Preaching the Truth of Christ:
A Resource for Catholic Preachers that Correlates
the Catechism of the Catholic Church with the
Sunday Readings in the Lectionary for Mass
Cycle B:
Advent and Christmas Seasons
Committee on Pastoral Practices
the Catechism of the Catholic Church with the
Sunday Readings in the Lectionary for Mass
Cycle B:
Advent and Christmas Seasons
Committee on Pastoral Practices
Dear Preacher,
All of us know that good preaching has the power to heal, to challenge, to inspire, to nourish. When preaching also breaks open the enduring mysteries of the Christian faith, it contributes to the building up of the Church for the common good.
Following a request by some bishops within the episcopal conference, the Committee on Pastoral Practices was charged with the task of developing a resource that would assist Catholic preachers in integrating doctrinal and theological content within their Sunday preaching.
To this end, the Committee contracted with a consultant, who prepared the following resource correlating themes found in the Lectionary for Mass with the teachings contained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The resource is being offered ad experimentum for the Advent and Christmas Seasons for Liturgical Year B.
The Committee on Pastoral Practices is aware that preachers have a multitude of resources at their disposal for preparing the Sunday homily. We hope that our resource will complement the many preaching aids that are aimed at breaking open the sacred scriptures from varying points of view.
In a recent address to the International Catechetical Congress, observing the tenth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism, Pope John Paul II noted that "For the third millennium which has just begun, the Lord has given us a special instrument for the proclamation of his Word, the Catechism of the Catholic Church" (October 11, 2002).
Blessings and peace in the Advent and Christmas Seasons!
Most Rev. James R. Hoffman
Bishop of Toledo
Chairman, USCCB Committee on Pastoral Practices
Table of Contents
Introduction
Rationale for the Preaching Resource
Objective of the Sunday Homily
How to Use the Preaching Resource
First Sunday of Advent
Introductory Overview
The Fatherhood of God
The Guilt of Sin
Christian Vigilance
Second Sunday of Advent
Introductory Overview
Conscience
Comfort
Second Coming
Third Sunday of Advent
Introductory Overview
Holiness
Humility
Justice
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Introductory Overview
Providence
Obedience
Mary as Image of the Church
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Introductory Overview
Family
Inheritance
Parenthood
Epiphany of the Lord
Introductory Overview
Epiphany
Worship
Body of Christ
The Baptism of the Lord
Introductory Overview
Baptism
Begetting
Sonship
Introduction
Rationale for the Preaching ResourceFulfilled in Your Hearing: The Homily in the Sunday Assembly, issued by the Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (now the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), states that "for the vast majority of Catholics the Sunday homily is the normal and frequently the formal way in which they hear the Word of God proclaimed. For these Catholics the Sunday homily may well be the most decisive factor in determining the depth of their faith and strengthening the level of their commitment to the church" (p. 2). At the same time, the document asks, "Doesn't regular Sunday preaching have to. . .deal in some systematic way with the fundamentals of the faith?" (p. 25). The answer of course is "yes," and one superb response to this need is the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC).
This resource is intended to provide Catholic preachers with a user-friendly reference that links the Catechism with the Sunday readings contained in the Lectionary for Mass. The preaching resource does this by harnessing the natural congruence between the Lectionary and the Catechism. This means getting to the heart of both sacred scripture and catechesis. Christ Jesus himself is "the center and heart" of scripture (CCC 112). At the same time, "‘At the heart of catechesis we find, in essence, a Person, the Person of Jesus of Nazareth'. . . .Catechesis aims at putting ‘people. . .in communion. . .with Jesus Christ'" (CCC 426). It is the goal of all catechesis "to reveal in all clarity the joy and the demands of the way of Christ" (CCC 1697), which means leading people to "the heart of Christ": sacred scripture (cf. CCC 112). This preaching resource is designed to aid in that shepherding.
Fulfilled in Your Hearing goes on to point out that, "Although we have received [the] good news. . .we need to rediscover the truth of it again and again in our lives. . . .We come to break bread . . . expecting to hear a Word from the Lord that will again help us to see the meaning of our lives" (p. 19). For, "Without ultimate meaning, we are ultimately unsatisfied" (p. 7). The document explains that "one of the principal tasks of the preacher is to provide the congregation of the faithful with words to express their faith, and with words to express the human realities to which this faith responds….The preacher acts as a mediator, making connections between the real lives of people who believe in Jesus Christ but are not always sure what difference faith can make in their lives, and the God who calls us into ever deeper communion with himself and with one another" (pp. 6, 8). Realistically, this task can be daunting. Sometimes preachers need help from outside sources in order to be able to make these connections and to furnish the faithful with meaningful words.
