September 19, 2012. Homily, Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Luke 8:19-21
The Mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and wish to see you."
He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it."
The Gospel of the Lord.

Take that.

A parable of Jesus is a container made of words. We pour into it what we know from our life experiences and we pour our of it what we need. So here, we have our own experience of our mother and our brothers and our sisters and of those times when they have disturbed us at our work and our reactions to that. But this is Jesus and the mother of Jesus and the reaction of Jesus to His mother, and we know that the mother of Jesus is the perfect vessel of the will of God, for when God through the archangel Gabriel asked for her obedience she said "Yes". And we know that Jesus loved His mother and that His mother's life was to do the will of God. We saw that at the wedding feast of Cana, when she asked the help of Jesus, and Jesus said, "Woman, my time has not yet come" and Mary said to the servants, "Do whatever he asks." And Jesus asked the servant to fill the water vessels and then performed the miracle of water into wine. And so here, Jesus answers the messenger by elevating the disciples of Jesus, us, to the status of brother of Jesus, sister of Jesus, and even mother of Jesus.
Posted by Daniel Murphy at 4:24 AM 0 comments

September 3, 2012. Prayer Service. Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Luke 4:38-44

The Great Physician

4:38 And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's home. Now Simon's mother in law was suffering from a high fever, and they made request of him on her behalf. 39 And standing over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she immediately arose and waited on them. 40 And while the sun was setting, all who had any sick with various diseases brought them to him; and, laying his hands on every one of them, he was healing them. 41 And demons also were coming out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Son of God!" And rebuking them he would not allow them to speak because they knew him to be the Christ. 42 And when day came, he departed and went to a lonely place. And the multitudes were searching for him, and came to him, and tried to keep him from going away from them. 43 But he said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose." 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
INTRODUCTION

Throughout all four of the Gospels people frequently ask about Jesus, "What manner of man is this?" We have certainly been asking that question in our study of Luke's Gospel, even when we have not articulated it as such. What manner of man is this that you cannot study his life or come to know him without asking, "What manner of man is this?" What manner of man is this who submits to a baptism of repentance without confessing any sins? What manner of man is this on whom the Holy Spirit descends like a dove? What manner of man is this to whom a Voice from heaven says, "You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased"? What manner of man is this who puts so much energy and concentration into resisting temptation that he forgets to eat for forty days? What manner of man is this who refuses to compromise even when it alienates his own hometown? What manner of man is this who teaches with authority, not as the scribes? What manner of man is this who casts out demons with a simple word of command? And today we ask it again: What manner of man is this who heals with a touch? As we try to answer that question we must consider:

I. THE MINISTRY OF HEALING

The ministry of healing certainly had an important place in Jesus' mission. Part of the prophecy from Isaiah he had used to announce his purpose in Luke 4:18 was giving sight to the blind. Physical healing was surely an aspect of the fulfillment of that promise, as showed by multiple examples from Jesus' life, though it also has reference to giving spiritual insight to those blinded by sin. Then, starting with Peter's mother in law, physical healing was the aspect of Jesus' ministry that attracted the most attention. The point of it is that in the coming of this Messiah all the effects of the Fall are to be reversed, including physical illness.

But though healing had an important place in Jesus' ministry, it did not have the central place. When Jesus tears himself away from the crowd in vs. 43, he does not offer as justification that he had to heal in other cities too. He was sent to preach the Gospel, the good news, of the kingdom, that is the rule, of God in every city. Preaching the kingdom was primary; healing was secondary, a means to that end and a living illustration of it. And even more basic and important than either was making atonement for our sins--for that was to bring the kingdom he had been preaching. Healing was present in Jesus' earthly ministry as a sign that the true Healer was here and as a foretaste of the complete reversal of the effects of sin that the atonement would make possible, but which will be fully manifest only when Christ returns. That is one reason why Jesus reminded the Nazarenes that of all the lepers in Israel in the days of Elisha, only Naaman the Syrian was healed. Healing is one of the effects of the atonement, but it is not the central thing. There are two mistakes therefore that we can make concerning miraculous physical healing today. One is to believe that Christ no longer heals in response to the prayers of his people. The other is to make healing so central to the atonement that it can be "claimed" automatically by faith in the same way as the forgiveness of sin. Each of these errors, in its own way, is simply cruel.

