28:19).  

I have, among my precious possessions, a small bottle of water that I took as a souvenir from the River Jordan when I visited the Holy Land.  On special occasions I use some of that water to bless objects.  We can use water from the River Jordan devotionally in this way because it was made holy by Christ himself.  

But with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, any clean water can be blessed and made holy.  At Easter, the priest solemnly blesses the water of the baptismal font by immersing the Paschal candle into the water three times, a reminder of Christ’s baptism, when he who is the light of the world entered the water to be baptized by John, and thus made those waters holy.  

At our parish we maintain a font of holy water.  It is kept in the sacristy, and every Saturday morning it is solemnly blessed and renewed.  This water is used to replenish the holy water stoups at the entrances of the Church; it is used to bless devotional objects; and it is also given to the faithful to be used in their homes.  

When the priest blesses holy water, he uses a solemn prayer which calls to mind the various Old Testament events that foreshadow Christ’s baptism, and then the priest specifically invokes the Holy Spirit upon the waters, and touches the water with his hand.  Through this solemn blessing, Christ continues to be present in his Church, and renews the mystery of his baptism by means of Holy Water.  

Even though it is a special thing to use actual water from the Jordan in the celebration of baptism, or when blessing people or objects, the fact is that any water blessed and consecrated by the bishop, priest, or deacon, is identical.  It is made holy by Christ and the Holy Spirit, and it manifests the glory of the Father who speaks from heaven.

Christ commanded the apostles to go out into the whole world and baptize all nations.  That is why we still go out and bless everything.  After we have been baptized and consecrated to God, we like to bless and consecrate our homes, our cars, the events of our lives, and especially the devotional objects we use to deepen our faith such as our bibles, Rosaries, and holy images.  

In one of his first sermons, recorded in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 10:34-38), St. Peter explains that when “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, he went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”  We still use holy water today for healing and protection, to liberate those oppressed by the devil.  

Holy water has this effect: it washes away evil while preserving the sinner.  Unlike the waters of the flood, which washed away the world’s evil by destroying sinners, the waters of Christ only destroy sin, and heal the sinner.  Holy Water is always effective against the devil, and we use it often.  

The first place we use Holy Water is when blessing ourselves upon entering or leaving the Church.  Through Baptism we were washed clean of sin and the dominion of evil, and entered the Church.  Every time we enter the church now, we renew that cleansing, purifying ourselves of the world so that we might come before the Lord in holiness.  And when we leave the church we again bless ourselves as a reminder of the Lord’s commandment, which is our mission: go and baptize the world in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  

Every Catholic household should have a container of holy water.  This can be used in the same way as at Church, to bless yourself when going in and out, and on special occasions.  Likewise if there seem to be particular spiritual attacks and struggles, use holy water together with prayer.  

When keeping Holy Water, make sure to use a special container or bottle marked as such and set aside for that purpose.  Don’t use ordinary water bottles.  And any time you need a refill, bring it after Mass and the sacristan will refill it for you.  

There is never reason to use large containers such as milk jugs.  We don’t drink holy water, we don’t wash with it, and we certainly don’t use it in superstitious rituals.  We need to guard against the wrong use of holy water.  There is a superstitious subculture which seeks holy water and other religious objects of the Catholic Church, to be used according to practices and customs that do not come from the Church, or the priests.  For instance, curanderismo.  We must not engage in those superstitious practices, or misuse holy water for purposes the Church has not instructed.  If there are any doubts, ask the priest or deacon.  

All you need is a little bottle, and sprinkle it, together with ordinary prayers and the sign of the Cross.  If anyone is telling you to follow specific instructions more than this, or follow some kind of recipe, or perform some additional ritual activities, this is not Catholic; it comes from some source outside the Church.  

In any case, the power of Holy Water is always related to the graces of baptism.  Jesus entered the waters of the Jordan with sinners to overcome sin, not to perform magic.  Holy Water will not substitute for the life of baptismal holiness, repenting of sin, and coming regularly to the Eucharist.  Holy water overcomes the devil by renewing the grace of baptism.  It requires a life pleasing to God.  What God the Father spoke from heaven at the time of Jesus’ baptism, He desires to say for each of us: “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.” 


                                                                                                                       Fr. Glen Mullan

On the feast of Epiphany, 
which means “manifestation,” the Church remembers the three Magi, who come to Christ as ambassadors from nations of the world.  The “Magi” are variously described as kings, wise men, or astronomers.  “Magician” comes from the same word.  Each culture has its “magi,” its wise men who have great knowledge, who provide answers, and who can achieve marvelous feats.  Today we call them the “experts.”  Our modern magicians are the scientists and technicians who explore and unravel the mysteries of the universe.

