Reflection
An Invitation to the Scriptures
Sunday’s feast of Our Lord’s Baptism concludes the Christmas season. Last Sunday, the Solemnity of the Epiphany, we heard the story of the Magi in the gospel of Matthew.
Our daily readings between these two Sundays are very inviting.
I have been interpreting the readings for this final week of Christmas in light of the gospel of the Magi. The Scriptures are key to the story. Herod enlists the chief priests and scribes to find out where the Messiah will be born. Consulting the Scriptures, he is told, ‘Bethlehem’. Herod will use what he learns for evil, but the Magi set out for Bethlehem. Again, they see the star and follow it to where they adore the child and present their gifts. Through the Scriptures, the Magi are enabled to find the newborn king of the Jews. We can say that the Epiphany is a feast that calls us to listen to the Scriptures.
The readings for this week offer us a trailer of the gospels that we will begin next week. In the movies, a trailer gives a number of scenes to pique our interest in a movie; for us, it will be to hear the story of the life of Jesus, first from Mark’s gospel.
This week, our scattered readings give us from both the gospels of Matthew and Luke the beginnings of Jesus ministry in Galilee and Nazareth, respectively. We read Mark’s feeding of 5,000, and his account that follows of Jesus walking on the sea, intending to pass the apostles by, but hearing their distress at seeing a ghost, going to them and getting into the boat, making the winds quiet down. On Friday, we are given a miracle of healing.
A man covered with leprosy, bows his face to the ground, as if he could make his horrible countenance invisible to Jesus, and says, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ We can hear Jesus’ resounding reply, ‘I do choose. Be made clean.’
Finally, on Saturday, we meet John the Baptist, the friend of the bridegroom, who is Jesus.
Who will we meet in the stories of the life of Jesus? We will meet the one who fulfills the prophecy of Isaias, who cures the diseases of the sick and casts out their demons. He is one who was followed by great crowds as he proclaimed the Kingdom of God. One who has compassion for the hungry and poor and feeds them. Who even changes his own plans and adjusts them to serve his friends, as in his walk across the water of the lake. He responds with such enthusiasm that a man trying to be invisible will stand before others and offer himself and his story as proof that Jesus does such good things for the sick. And this Jesus will give us intimacy with himself and the Father, an intimacy like that of a bridegroom with his bride. This is a living story; it brings life to those who enter it and allow themselves to be taken up by it.
We pray to love the Scriptures. We ask the Holy Spirit to nourish us with God’s word broken open for us, and to lead us to drink of the well of the Scriptures to be refreshed. This well will be replenished, and we will await our return to come and drink again and find new refreshment.
