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Christians are called to go beyond the bare minimum.  Let’s unpack this Gospel, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.  Bless those who curse you.  Tough words.  The basic message is Jesus telling the people that your actions should be based on your personal values not a reaction to someone else’s bad behavior.  The teaching is a call to freedom.  Sure, it hurts when someone mistreats you, this is especially true if that someone was someone you trusted.  Yes, they may deserve retribution but its not about them.  Yes, they and others may initially think you are weak for not retaliating.  They may not see that you are making a choice, its not because you cannot defend yourself.  The irony here is you are strong; you are resisting the impact of their injurious behavior.

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The Beatitudes are not merely statements of happiness; they encapsulate profound spiritual truths about God's kingdom and our spiritual development. They highlight qualities such as humility, mercy, and a thirst for righteousness, promising future rewards for those who embody these traits. Consequently, the Beatitudes are foundational teachings outlining the ethical and spiritual framework for Christian spirituality. They can be found in Matthew 5:3-12, with notable differences between Matthew's and Luke's versions—Matthew includes eight Beatitudes while Luke lists only four and includes criticisms of the wealthy.

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The call of Peter and the other disciples illustrates God's invitation for us to follow Him. Despite his initial reluctance and desire to return home after a long night of fishing, Peter allows Jesus into his boat. This kind of openness is crucial for our own spiritual growth.

I want to emphasize the moment when Jesus asks Peter to lower his nets for a catch—this serves as both a literal task and a metaphor for spiritual growth. The saying "80% of success is showing up," attributed to Woody Allen the American filmmaker and actor, encapsulates the importance of taking that first step toward personal or spiritual growth. By showing up despite his doubts, Peter exemplifies the openness necessary for spiritual development. Are we willing to go beyond our comfort zone?

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When Jesus was presented in the temple, it was likely an ordinary event among many similar presentations each week. However, Simeon and Anna's ability to perceive something extraordinary suggests that spirituality often eludes those who do not actively seek it. What insights did they possess that others lacked? This passage prompts us to consider whether God communicates with us through the mundane aspects of our daily lives.

It's noteworthy that neither Anna nor Simeon held any official position within the temple community; they were not leaders or figures of authority. This indicates that anyone—regardless of status—can cultivate a direct relationship with God. The reading challenges those in leadership or theological roles to recognize that the Spirit operates beyond traditional boundaries.

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During Sabbath services, it was customary for males to read from Scripture or the Torah. Jesus reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, which is significant because Isaiah made many prophecies about the Messiah.  The Gospel of Matthew speaks about how these prophecies are fulfilled.   This reading serves as a blueprint for Jesus’ ministry.   Even though Jesus is reading from the prophet Isisia  The reading  seems to be in  Jesus own words.  In fact, it appears that Jesus is reading his own mission statement.

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The Gospel today is about the first miracle that Jesus performed. It is unique. There are no healings, or obvious teachings. The teaching is actually rather subtle. Jesus makes wine for a wedding at the request or expectation of his mother. There are a few points that I want to draw your attention to because they are useful teachings about spirituality. The first is the amount of wine made, the six stone water jars contained 20 to 30 gallons each. That is approximately 120 to 360 gallons of wine in total.  That is a lot of wine! 
I want to draw your attention to the conversation between the groom and the wine steward or in some translations the head  waiter. Have you ever had the experience of someone telling you something fairly basic that you already knew? .  For  example, the groom already knew what the wine steward was trying to explain. The point that I want to make is that while there was nothing actually wrong with what the wine steward said he nevertheless failed to recognize God’s intervention.   Do we, like the wine steward, miss God's interventions in our life?

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In Luke’s Gospel we have a brief description of Jesus being baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist. The details are scarce. We don’t know why Jesus chose to participate in this ritual or how it impacted his ministry.  This story is problematic however, as this ritual was designed for sinners, why would Jesus who had not sinned be participating in this ritual? 

This is a good lesson for us in that while we may have the right to do something we ought to also  take into account  the impact that  our actions may have upon others.

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In today’s Gospel the arrival of the Magi is noted.  This Gospel is full of symbolism about who Jesus would be.  Some biblical traditions list the Magi as kings and some traditions have even named them, Caspar (or Gaspar), Melchior, and Balthazar.  Likely, this naming is primarily derived from Western Christian tradition.  Its highly unlikely that three kings would have gone  into the desert alone without an entourage for protection.  Likely if three kings showed up in a small town everyone would soon know and King Herod would not have had  to rely on the Magi to find out exactly where Jesus was.  The gifts brought by the Wise Men give  us a hint and foretell  the ministry of Jesus. Gold representing royalty, frankincense symbolizing divinity, and myrrh foreshadowing suffering and death.

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I like to do something special for Lent and Advent. Last Easter I set up an internet retreat. This Christmas season I want to talk about the spirituality of New Years Resolutions. I feel very strongly about this. I am surprised the Church doesn’t say more about New Years Resolutions.  I believe there is something spiritual happening when people at the end of the year look at their lives and make decisions about where they can do better or acknowledging where they are being held back.  In many cases they attempt to make changes. Sadly, they are seldom successful. 

Many people do not realize that they may be self sabotaging their plans to achieve their goals. 

Making changes in one’s life is not easy. We are creatures of habit. I would like to provide some direction for those who would like to have their Resolutions result in positive changes in their life. 

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The Gospel today is quite different from our usual readings. It is a story from when Jesus was a twelve-year-old boy.  This Gospel story is likely every parent’s nightmare; having one of their children lost. I can hardly imagine what Mary and Joseph were going through during those 3 days of searching for their son, Jesus. It seems that Jesus knew early in his life or  might have had some insight into his true identity. The problem is that he did not share his plans with his parents when he decided to remain in Jerusalem at the temple. It makes sense that a 12-year-old child may not fully understand the implications and indeed the consequences of his actions on others. Still, as the Gospel suggests he had to grow into a better understanding of his mission. I wonder if he was ready to start his ministry at the age of twelve! That was not meant to be at this time. It would be another 18 years before Jesus would begin his public ministry. This maturing process was necessary for Jesus. This was not just a period of waiting; important maturing aspects were going on.