II. THE MOTIVE FOR HEALING

There are a number of reasons for the emphasis that healing had in the Lord's earthly ministry. One is to vindicate his claim to be the sight-restoring Servant Isaiah had prophesied. One is to show the connection between the atonement and the curse, which is being undone. These are important purposes served by the healing stories in the Gospels. But when the Gospels speak of Jesus' personal motives for healing, the emotional wellsprings of his willingness to labor so tirelessly at it, two feelings stand out. One is simple compassion for the suffering of the victims. "And Jesus was going about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. And seeing the multitudes, he felt compassion for them" (Mat. 9:35-36). In Luke we see this compassion in the individual attention he gave to the people he healed, laying hands on each one individually (Luke 4:40) and staying up all night to meet their needs (vs. 42). And of everything that Jesus did, we know that his meat and drink was to do the will of his Father and glorify him (John 4:34). In Luke, the thing that moves Jesus to begin his ministry is that "the Spirit of the Lord was upon him" (4:18). For us too, compassion for people and zeal for God's glory must be the twin motives that drive whatever ministry the Father gives us. If either is lacking, true healing will not occur, for neither can be true, whole, or sustainable without the other.

III. THE METHODS OF HEALING

Jesus used at least three methods in his healing ministry, and each of them has something to teach us. Often he healed simply with a word, as with Peter's mother in law in vs. 39. Here as with the exorcism we saw last week, there is an instructive contrast with contemporary Jewish exorcists and miracle workers, the "faith healers" of their day. Here is a formula that was actually used by one of them. To cure a fever, tie an iron knife by a braid of the victim's hair to a thornbush. Repeat over the bush on successive days Exodus 3:2, 3:3, 3:4, and finally 3:5. Then cut down the bush while reciting a secret formula, and the fever will die with the bush. Hmmm. Chances are that by the time that rigmarole was finished the fever would have subsided naturally anyway. The power and authority of Christ stand out by contrast in such bright relief that no commentary is really needed.

Another method Jesus employed was healing at a distance, as with the centurion's servant who will be healed in chapter seven. This is another sign of the astounding power and authority Jesus had. He does not even have to be present. When the centurion's messengers get back they find the boy in good health. In some such accounts it is noted that the healing occurred at precisely the time when Jesus, who had not been there, had pronounced it.

But by far the most common method, Jesus' preferred method, is healing by a touch (vs. 40). He goes out of his way to do this. He does it even with lepers; he does it when it is less efficient, as in this passage. Why? Because there was something at stake here more important than healing people's bodies. This was a way of personalizing the act, of establishing a relationship with the one being healed--or at least giving him the opportunity to enter into one. Why not just snap his fingers and heal everyone in Judea in one fell swoop? Why leave this town with people yet unhealed? (That's why they were looking for him the next morning.) Because there was something more important than physical cures at stake. And that leads us to the next point.

IV. THE MESSAGE OF HEALING

What was the message of Jesus' healing ministry? We have already hinted at it, but let us bring it into focus at this point. That message had at least three parts. Every healing Jesus performed was an Expression of Mercy, it was Evidence of Messiahship, and it was an Offer of Meeting. It was an Expression of Mercy. Each healing was an acted parable, saying, "God cares." It was Evidence of Messiahship. Every healing was an acted sermon, declaring, "This day is fulfilled in your ears . . . " And it was an Offer of Meeting. That was the reason for the laying on of hands. It is all because then as now the primary issue was not physical health and comfort but a relationship with Christ. Every healing was an opportunity for someone to accept him as God's Messiah. Look for this issue to come increasingly to the fore in future healing narratives. And let us make sure it stays at the forefront in our own lives, when we seek healing for ourselves or for others.

V. THE MEANING OF HEALING

What is the meaning of Jesus' healing miracles for us today? We can answer that question in a series of questions.

Does God still heal miraculously today? Yes. He is the same God, and the Christ he sent is still present in our lives through his personal representative and agent the Holy Spirit. All healing comes from God, whether it happens naturally through the body's own repair mechanisms, whether it happens naturally through the aid of medicine, or whether it happens miraculously. But there is no automatic guarantee of healing in this life just because we have enough faith. Paul had to bear his thorn in the flesh with the realization that God's grace was sufficient. And sometimes God heals us by releasing us from a diseased body to come and be with him in spirit. Unless Christ returns first, this will eventually be the answer to all our prayers for healing. Even Lazarus was resurrected only to face the prospect of getting sick and dying all over again. There may be many healings, even miraculous ones, along the way to encourage us and to give us foretastes of what is coming, but we will not be finally healed until we see Christ face to face.