The Catechism provides a unique way to rediscover the truth of the Gospel so as to embrace the difference that faith can make. In particular, "This catechism aims at presenting an organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental contents of Catholic doctrine, as regards both faith and morals, in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church's Tradition" (CCC 11). This preaching resource provides a pastoral means for implementing this organic synthesis homiletically. For, "In the liturgy and the celebration of the sacraments, prayer and teaching are conjoined with the grace of Christ to enlighten and nourish Christian activity" (CCC 2031).
Fulfilled in Your Hearing poignantly reminds us, "It is the faith of the church that the preacher must proclaim, not merely his own. Consequently, the more familiar the preacher is with the history of scriptural interpretation and the development of the church's doctrine, the more capable he is of bringing that word into dialogue with the contemporary situation. Church doctrine is nourished by profound meditation upon the inspired Word, the exegesis of the fathers, conciliar documents and the teaching of the Magisterium" (p. 13).
The Objective of the Sunday Homily
The documents of the Second Vatican Council provide the pivotal framework within which to view the objective of the homily within the liturgy: "By means of the homily, the mysteries of the faith and the guiding principles of the christian life are expounded from the sacred text during the course of the liturgical year" (Sacrosanctum Concilium 52; cf. also Code of Canon Law, c. 767, §1). Accordingly, the content of the Sunday homily should be "an exposition of the Scripture readings or of some particular aspect of them, or of some other text taken from the Order or the Proper of the Mass for the day, having regard for the mystery being celebrated or the special needs of those who hear it"[unofficial translation] (Revised General Instruction on the Roman Missal 65). For, "the purpose of the homily is to explain the readings and make them relevant for the present day" (Third Instruction on the Correct Implementation of the Constitution on the Liturgy, 2, a).
Echoing this teaching, Fulfilled in Your Hearing describes the homily as "a scriptural interpretation of human existence which enables a community to recognize God's active presence, to respond to that presence in faith through liturgical word and gesture, and beyond the liturgical assembly, through a life lived in conformity with the Gospel. . . .[T]he homily is preached in order that a community of believers who have gathered to celebrate the liturgy may do so more deeply and more fully—more faithfully—and thus be formed for Christian witness in the world. . . .The homily. . .is. . .a means of enabling people to recognize the implications, in liturgy and in life, of the faith that is already theirs" (pp. 29, 18, 26). The Catechism adds that the homily "is an exhortation to accept [the] Word as what it truly is, the Word of God, and to put it into practice" (CCC 1349). This resource aims to facilitate and actualize these ends of the homily.
How to Use the Preaching Resource
Don't be overwhelmed by the preaching resource. No one is expected to use all of the material offered for each Sunday. Rather, it is hoped that this resource will become an enduring homiletic aid. To that end, it contains enough information to make it useful over several years. And, it provides a number of different options for its use on any given Sunday.
Here is how the preaching resource works. An entry has been prepared for every Sunday in the Advent and Christmas Seasons. Each entry begins with a brief introductory overview of the Sunday scripture readings. This synopsis singles out three key catechetical themes found in the readings. Among Fulfilled in Your Hearing's six "non-negotiable elements of effective preaching," number four (regarding organization) states: "Much preaching suffers from lack of direction and the absence of a central, controlling idea. . . .[M]ake sure that the homily does in fact have a central, unifying idea, and that this idea is clearly stated and repeated throughout the homily" (pp. 39, 34). In order to help in this regard, the preaching resource provides concrete suggestions about how to plan a specific homily and to give it focus.
The scriptural synopsis is followed by a series of assertions or claims culled from the Catechism in "bullet" form. The preacher can easily integrate any of these into his homily and elaborate on them at will. The "bullets" are presented according to the order of the Catechism's four pillars: the profession of faith, the celebration of the Christian mystery, life in Christ, and Christian prayer.
Notice the different options for using the preaching resource. The preacher may:
- base the homily on all three of the key themes provided for a given entry,
- base the homily on one of those themes,
- base the homily on all four pillars of the Catechism,
- focus the homily on one or another of the Catechism's four pillars,
- use some combination of the above.
The catechetical theses identified in the preaching resource are offered to assist the preacher in developing a long-term preaching strategy over the course of the liturgical year. Fulfilled in Your Hearing observes that, "Some form of ‘remote preparation' [for preaching] is. . .in order. Such preparation could take the form of . . . spending some time planning a unified sequence of homilies for a particular liturgical season" (p. 30). At the parish level, "Some record should be kept of the themes of each Sunday's homily in order to bring the parish community into contact with the major facets of our faith each year, and to avoid undue emphasis on one truth at the expense of others" (p. 44).
The preaching resource identifies those paragraphs of the Catechism that are especially poignant, pastorally apt and particularly suited to preaching. Where multiple citations to the Catechism are provided, the preacher is invited to consult the bolded references first before proceeding to a review of the remaining paragraphs. As noted above, each entry contains far more bulleted entries about a given topic than can be included in any one homily. At the same time, the preaching resource does not attempt to be comprehensive or exhaustive in the treatment of the subjects presented.
