It begins with one Person, with the hope of ending with a crowd in heaven. Jesus was walking along by himself that day praying his Rosary. He was intentionally in the area of John the Baptist. He knew that John, the voice crying out in the wilderness, would not be able to keep his voice silent if John saw him walking along praying his Rosary. That would be somewhat akin to us seeing someone famous – maybe an athlete – and we say to those in our company, “Hey, that’s such and such a person! There’s Tom Brady. All by himself. I thought he was in Tampa!” John could not remain silent when Jesus was upon him. Something good always came from his voice when Jesus was in close proximity, such as, “It is you who should be baptizing me.” Or, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” At times, not remaining silent will produce good results, especially if some force or agency wants you quiet about some holy truth pertaining to God. Such as, human life begins at conception. Behold, the Lamb of God. John spoke, and it’s good for us that he did. His words about Jesus walking by resulted in two of his own disciples, Andrew and some unnamed friend of Andrew, leaving John and running after the Messiah, and John didn’t mind one iota. That image is symbolically rich. Decreasing from the creature John, a passing Prophet who fulfilled his calling to perfection, to increasing their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus walked by, they ran after him. Obviously, they caught up to him because he said to them, “What are you looking for? Why are you tailing me so closely like a road rager? like they were up to no good. But they were up to good. Are we still up to good with Jesus? “Well,” they said, “we want to know where you are staying.” And Jesus replied, “Come and see. Come and see that the Son of Man has no place to rest his head, unless, of course, I can rest it in your hearts.” That’s the only place in this world where the Savior, who created this world, can rest his head with thorns sticking out. And his arms with nail marks, his legs with the same, and his side with a spear mark. In your heart. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? That your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you? Whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? That’s exactly what happened that day when Andrew and his disciple friend, and later that day Peter, after Andrew his brother told him, “Come and see what we found.” What happened was, they were no longer their own. The process of transferring the ownership of themselves had begun. They didn’t quite know that yet. They still had some really hard times ahead, like knowing their Master was being crucified on a certain Friday; and some moments of incredulous joy to witness, like watching their Master call a 4-day dead man out of a tomb. Or even better, witnessing him alive after crucifixion. They didn’t know yet that he was working on owning them. Unlike us. We know he owns us, right? We know this basic Christian truth, correct? We’re not afraid to admit this, right? We do know that we are not our own. That we have been purchased at a price. And, we were not on sale when he purchased us. We were in sin, but we were not on sale. Because, God never cheapens us, like we can do to the unborn or the elderly who are dying. The elderly: the most beautiful people in the world, all of whom have an incredible story to tell. Yet, we have a political faction in this country today that wants to cheapen them. Treat them like they’re 50% off. Like their lives are on sale. Get rid of them. These people who have an incredible story to tell. Just sell them. They cost too much to keep around. No thanks. I’ll stick with my Lord. He never cheapens us. That’s why he died for us. Because we’re worth it. Jesus too has an incredible story to tell, without him making it to old age. A story of him purchasing us for life eternal. A story of calling us to do his bidding without fear. A story of chasing after him, catching up with him, and never going South on him unless you’re traveling to Gettysburg. A story of our bodies being members of Christ. It’s not a good story. It’s the greatest story ever told. When preparing couples for marriage, I love telling them that I don’t want them to have a good marriage. After their quizzical look, I tell them I want them to have a great marriage. And what advances a marriage from good to great is chasing after your Savior every day of your life as a couple, and you will never stop chasing him until you see him face to face, and enter his embrace. Well, at the end of this Gospel, it was time for a name-change. Simon becomes Cephas, which means Peter, which means Rock, upon which he has built his Church. There’s some rich reality in a name-change. The reality of now belonging to the Lamb of God. As our lives grow in age, I pray wisdom accompanies the age. The wisdom of chasing after our Owner until the end. It began with one Person, with the hope of ending with a crowd

