Who Is He?

Today, the Gospel invites us to reflect on who Jesus is, and to make our assent of faith, that is, begin believing in who we discover Jesus is. At the same time, the second reading, from the letter of St. James, challenges us to also express our faith in good works, reminding us that both are necessary in Christian life.

Since my last post, I've had two weeks of classes, beginning my Master's level coursework in Theology. In a class called Fundamental Theology, which was formerly just apologetics (explaining the faith) and now includes a study of the source and nature of divine revelation as well as the history of its transmission according to apostolic succession and the magisterium (teaching office) of the Church, we have been looking first at the nature of divine revelation: what is it that God revealed to us about Himself and how did he do it?

One of the first places we looked was at the Old Testament revelations in the creation of the world, in the exodus from Egypt, and "the law and the prophets." This is all historical - moments of divine intervention in the course of human existence, and surely God has revealed Himself (made Himself known, at least partially) in our history (and continues to do so). But then "God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law" (Gal 4:4) and revealed Himself by speaking not just with a human voice or human hands but through the entirety of human nature - this is revelation through the Incarnation of the Eternal Word of God - Jesus Christ. And it is precisely to this that today's Gospel directs our attention: Who is Jesus?

Fr. Salocks, who teaches my class on the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) pointed out that Peter could not have responded with such a distilled phrase as "the eschatological mediator of salvation" because those terms were simply foreign to his vocabulary... rather he recognized in Jesus the fulfillment of prophecy and noted His relationship with God the Father: You are the Christ, the Son of God. And so we can begin to express who God is for us and what it means that we have Him in our lives.

Fr. Peter Grover pointed out this morning in his homily that Peter's confession is, as the following verses demonstrate, incomplete. He thinks he knows Jesus, but he does not truly know Him until he witnesses His passion and self-sacrifice: this is the meaning of Jesus' rebuke of Peter. According to His cross, and the sign which he wore while carrying it, Jesus is "King of the Jews" (The Latin inscription INRI: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Judaeorum and the Greek INBI: Ἰησους ὁ Ναζωραιος ὁ βασιλευς των Ἰουδαιων) but he is clearly no earthly king, not after wealth or riches or lands or power, being subject to death at the hands of men. Rather, He is the king of love, His Sacred Heart on fire with love for us, drawing us back to Himself despite our repeated shortcomings and failures.

Let us then appeal to this King of Love in the midst of so much violence around the world, praying that He who is also Wisdom incarnate might open the hearts and minds of all to His Love and Wisdom that we will be open to understanding one another and seeking each other's good, even at our own expense and sacrifice, following His example.

And please continue to pray for us seminarians as we settle into the new year of classes and formation, and for the great work being done to coordinate formation programs and foster vocations in all the Oblate foundations around the world. We are ever grateful for your support and include you in our prayers, trusting that what assistance you give us that may be known only to our Heavenly Father may be richly rewarded!


Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca

Tender Compassion

In the tender compassion of our God,
the Dawn from on high shall break upon us,
do shine on those who dwell in darkness, and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

This is from the end of the Canticle of Zechariah, found at the end of Luke 1, which is the gospel canticle for morning prayer every day.

It also happens to be a passage that summarizes my retreat experience this past week, five days in silence alongside my brother seminarians at the beautiful St. Joseph's Retreat House in Milton. Following a typical Ignatian formula, we spent the first day reflecting on prayer itself, the second day on desire, the third on Ignatius' Principle & Foundation seeking the grace of detachment, the fourth day on sin and mercy, and the fifth day on Ignatius' Call of the King, which looks essentially at Vocation and our willingness to respond to God's invitation to us to grow in holiness and deepen our relationship with Him.

It was an amazing retreat! At times, the birds or the bees (literally) became a distraction (bees were drinking from a Bonsai planter in the sun as I was enjoying a cup of hot tea at lunch outside - not much different!), and at times other preoccupations would threaten the silence of my prayer, but overall, it was a very grace-filled time of renewal, and I am excited to begin Theology classes and continue in our formation program here, welcoming "the new guys" and enjoying the company of our returning seminarians.

And my Dominican sister-sister is writing even more frequently, which is also a joy for me! So I echo St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians (4:4): "Rejoice in the Lord always; I say it again: Rejoice!" and remind myself to "Think of the Lord in goodness" (Wisdom 1:1) as we begin this new year.

May our good God, through the intercession of His Most Holy Mother, grant you every blessing! And, as the vocations directress for the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist once said: "Mutual prayers!"


Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca