Power and authority often go hand in hand. One may have the power of speech or action but may not have the authority to do so. Some others have got the authority to make great pronouncements or take decisive actions but may not have the will power to do so. When people act on their behalf or on behalf of others and are able to make a balance between the limits of their powers and authority, the difference is very clear in the result this could bring about.

Jesus, in his ministry remains a model of the balance of authority and power. At the baptism of Jesus, a voice spoke, authoritatively from above, saying: “This is my Son, the beloved, my favour rests upon him.” By this very pronouncement, the authority behind the words and actions of Jesus was determined. His authority is from God and his power stems from the power of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of Jesus by John becomes a testimony to the power and authority of Jesus. This power and authority which does not necessarily come from the baptism or approval of John, has been manifested in such context.

The Synoptic gospels all give account of the minsitry of Jesus by stating clearly the source of his power and authority. As Deutoronomy tells us about God’s appointment of his prophets, commissioning them to say what he has put into their mouth, unlike Jesus, his authority and power has been before he was conceived. This power and authority, which is radically opposed and unrivalved with the powers and authority of this world, continues to be manifest from the birth of Jesus till his resurrection.

In the gospel of Mark, we are first presented with the teaching of Jesus in comparison with that of the Scribes. The Scribes had the power of speech but their teaching lacked the same authority which Jesus’ teaching has. Jesus’ teaching ‘made deep impression’ on the people. Indeed, after 2000 years, the values of Jesus’ teachings still make deep and lasting impression in the world.

Mark proceeds to discuss about the power and authority of Jesus as found in his deliverance and healing of a man posessed by an unclean spirit. The spirit had a power over this man and dictated his condition in life. He was so possesed that the unclean spirit ruled his entire life. Interesting, it was the unclean spirit who recognised Jesus’ power and authority. Have you come to destroy us? He asked Jesus. He knew Jesus has the power to save, to deliver and to destroy. Immediately, with authority, Jesus commands the unclean spirit to ‘be quiet and to come out of him.’ Again, Jesus has got the power to quieten the choas of the evil one, as well as freeing those held in bondage by evil structures. By this very act Jesus expresses also the power and authority his followers are given.

St Paul, a sound teacher of faith and moral, invites us to take advantage of this inner freedom and liberation in Christ. “I would like to see you free from all worry.” Even worries that are apparently justifiable; that which may concern the fulfilment of our evangelical or marital vows. Some have chosen to remain celibate, while others have chosen the married life. Whichever you have freely chosen, let it not be ‘halter around your neck’. It is not meant to be a burden or something to enslave you; rather, a discipline drawing you more close to God’s love and the love of others.

This Octave marking the conclusion of the week of Christian Unity is a time of sober reflections for Christians. It is a time when we are asked to rethink about what really distinguishes us as Christians – members of the mystical Body of Christ.  Though so many we are one sharing in the  Body of Christ. We gather in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; proclaiming  in word and deed the core elements of our Christian values summed up in the love of God and our neighbour.

The Gospel reminds us of our mission. It is to proclaim that the kingdom of God is close at hand; encouraging people to  repent and  believe in the good news. The time has come. It is now. This is the moment; no procrastination; do it now. We are called to Believe, to Become and to Act. Ours is the calling to believe in one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Believing in God the Father is to believe in the fatherhood of Him who is behind creation. We confess that he is the father of all. We are all his children: Christians and non-Christians, saints and sinners, believers and non-believers,  the living and the dead. He is the most merciful and ‘prodigal father’ who lavishes his love on the undeserving, wasteful, wayward and prodigal child. He is dear Lord and Father of humankind always ready to forgive us our foolish ways.

We need to reaffirm our belief in Jesus the Son of God. One with  us in everything but sin. We believe in the fraternity of humankind shown in the life of Christ. Through him, with him and in him we share the challenges, joys and sorrows of humankind. We see in every man and woman, the human and divine face of Jesus who is not ashamed to call us his brethren.

We are called to believe in the constant activity of the Holy Spirit who is ever willing to dwell in our hearts. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, reaching out to foster the unity of Christians, as well as uniting the whole universe into one harmony of God’s creation. Where there is chaos, conflict and division, we do need the gentle and peaceful intervention of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit stirs our hearts and wills into actions, turning the world upside down to find the rightful place for the much needed justice in our time, liberating all who are held captive.