Fulfilled in Your Hearing counsels us that, "Without continuing study, stagnation sets in and preaching becomes insipid. Preachers have a professional responsibility to continue their education in the areas of Scripture, theology, and related disciplines" (p. 39). The preaching resource endeavors to help with this process of ongoing study and formation.
At the very least, the preaching resource should assist Catholic preachers in answering the vexing questions, "What should I preach about this Sunday?" and "What message is especially needed this week for this particular community of Christ's faithful?"
The First Sunday of Advent
Introductory OverviewPsalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:33-37
The Guilt of Sin
Christian Vigilance
| Today's homily might renew our understanding and appreciation of the Fatherhood of God and his response to human sin. At the same time, it might provide encouragement regarding proper Advent vigilance. |
Twice today we hear the prophet Isaiah exclaim: "You, Lord, are our father" (63: 16, 64:7). St. Paul seconds that confession: "Peace from God our Father" (v. 3). How much do we need that peace! Isaiah laments: "Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways?" (v. 17) Sinfulness injures our relationship with God, preventing us from rejoicing in his paternal care and providence. At the same time, human sinfulness is the very motive for the Incarnation. To save us from our sinful wandering, the Father sends us the revelation of his Son, who keeps us irreproachable.
Worthy entrance into the holy season of Advent means coming to terms with the reality of our sinfulness. Isaiah's forthright self-knowledge remains a fitting model for us all: "we are sinful; all of us have become like unclean people. . . .our guilt carries us away like the wind" (vv. 4-5). At the same time, his experience of sin reveals to him the only satisfactory solution: "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down" (v. 19).
Advent is about anticipating the coming of Christ. As we "wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 1:7), the Savior himself warns us again and again: "Be watchful! Be alert!. . .What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!'" (Mk 13:33, 37) If we remain attentive, we can be certain that when the Lord comes he will "meet us doing right!" Then our faithfulness will imitate that of the Father—"God is faithful" (1 Cor 1:9)—and assure our "fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor 1:9).
The Fatherhood of God
I – The Profession of Faith
- "Rend the heavens and come down" – The Word incarnate enables us to perceive God the Father; the Father as Creator: 53, 151, 279, 316, 326
- "You wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ" – Christ's whole earthly life is a revelation of the Father: 51, 240, 262, 516, 548
- In his divine providence, the Father "let us wander" – God declines to prevent evil in order to draw forth good according to his loving plan of redemption; the Father sent his Son as Savior: 62, 412, 457, 545, 603, 605, 607
- The Father's self-communication made through the Word remains present and active in the Church: 79, 104
- In giving his Son and his Holy Spirit for the salvation of the world and for the glory of his name, the Father accomplishes the mystery of his will: 1066, 1098
- Through the liturgy, the believer is rooted in the Father's love; in the liturgy the Church blesses and adores the Father as the source of all the blessings of creation and salvation: 1073, 1110
- "You are not lacking in any spiritual gift"—The Father is the source of every spiritual blessing: 1077, 1078, 1082
- "He places his servants in charge" – Jesus longs for us to use all that is in us, as if it were our own, for the service of the Father: 1698, 2074
- "Enriched in every way" – The biblical meaning of the moral law can be defined as fatherly instruction: 1950, 1975, 2008
- "We are the clay and you the potter" – The vocation of humanity is to be transformed into the image of the Father's only Son: 1877, 2013
- "The grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus" – The Father sent the Word to share by his human prayer in all that we experience: 2602, 2607, 2614, 2779, 2780
- "We are all the work of your hands" – Prayer restores our likeness to the Father and disposes our hearts to do the Father's will; it is the glory of God that we recognize him as Father: 2572, 2603, 2611, 2615, 2712, 2714, 2781, 2782, 2784, 2785
I – The Profession of Faith
- God is faithful despite our sinfulness, calling us to fellowship: 210, 211, 214, 220, 270, 294, 541, 763
- Conversion is the first step in returning to the Father from whom we have strayed by sin: 1423, 1437, 1439
I – The Profession of Faith
- "Be watchful! Be Alert!": 153, 1036
- "I say to all: ‘Watch!": 1455
- The Church "watches" with Christian hope; we nourish and protect our faith through vigilance: 1820, 1821, 2088
- "There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to cling to you" – Christian watchfulness takes the form of prayer: 2612, 2638, 2699, 2719, 2727, 2730, 2742, 2849, 2863
- "May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping" – The Holy Spirit keeps us wakeful to keep watch: 2849
- "You do not know when the time will come" – Time is in the Father's hands: 2659
The Second Sunday of Advent
Introductory OverviewPsalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14
2 Peter 3:8-14
Mark 1:1-8
Comfort
The Second Coming
| Today's homily might elucidate the role of conscience in the life of faith and what it means to be ready for the Day of the Lord. |
Like the great crowds who went to John the Baptist to acknowledge their sins, Advent is a time for us to renew our repentance. John the Baptist symbolizes our conscience. He is the voice crying out for all people to "Prepare the way of the Lord!" (Is 40:3). The common predicament of sinfulness warrants that preparation. John proclaimed "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Mk 1:4) because God wishes "that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet 3:9). St. Peter describes the quality of conscience that readies us for Christmas: "[B]e eager to be found without spot or blemish before him" (v. 14).
