My friends, this week throws us out “into the water,” and “into the boat,” to fulfill our baptismal and confirmation promises, to “be fishers” of the “beloved people” as Pastor Danielle calls her flock. But before we get into that, just a few words about the “sadness” that many of us feel over the mean-spirited, and selfish actions coming out of Washington these days.

Pastor Danielle shared with her community via her bulletin this week some thoughts from Diane Butler Bass, pastor and writer, that I feel are worth repeating. Just as I have been uplifting for all of us, “that in the face of actions that are clearly not, about love, we must continue to do the good that we do, and not be discouraged,” which is easier said than done, and Bass encourages the same.
At times of low-spirit, and that inability to do the loving thing, we must turn to others of good faith who are at a better place perhaps than we may be, for support. We call that, “holding onto the hope,” and we must do that for each other—sometimes we can be the “receptacle” of hope—sometimes other people can be.
Diane Butler Bass recently attended a meeting of spiritual colleagues, wherein one, woman pastor shared that during these “disheartening times” she focuses on a picture of a house in Los Angeles that survived the recent fires because as she said, “it was built to do just that!” The builder of that house, Pastor Traci Blackmon stated, employed “fire-resistant technologies and architectural building techniques” so that this structure could withstand what many houses could not. She then tied this example to a well-known Scripture passage that you all will recognize.

Jesus said, “a wise [person] built [their] house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, the winds blew, and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it was built on rock.” We all know what happened to the foolish [person] who built on sand… In these times my friends, we should remember that our lives are built on rock too, and as Jesus says in today’s gospel, “Do not fear,” when you live and move and attempt to be your best—because this is “ what [we were] made to do.”
But because we are human, and not infallible, nor always, at our best, Bass suggests 10 W’s that may not fix all that is wrong, but will, “steel us,” so to speak, for “the fires, and for the storms.”

1. Wake up every day—sleep is important—be on some sort of schedule to get it!
2. Welcome the day with gratitude—say, “thank you” and believe that each new day gives fresh hope.
3. Walk everyday—get outside—get fresh air—feel the ground beneath your feet—notice all that is around you! I would say, this is prayer in its basic and probably one of its better forms.
4. (Be) with others everyday—don’t isolate yourself—reach out and connect with someone everyday—volunteer at the library, reading to children, feed the hungry—many of you are doing that this month through Home-Delivered-Meals—thank you! Write letters, make calls—many are doing that—thank you! Whatever it is—get out of yourself!
5. Work (most days) –but rest too—seek balance.
6. Write every day, weekly, or often—if you don’t like to write, be creative—draw—throw pots, and I believe she means, “make pots,” but it might help to actually throw something!
7. Watch the news (if able) –if you can’t watch it, do stay informed—that is important.
8. Wide – sight—(a practice to develop) –author, Parker Palmer has introduced this concept—using “soft eyes” or, as he basically says, looking at the bigger picture rather than focusing on the immediate threat—there is more of a chance that you can perhaps “hear or see” something new, instead of moving into the “fight or flight” mode—this one takes a bit more thought—granted.
9. Weep (whenever)—tears are good and cleansing—don’t be afraid of the emotions that come up in these times—anger, joy, laughter, sadness, whatever.
10. Wonder (as much as possible) –go out into nature, go to the art museum, listen to your favorite music, read books, get obsessed with space photos from the Webb telescope… So friends, keeping the above in mind, as a rather long way to begin, let us turn to today’s Scriptures more briefly, because all of the above are really ways of practicing the messages given us today by Isaiah, Paul, and Jesus.
    Isaiah answers God’s question of, “Whom shall I send?” [to care for the people] saying, “Here I am, send me”[!] His response my friends should be ours as well; and this is so because it is what our elders promised at our baptisms, if we were baptized as infants, and what we eventually promised at our confirmations—basically,
    that we would show up! To say that we are “Christian” calls us to no less, than doing our part, in the ways that we come to see that.
    Paul reminds the Corinthians, and ultimately us, that if we basically follow the gospels, they will save us!
    And the instructions today from Luke, in Jesus’ words are profound if we are willing to go deeper than the surface story of a huge catch of fish.
    As you know, Jesus always encloses a deeper story within a surface one. The miracle of the huge catch of fish was, in part, meant to get his new disciples’ attention. And that happened we can assume, because afterward, we are told, “they left everything and followed him.”
    Within this simple, yet profound story, Jesus lets this rag-tag group of fishers know that now, they will be “catching people.” He tries to calm their fears of whether they can do this “new thing” seemingly so foreign to them—as we said earlier, he tells them to “not be afraid,” because he knows what they are capable of—he in fact, “knows how they were made—just for this task!”
    Jesus trusts each of them with “humanity” (we might say, fish) that they will engage with. He trusted them, as he trusts each of us, to bring all the “fish” home.
    This simple story is profound in that it says that “all the fish” – all the people are welcome in the boat, at the table! And if the “boat” gets too full, we, as they did, “must call for help” from friends, to get all the “fish” ashore.
    Friends, I see this story today from Luke as instructive as we continue our relationship with the First Congregational community,
    looking for joint ways to share our brother Jesus’ message –we are more alike than different –they teach us and we teach them. The Scripture quote from John 17: 21, that names our church and our mission, “All Are One” is what Jesus intended and spoke of the night before he died—more than anything, he wanted his little band to stay together, to help and support one another, “to be the hope,” one for another, and to go out and share what they had found.
    So today my friends, as we struggle anew in the face of a time and a place—in a country and world where we haven’t yet, as a people, got the message that all are indeed welcome, are precious and loved, let us here, at least strive, “to be our best” in the memory of Jesus of Nazareth, our brother, who so wanted us, “to be one!” Amen? Amen!