St Paul, the apostle to the nations, whose feast day is marked within the week of Christian Unity is a true model of Christian Unity. He who turned around from being a notorious persecutor to become one of the pillars of Christianity inspires the courage and comfort of Christians all over the world who are still persecuted for their beliefs.

Thanks to St Paul, we do have the universal identity of the Church today. And now, the once excluded pagans and gentiles have become heirs of God’s kingdom of justice, love and peace. Like prophet Jonah, the apostle Paul and the early disciples of Christ, we are all called to ‘get up’ in the spirit of a common purpose, go and proclaim the message of salvation, redemption and hope to the ends of the earth.

It is that time of the year when life seems a bit uneventful, after the big season of Christmas, as we wait for the season of Lent and Easter. The ordinary time of the life and mission of the Church has got its own character; it is rather a busy time for Jesus. He would be very surprised to hear anyone say it is a boring moment. Consider the readings the Church has put together at this time. They portray the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. They tell us more about his ordinary life. He knows he has got a mission. He needs disciples who are to work and walk with him. He calls ordinary fishermen, for he knows he would turn their ordinary skills into extra ordinary ministry; he doesn’t mind calling two brothers for he knows it is personal calling – mission, not political appointment.

 As for the boy Samuel, it is also a moment when life seems relaxed; bed time, when sleep needs no interruption. He hears a voice that seems to be calling his name. He goes off to ask Eli to find out who calls. It is for Eli to discern what the call is all about and point him to the right direction; just as the disciples in the gospel need John the Baptist to point to the Messiah. Who says God does not invite the very young like Samuel who probably struggle to find a sense of direction in life to follow? Who says God has no plans for the likes of Peter, the elderly folk who probably was thinking of retiring from the fishing business? Our stories may differ but it is the same God who edits our story lines. While Peter is asked to leave his fishing nets and follow with urgency, the boy Samuel is asked to go back and sleep over the situation of his calling, while keeping his ears open in discernment.

 In ordinary time when life seems uneventful, we are called to discern the call to action, respond and get on with God’s mission. There is so much to do that we cannot say there is nothing else to do. It is ordinary time which reminds us that we are ordinary people with ordinary life to live. We are invited to do ordinary things in extra-ordinary way. We are called to see the ordinary in the extra-ordinary and see extra-ordinary things in the ordinary realities of life. We may not be able to sort out the big issues of our time but we can start with the little act of kindness to our neighbour, irrespective of creed, race and religion. St Paul reminds us that we have been bought by Christ. We belong to him. The same bond of the mystical body of Christ unites us; not just Christians but men and women of good will, who respond to the voice of conscience to do good in season and out of season.

Jesus had no need to be baptized, but the first theologians say that in His Baptism, with His body and His divinity he blessed all the waters, so that the waters would have the power to give Baptism. And then, before ascending to Heaven, Jesus told us to go out to the whole world to baptize. And from that day until today, this has been an uninterrupted chain: children were baptized, and then their children, and then these children’s children … And today also, this chain continues.

These children are a link in the chain. You, parents, have a baby boy or a baby girl to be baptized, but in a few years, they will be the ones who will have a child or a grandchild to be baptized. So is the chain of faith! What does this mean? I would like to say only this to you: you are the ones who transmit the faith, the transmitters. You have the duty to transmit the faith to these children. The faith is the most beautiful inheritance you will leave them! Only this. Take this thought home with you today. We must be transmitters of the faith. Think of this, think always how to transmit the faith to the children.

Today the choir is singing, but the most beautiful choir is this one of the children, who make noise. Some will cry because they are not comfortable or because they are hungry. If they are hungry, mothers, give them to eat, don’t worry, because they are the protagonists here. And now, with this awareness of being transmitters of the faith, we continue the ceremony of Baptism.

Deep in our hearts, the human person has a huge desire to unravel the mysteries surronding us. We want to know what is hidden from us; we also want to understand more what is revealed, which we have not grasped fully. We could cover up our curiosity. We may pretend we dont care to know what seems to be a mystery. In laziness, we could dismiss them as myth. But every now and again we are caught out in the puzzle of life. Children are more open – they cant hide this curiosity – they voice out the questions about these mysteries. God is one huge mystery that will take our life time to exhaust. Jesus’ mission is to reveal such mystery. Jesus says, “I am the Way the Truth and the Life”. It means he is the gateway to the mystery (Truth) of Eternal Life.