At the same time, the compassionate Lord knows the sorrow associated with our struggles regarding sin. That is why he desires to "speak tenderly" (Is 40:2) to us through our own sensitive and well-formed consciences. Then the acknowledgment of sin becomes a cause for neither self-condemnation nor excuse-making. Instead, as we acknowledge our sins like those who go out to John to be baptized in the Jordan River, we experience deeply the "comfort" (Is 40:1) God gives to his people.
The coming of Christ at Christmas prefigures "the day of the Lord"—the Second Coming. Ultimately, "we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Pet 3:13). Our practice of Advent repentance and righteousness trains us to wait for and hasten "the coming of the day of God" (2 Pet 3:12).
Conscience
I – The Profession of Faith
- "All should come to repentance" – John the Baptist bears witness to Christ in his preaching, by his Baptism of conversion, and through his martyrdom; with John the Baptist the Holy Spirit begins the restoration of "the divine likeness": 523, 719, 720
- "A voice cries out" – The human person is endowed with the voice of conscience; in every temporal affair, we are to be guided by a Christian conscience: 33, 46, 162, 847, 912
- "Be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace" – "Imperfect" contrition is a gift of God disposing one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance; regular confession of our everyday faults (venial sins) helps to form our conscience; the sacrament of Penance is usually followed by serenity of conscience; reading the Word of God illuminates the conscience: 1453, 1458, 1468
- Conscience attests to our conforming to the good promised by God: 1700, 1749, 1751, 1778, 1780
- Through conscience, we hear God speaking: 1706, 1777, 1779, 1962, 2071
- Conscience is where we are alone with God: 1776, 1778
- The judgment of conscience is a pledge of hope and mercy: 1781
- Conscience must be informed; a well-informed conscience is upright and truthful: 1783, 1784, 1785, 1793, 1794, 2039
- Human beings must always obey their conscience's certain judgment: 1786, 1790, 1907, 2217, 2242
- Conscience can remain in ignorance or make erroneous judgments when blinded by sin: 1791, 1792, 1801, 1865
I – The Profession of Faith
- "Give comfort to my people" – God the Father exercises loving care over all of his children, and takes care of our every need: 239, 270, 305, 342
- "Comfort. . .Speak tenderly" – The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick expresses comfort; Christ's preferential love comforts the sick: 1294, 1503
- "Her guilt is expiated" – By the motherly care of the Church, we are granted God's mercy: 2040
- Prayer frees us from the tendency to exalt sensuality and false "comfort" as the criteria of the true, the good, and the beautiful: 2727
I – The Profession of Faith
- "The day of the Lord" – During Advent, we renew our desire for the Lord's Second Coming; Before Christ's Second Coming, the Church must pass through a final trial; Following in the steps of John the Baptist, Jesus announced the judgment of the Last Day: 524, 675, 678
"His reward with him, his recompense before him" – Each will be rewarded immediately after death before the Second Coming: 1021
- Prayer preserves the hope of Christ's Second Coming: 2612, 2760
The Eucharist anticipates the Day of the Lord: 2837.
The Third Sunday of Advent
Introductory OverviewResponsorial Psalm: Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 19-28
Humility
Justice
| Today's homily might address the universal call to holiness with special consideration given to clarifying the meaning of Gospel humility and to reasserting the importance of justice for faith-living. |
The prophet Isaiah declares: "The Lord has anointed me; . . . to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners" (v. 1). In other words, the prophet proclaims the way that God sets him apart to be an instrument of justice to those whose lives are riddled with injustice, affliction, and oppression. In the Incarnation of the Word of God, "the Lord God [will] make justice and praise spring up before all the nations" (v. 11). Such is the essence of today's Gaudete rejoicing. The sacred season of Advent is the time for us to be "wrapped . . . in a mantle of justice" (v. 10).
In order to be effective agents of divine justice ourselves, we must be possessed of the quality of humility that we find in John the Baptist. John never dreams of equating himself with Christ or with his power and prestige. Over and over again, John insists: "I am not the Christ" (vv. 20, 21). The humility of John the Baptist disposes him—and those who come to him—to be made holy in spirit, soul, and body in anticipation of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Such holiness is indispensable if we desire the God of peace to make us perfectly holy.