My friends, if you read the bulletin, you know that today the official Catholic church is remembering the Presentation of the Baby Jesus in the Temple—an act that all good Jewish parents did 40 days after the birth of their baby. It was also a time of purification for Mary, Jesus’ mother according to the laws of Moses.
And, as I said in the bulletin, the Feast of the Presentation, when it falls on a Sunday, as it does this year, supersedes the regular Sunday. But being that we have discussed this gospel reading twice already in the new Church Year, I am instead, uplifting the readings for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Additionally, we Christians should always be about “presenting” Jesus to our world, through our lives, so whether the feast is specifically named, the Presentation, we are bound to that action anyway, and always. Hopefully, that makes sense. Also, I think you will find that the chosen readings for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time do “present” Jesus quite well, and what our response should be.

Before getting into these alternate readings, let’s just take a quick look at the other choices for the Presentation so as to tie them into those of the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, as I think you will find that they blend nicely and move us into the adult actions of our brother Jesus where we left off last week.
The Old Testament reading from the prophet Malachi basically says, I am sending a messenger to prepare the way. We know that messenger to be John the Baptist whom we remembered during Advent.
The writer to the Hebrews lets us know that our brother Jesus “became human to help us” – we often say, “to show us the way.” And finally, once again, Luke tells us in the gospel on the Presentation that, “Jesus was filled with wisdom—that the grace of God was with him.” I believe we can see how all of the above is played out in the life of Jesus. Therefore, let us move into the readings just proclaimed for us from the prophets, Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The 1st reading from Jeremiah today gives us a wonderful image of our Loving God for each of us: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” [!] This statement is really, in my mind, kind of neat to think on, and I believe we would each do well in our prayer this week to remember—that our God loved us even before our existence began! Such a love as this doesn’t seem to jive with the religious tradition and teaching prior to the Second Vatican Council—that the only reason for sending Jesus was to make up for the sins of humankind! Love and “settling a score” don’t seem to go together with the God that Jesus did in fact introduce to us.

Moving on then in Jeremiah’s reading, we see that this God who has loved us tremendously, trusts us with great things. When we attempt to do good in our world, standing up for the down-trodden, seeking justice for all, “many will fight against us,” we are told. But our God says, “do not be unnerved, or break down in their presence” – in other words, be strong. Jeremiah says further – “they will fight against you, but still not overcome you.”