Epiphany is about God’s self-revelation or disclosure to humanity. This is the mystery and the Glory of God revealed in his Son Jesus Christ. It is a revelation which opens the minds of our hearts to embrace the freedom and liberty of the sons and daughters of God who has called us out of darkness into his own wonderful light.

Isaiah, the messenger of good news, invites us to be uplifted: “Arise, shine out Jerusalem, for your light has come, though night still covers the earth and darkness the people.” He points out to us the Glory of God in our midst. St Paul speaks with his own personal experience of the revelation of the mystery of God. The inclusivity of this revelation is that even pagans and those who were outside the borders are now heirs of God’s kingdom sharing the same inheritance promised to the sons and daughters of God.

The three wise men, led by the star, had come to see the Glory of God revealed in the little baby Jesus born in Bethlehem. “The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. For more than 2000 years of this dramatic event of the incarnation, we could easily now make comments and brilliant interpretations that seem wiser than the actions of the three wisemen. But these were ordinary people, searching for meaning in life; searching for something deeper; searching for Truth in their own ways. Nature had given them a hint that someone special has been born and they follewed the star to find the child-king. Significant gifts they offered shows the identity of this child as King, Deity and Immortal, who deserves our loyalty, worship and everlasting trust; All that we are, have and offer should be to the Greater Glory of God.

What does the Glory of God mean to us in practical terms? The Glory of God is man fully alive. God must be fully alive in the human person created in the image and likeness of God for eternity.

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ

When Abraham left his homeland, he did not go alone. He travelled with Sarah and probably other members of the household. They lived in expectation, as a People of Hope, awaiting the promise of a new homeland and, more especially, the gift of a child.

Mary and Joseph, with the gift of their child, Jesus, went to the Temple in Jerusalem in accordance with the Law of the Lord to present their first born child to God. The child is proclaimed by Simeon as the Light to enlighten the Pagans and the Joy of Your People Israel.

This year, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family following the Synod held last October with the theme: “Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelisation”. We also look ahead to the future Synod in October 2015 which will focus on “The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and in the Contemporary World”.

In celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family, we are first celebrating the joy of family life and the generosity of family members towards one another. At the same time, we recognise the sacrifices that are necessary and the challenges that the family have to face in their relationships.

Pope Francis, speaking about marriage, said:

“Those who celebrate the Sacrament say, “I promise to be true to you, in joy and in sadness, in sickness and in health: I will love you and honour you all the days of my life”. At that moment, the couple does not know what will happen, nor what joys and pains await them. They are setting out, like Abraham, on a journey together. And this is what marriage is! Setting out and walking together, hand in hand, putting yourselves in the Lord’s powerful hands. Hand in hand, always and for the rest of your lives.”

We need to prepare for journeys. This is no less true for the journey of marriage and family life. That is why it is important for couples to prepare for marriage – to give time to know one another and speak honestly about the challenges they are able to anticipate in their relationship. It is also important to have an understanding of marriage as a sacrament, a way of discipleship and a response to the call of the Lord to follow him. The family is described as the “Domestic Church” and the “School of Humanity”. The family is the place where faith is celebrated, lived and shared enabling the children to grow in faith and come to a knowledge of what it means to live the Christian life.

Within our parish communities, we need to recognise how we can best support families as they deepen their relationships and face the challenges of everyday life. We need to celebrate marriage, particularly at times of birth and special anniversaries. Perhaps it is a task for the Parish Pastoral Council to see how this can best be done.

In the journey of marriage comes the sadness of death. This can be a very lonely time, not just immediately but for some time. How do we accompany one another in this time of loss and remember those who have gone before us in their pilgrimage of faith?

Another isolating experience can be the breakdown of family life. This is when we need the friendship and prayers of one another. Wounds can cut deep and cause deep hurt to those involved – parents, children, other family members and friends.

Today we celebrate family life. In the prayer of Pope Francis we pray:

“Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection and division:
may all who have been hurt or scandalised
find ready comfort and healing.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
make us once more mindful
of the sacredness
and inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in God’s plan.”

May God bless you in this Christmas season and may God’s light shine upon you in the coming New Year.

With my best wishes and prayers

Rt Rev Declan Lang

Bishop of Clifton

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (Is 9:1). “An angel of the Lord appeared to [the shepherds] and the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Lk 2:9). This is how the liturgy of this holy Christmas night presents to us the birth of the Saviour: as the light which pierces and dispels the deepest darkness. The presence of the Lord in the midst of his people cancels the sorrow of defeat and the misery of slavery, and ushers in joy and happiness.