I’ve been blessed to stand aside the Jordan River twice, each time on two different trips to Israel. The first time was the area believed to be where John baptized Jesus. At that point, the River is about 15 feet wide. And as far as its deepness; a short person can step into the water without drowning. Also, the water at this stage of the River is pretty muddy. We don’t know if it was this color the day Jesus was baptized. If it was, he cleaned it up. The second time at the River Jordan was near the source of it. Near the beginning up in Caesarea Philippi, in northern Israel where Jesus told Peter he was the Rock of the Church, and that the gates of hell would not prevail against her. It’s just a light stream at this point, the water very clear, looking drinkable. One could probably jump from one side to the other while stepping in the river just once. The Jordan River is not the Mississippi. And, it’s not the Missouri, the Ohio, the Allegheny, the Ganges, the Thames, or any other river with great amounts of water flowing powerfully along, where you could get caught up in a current and die, never to be found again. The Jordan River is small, tiny, not a major River by any means. It remains a source of water for the Sea of Galilee, feeding the sea made famous by Jesus walking on it; made famous by Jesus calling his first 4 Apostles from their boats to come and follow him all the way to a martyr’s death and heaven – only half of that sounds enticing; and, the sea made famous where the Lord sat along the seashore with Peter and a few others, eating a post-resurrection breakfast together, Jesus asking Peter 3 times, “Simon, son of John. Do you love me?” Three times, of course, to wipe away Peter’s three sinful offenses in his denials of knowing his Savior, which caused Peter to weep bitterly, as it should have for any person with a good conscience. So, from all this information connected to the River Jordan, I pass on a couple thoughts on this day of our Lord’s Baptism, the One who didn’t need to be baptized by a mere mortal like John, as great as his Prophet status was. Because, truth be told, who of us can baptize the sinless Son of God? Only through his approval can one do so. The first thought that concerns our faith as connected to the Jordan River is its lack of a strong current capable to take us under, leading to death. The Jordan River is gentle in this regard. However, the Jordan brings forth a great spiritual reality – a powerful current - found only in this River, that extends through the baptismal font in every Church. It’s the strong current that has caused us to already die with Christ, and for Christ. This happened to us the day we were baptized. In a world going somewhat paranoia, we recall for our benefit that we’ve been caught up in the powerful spiritual current of the Jordan, and that we have already died once. We died to sin, in order to live for Christ. And to live for Christ is to live in holiness. Yea, we all fall apart at times, as did all the great Saints in the Church except for the Mother of God. But when we fall apart in our little world, if we return momentarily to being a pagan Gentile, we act on the message that accompanies Baptism; to repent. Being baptized into the death of Christ, dying once already as we have, opens the door to future acts of repentance. May we never forget this gift. The physical current of the Jordan River is gentle, as it was the day John baptized Jesus; the day Jesus showed us how we initiate our lives into his, when we became the imprint of his being, where the two of us have become one flesh in Baptism. But the other current in the Jordan – this tiny River – is stronger than any current found at any ocean or river. It’s the current that allowed our souls to die for Christ, so that we may rise to new life in his resurrection. The current of the Jordan River is an interesting dichotomy found only in that River. The second thought as connected to the Jordan and its current is further connected to St. Peter’s three denials of Christ. We know that every time we sin, large or small, mortal or venial, we destroy some percentage of our relationship with the Lord. Peter, we know, messed up in a huge way. He got scared and denied he knew his Savior. Fear will do this. But our Baptism, thanks be to God, has opened the door to repentance and absolution. Unlike Judas, who went his own way, Peter never reached the point of despair. He never lost the future mercy that accompanies Baptism. Jesus certainly made it easy for the lead Apostle by asking him 3 times, “Do you love me?” The same question he asks us every day of our lives. But on the seashore as they ate breakfast, Peter experienced the loving mercy that emanates from the heart of Christ, made possible for us through Baptism. Let’s take advantage of this incredible gift freely given to us, a gift that always returns us to right relationship with God. The earthly source of all these gifts from above is found in the tiny Jordan River and its unique current that no other river or ocean can match.