Delving deeper into what Jeremiah is saying here, is the fact that when we know we are truly loved, as we are by our God, we can do what we might otherwise think impossible, such as speaking truth to power — a bishop, a president, or whoever is not being their best selves as our God challenges us to be. Jeremiah basically speaks a profound truth: “Don’t be afraid of what people will think,” by what you say is your truth, but by what God will say if you don’t in fact speak it! And granted friends, this isn’t easy, but then we were never promised that it would be. Sister Joan Chittister takes it a bit further saying, “Think what will happen to the whole truth, if you don’t speak it.”

The psalmist today in # 71 prays the prayer on our hearts in these trying times: “be [my] sheltering rock” – “you alone are my hope.” And this is probably a great time to raise up the fact that many of us feel overwhelmed in this New Year thus far as to what we can do in the face of so much apparent mean-spirited selfishness being dealt out in our country by those who should know better, and claim to be our leaders. I myself feel overwhelmed at times, and something that I do, and would recommend to each of you, is to ask our brother Jesus to help us carry it, because none of us is equipped to shoulder it all ourselves. The psalmist’s image of a “sheltering rock” is a good one.

And that having been said, let’s move on into Paul’s challenge to the Corinthians, and to us as well today on what our mission must truly be in this world, as we attempt to be true to Jesus’ message. Paul is clear: “If I speak with [angelic tongues], prophesy, and have all knowledge, faith to move mountains, give away everything I own, even hand my body over to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing [!]

This lovely reading is often used at weddings and is such a challenge – one-to-another. Paul then goes on to spell out just what love consists of: Love is patient, kind, not jealous, does not put on airs, is not snobbish, rude, or self-seeking –prone to anger, or broods over injuries – love does not rejoice over wrong, but over truth. Love has no limits; it trusts, hopes, and endures.

This is quite a message to a couple starting out. In the past when I have had the privilege of officiating at a wedding, I would encourage the couple, so full of hopes and dreams to look at this reading on their anniversary each year to see how they are doing, because as we all know, marriage takes the best we have to offer. Paul continues, there are three things that last – faith, hope, and love, and love is the greatest!

My friends, it is primarily from this reading and all that our brother Jesus teaches about “love” that causes, prompts me even, to tell you that love must always be the reason that we act in our world, even if we have to break a law – when it is a case of law versus love, we must always, in the memory of Jesus of Nazareth, do the loving thing!

The gospel from Luke for today let’s us know that “prophets never gain acceptance in their native place.” Jesus, as all prophets before and after, can’t “act” where there is no “faith.” Earlier we reflected on Paul’s words that “there are three things that last, faith, hope and love, and that the greatest is love.” I always think that the three work in tandem, and for “love” to come to its fullest, we must believe in, and hope for the best in ourselves and others. I always think that for Jesus to have returned home, and be rejected by his own people, had to have been very hard to take, and within that context, I think we can see why he was unable “to perform” for them.

Within our universal Church, we have just completed a 2-year synodal process where we were asked to weigh in, sharing ideas to hopefully make our Church better, with the supposed idea that our truth would be listened to, and now upon reflection, at its completion, comes the realization that so many hopes and dreams for inclusion were simply not heard, or if they were, were rejected . Faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.

I know many faith-filled, committed People of God, whom I believe were inspired by the Spirit to submit needed ideas for our Church to grow and become one that is worthy of the memory of our brother Jesus. Looking at the decisions made at the conclusion of this Synod on Synodality, and by the way, the word, “synodality” comes from the Greek, meaning, “journeying together,” –this word is a Church term meaning, “a way of living out one’s faith by listening to others and the Holy Spirit.” I would say that “love” was not acted upon with all those who are still not included, nor recognized – women, LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers and more. One does wonder how Jesus would have handled the faith-filled requests made to Pope Francis and the bishops, cardinals and all…

But lest we end on a negative note, let us remember who we ultimately answer to, and continue to do all the good we do, in faith and hope, that one day, love will be acted upon! Amen? Amen!