We too, in this blessed night, have come to the house of God. We have passed through the darkness which envelops the earth, guided by the flame of faith which illuminates our steps, and enlivened by the hope of finding the “great light”. By opening our hearts, we also can contemplate the miracle of that child-sun who, arising from on high, illuminates the horizon.

The origin of the darkness which envelops the world is lost in the night of the ages. Let us think back to that dark moment when the first crime of humanity was committed, when the hand of Cain, blinded by envy, killed his brother Abel (cf. Gen 4:8). As a result, the unfolding of the centuries has been marked by violence, wars, hatred and oppression. But God, who placed a sense of expectation within man made in his image and likeness, was waiting. God was waiting. He waited for so long that perhaps at a certain point it seemed he should have given up. But he could not give up because he could not deny himself (cf. 2 Tim 2:13). Therefore he continued to wait patiently in the face of the corruption of man and peoples. The patience of God. How difficult it is to comprehend this: God’s patience towards us.

Through the course of history, the light that shatters the darkness reveals to us that God is Father and that his patient fidelity is stronger than darkness and corruption. This is the message of Christmas night. God does not know outbursts of anger or impatience; he is always there, like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, waiting to catch from afar a glimpse of the lost son as he returns; and every day, with patience. The patience of God.

Isaiah’s prophecy announces the rising of a great light which breaks through the night. This light is born in Bethlehem and is welcomed by the loving arms of Mary, by the love of Joseph, by the wonder of the shepherds. When the angels announced the birth of the Redeemer to the shepherds, they did so with these words: “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” (Lk 2:12). The “sign” is in fact the humility of God, the humility of God taken to the extreme; it is the love with which, that night, he assumed our frailty, our suffering, our anxieties, our desires and our limitations. The message that everyone was expecting, that everyone was searching for in the depths of their souls, was none other than the tenderness of God: God who looks upon us with eyes full of love, who accepts our poverty, God who is in love with our smallness.

On this holy night, while we contemplate the Infant Jesus just born and placed in the manger, we are invited to reflect. How do we welcome the tenderness of God? Do I allow myself to be taken up by God, to be embraced by him, or do I prevent him from drawing close? “But I am searching for the Lord” – we could respond. Nevertheless, what is most important is not seeking him, but rather allowing him to seek me, find me and caress me with tenderness. The question put to us simply by the Infant’s presence is: do I allow God to love me?

More so, do we have the courage to welcome with tenderness the difficulties and problems of those who are near to us, or do we prefer impersonal solutions, perhaps effective but devoid of the warmth of the Gospel? How much the world needs tenderness today! The patience of God, the closeness of God, the tenderness of God.

The Christian response cannot be different from God’s response to our smallness. Life must be met with goodness, with meekness. When we realize that God is in love with our smallness, that he made himself small in order to better encounter us, we cannot help but open our hearts to him, and beseech him: “Lord, help me to be like you, give me the grace of tenderness in the most difficult circumstances of life, give me the grace of closeness in the face of every need, of meekness in every conflict”.

Dear brothers and sisters, on this holy night we contemplate the Nativity scene: there “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Is 9:1). People who were unassuming, people open to receiving the gift of God, were the ones who saw this light. This light was not seen, however, by the arrogant, the proud, by those who made laws according to their own personal measures, who were closed off to others. Let us look to the crib and pray, asking the Blessed Mother: “O Mary, show us Jesus!”.

A distinguishing character of Christianity is “Personhood”! Every word, symbol and action represents that “personhood” which has its full expression in Jesus Christ. From the book of Genesis down to Revelation, it is all about persons and characters. These characters are defined vertically by relationship between God and his people; and horizontally by the relationship among humans themselves.

From the first week of advent to the last, the characters and persons, who are instrumental to the salvation of humankind are portrayed. We read from prophets like Isaiah, who keep the hope of salvation alive. We hear of John the Baptist, the bridge between the old prophesy and the new. We hear from the accounts of the great Evangelists about the fulfillment of the promise of the messiah. In all these, there are great interactions between the Old Testament characters and the fulfillment of their expectations in the New.

In the readings this Sunday, we see a very important character of Old in the person of king David. The promise made to David is about to be fulfilled through a renewed promise to Mary, through whom the messaiah is to come. David desires to build a house for the Lord; a dwelling place for the Ark of God. This is the mystery of incarnation – that the human person yearns to make a dwelling place for God who is willing, not to dwell in a tent or some special building, but to dwell in and among humanity. We did not choose him, he chose to create us in the beginning; and for our redemption, he has chosen humanity through Mary, already bethrothed to a man named Joseph. For the child who is to be born will take over the throne of his ancestor David and rule over the house of Jacob forever; and his reign will have no end. A promise made to our fathers; to Abraham and his children forever.