It’s good for all of us to have a second mother. We love our first mothers, hopefully, for bringing us to term and giving us the gift of life. In a nation where that is not always the choice – that ever dangerous word – we thank our dear mothers for choosing life. The bond created through a mother and child, though, is a unique one that lasts a lifetime, we pray. Our second Mother is who we celebrate today. And she’s the same second Mother for each of us. That makes all of us family. Her holiness is unmatched, even beyond our birth mothers. In my lowly estimation, her loveliness is second to none. I’ve had the good habit for years now calling her the most beautiful woman who ever lived. And her beauty has nothing to with a Miss America or Miss Universe pageant. Rather, her beauty is realized in the absolute perfection of her womanhood. She is the number one woman who matches to perfection the term that St. John Paul II coined, “The Feminine Genius.” And that phrase has little to do with having Einstein intelligence. It speaks to the perfection of the female gender as created by God through the inside of Adam. Mary, our second Mother for eternity, is second to none when leading our good souls to the many victories of her Son. Many of the popular Saints in the Church do the same; the list is thankfully long. They lead us to Christ, where we belong, through their inspired prayers and our imitating their imitation of the Lord. Simplicity, prayer, mercy, good works, humility … all these virtues they perfected in a lifetime. Some of those lifetimes were very short. But our second Mother, the holy Mother of God, the holy Mother of Jesus, she remains our best source for reaching our goal of being one with her Son after we call it a day in this quick life. As Luke writes in the Gospel, Mary, our second Mother, kept all that was said about her Son, reflecting on them in her heart. All the newspaper articles, all the journals, all the photos of Jesus playing soccer, scoring the winning goal to win another championship for Nazareth, these were all gathered into the scrapbook of her heart, where a mother does her best work. She left all the newspaper articles, the journals, the sources, and whatever else to a few writers who compiled the scrapbook known as the New Testament that speaks to the important parts of her Son’s life, leaving out much we don’t know about him. Our second Mother knows everything about her Son’s human life, beyond the Gospels and Letters. She could have told the writers like Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul certain things about her Son that no one else knew. But if she did, this world would not contain the number of books. This is how well our second Mother knows us too. For which we are blessed. We all can use a second Mother. We have one in Blessed Mary, the most beautiful woman who ever lived. The Mother of God, whose depth of love and knowledge of her Son Jesus is shared with us. May the Holy Mother of God continue to lead us to her Son in this New Year and beyond.

Is it possible the star the Magi saw and followed was the same star that returned last week after a short hiatus of 800 years? It was last seen in the 13th century in the sky, lighting up the heavens. Of course, now we know it was caused by the closeness of Jupiter and Saturn with her marvelous rings. And, of course again, we live in Worcester, so it turned out to be a cloudy evening last week, thus a clear visual of what happened in the solar system was not viewed with the naked eye from our location. San Diego we are not. But the star was there, beyond the cloud cover. It is cause for legitimate inquiry as to whether this is the same astronomical phenomenon that caused the Magi to pack up and travel a great distance. If it was in fact the very same wonder in the sky that piqued their curiosity, causing them to say, “We must see what this is all about.” Well friends, after almost a year of pandemic uncertainty, upheaval, and the topsy-turviness of what’s going on, where a large degree of fear and complacency has settled into the spiritual lives of one too many, don’t you think the time is ripe, after 8 centuries of disappearance and distance, that we commit ourselves wholeheartedly to following the star? How’s this: I believe God’s timing, and how He plays around with the stars and planets, is perfection. And His message from last week’s closeness between Jupiter and Saturn is a statement from above that wonderfully calls us to continue crossing the desert of our lives amidst the uncertainties of this world. We know we live in a time when the cloud cover of Worcester is before us. Pandemic and all. A dangerous time when complacency in our relationship with Christ is closer to many of us now than previously in our lives. The opportunity to shut down the practice of our Catholic faith is at our doorstep. That is the reality right now. You choose by your presence to allow that highly dangerous spiritual condition to not enter your heart through paralyzing fear or anything else coming our way. You must hold your ground in like manner of the Magi, who encountered all sorts of snakes and travails as they entered the desert at the start of their destination. Most notably, toward the end of their destination, the travail of a rabid, raging King Herod insane about controlling the subjects in his kingdom. They made it through him, the Three Wise Guys, and they found the true King for whom they searched out. A fundamental part of our Christian faith, and not allowing said faith to whittle away like it has for some good people, is to behold an accurate understanding of the times in which we live. And to recognize for our spiritual benefit the symbolism and timing of events that take place. This is what the Magi experienced and acted on. It brought them to the pinpoint location of the newborn King and the world’s salvation. The Magi had a choice. They could have become lukewarm toward the appearance of the star and said, “Gee, look at that bright star appearing to call us to some movement. Oh well, time to go to bed. Good night, star. We’ll see you in 800 years.” Lukewarm faith is worse than no faith. Even St. Paul said so. Lukewarm faith leaves behind all the potential that advances someone to the faith of a Saint. Instead, the Magi understood the signs of the time. They saw that Someone up there was inviting them to move forward and locate the greatest stable on earth. This is why, for us Gentiles turned Christian, the Magi are our dear friends in the faith. They teach us we must keep moving forward in this New Year. The bright star appeared last week after an 800-year hiatus. Despite the Worcester cloud cover, it was there. We can say, scientifically, it would appear no matter what. True enough. But life and faith are more than scientific timing and coincidence. At least for people of faith it is. I believe the timing of the star’s appearance, timed with a worldwide pandemic, not to mention the political atmosphere, the star God created and called into existence is a sign of pure hope. The cloud cover says there is more uncertainty to address in the foreseeable future, which we can handle through God’s grace. The journey across this present desert has with it a few more sandstorms and King Herod’s. But persevere we must, and persevere we will. This is a present time to cherish your Catholic faith, and hold onto it like a martyr. Die for your faith before you would ever lose it. This would be for us a perfect copy of the Magi.