In biblical times, magi looked to the “heavens” for answers.  They tracked the movements of stars and planets with painstaking detail, looking for correspondence with terrestrial events.  They knew heavenly movements were related to earthly events such as seasons and tides, but was there also a causal connection with human events and history?  What did it mean on earth when there was an eclipse of sun or moon, or when a new star suddenly flared up?

We are not too different!  It is still “out there” that the modern magi search for answers to the questions of life “down here.”  With the resources of an entire space program at their disposal, the modern magi have set up a network of great radio dishes all around the world listening for any signs of life in outer space.  They have gone to the moon and back looking for answers, they sent a robot to Mars, and the Voyager spacecraft has gone to Jupiter & beyond.  Our modern magi have placed their Hubble telescope into the heavens themselves, in order to study the farthest corners of the universe, and look all the way back to the dawn of time!  

We spend billions on these projects; it is serious business, this study of the heavens.  What does it accomplish?  

Modern man still wants to know the meaning of life, and he thinks if we find life on other planets out there, it will explain what life is down here.  Is it all just blind chance and random chaos, or is there a divine intelligence and meaning behind it?  Is the earth just an insignificant speck of dust in a lost corner of an unimaginably large and empty black space?  Or is man the center of the universe?  

It is good to search the heavens as the Magi did.  By searching to the limit of the universe, even if you are an atheist, what it really means is you are looking for God.  To those magi who search honestly, using their minds and reason, whether in the time of the Bible or today, God will not disappoint.  He will respond with a gift of grace, a special light from Heaven to guide them into truth.  The magi of the Bible received this “wisdom from above” in the form of a unique star, a special astronomical light to lead them on.  

And the light pointed them back down to earth for the answer, to a particular land and city, to a particular time, and to a little child.  The unique star which led them to Truth was the “Star of David.”  Wherever the quest begins, and however long the journey takes, there is this one light that will bring us what we seek, and it will lead in the end to the one place where Truth can be found: Bethlehem in the land of Judah, during the time of Caesar Augustus and Herod the Great.  

All religions try to provide light, but they are not enough to lead to Christ.  Only the Old Testament, which is the Bible of the Jews, leads to Christ.  Only through the history and culture of the Israelites did God bring the world its Savior.  

Whatever one’s background or nationality, the path will eventually converge on a single light, the Star of David.  God gives us the Holy Scriptures to guide us, and we must study them the way astronomers study the heavens!  

Studying the Bible and religion does not mean we reject science.  And studying science doesn’t mean we neglect religion.  They are not in contradiction to each other.  But we will be forced to acknowledge the limits of reason, and recognize that beyond scientific knowledge there are deeper truths: the miracle of life, which no biology textbook or theory of evolution will ever explain; the mystery of the person created in God’s Trinitarian image and likeness, with a spiritual soul.  Truth is bigger than what we can learn through a telescope.  Even though the human species seems to be just a tiny speck of dust in the universe, man is actually bigger than the universe.  A tiny baby holds the secret to the cosmos!  

When the wise men from the ends of the earth found the child, with Mary his mother, in Bethlehem, they found the truth for which they were created, because they found the One through whom the heavens were made!  Christ reveals the full truth of man to himself.  Here was the fulfillment of their search, the answer to life’s meaning.  

In this little house of Bethlehem they could with full assurance give themselves, and give away what was precious to them: “They fell down in worship, and opening their coffers they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” 

This is such an important part of the story, because it shows how the great search which spans the entire universe and a budget of trillions of dollars, ends in the simplicity of humility and adoration, in the gift of self.  The great search for meaning and answers, ends in worship.  If we use our human reason correctly, and pursue truth with honesty and humility, it will not lead us away from the Church into atheism.  True human intelligence and the study of the heavens will lead us to marvel at the miracle of man, and it will lead us to praise the greatness of God; and it will lead us to the Church where He can be adored in the flesh.  

Truth led the magi to Bethlehem.  Truth still leads us today to “Beth-lehem,” to the “House of Bread” which is the Church; to the mystery of Christ in the Eucharist, where we can bow down in adoration and submit all the treasures of our lives as gifts in his honor.  Here, in this “house of heavenly bread,” we are able to offer our most precious gifts in an act oblation and adoration: gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  

Gold is life’s hard-earned treasure by which we provide for our needs.  It represents all the good we can achieve and accomplish by our effort and ability.  No one intentionally squanders hard-earned money, but on what is it truly well-spent?  When we find someone worthy of our trust and honor, we express our love by getting them the most expensive gift we can afford.  When the Magi found Christ, they found the one who was worthy of all human treasure, and they worshipped him by putting their gold at his feet.  

We too, try to imitate the magi by placing our Gold at his feet.  Our weekly offering for the support of the Church is a generous and true sacrifice, something holy and meaningful, never just loose change.  We want our offering to be a gift worthy of the King.  But more than just money, our gifts of gold include our abilities, time, talent, and skills.  The sacrifice of time is a precious gift to Christ: through it we honor him and share in his mission.  

Frankincense represents prayer, or one’s religious convictions—that most personal and precious allegiance of one’s heart, soul, and mind.  Where and to whom do we give that gift?  We know what a precious treasure it is when another person becomes a true friend, when they give us their trust and total loyalty.  Do we do that with our Lord?  Have we given our Lord Jesus the pure Frankincense of our heart and will?  Frankincense includes our Sunday Mass attendance, but more than that, it is our daily prayer and the daily oblation of our heart.  Our loyalty.  

Finally, Myrrh represents life’s sufferings and trials, all the hardships and battles we have to endure.  Myrrh is a burial ointment.  We often question the meaning of suffering.  What is it for?  What do we do with it?  Is it meaningless or can it actually be offered as a gift?  Human suffering is actually very precious, and very personal.  Apart from Christ suffering has no meaning.  But through Christ and his Cross, our suffering becomes the precious burial ointment of the Messiah.  To give Christ our Myrrh, means to give him our life and especially our death.  It is probably the most precious gift of all.  

Today the Catholic Church, like Mary, presents Jesus to the world for adoration.  The Church, imitating Mary, holds him up so that those who seek for the truth may find him, and be able to adore him.  Amid all the many confusing lights and voices in the world today, one light continues to shine brightly for those who are astute, and are seeking the Truth.  It is the light of our Catholic faith, rooted in the Revelation of the Old Testament.  The Star of David continues to guide people to Christ.  

Here in this parish, and in every Catholic Church, Jesus can be adored.  We can bring open the coffers of our lives and give him our gifts.  At our parish, adoration is the heart of our prayer life.  Every day, Jesus in the Eucharist is held up on the altar for adoration, and parishioners are invited to come and find him, to adore him and lay their lives before him.  In our chapel we find Christ for ourselves every day, and offer him the worship represented by gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  

Mary, the Queen of Heaven, first introduced the Wise Men to their Savior.  Through the Church which she represents, may she also help us come to know her Son today.  May she accept our gifts in his name, and help us to worship him as he deserves.  

This painting is entitled “Virgin and Child” and was painted in the 15th century by the artist Andrea Mantegna or by one of his followers.  
It has been commonly observed that Baby Jesus in this painting has many markers of Down syndrome.  His eyes are slanted, the bridge of His nose is flat, He has a large space between his first and second toes, and His tongue is sticking out, all of which are common in individuals with Down syndrome.  There is a debate among art historians as to whether this was on purpose.  However, I do not think it really matters whether the artist meant for his Baby Jesus to have Down syndrome or not.  The point is that, wittingly or unwittingly, the artist painted Jesus as a child with Down syndrome.  This painting is a reminder that, in every person with Down syndrome or any other disability, we witness the face of Christ.
                                                        Sophia Decker

Mary, Mother of God
(Lk 2:16-21)


“When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

As the liturgy of the Church grew and developed over the centuries, this particular day – the octave, or eighth day, of Christ’s Nativity – has assumed different celebrations at different times.
  
For a time it was celebrated as the feastday of the Circumcision of the Lord.  According to Jewish law, the male child is circumcised eight days after birth, and in this way he becomes a member of God’s Chosen People, entering the covenant of Abraham which is sealed by the sign of circumcision.
  
The eighth day is also day for the naming of the child.  Jewish children took names that signified their consecration to God.  In the case of Jesus, his name was revealed to Mary by the angel: “Jeshua,” which means “God saves.”  

In Christianity we are no longer bound by the Law of Moses or the rubrics of the covenant with Abraham, since these are now fulfilled in the new covenant of Christ.  Nevertheless, the ancient practices of the Old Testament still form the basis and pattern for the practices and rubrics of the New Covenant.  