My friends, on this 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, we are really, as I said in the bulletin, given a template—guidance, so to speak, of how we should be in our world, as followers of our brother, Jesus. In the first reading from Nehemiah, who is known in 1st Testament history, as, “the Builder,” that is, of the walls of Jerusalem, we hear through the priest Ezra, a bit of the story of the Israelite people returning from Exile. The people are understandably sad with regard to their relationship with God whom they feel they have failed. But Ezra reassures them that they should not fear, should not be sad or weep because, as he basically tells them, “Our God will always give you a second chance, as long as you are willing to try again.

Those of you old enough to remember Church teachings before the Second Vatican Council will remember that we Catholics grew up being taught to have the same feelings as the people in Ezra’s time, approximately in the 5th Century B.C. We learned that we had failed God, and had done so grievously, to the point that God “demanded” reparation for our sins in the form of the death of Jesus, “his” own son.
Now, of course we don’t believe this anymore as by “breaking open the Word” more fully after the Council in 1965, we came to understand and believe that our God loves us so much more than we humans can fully imagine. And we know this to be true through such New Testament stories as the Prodigal Child, and that of the Good Shepherd, who would leave the 99 and go in search of one-lost-one. In the story of the Prodigal, we see the “Loving Parent” [God] not just receiving the errant one back,
but running to meet this one, returning home. So, we see the 2nd Vatican Council, through the inspired work of Pope John XXIII, and the experts he gathered around him, were able to unearth and uplift this “old” idea of a God who loves us beyond all imagining.

This theme of a God who loves us in an over-the-top way continues and moves us to the next step in Paul’s selection today to the Corinthians. We learn here that God’s love is universal and equal with regard to us all. Paul basically says, we are different, “many parts, but one body—no one is indispensable, and no one can say to another, I don’t need you.” Additionally, Paul tells us that our love must go further, “if one of you suffers, [we all] suffer with that [one].” [Likewise], “if one of you is honored, we all [should] feel their joy.”

It seems my friends, that according to Paul, our God “constructed” us this way to be “of this vision”—what hurts one, hurts all, and what brings happiness to one should be a joyous thing to all. And he goes even further to say, that we should “care especially for the least among us.” Even the psalmist in number 19 today affirms this thought, “your command,” your precepts, “are clear” –[they] “give light to [our] eyes.” Our National Council of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) finally came out this past week, (saw the light we might say), speaking against most recent executive orders out of Washington targeting, “the least among us!”
And the messages from Scripture today are completed in Luke’s account of Jesus returning to his hometown. As I just read, Jesus proclaimed the words of the prophet Isaiah, in his synagogue, before his family and friends, and even though the Gospel reading didn’t include it today, we know that many rejected his interpretation of the prophet’s words. Jesus spoke of how the long-awaited Messiah would appear and what he would do, reading simply and eloquently: [this One will] “bring glad tidings to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, (remembering) that people in our world can be held captive, not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually too). Additionally, this One will recover, “sight to the blind,” and again, blindness can be present in many-faceted ways. And finally, the Messiah would give, “release to prisoners,” [setting them free not only from physical chains, but from emotional and spiritual ones too.

And the piece that the people couldn’t seem to accept was Jesus’ words, that, “Today this Scripture reading is fulfilled in your hearing.” Those who thought they knew him best, basically said, “Who do you think you are?—we know where you come from!”

And my friends, as I pondered the entire message here, I found myself thinking, in a very humble way, shouldn’t we as Jesus’ followers, if we are really intent on “following him,” be able to say too, “Today, in your hearing, the Scriptures are fulfilled”[!] Shouldn’t each of us be about “bringing glad tidings, proclaiming liberty, and release to prisoners,” and recovering of sight to the blind”[?]—not to the degree of course that Jesus did these actions, but just the same, shouldn’t these actions be part of our lives?

