Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

In today’s Gospel Jesus reminds us that in order to see clearly, first we must remove the wooden beam in our own eye. What is the obstacle in our life that keeps us from the conversion God desires for us? Let’s make that—our growth in holiness—our first priority and the logic behind our Lenten discipline this year.

Today Jesus tells us about the person who is totally free: The one who can love their enemies, let go of hurts, cancel debts. How free we would feel if we could live this way. We would be experiencing divine freedom, because we would be free to love as God is free. One of the great processes that leads to greater freedom is the process of forgiveness. Today we reflect on how forgiveness leads to interior freedom.

After boldly getting into the boat of Simon, Jesus boldly asks him to put out into the shallow waters so that Jesus can preach to the people on the shore. And then, even more boldly, Jesus commands Simon to go out into deep water. The symbolism here is that Jesus doesn't want to remain in the shallows with us but rather to bring us into the deep. Leaving our surface-level relationship and moving into a deeper relationship with Jesus our life can finally be fruitful. And it's there that we'll receive our mission from Jesus. For Simon, it was to become a fisher of men. What will it be for you?

In today's shocking Gospel we see Jesus's fellow townspeople at one moment looking at him with delight and admiration and one moment later infuriated and wanting to do him violence. Their hearts turned against Jesus. Each one of us, fallen as we are, have desires for the good and also the capacity to resist the good. When we feel this resistance and an awareness of our sinfulness it's important that we do what the faithful of Israel did -- bringing their sinful hearts to Jesus, who came to bring healing and liberation for his poor.

Jesus's dramatic announcement in the synagogue at Nazareth at the beginning of his public ministry reminds us that the sign of the coming of the Messiah is the liberation of the human person in the various ways that he is enslaved. This theme of the dignity of the human person runs throughout the Scriptures and comes to its perfection in Jesus, who became man. This weekend we reflect on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade in light of the Gospel affirmation of the dignity of the human person, especially the most vulnerable. Ending the tragedy of abortion is the most important social justice issue of our times, because it represents an attack on human life at its most vulnerable and defenseless stage.

In the miracle of the wedding feast at Cana, Jesus changes the water into wine. There are two levels of symbol working here. On the religious level, the water changed into wine signifies the Old Covenant with Israel being elevated and brought to perfection in Christ's New Covenant with the Church. But this is true on the natural level as well. St. Thomas Aquinas taught that grace presupposes nature and elevates it. If we invite Christ into every aspect of our lives -- our work, our leisure, our relationships -- He will elevate and perfect the naturally good so that the natural good now becomes a vehicle for the supernatural.

In the shocking account of the Epiphany, in which the Lordship of the Newborn Christ is manifested to the Gentiles, represented by these "wise men" from the East, we see the joy of these foreigners upon finding the child Jesus, and we see how the newborn King was received by his own people. King Herod, the King of Israel, and "all of Jerusalem with him", were troubled at the announcement of the new King's birth. We see a similar theme in the other Gospels: As John puts it in his prologue, "Jesus came to his own, but his own did not receive him." May we be like the Magi, who joyfully encounter Jesus who comes to bring us life in abundance.

Jesus says something very mysterious to his mother in today's Gospel. As a young man of 12 years old, he goes missing for three days and is found by his parents teaching the religious authorities in the Temple. His parents, understandably, are beside themselves with distress. "Why did you do this to us?", asks his mother. "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I would be in my Father's house?", he laconically replied. Here we have a glimpse of the immense cavern that lies between Mary and Joseph and their divine Son. Jesus, first and foremost, must be obedient to his heavenly Father, and the Father's divine will lead through the cross for Jesus and his parents before it leads to the Resurrection. May we always teach our children to seek God's will, even when God's will is different than our own!

When we look at the Nativity Scene, we look at the Father's will that His only Son -- God the Son -- be born into a dysfunctional and disordered world and in the messiness of a barn. How can we not see that God is not intimidated by our own disorder and dysfunction -- but He wants to come into the messiness of our lives and hearts in order to bring light to the darkness, healing to the brokenness, and hope to our despair. Merry Christmas!

A reflection on the Gospel scene of the Visitation.