We do not keep the 8th day precept, but sometime shortly after the birth of a child we do bring him to church in order to consecrate him to God.  We are no longer bound by circumcision, because the sacrament of Baptism now supersedes it, and makes us members of God’s People.  

But one aspect of Jewish law we do still keep, which is the solemn naming of the child at baptism.  Most people look to the birth certificate from the hospital to find out their name.  But for a Catholic, his true name is the one that is recorded on the baptism certificate.  

The other day, I was reminding Deacon Armando, who prepares the children for baptism, to carefully review the names being chosen by the parents, and ensure that each child is baptized with a Christian name.  These days, as society becomes more secular, many names being chosen are no longer saints’ names.  I told the deacon, if we come to the day of baptism and there is still not a Christian name, you add one yourself, such as “John” or “Mary.”  

But we don’t actually celebrate the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus today, even though this was the day one which Jesus was named.  That has been moved to January 3rd.  What we celebrate today is another deeply important aspect of the Incarnation, which is the Divine Maternity.  We honor the Virgin Mary as the “Theotokos,” which means “God-bearer,” or “Mother of God.”  

In the early Church, there was a great devotion to the Virgin Mary, and she was highly honored since from her flesh God became Man.  And she was addressed as the Theotokos.  But after the persecutions had ended, the archbishop of Constantinople named Nestorius began to preach against the use of this title for Mary.  To him, it disrespected God.  How can a human creature be the mother of God?  She was mother of Jesus’ human nature, but she is not the mother of his divine nature.  She should be called “Mother of Christ,” but not “Mother of God.”  

It became a great debate, and began to divide the Church.  An ecumenical council was held at Ephesus in 431 to settle the matter, and the worldwide council of bishops affirmed the traditional practice of the Church since the time of the apostles which affirms the use of the title “Theotokos,” and they condemned the teaching of Nestorius as a great heresy which denies the truth about Christ.  

Jesus is both true God and true Man, and in his singular personhood, these two natures are not divided.  Motherhood is motherhood of the person, and not simply the nature.  Jesus is a singular person, who in his personhood is divine: he is the second divine Person of the Holy Trinity.  The person of whom Mary is the mother, and whom she gave birth, is God.  Therefore, Mary is truly, “Mother of God.”  

So the title of “Theotokos” by which we honor Mary, is actually saying something more about Jesus than Mary.  It is an affirmation of the truth of the Incarnation.  When we pray, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,” we are speaking accurately, and we are proclaiming the truth that Jesus is God.  Those who do not want to address Mary as Mother of God, are really afraid to affirm Jesus her son, as True God.  They are heretics.  

There is one other interesting aspect to this feast day, and that is that it corresponds with the new year, January 1st.  As the liturgy of the Church developed, the Christmas season was deliberately structured so that the octave of the Nativity corresponded with the arrival of the new year.  The celebration of the birth of Christ corresponds with the celebration of the birth of the new year.  

At first it may seem a little confusing, because the Church’s liturgical year already began with Advent, several weeks ago.  But it actually makes sense.  Just as a child already exists and has been conceived before birth, during the time of pregnancy, the Church’s new year already exists during Advent, even though it only “comes to birth” on January 1st.  Advent is like a pregnancy, a time of joyful expectation.  But now, what was longed for and looked for, has been born.  

By juxtaposing the celebration of Christ’s Nativity with the birth of the new year, the Church is consecrating the new year.  It is reminding us that “All times and seasons belong to Christ”; that Jesus is the “Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last.”  As we sang in that beautiful entrance hymn: 

Of the Father’s love begotten,
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the source, the ending He. 
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore!

Today, in conjunction with the celebration of Christ’s Nativity, we celebrate the birth of the “Year of our Lord” – “Anno Domini” – 2014.  We count the years in terms of the first Christmas.  Every year is a new Christmas, when Christ is born again into the world, into time, into history, but now through the Church.  

We must not abandon the traditional usage of the initials A.D. when we write the date.  This is not just some ‘random year’ 2014, this is the Year 2014 of the world’s salvation in Christ!  Every time you write the date on a piece of paper, on a form, or some certificate, remember that you are proclaiming a central truth of our faith, that this is the “fullness of time” and that Christ is the Lord of History.    

We are moving inexorably to history’s completion.  Another year brings us one year closer to that second coming of Christ, when history will be fulfilled.  Let us then, dedicate this year to Christ, and ask Mary to bring Christ to birth in our lives.  Let us live each day and month with God’s blessing, consecrating every moment of time to the glory of His holy Name.