You all know my love of Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister. She teaches that we followers of Jesus must, in living and acting in our world, listen with the “ear of the heart.” I believe we were blessed with such a model to follow in the person of Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde in a National Prayer time address aimed at the 47th president of the United States appealing to him to show mercy in the name of the God of us all. This past week we all have seen many actions coming out of Washington that appear to be simply, “mean.” And again, finally our own bishops have come to say as much. Upon further reflection of this word, “mean,” we see that the first two letters spell, “me.” If we are going to claim to follow Jesus, we simply must be better than this. Amen? Amen!

My friends, here we are once again in Ordinary Time—ho-hum! But, as I have said in the past, this time, the greatest portion of our Church Year, which weaves itself in and out of the “big times,” Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter, is really anything but “ordinary,” and in fact, we would do well to rename it, “Extra-Ordinary,” because the readings for each week during these 30+ Sundays are full of challenge to be our best selves.
So, for the next 7 Sundays with one in between for the Presentation of the Baby Jesus in the temple, we will be in Ordinary Time trying our best to walk in our brother Jesus’ footsteps. This year, the string of Sundays in Ordinary Time is, as I said above, separated by the Presentation which falls on February 2nd and that happens to be a Sunday this year, so it supersedes the one in Ordinary Time.

We, as you will remember, already reflected on the readings from Jesus being taken to the temple by his parents, on Holy Family Sunday. I believe this feast which lifts up Jesus being presented-to-the-world, as a model for us to follow, shows the wisdom of the Church in having us ponder its mysteries twice in a few weeks. A tidbit that Robert would share, if I didn’t do it first, would be that February 2nd, is the official end of the Christmas Season, and his reason for keeping at least some Christmas lights shining till then!

So my friends, with that bit of opening, let’s get to the heart of things. The “ordinary” readings for today, while, as always, encouraging us to, “be our best,” also lift up for us a God who loves us in an “over-the-top way!” We see this especially in the 1st reading from the prophet Isaiah. He very simply says, “As the newly married rejoice in each other, so will your God rejoice in you.”

What a wonderful statement to think on—it is one we shouldn’t miss, and surely, not pass over without comment. If we can take ourselves back in time to when we were first married, or if that example doesn’t work for you, then think of another very meaningful relationship, with a sibling, child or special friend, and of your love and care for them. If you can take yourself to that place, then you can know even a bit of the love of our God for you! In your quiet times this next week, you might want to ponder the special relationship you have remembered this morning and then lay it alongside the desire of our God to love you in the same way, only more so than we can ever imagine.

The next thing we might want to ask ourselves is why our God would love us so much—for what purpose? In the very best sense, my friends, I believe our God wants us to know that we are loved so that we can then love ourselves enough to enable us to love others. All the best theologians, in my mind, state this simply—“it is all about love.” Our God wants us to have a wonderful human experience while here, and the thing is, for that to happen, we must be “other-centered”—we are here for ourselves, yes, but for others too, and the intention, I am quite sure, is that we would bring each other “home, one day.”
In Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians, serving as our 2nd reading today, we get a taste o what that may look like. Paul tells us first of all, that God is “one and the same,” and in the “sameness” gives each of us a “particular gift” that is ours to hold and use in life, to be our best for ourselves and others. For one it might be “faith,” for another, “prophecy,” to make clear, the way to go, and for some, the gift to preach, write, bring peace, whatever it might be.

What is the particular gift that you can bring to the needy world? Is it to give a friendly call to a shut-in, send a card, or write a letter to lift-up what you see as needed in our world to those who have the power to bring that change? Maybe you can wear the smile you are looking for when out and about—a smile seems to bring one in return—I have mostly found.

We all can take encouragement from today’s gospel. Mary informs Jesus that, “they have no [more] wine.” I often think of his response to his mother as being a bit, “snarky,” as children, even adult children can sometimes be to their parents—“what does that have to do with me?” [He may be thinking, I’m not ready to do this!] And we see that Mary really seems to be the one with faith in her son, that he will do what needs doing, so she moves in her faith, telling the waiters, “do whatever he tells you.” And even this command from Mary seems odd, unless this is a family wedding and she knows these servants—when do a group of men ever do anything that a woman first suggests?!