If Jesus is so compassionate, why doesn't God always heal us when we ask him in faith? We could restate that question in another way: Why didn't he heal everyone in Judea in the first century? Surely part of the answer is that if he had done so he would have left them satisfied--and still in their sins. Even those he did heal did not all follow him. Of the Ten Lepers, only one returned to give thanks. God knows that we are not mature enough to handle automatic guaranteed healing. We would stay babes in faith if we had faith at all; people would be "believing" for all the wrong reasons. God sends us healing to encourage us, but if it always came we would cease to share in the groaning of creation. We would then minister with less compassion for a lost and needy world, and we would cease longing for our full redemption when Christ returns as it deserves to be longed for. And neither of those things would be good. Either would be worse than any sickness we are called to endure.

Finally, what does healing mean when it does come? It is an acted parable saying that Jesus cares. It is an acted sermon saying that Jesus is the Messiah and that the words of Isaiah are fulfilled in your ears. It is a demonstration that God cares about the whole man, not just the spirit but the body too, not just Sunday but the rest of the week too, not just "religion" but all of life. It is a downpayment on a future when there will be no more tears. It is an opportunity to grow closer to the Lord. And, finally, it is an opportunity to worship him, to ask in awe, "What manner of man is this?" And to ask it with some inkling of the answer.

CONCLUSION

God's interest in the whole man, body as well as spirit, is shown by the healing ministry of Jesus. It is also shown by the physical elements of bread and wine by which we celebrate the Lord's Supper, that feast which points forward to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, when sickness will be no more. Let us think of the Lord's Supper in those terms today as we recommit ourselves to him by partaking of it.

September 5, 2012. Homily, Saturday, September 8, 2012

December 8, 2012:  Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  
How do we know that September 8 is her nativity her birthday?
Because September 8th this year is nine months after December 8 last year, nine months is the period of human gestation,  and December 8 of any year is the date of The Immaculate Conception.
OLPH, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, is dedicated to the Blessed Mother. The cornerstone was laid in 1954. 1954 was the 100th anniversary of the declaration of the dogma of The Immaculate Conception.  In 1858 a beautiful Lady appeared  to Bernadette Subirous an unlettered 14 year old girl at at Lourdes some 18 times. The lady asked Bernadette to pray and to build a chapel. 
Bernadette went to her local priest and reported the appearance. The Bishop asked for the name of the Lady.  Bernadette asked the Lady for her name and the Lady answered, "I am The Immaculate Conception."  Bernadette told her priest and the priest was shocked for at that time the doctrine of The Immaculate Conception was a doctrine known only to the most senior and enlightened members of the Church.
Lourdes is the subject of one of the stained glass windows above in our Church. 



Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahson, Nahson, the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rehab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David, the king.
David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. Asaph became the father of Jehosophat, Jehosophat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezikiah. Hezikiah became the father of Manasseh,  Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile.
After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazor. Eleazor became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
    Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
    and they shall name him Emmanuel, 
which means "God is with us."
The Gospel of the Lord.

"Jesus" means "God saves."
"Emmanuel" means "God is with us."


God tells Ahaz to ask for a sign to prove that indeed He would protect Jerusalem. The sign could be anything, great or small (7:10-11). God is giving Ahaz the opportunity to receive anything from Him. However, Ahaz passes, saying with false piety, “I will not test the Lord” (7:12). Ahaz was not concerned with putting the Lord to the test, for in his mind, he did not need the Lord, for he had already taken care of the problem. He had arranged an alliance with Assyria who would help him with the threat of Israel and Syria (2 Kings 16:7-9).

Ahaz's refusal of the sign tells us something of his character. Ahaz sounds almost spiritual in his response. He quotes from Deuteronomy 6:16, which says, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” However, his response wearies God. Here God was promising deliverance. God wanted to prove his faithfulness to Ahaz. God wanted to help Ahaz be “firm in faith.” However, Ahaz gave God the cold shoulder.

The Sign Given Regardless

While Ahaz refused a sign, God would give a sign anyway.

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ….before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. (Isaiah 7:14-16 ESV)

The fulfillment of this sign will come in Isaiah 8, when Isaiah's wife bears him a son (8:3-4). This is the immediate sign available for Ahaz so that he might know the faithfulness of the Lord . However, Isaiah does not name his son, Immanuel.

According to Matthew, this sign has a second fulfillment. Just as God's salvation of Judah from the invading armies is shown by the birth of a child, so God's salvation from their sins shall also come by the birth of a child.

“(Mary) will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:21-23 ESV)

There is much controversy over the word translated “virgin.” In the original Hebrew, the word can mean “virgin” or “young woman.” In the case of Isaiah's wife, it clearly has the latter meaning. However, Matthew quotes from the Septuagint, the 2 nd century BC Greek translation of the Hebrew bible. In this translation, the Greek word can only mean “virgin.” In the case of Mary, it therefore has the former meaning.