Holiness
I – The Profession of Faith
- Adam and Eve were constituted in an original state of justice and holiness: 375, 376, 379, 384, 399, 400, 404, 405
- Originally constituted in a state of holiness, men and women were destined to be fully "divinized" by God in glory: 398, 781
- The Church's holiness is one of many external proofs of God's Revelation: 156, 688, 773, 800, 812, 821, 824, 825, 827, 828, 867, 914, 956
- The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness: 459, 564
- Charity is the soul of holiness to which all are called: 826, 1709
- The laity consecrate the world to God by the holiness of their lives: 901, 941, 943
- The sacrament of Penance is an acknowledgment and praise of the holiness of God: 1424
- The common vocation of all of Christ's disciples is to holiness: 1533
- The struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and eternal life—to which the Lord never ceases to call us—is a part of Christian discipleship: 1426
Christian spouses help one another to attain holiness in their married life: 1641
- All Christians are called to holiness: 2013
- There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle: 2015
- Union with Christ produces holiness: 2074, 2475
- The Christian learns the example of holiness from the Church: 2030
- The Church increases, grows, and develops through the holiness of her faithful: 2045
- The faithful testify to God's holiness through participation in the communal celebration of the Sunday Eucharist: 2182
- Children contribute to the growth in holiness of their parents: 2227
- Our Father calls us to holiness in the whole of our life: 2813
- Participation in the holiness of God makes it possible to keep the Lord's commandment: 2842
- Education in the various forms of prayer express signs of the holiness of God: 2581
I – The Profession of Faith
- Christians are to serve the Lord in humility: 344, 526, 537, 570
- The humble bear the hope of salvation: 64, 544, 716, 725
- Penance requires the sinner to practice complete humility: 1450
- Baptized persons should train themselves to live in humility: 2219, 2540
- Humility is the foundation of prayer: 2559, 2613, 2631
- To overcome obstacles in prayer, we must battle to gain humility: 2728, 2732, 2733, 2742
- A humble and trusting heart enables us to become more like children: 2785
I – The Profession of Faith
- Adam and Eve were created in an original state of justice and holiness: 375, 376, 379, 400, 404, 405, 416, 417
- The laity remedy the institutions and conditions of the world, so that these may be conformed to the norms of justice: 909
- Until there be new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells, Christians pray "Marana tha!": 671, 672
- Conversion is accomplished in daily life by the exercise and defense of justice: 1435
- The cardinal virtue of justice—the constant and firm will to give what is due to God and neighbor—is to be sought: 1805, 1807, 1834
- Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority: 1928, 1938, 2237, 2239
- The common good is built up in justice: 1912
- Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of the human person: 1929
- The seventh commandment enjoins the practice of justice on the faithful: 2401, 2451
- Jesus Christ teaches and bestows the justice of God: 1953, 1977, 2063
- Peace is the work of justice: 2304
- The laity are called to be witnesses and agents of justice: 2442
- The human being's vocation to eternal life reinforces the individual's duty to serve justice: 2820
- The newness of the kingdom must be shown in the establishment of justice in personal, social, economic, and international relations: 2832
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Introductory OverviewPsalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29
Romans 16:25-27
Luke 1:26-38
Obedience
Mary as the Image of the Church
| Today's homily might focus on the role of providence, of obedience, and on Mary, the image and most perfect realization of the Church. |
Through the prophet Nathan the Lord reminds David: "‘It was I who took you from the pasture. . . .I have been with you wherever you went'" (2 Sam 7:8, 9). David's first lesson in his relationship with God is about divine providence. Now, as David contemplates building a temple for God, the Lord says: "I will make you famous. . . .I will fix a place for my people. . . .I will plant them. . . .I will give you rest. . . .I will raise up your heir after you. . . . I will make his kingdom firm. . . . I will be a father to him" (vv. 9, 10, 11, 12, 14). In other words, the Lord teaches his king that the most godly way to revere and thank the Lord is to remain spiritually abandoned to God's initiatives, ever-receptive to his will and disposed to divine designs. God is glorified by letting God have his way. He is glorified through our obedience to the unfolding of his eternal providence.
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the supreme exemplar of such efficacious obedience. "Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word'" (Lk 1:38). "The revelation of the mystery" was "kept secret for long ages" (Rom 16: 25), but now, through the obedience of the Mother of God, the Lord has made known to all nations the "secret" of Jesus Christ and the Gospel in order "to bring about the obedience of faith" (Rom 16:26) in us.
God promised David: "‘The Lord also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. . . .Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever'" (2 Sam 7:11, 16). The angel fulfills this promise: "‘[Jesus] will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. . . .and of his kingdom there will be no end'" (Lk 1:32, 33).