Regardless, Jesus, a human like us does find his strength and perhaps his mother’s faith in him was all that he needed, because when he decided to move, it all happened very quickly, and a better way forward was found.
Now you may find it strange for me to suggest that Jesus didn’t have it all together, but unless we can see him, while divine, also as completely human, he isn’t much help to us in our own human struggles to be our best. Think about it, we are told that this is his first miracle, and no doubt—in his humanity, he thought, “Oh God, what if I can’t do this?—what will people think?” But when he decides that he has to try, he becomes his best self in serving the needs of others.

And friends, I believe the same is true for us as well—when we are able to balance our own needs (fears) and move in faith to help others, we become as close as ever, to being divine, which I believe our God intends for us—what Jesus came to show us is possible.
In our present-day world of late, several wonderful examples have been presented to us. Just recently, we remembered and celebrated the good life of Jimmy Carter, our 39th president. Along with memory of him, we remembered his good wife, Rosalyn, of whom Jimmy said basically, “she always had my back.” This past week, our current president, Joe Biden, spoke to the nation one final time, basically thanking the people of this country for giving him the privilege to serve us. And a strong woman, Jill was at his side too, through all of it. This past Friday, many of us gathered to celebrate the 90th birthday of our friend, Dick Dahl, who has continually, over the years, done his best for so many.

In conclusion, one final thought that I would like to lift up. We see in Jesus’ 1st miracle one final example of how our God does, and will love us—abundantly. Not only does Jesus make “enough” wine, but he makes an abundant amount! Experts say, the 6 stone jars probably held 180 gallons of water, now wine! We can never be outdone by our God! Amen? Amen!

My friends, as I said in this week’s bulletin, our celebration of Mass today brings us almost abruptly into the adult life of our brother Jesus. We have indeed come far from “the crib” where I invited you to stay during the 12 days of Christmas, now past. Jesus is basically at the cusp of his long-awaited ministry among the people, some of which he no doubt knew, and among many others that he did not know.

At this juncture in our journey through yet another Church Year, it is, as always, so important that we read the chosen Scriptures, for the surface meaning yes, but more importantly, for the depth of meaning contained there too. And thus, it will be important for us to especially attempt to get into the heart, mind and soul of our brother Jesus—what was indeed going on for him as he found himself at the pinnacle of his call from his God, to in many ways, as the prophet Isaiah says in the 1st reading, [be] “a light to the nations.”
If we recall in our own lives those special times when we were about to begin something new that we had long prepared for, and looked forward to, and finally got to the point of doing, then ask yourself, how that felt—what were the emotions that you were experiencing? When you said “yes” to marriage, started your first professional job, stood alone on a matter of conscience, and so on.

No doubt there was great joy, and anticipation as you prepared to take on a life commitment with a special someone, or begin a new job, but also there may have been some hidden anxiety—will this go as I hope? When we think of our brother Jesus, who we believe to have been in some special way, both completely human and divine, there had to have been joy, anticipation—wonder, and yes, a bit of anxiety.

And I believe our good and loving God understood this “bit” of humanity that the “beloved one” was experiencing, and thus upon Jesus’ coming “up out of the water” of baptism, spoke through the Spirit, a dove we are told, words of confirmation, and affirmation, that surely gave him the strength to not only go on, but to flourish in his God-given ministry—“You are my Own, my Beloved, on you my favor rests.” Other Scriptural translations are even more familiar, [in you] “I am well-pleased.” For us humans, being “affirmed” in what we are attempting to do is incredibly important—as I said above, it gives us the strength to persevere, and to do our best.

Several Sundays back, we saw our sister and mother Mary, “go in haste,” to in part affirm and assist Elizabeth in her new “status,” and as a result, received the confirmation to believe that what she knew, on one level, “had happened to her,” was indeed “of God,” and to be trusted—“Who am I that the mother of my God should visit me?”

