Pastor's Spiritual Reflections

By Fr. Leo Schneider (06/24/2007)

Dear People of Holy Name,

The infancy narratives for Jesus and John in the beginning of Luke’s Gospel were included for theological reasons. Jesus’ genealogy and birth are recorded to show that Jesus was of the Davidic line, the promised messiah, and that the God of creation took on flesh and was incarnated in the person of Jesus Christ. Saying that Jesus was of the house of David is an invitation to other Jews of the time to accept Jesus as Messiah, but to say Jesus was God incarnate was something new; a new sharing of humanity in the life of God.

John the Baptist was a famous man in his own right with his own disciples. Some scholars suggest that Jesus may have been one of his disciples before he came into his own. Including John’s nativity in the gospel, invites those who knew John to see in Jesus everything he was and more. Like John, Jesus baptized with water; a purification right for the forgiveness of sin. It was much cleaner than animal sacrifice, and far better than human sacrifice used in neighboring cultures to appease the gods.

Jesus addresses human guilt, but in a way far different from John. While John baptized with water, Jesus baptized with water and the Holy Spirit. Jesus turned baptism into an initiation into the life of God, who takes away our sin in sharing his life with us. For us, living in God and God living in us is our goal and our calling. Conversion isn’t a bathing of the body, but a change of heart that allows God’s grace to live in us in all things.

For us as Christians the spiritual life is all about relationships and sin must always be seen in that context. As children we are taught not to lie and we learn it is not a good thing. As adults we try not to lie, not only because we were taught it isn’t good, but because we know it can mess up our relationships with other people.

The same happens on every level of society from individual relationships to institutional relationships in the work place and in politics. The challenge is to try and not find any truth inconvenient, and to make the changes in our heart and in our relationships with people and institutions, that will make room for the Truth.

Jesus said he was the way, the truth and the life. When we embrace God’s truth, we are on the way to sharing in the fullness of God’s life here and in the kingdom to come. John’s life was spent preparing people for the truth of Jesus and today we celebrate his birth as an invitation to accept the Spirit of Jesus Christ into our hearts, that living in God we may know the fullness of life and create a world around us that reflects God’s love and grace.

Every time we call on the Name of Jesus we are calling on our baptismal grace; a life long sacrament of living in Christ. Today let us call on the Lord to forgive our sin by letting his Spirit recreate us into something new, letting our old self die and the new self be born into the fullness of his truth and love. Let us claim our baptism in Christ and ask the Lord to let the fullness of his Spirit live in us that we may live in him.

May the Lord fill you with the power and peace of his Holy Spirit!

In Christ Peace, Fr. Leo