Providence
I – The Profession of Faith
- God watches over and controls the world by his providence; he protects, governs, and guides creation toward its perfection: 37, 302, 314, 1040
- God gives us the power of freely sharing in his providence by entrusting us with the responsibility of being stewards of the earth: 307, 323, 373
- Jesus asks for our childlike abandonment to the providence of God: 305
- Through abandonment to the providence of God we are freed from anxiety and are able to combat envy: 2547, 2554
- A sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently in the hands of divine providence for whatever concerns the future: 2115
- Christian prayer is cooperation with the providence of God: 2738
- In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus insists on the filial trust that cooperates with the Father's providence, a trust which we recount when we pray the Lord's Prayer: 2830
- Through divine providence, all time is in the Father's hands: 2659
I – The Profession of Faith
- Obedience is the complete submission of one's intellect and will to God: 143, 144, 1011
- "May it be done to me according to your word"—The obedience of Mary leads to salvation; Mary is the most perfect embodiment of the "obedience of faith": 144, 148, 494, 968
- The scriptures abound with references to the obedience of Christ: 411, 531, 532, 539, 612, 615, 908, 1009
- Liturgical celebrations that correspond to the culture of different peoples bring about the "obedience of faith": 1204
- The "obedience of faith" is the first obligation in a moral life: 2087, 2340
- Sin is disobedience, contrary to the obedience of Jesus: 1850
- Our need to learn obedience is modeled after the obedience learned by Jesus through what he suffered: 2825, 2606
I – The Profession of Faith
- "May it be done to me according to your word"—The obedience of Mary leads to salvation; Mary is the most perfect embodiment of the "obedience of faith": 144, 148, 494, 968
- Mary is the image and most perfect realization of the Church: 149, 507, 721, 722, 773, 829, 963, 964, 967, 972, 1053, 1172, 1370
- Mary's prayer at Pentecost was for the formation of the Church: 2617
- Since her prayer cooperates in a unique way with the Father's plan, Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er), figure of the Church: 2679
- The Canticle of Mary, the Magnificat, is the song both of the mother of God and of the Church: 2619
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Introductory OverviewPsalm 105:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19
Luke 2:22-40
Inheritance
Parenthood
| Today's homily might spell out the theological significance of inheritance and how the mediation of the Holy Family helps to make our families holy. |
Abram said: "‘O Lord God, what good will your gifts be, if I keep on being childless?'" (Gen 15:2) In response, the Lord said to Abram, "‘Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so . . . shall your descendants be.'" (v. 5) In other words, God demonstrates his trustworthiness to Abraham by leading him out to the place he was to receive as an inheritance and blessing Abraham with descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky. "Abram put his faith in the Lord, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness" (v. 6). Christians continue to share in the blessing bestowed upon Abraham through the righteousness of their own faith. To be a "descendant" of Jesus Christ is to be his disciple.
By faith, Abraham "received power to generate" (Heb 11:11) Christian parents share in the creative power of the Creator himself. The feast of the Holy Family—an image of the communion of the Blessed Trinity—invites us to share in the inheritance of Jesus Christ as adopted sons and daughters. The presence of Mary and Joseph in the temple for the presentation of their Son also becomes an occasion for generating intensified faith in Simeon and Anna. Through the instrumentality of the Holy Family, Simeon's eyes see God's salvation, "a light for revelation to the Gentiles" (Lk 2:32), and Anna speaks about the child with evangelical fervor "to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem" (v. 38).
God will put Abraham to the test by asking him to offer up his son Isaac. The Father will offer up his own Son to death for our sake. Both events reveal to us that our true and eternal family is that of the Holy Trinity.
Family
I – The Profession of Faith
- God calls all people together in the family of the Church: 1
- Christ stands at the heart of the "family of God": 542, 764
- Christ is the center of family life and marriage: 753
- Baptism forms the faithful into the one family of the People of God: 804, 959
- Jesus' life in Nazareth teaches us what family life is: 533
- We worship God in the Eucharist as the Father's family: 1037
- The role of pastors and the Christian community as the "family of God" is indispensable for the transmission of the human and Christian values of marriage and family: 1632
- The fundamental task of marriage and family is to be at the service of life: 1653
- Believing families are centers of living, radiant faith: 1656
- Conversion is a return to God's family, the Church: 1439
- Christ chose to be born into and grow up in the Holy Family: 1655
- The family is a "domestic Church": 1656, 1666
- With the Church, no one is without a family: 1658
- The well-being of the individual and of the human and Christian society is bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family life: 1603
- The Christian family is an image of the communion of the Blessed Trinity: 2205
The family has manifold rights and responsibilities: 2203, 2206, 2208, 2404, 2434
Becoming a disciple of Jesus means accepting the invitation to belong to God's family: 2233
- The Christian family is the first place of education in prayer: 2685
- In the Christian family the establishment of a "prayer corner" can foster prayer in common: 2691
- The Lord's Prayer expresses our solidarity with the human family: 2831
I – The Profession of Faith
- God willed creation as a gift to men and women, as an inheritance destined for and entrusted to them: 299