This human need that we mortals seem to have at times, for confirmation of the “rightness” of what we are doing reminds me of when I was in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) to become a chaplain. From time to time, we “novice chaplains” would ask our supervisors how we would actually know that we were in fact doing the right thing in pursuing chaplaincy. In answer to that question, my most trusted supervisor told me, “You will know the rightness of your work through the reaction of those you are serving.” In other words, as in so much of our Christian lives, if the gifts of mercy, love and peace, among other qualities are present, experienced, and affirmed from those we are “present” to, we have the assurance that, “it is of God.”
So, now that we have placed ourselves into the heart and mind of Jesus, as much as that is possible, let’s just continue to look a bit more into today’s Scriptures to see our own way forward. The prophet Isaiah, in today’s first reading, foretold who Jesus—the Messiah would be:

• He would not break the bruised reed, or quench a wavering flame. This past week, we remembered the long, and most productive life of the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter. Several of his family members and close friends remembered him as, “being kind, and going out of his way to do so.”

• Isaiah continues that, Jesus would open the eyes of the blind (and we know that we can be blind in more than physical ways)—a good friend mentioned this past week her realization that, “Her new ministry seems to be that of being present,” and in that way, helping with some of that, “blindness.”

• Jesus we are told, would free captives from prison (the prison that our minds can many times be)—this one brings to mind what the police tell us is our responsibility in our communities, “If you see something, say something.” I think many times we don’t always realize how we really are here to make our world better, and that can happen by addressing the needs that we see.

• The coming Messiah would free too, those living in darkness (and that can be, of their bodies, minds, and hearts)
• Additionally, the Messiah would be one that would serve the cause of “right,” bringing true justice for all.
Isaiah’s words today, of what it is to be a servant are a wonderful definition and call to each of us as baptized Christians to move among God’s people doing what we can, what we must, to make sure that Jesus’ justice—God’s justice, is there for all.

Our 2nd reading from Acts lets us know how “inclusive” our loving God is, a trait that we as Jesus’ followers are called to as well; that God “shows no impartiality,” [everyone who] “does what is right, is acceptable.” In our faith, I would add, when “good” is happening, “the Spirit” is around!

So, my friends, it is early in the New Year, and probably you are still looking at new and different ways to be in 2025. If so, a previous quote from Pace Bene, an on-line daily peace message may be of help. Ivania Vanzant says, “Today I choose to close the door to yesterday, and open my mind, heart, and spirit to the blessings of this moment.” I know for myself that when I spend too much time worrying over “water already under the bridge,” I miss many wonderful things happening right in front of me.

And finally, for anyone who regularly reads/or hears my homilies, you are aware of my “always” ending, of asking your confirmation with the double, “Amens.” A little backstory to why I do this. The “amens” are in deference to a wonderful, male, priest friend, Father Jim Callan, who went home to God the end of 2024. He was very instrumental in my own journey to priesthood as he was for Mary Ramerman in 2001, as the 1st woman priest ordained through the Ecumenical Catholic church—formerly, The Old Catholic church, with Bishop Peter Hickman ordaining Mary. You may or may not be aware that the OCC broke away from the Roman Catholic church in 1870 after the First Vatican Council, disagreeing with the doctrine of infallibility of the pope established at that council. So, Mary and Jim then went on to pastor, with Jim co-pastor, and in 2nd place to Mary, Spiritus Christi church in Rochester, NY, for nearly 20 years.

Robert and I visited these two outstanding individuals after my diaconal ordination in 2007, and when I told him that I may take the option to be ordained “catacomb,” or secretly, due to protecting my Catholic certification as a chaplain, which I needed the bishop’s endorsement for, and my job at Winona Health, he said that, if I could find my way to be ordained, in a public way, I might be very surprised about who does, and does not support me!”
And you all know how that went, so my friends, in God’s loving Spirit, we go forward, like our brother, Jesus, not always knowing the outcome, but trusting in God, to be with us, and show us the way—Amen? Amen!