Category: Parish News & Events

“They were like sheep without a shepherd.”

When sheep do not have the boundaries of a field fence, or the guidance of a shepherd to direct them, they wander and range without concern or care. They follow their nose, looking for food, not noticing if they are near a cliff or a bunch of bramble.

As broken human beings, we struggle to keep ourselves oriented toward our Creator. We wander and waver, following a path for no other reason than that it was under our feet. We seek out things the world tells us are good, even if they lead us close to cliffs and gnarly undergrowth.

Jesus and his disciples had just disembarked from a boat they used to escape to a deserted place to rest and recover after much preaching and healing. But the people, who had found in Jesus something attractive, something real, someone to follow, came after them. Jesus observes them coming into this deserted place as sheep would, no plans or preparations, they were just following the trail of something good.

Rather than send them back, Jesus takes pity on them and begins to preach. We all know this story well. The people have no food, the disciples find a few simple loaves and fish, Jesus blesses them and the miracle occurs. This passage from Mark, and its counterparts in the other three Gospels, have been the source of much biblical and theological scholarship. Usually the focus is on the Eucharistic element of the breaking of the bread and the community sharing in the miracle.

Branching off from that point, I would like to turn your attention to the deserted area the people came to. They were drawn by Christ’s presence there, led by His previous teachings and hungering for more. They came without a plan, not knowing what they would hear or do next. They simply came. And when they were hungry, they turned to Jesus and his disciples with trust and expectation.

This simple faith is all that Jesus needs to work miracles in our lives. We are constantly being called by Jesus to come follow Him. However, He doesn’t always tell us where we are going, who will be coming with us, what we should bring and what we ought to leave behind. He asks us to trust in God’s Providence to provide for our needs. No matter where we are led, God will provide for us, perhaps in ways we do not expect. No one would have ever expected the gift of the Eucharist, yet this Sacrament of Sacraments has sustained the Church through good and bad, through arid deserts and flourishing community.

We may be like sheep, but we do have a Shepherd, if we choose to follow Him.

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The arrest of St. John the Baptist marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. St. John the Baptist’s arrest was heartbreaking for Jesus. This was His relative and childhood friend. We can recall the powerful Gospel story when St. John leapt in the womb of Elizabeth when meeting Jesus. St. John would later grow up to become the voice crying out in the desert to prepare the way for the Messiah, and his arrest set Jesus’ public ministry into motion.

St. John the Baptist chose to live a life with few physical possessions, in the harsh desert. Jesus, on the other hand, would begin His ministry in a land full of water and beauty. In this Gospel, Jesus traveled to Capernaum to start His ministry.  Capernaum is the land where life bloomed, blossomed, and there was water! There is a vast difference between Capernaum by the sea and the lifeless desert. Jesus went to the land of water and life to begin his ministry and in many ways taught us that He is the way, the truth, and the life.

In the Gospel today, Jesus says, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And the words of Isaiah are also inserted: “The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light.” Jesus desires to free us from our darkness. Sin blocks, clouds, and distorts our perspective, and yet the darkness of the world cannot blot out the light of Christ.

How do we allow the light of Christ into our hearts? Jesus is clear in this Gospel that we need to repent of our past sins and seek the Kingdom of God. Notice that Jesus takes the initiative to allow us to trust Him. This Gospel passage states that “He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.” We should not be discouraged from our past, but rather trust Jesus and be healed.

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As I stepped into the office at my new job, it felt familiar yet different. I had worked at parishes before, both as an Administrative Assistant and Director of Family Ministry, yet they were in different towns and one in a different state. Each community has its own flavor, its own strengths and weaknesses, its own offerings and its own needs. 

As I was welcomed by the staff and ushered into my new space, I felt ready for what was to come. Sure, there would be a learning curve. Sure I would discover additional aspects of what was expected of me as I went along, but I would be serving God’s people once again and I would be close to home. Thank you, Lord! 

Just as the Magi did so long ago, I felt joy and peace that I could finally bring my gifts to Jesus. Sure, being bilingual, having good organizational skills and a solid work ethic are a far cry from gold, frankincense and myrrh, but they are what I have to give. Just as the little drummer boy played his drum for Jesus because that was all he had, so also I offer to my newborn Savior what I have to give.

When working in ministry, it is so important to remember the words of our First Reading: “the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory.” It is the Lord who shines in and through me. It is His light alone that will dispel the darkness and the clouds. If I let Him radiate within me, others can also be radiant with joy. And however small the gifts I bear, I must realize that they are both from Him and for Him, and continually “proclaim[] the praises of the Lord.”

In the Hispanic culture the Feast of the Epiphany, which we celebrate today, is considered a second Christmas. Just as the magi gave gifts to the Christ-Child, the children are also given gifts. I even know a family that chooses to focus on the birth of Jesus spiritually on Christmas day and holds off all gift giving until Epiphany.

No matter what the date or the occasion, the act of gift-giving is important. Whether we give of our creativity, our resources, a well-thought purchase, our time, our talents…all is gift. It is that outpouring of ourselves to others, that sharing of ourselves for the good of others, that moment when we take the backburner so that others may find joy. 

So as we gaze upon the Baby Jesus, visited by the wise men today, may we prayerfully discern which gifts we are called to give in order to let God’s light shine through us. 

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