The angel Gabriel is another character, a messenger of good tiding. Angel Gabriel sends God’s greetings to Mary; encourages her – “Do not be afraid”! “You are highly favoured”! A special sign given to Mary to reassure her is that her “kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.” The God who makes the Old barren desert fertile can empower the young New and lowly handmaid, by the Holy Spirit, to bear Fruit of eternity. Mary says YES to this special calling. “Let what you have said be done to me.”

Imagine yourself to be at that historical moment when Jesus lived; right at the rural suburb of Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan. It must have been breaking news that there emerged from nowhere, a certain person who had not only assumed a role of the prophets of Old but was baptising people. The Pharisees acted so promptly that they sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to question him, “Who are you?” The choice of the priests and Levites for this investigation is because part of John’s activities (baptising with water) was ritualistic; an area where the priests and the Levites would know better. John says he is only a witness to the one who is to come. ‘I baptise with water, but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.’ In other words, if you think I am a surprise to you, you will have more surprises, there is someone more dramatic coming after me; indeed, he is already in your midst, though you do not recognise him.

Interrogation! John the Baptist as a forerunner and a witness to Jesus prefigures the life and mission of Jesus, including his birth and death. One of the heights of the friction of Jesus with the religious and political leaders is ‘misunderstanding’ for that person with a mission who is ‘unknown’ to them. This is the reason for the interrogation – ‘who are you’? Pilate would eventually ask the same question.

This historical and theological background establishes the vital role of the prophets and witnesses – pointing to Christ in response to the yearning and longing of the human person for the Messiah. Therefore, the prophecy of Isaiah tells us who he is: ‘The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison; to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord.’ This is the identity and ministry of the anointed one. He is Emmanuel, God-is-with-us, so close to us. This is the reason for our joy ‘Gaudate’; Rejoicing in him who is so close to us.

“What does ‘the Lord is at hand’ mean? In what sense must we understand this ‘closeness’ of God? The Church, illumined by the Holy Spirit, already at that time understood increasingly better that God’s ‘closeness’ is not a question of space and time but rather of love: love brings people together! This coming Christmas will remind us of this fundamental truth of our faith and in front of the manger we shall be able to savour Christian joy contemplating in the newborn Jesus the Face of God who made himself close to us out of love.” (Benedict XVI)

We are invited to know and recognise him who stands very close to us. We recognise him in those who help us and in those who need our help. In recognising his closeness and love for us, we rejoice in him who is our hope and salvation.

A very important aspect of the Old Testament prophetic roles and identity is that of “messenger”. A prophet is a messenger of God, who often acts as a mediator between God and his people. He is the medium through which communication is transmitted between God and his people. Messengers of the Old Testament, especially Isaiah, could be likened to the evangelists of the New Testament. In the readings this Sunday we see interconnectedness of these messengers (old and new), not necessarily in style or personality or context, but in their one message of the GOOD NEWS.

Isaiah features prominently as he is cited as an authority in the gospel account of Mark: “It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: Look, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will prepare your way. A voice cries out in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight…”

Mark tells us that it is John the Baptist that has been spoken of as a voice in the wilderness. In this passage of Mark 1:1-8 is the actual introduction of his gospel (as well as himself as an evangelist). Again, it is not about the messengers but the message captured in Mark’s whole gospel topic: “The Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark goes on to say that John the Baptist acknowledges that it is not about him but “someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals.”

As the people desparately petitions God to come to their rescue, Isaiah brings back a message of hope as God’s response to his people: “Console my people, console them”. He reassures his people that the Lord is coming. But the people must prepare for this coming of the Lord. St Peter tells those who may have waited for too long that the Lord is not being slow to carry out his promises, as anyone else might be called slow but he is being patient with all. St Peter explains a bit about the mystery of the conflict of timing between humans and the divine expectations. Our time is limited to human time and space; God’s ‘timelessness’ can only be understood in St Peter’s terms as his patience to save us, which comes outside of human timing and expectations.

In faith and hope we wait on the Lord. In his love he fulfils everyone of his promises. Let the watchman keep counting on daybreak (human time), while we count on the Lord’s faithfulness.