The ancient Greek city of Corinth acquired something of a proverbial reputation for sexual promiscuity, and modern biblical scholarship has frequently reiterated a view of the city as a particular hotbed of immorality and vice. In addition to their wealth, Corinthians worshiped Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation. Corinth was the ancient equivalent of Sin City. Most of the people of the pagan world engaged in blatant immorality, but some of the worst were those in Corinth. They even had their own saying to justify their behavior. “Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food.” It was like saying, “You have no choice: you have no choice but eat, so too you ought to behave immorally.” Paul tells them and us that we are so much better than that. Our bodies belong to the Lord. We are members of the Body of Christ. We are far more than animals with nothing but animal instincts. We share in the Body of Christ. He goes on to use a very important phrase: our bodies are Temples of the Holy Spirit. If we are immoral, we are sinning against our own bodies, sinning against our union with Christ.
The Christmas season ends today with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The beginning and end of the season have much in common. On Christmas, we celebrate God becoming one of us, taking upon himself a human nature. On the Feast of the Baptism, we celebrate the public proclamation that Jesus is more than just one of us. He has more than a human nature. He has a Divine Nature.
We have just begun a New Year. All of us have our own wishes and dreams for this year. Some of us will have taken new resolutions. I am also conscious of the fact that the merged Parish of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Tappan and St. John the Baptist, Piermont will function as one body of Christ. The feast that we celebrate today of the Epiphany or the Manifestation of the Lord to the Nations, can throw light on all of the above.
As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, I invite you to reflect on your own family. The family is the temple where the flame of life is transmitted. It is a temple dedicated to the Lord of Life. The family is naturally ordered to serve what John Paul II has called the Gospel of life, the ‘Evangelium vitae’. Every birth ought to declare: Life is good news! The family is therefore an intensely spiritual society, and the conjugal act that is at the heart of the marriage and which is its fire has a spiritual dimension which is too often forgotten in our day. Fatherhood and motherhood represent a responsibility which is not simply physical but spiritual in nature.
The first chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel contains two annunciation accounts, each about the birth of children in impossible circumstances. Elizabeth was barren, so she could not have a child and she was advanced in years. Mary had no husband and she had never had conjugal relations. But after the Annunciation to him, Zechariah is struck deaf and mute, while Mary, initially fearful, accepts peacefully. Let us compare the two: Zechariah: “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” Mary: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”...
This Sunday is Gaudete Sunday, Rejoice Sunday. “Brothers and sisters,” St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus....May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.”
Dear Parish Family, In the First Reading, the prophet reports a command given by God: ‘Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God!” In the sorrows of life, who does not long for comfort? ...
Dear Parish Family, We begin Advent with the simple word: Watch. Next week we will be told: Stay Awake. The third week we have: Rejoice, and for the fourth week we have: Behold! Watch!
Dear Parish Family, The parable from Matt 25:14-30 tells the story of the rich man who gives talents to three of his servants and then sets out on a journey. ...
Dear Parish Family, This Sunday’s Gospel give us the opportunity to explore one of the intriguing parables found in Chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel. The major theme in this chapter is judgement. ...
Dear Parish Family, The central theme of today’s readings is the greatest commandment in the Bible, namely, to respond to God’s love for us by loving Him, and then to express that love in action by loving Him living in our neighbor. ...
Dear Parish Family, In the days of Jesus, all secular money was thought to belong to the Emperor. The Temple had its own coinage, not used in paying secular debts. This is the reason that money changers were in the Temple area. ...
Dear Parish Family, The parable of the royal banquet is a parable about the Kingdom of God and about the people who will eventually belong to it. The Parable of the Royal Banquet and the Wedding Garment is Jesus’ interpretation of the History of Salvation. ...
Dear Parish Family, The common theme of today’s readings is the necessity of bearing fruit in the Christian life and the consequent punishment for spiritual sterility, ingratitude and wickedness. In today’s first reading, called Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard, the prophet describes God’s care of, and expectations for, His Chosen People. ...
Dear Parish Family, After having spoken about right use of wealth following the parable of Dishonest Steward, Luke places the parable of the Richman and Lazarus as the Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees for their love of money and lack of mercy for the poor. This parable also corrects three Jewish misconceptions held and taught by the Sadducees: ...