- The life of the Holy Trinity is our inheritance, the "first fruits" which we receive through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit: 735
- The Kingdom announced by Christ is already inherited: 732
- "To receive as an inheritance" — Abraham's faith earned him an inheritance: 145
- In the sacraments the Church already receives the guarantee of her inheritance: 1130
- The promise of Abraham's blessed inheritance is fulfilled in Baptism: 1222
- Filial adoption makes us co-heirs with Christ: 2009
- Those who persist in sin will not inherit the Kingdom of God: 1852
- In Christ we have obtained an inheritance: 2823
I – The Profession of Faith
- Parents share in the office of sanctifying: 902
- God's parental tenderness can be expressed by the image of motherhood: 239
- Parents cooperate in a unique way in the Creator's work: 372, 1652
- Parents enable the grace of becoming a child of God to take root in their children by seeing that they are baptized: 1250, 1251, 1255
- Through education, parents hand on the fruits of the moral, spiritual, and supernatural life to their children: 1653
- Parents must respect their children as human persons: 2222, 2228, 2230, 2378
- Children must respect their parents and their brothers and sisters: 2206, 2215, 2217, 2219
- God's fatherhood is the foundation of the honor owed to parents: 2214
- The fourth commandment requires us to honor our parents: 2196, 2197, 2199, 2218
The Epiphany of the Lord
Introductory OverviewPsalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
Matthew 2:1-12
Worship
The Body of Christ
| Today's homily might explore the significance of the Epiphany for deepening our worship and perfecting our union with the Body of Christ. |
The Epiphany celebrates the manifestation of the glory of the incarnate Son of God to all the world. "Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you" (Is 60:1). Isaiah prophesies that "Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance" (v. 3). In fulfillment of the prophecy, the magi see Christ's star "at its rising" (Mt 2:2) and come "from the east" (Mt 2:1) following its light to Jerusalem. About Jerusalem Isaiah exclaims: "[U]pon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory" (v. 2).
The manifestation of Christ's shining radiance leads the magi to worship. They inform the treacherous Herod that they "have come to do [the newborn king] homage" (v. 2). Isaiah continues: "[A]ll from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord" (v. 6). The magi "were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. . .and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (vv. 10-11).
This Epiphany "was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (vv. 5-6). The manifestation of Christ's human body reveals our destiny to become the Body of Christ.
Epiphany
I – The Profession of Faith
- The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Savior of the World: 528, 535
- As a feast surrounding the mystery of the incarnation, Epiphany commemorates the beginning of our salvation and communicates the first fruits of the Paschal Mystery: 1171
- In the universal Church the Epiphany is observed as a holy day of obligation: 2177
I – The Profession of Faith
- Creation was fashioned for the worship of God; worship is inscribed in the order of creation: 347
- The coming of the magi shows the way for non-believers to worship Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world: 528
- The common celebration of divine worship assures the unity of the Church: 815
- The Eucharist is the culmination of the worship we offer to Christ: 1325, 1346, 1368, 1378
- Christ worships in and through the Church: 1553
- In the liturgy, full public worship is performed by the Body of Christ—Head and members: 1070, 1097, 1108, 1140, 1174, 1187, 1188, 1553
- Sacraments are "powers that come forth" from the Body of Christ to build up the Body of Christ: 1116, 1123
- Every sincere act of worship revives in us the spirit of conversion: 1437
- The moral life is a form of spiritual worship: 2031, 2062, 2083
- Worshiping God integrates us and saves us from endless disintegration: 2097, 2114
- God's first command is that we worship him: 2084
- The Holy Spirit is worthy of our worship: 2670
- The prayer of thanksgiving of the members of the Body participates in that of their Head: 2637
I – The Profession of Faith
- Christ enables us, as members of his body, to share in all that he himself lived through his humanity: 521, 790, 793
- Christ is head of the Church which is his Body: 669, 737, 739, 752, 753, 774, 776, 782, 789, 792, 794, 796, 805, 807, 830, 846
- Christ is the true Head of the Body of Christ; he belongs to us as the head belongs to its members: 1698
- Members of the Body of Christ contribute to the building up of the Church by their moral lives: 2045
- The prayer of thanksgiving of the members of the Body participates in that of their Head: 2637
- The Eucharist is "the pure offering" of the whole Body of Christ: 2643
- The Body of Christ is as indivisible as is love: 2840
The Baptism of the Lord
Introductory OverviewResponsorial Psalm: Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6
1 John 5:1-9
Mark 1:7-11
Begetting
Sonship
| Today's homily might explore the rich significance of the Lord's Baptism and what it means to live our own. |
Throughout salvation history, God beckons: "Come to me. . .that you may have life" (Is 55:3). The Lord promises that he "will renew with you the everlasting covenant" (Is 55:3). The Baptism of John that Jesus receives today in the Jordan presages the sacrament of Baptism that Christ will institute through the Paschal Mystery. "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mk 1:8). In his Baptism, Jesus identifies himself with our sinful state as a first step in the redemption whereby we are elevated to his unique status as Son of God. "A voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased'" (Mk 1:11). Baptism is the way that we can "seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near" (Is 55:6). In the grace of Baptism, we "turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving" (Is 55:7).