The five ladies – like a lot of the men that are also listed – remind Matthew's audience that Jesus came for sinners. To a greater or lesser extent the five women have a reputation as sinners.

You can read about Tamar in Genesis 38. It is not a nice story. A couple of months after Tamar's husband died she pretended to be a prostitute. In this disguise she fooled her father-in-law to go to bed with her and got pregnant by him. Though Tamar was a seducer and pretend prostitute Matthew includes her in the family tree of Jesus.

Rahab we should all know about from the story of Joshua. We can read about her in Joshua 2 & 6. She is the prostitute who hid the two spies Joshua sent to Jericho. We are told nothing of Rahab's union with Salmon, the man who became her husband. But knowing her occupation we can only assume she snared him with her body. Though Rahab was a prostitute Matthew includes her too in the family tree of Jesus.

Ruth we can read about in the book that bears her name. She was a Moabite. You need to know that the Moabites were the result of the sexual union between Lot and his oldest daughter (Gen 39:30-37). The Israelites had nothing but contempt for the Moabites because they had their origins in incest and considered their offspring impure to the tenth generation (Deut 23:3). Furthermore, Ruth was very forward and perhaps a little improper in the way she pursued Boaz at the barley pile while he was under the influence of alcohol. Though Ruth was an aggressive Moabite Matthew includes her too in the family tree of Jesus.

Matthew identifies the fourth woman as "Uriah's wife." Her name was Bathsheba. You can read about her in 2 Samuel 11. She was the woman who committed adultery with King David and got pregnant and then permitted David to have her husband killed. Also, she plotted to put Solomon on the throne after David's death. Though Bathsheba was an adulteress and an accessory to murder Matthew includes her too in the family tree of Jesus.

Luke 3:23-38
King James Version (KJV)
23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph,

25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge,

26 Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda,

27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri,

28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er,

29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi,

30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim,

31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,

32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson,

33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda,

34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,

35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala,

36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech,

37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan,

38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

That is, Jehoiachin; also in verse 12

September 3, 2012. Homily, September 4, 2012.

Lk 4:31-37
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a Town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon and he cried out in a loud voice, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God!" Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They were all amazed and said to one another, "What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.

The Gospel of the Lord.



There were three parts to Israel. In the South, Judea with David's city Jerusalem. In the middle Samaria with Jericho. And in the North, Galilee.

In the Genesis story God rested on the sabbath, but the sabbath was the day when Jesus really used to get busy. He was frequently accused of breaking the sabbath, and even when he was dead he descended on Holy Saturday into the underworld, the Apostles’ Creed says, and liberated all who had languished there since the time of Adam. I found a passage in St Ambrose (c. 333 – 397) that tries to make sense of all this sabbath activity. He wrote, “[Luke] describes the works of divine healing begun on the sabbath day, to show from the outset that the new creation began where the old creation ceased.”

Ambrose also noted that Jesus healed a man (today’s reading) and a woman (tomorrow’s). Just as at the beginning God “created them male and female” (Genesis 1:27; 5:2), Jesus now heals both. “The Lord came to heal both sexes,” he wrote.

Jesus spoke with authority, Luke says. ‘Authority’ is one of those words that can have opposite meanings, depending on their use. Speaking or acting ‘with authority’ can simply mean you have the official piece of paper, you are authorised by someone else. In the time of Jesus, rabbis were forever quoting other rabbis, or quoting texts. Yet the word ‘authority’ comes from the Latin ‘auctor’ (source), from which the word ‘author’ is also derived. People speaking with authority in this sense are speaking from themselves; they are the authors of what they are saying. Jesus “spoke with authority,” that is, he spoke from himself, from his Self. His words came from somewhere (they were not quotations). For that very reason they were able to go somewhere: they were able to cast out demons, freeing people from their torments.

By acting as he did, Ambrose wrote, “Jesus showed us that the Son of God is not under the law but above the law.” It might have been better if he had said Jesus was one with the law, in the sense that he was one with the mind of the law-giver, God. In him the law was being fulfilled, not set aside (Mt 5:18). A law is not necessarily being fulfilled when it is interpreted into thousands of details; it is being fulfilled when its purpose is being realised. The law was being fulfilled in Jesus, despite his apparent breaches of it, in ways that it was never fulfilled in the Pharisees, despite their apparent devotion to it.


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