If we’re ever told something that seems amazing, or just too difficult to believe, and we’re presented the opportunity to go forth, see for ourselves and check it out, then we would avail ourselves of the opportunity. We wouldn’t sit back on the couch of our lives, let something amazing – some amazing event – pass us by if we had the chance to see the results firsthand. Only someone who lacks good sense and curiosity would allow the great event to pass by without a firsthand visual. The shepherds were told of an amazing event; the birth of a child who was born to change the world for the better. Actually, for the best. Adam & Eve did their rotten duty in the Garden of Paradise, turning the perfection of Paradise into a rundown building on Cambridge St in Worcester. Or some other street I don’t mean to pick on. Some time later, after we were lost in space somewhere, along comes the second Adam to overturn the bad choice of the first Adam. When the second Adam – Jesus – was born, the event did not remain silent. The great event in the silence of the night became the talk of the day among the shepherds, the first to be told of the great event. And what was their reaction when hearing the news of the birth of Jesus from none other than angels in heaven? They got off their couches, left the bag of Doritos in the corner of the sofa, and went to see firsthand the facts about this great event. Sit back they did not. Their curiosity got the best of them. And then the shepherds did something that continues to address our lives and the lives of everyone touched by the great event of Christmas; they spoke about it to each other. They talked about Jesus. They shared conversation about his Mother, and likely Joseph too. They talked about the great event of salvation being born. They talked about God-is-with-us, Emmanuel. They stopped talking about the sheep they were tending, and the many hours of overtime they worked, and how things were at home, and how the family was doing, and news of the local sports team. They put aside all the talk of their routine daily life events, and replaced with talk about the great event. They spoke about the things of God. And how God has favored us in a way that is truly far beyond comprehension that any one person or group of smart people could ever expect as a favor. There are still numerous folks who find it too incredible to believe that God did this for us. All the secondary chatter was placed aside by the shepherds, and these lowly, simple peasant workers had the wisdom and goodness to bring to the forefront the great event they had witnessed firsthand. I guess the closest we’ll get today to witnessing this great event of Jesus’ birth firsthand is twofold; to look at the stable here and meditate for a bit, or, to see a parent lovingly hold their newborn child with the greatest love and care. Although we are the shepherds of today, the shepherds of yore were blessed to see the great event firsthand, in person. However, their reaction going forth from the stable and speaking of the great event; that has not changed. Nor can it change in a world that needs our Messiah ever more. Any Christian who does not talk about Jesus Christ in their lives is a Christian who speaks way too much about the daily events in their little world, and not nearly enough about the great things God has done for us. Do not be that Christian. Follow the lives of the simple shepherds who were invited to get off their couches and witness something amazing. Something beyond human comprehension. An event that reveals the depth of God’s love for us. Get off your couch – if you’re sitting on it - and make Jesus part of your daily conversation, replacing some of the useless chatter. Bring this great event we celebrate today front and center to our lives. To do this means we will overcome all the political correctness and religious-shutdown running rampant in our culture. Be brave and wise as a shepherd, let Christ be your light, and part of our every day conversation, in imitation of the shepherds. That’s what a good shepherd does. Merry Christmas.