The life of faith generated through Baptism begets us: "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God" (1 Jn 5:1). We rejoice in our being begotten by loving Jesus, the begotten one: "Everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by him" (1 Jn 5:1). This Baptismal privilege fills us with an indomitable hope: "Whoever is begotten by God conquers the world" (1 Jn 5:4). God "has testified on behalf of his Son" (1 Jn 5:9) in the way he restores and perfects the likeness of his Son in ourselves. "The victor over the world. . .[is] the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 Jn 5:5). To live our Baptismal promises means refusing ever to relinquish or compromise that belief. Just as the Father glorifies his Son at his Baptism through the dove-like descent of the Spirit, "the Lord your God. . .has glorified you" (Is 55:5).
Baptism
I – The Profession of Faith
- By the grace of Baptism we are called to share in the life of the Blessed Trinity: 249, 265, 1003
- Jesus' eternal messianic consecration was revealed at his Baptism: 438, 444, 536, 565
- Christ sent his apostles to baptize: 2, 849, 977, 981
- Those who belong to Christ must confess their Baptismal faith before others: 14, 855, 871
- It is through the Church that we receive faith and new life in Christ by Baptism: 168, 172
- He who believes and is baptized will be saved: 183
- We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins: 866, 978
- Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 232, 233, 878
- Baptism erases original sin and turns us back towards God: 403, 405
- Jesus' public life begins with his Baptism: 535
- The Baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God's suffering Servant: 536, 565
- Baptism efficaciously signifies death to sin with Christ: 628, 790, 1002
- The water of Baptism signifies that birth into divine life is given by the Holy Spirit: 694
- Baptism confers an indelible sacramental character or "seal": 698
- The symbolism of the flood of Noah refers to Baptism: 701
- Baptism is the gate by which we enter into the Church: 950
- One becomes a member of the People of God by faith in Christ and Baptism: 782, 784, 804
- Christ himself baptizes in the sacrament of Baptism: 1088, 1127
- Baptism enables us to celebrate the liturgy: 1119, 1141, 1273
- The gathering of the People of God begins with Baptism: 1185, 1212, 1213, 1250, 1267, 1271
- Baptism confers an indelible sacramental character or "seal": 1121, 1272, 1274, 1280
- The mission to baptize is implied in the mission to evangelize: 1122, 1270
- All sins are forgiven at Baptism: 1263
- The events of salvation history prefigured the mystery of Baptism: 1217, 1219, 1220, 1221, 1222, 1223
- In his Passover Christ opened to all the fountain of Baptism: 1225
- From the day of Pentecost the Church has celebrated and administered Baptism: 1226
- There is a need both for instruction after Baptism and the necessary flowering of Baptismal grace in personal growth: 1231, 1253, 1254, 1255
- The rites of Baptism: 1234, 1245, 1278
- Baptism is necessary for salvation: 1257
- The Baptism of blood and Baptism of desire: 1258, 1259, 1260, 1261
- The baptized person belongs no longer to himself or herself: 1269
- Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, Christians are dead to sin and alive to God: 1694
- Justification is conferred upon us in Baptism: 1992, 2017, 2020
- By Baptism Christians participate in the grace of Christ: 1997, 1999
- The fidelity of the baptized is a primordial condition for the proclamation of the Gospel and for the Church's mission: 2044
- A special gratitude is due to those from whom they have received the grace of Baptism: 2220
I – The Profession of Faith
- Jesus' Baptism proclaimed the mystery of the first regeneration, our Baptism: 556
- God wants to adopt us in his only-begotten Son: 52, 242, 460, 465, 467, 469
- "I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit"—John's Baptism was for repentance; Baptism in water and the Spirit will be a new birth: 720
- The Father has through generation given to the only-begotten Son everything that belongs to the Father: 246, 254, 653
- Sunday is the pre-eminent day to give thanks to God who has begotten us again in Christ: 1167
- Baptism makes us a new creature: 1265
- Through the Lord's Prayer we raise our eyes to the Father who has begotten us through Baptism: 2783
I – The Profession of Faith
- What was visible in Christ's earthly life leads to the invisible mystery of his divine Sonship: 515
- God destines us in love to be conformed to the image of his "beloved Son": 257
- "Son of God" signifies adoptive sonship in the Old Testament: 441
- The acknowledgment of Christ's divine Sonship is the center of apostolic faith: 442, 443
- Jesus' divine Sonship becomes manifest in his glorified humanity after the Resurrection: 445
- By entering into communion with the Word we receive divine sonship: 460
Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.-Liberia Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.-Liberia Editrice Vaticana. Used with Permission.
Excerpts from Fulfilled in Your Hearing © 1992 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc. All rights reserved.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 1998, 1997, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
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