Today’s first reading, known as “the binding of Isaac“ refers to the way Isaac is bound and laid upon the word of the altar of sacrifice. God directs Abraham to offer his son in sacrifice, killing the beloved son that had been a special gift to him and Sarah in their old age. How could God ask Abraham to do such a thing? Abraham offers no resistance, but in preparing for the sacrifice, Abraham may have agreed with the Psalmist that he was “greatly afflicted.“ Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans refers to Jesus as God’s beloved son, which is also how God identifies Jesus to Peter, James, and John at the transfiguration. Afterward, Jesus tells those disciples not to mention the event to anyone until his resurrection from the dead. The event, together with Jesus' comments, leaves the disciples thoroughly confused.

Today’s readings suggest to different meanings and experiences of baptism. The second reading from 1 Peter makes an analogy between Noah’s ark and Christian baptism: just as Noah and his family were saved from death by going through the waters of the flood in the ark, Christians are saved from sin and death by going through the waters of baptism. The first reading, from Genesis, portrays the world after the flood: washed clean of its prior wickedness, embraced by God‘s promises that the world will never again be destroyed by water.

The readings from Leviticus and from the Gospel of Mark today speak of healing and hope. Leviticus outlines procedures to prevent the spread of leprosy, a skin disease understood to be a great danger to the community. Those with the disease were isolated and ritually impure. Absent some cure from God, they were considered beyond hope. Their lives were like a living death, and likely they saw no future hope in their lives.

Our readings today summon the church to embrace its calling, to join in God‘s healing of the world. As we hear of Job's anguish, in which all hope and purpose of disappeared, we are reminded of the depth of suffering in the world around us, and perhaps also within our own hearts. We hear of Jesus bringing healing and hope to Simmons mother-in-law into the community around Capernaum. And we hear of Paul’s commitment to “become all things to all“, that is, to walk alongside all kinds of people, offering good of the love of God. We need to be a people who do not hide from broken hearts, including our own. We are to share in the suffering of our world, but also to live as those who can tell the world of a God who brings hope. At our best, with the church and body guards great desire to heal the brokenhearted.

Who speaks for God? How can we determine which are authentic, authoritative expressions of God’s intentions, and which are false? Today’s readings explore the question of authority in distinct ways. In Deuteronomy, Moses prepares the people of Israel for his coming death, indicating that God will raise up a new prophet to guide them. Mark describes Jesus as God’s authentic voice, by the authority of his teaching and the authority he commands over an unclean spirit.

Our readings today speak of “Kairos” times, of God proclaiming new moments of opportunity of encounter with the Divine. From Jonah, we hear of God’s summons to the people of Nineveh to turn from evil. We hear Paul tell the church in Corinth that those who live in Christ must avoid clinging to anything transient, as all is secondary to God. And we hear of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Mark, as Jesus proclaims a moment of both opportunity and crisis. In these passages, there are no delaying tactics, no getting caught up in life’s distractions. Just a simple moment of choice. Perhaps we have had “Kairos” moments like these, or we may be facing one now. Sometimes, amid the complexities and uncertainties of our lives, clear choices emerge, and God asks us to choose. And our always patient and merciful God will accompany us in our choices.

The stories of the call of Samuel and of the first disciples in John’s Gospel help us begin to understand the nature of God’s call. It is not a work order from a distant God to carry out a specific task, but an invitation to participate in what God is already doing. The journey begins with God’s intentions and activity. After the initial moment of call, God is shown to be actively leading these ordinary people to partner in God’s work. For ourselves, we might not experience a single or dramatic moment of call. God’s call can take many forms. But like Samuel, and like Jesus’ disciples, we are invited into a relationship of trust and friendship with God. We too are invited to employ the gifts God has given us, always in dialogue with our God, in our daily lives.

It may seem obvious that the theme for the Baptism of the Lord is "water," but when one spends time with the readings today, one can see many different connotations for that water and its power. Isaiah calls the poor who are thirsty and tired to come to the water and take the spiritual food and drink that will be provided if we but seek the Lord. Here, God is both destination and consolation. The responsorial psalm follows suit with the image of drawing water from the springs of salvation. 1 John takes us to the reality of Christ as eucharist: not only Jesus' birth and baptism, but his death, as we hear that Jesus came "by water and by blood." The Gospel depicts John baptizing Jesus with water, and the Spirit baptizing Jesus. We experience both the humanity and the divinity of Christ. Indeed, water has much power to save us.

When I tell a story, I have a friend who prefers the “nutshell version” first. After that she’ll listen to me ramble, but she wants to know the main point right off the bat. When reading and hearing Sunday scriptures one may often find the nut shell by looking at the responsorial psalm or the Gospel acclamation. From Psalm 72 we hear “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.” The verse for the Gospel acclamation is Matthew 2:2 “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

On this feast of the Holy Family, we want to offer all families blessings. "Family" may have a lot of different connotations these days. In the United States, the "father, mother, child" family is less common now, and large Catholic families are not as common as they once were. The concept of family is more fluid with many forms of blended families due to second marriages, multi-generational households, and other living arrangements. In a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, 4 in 10 babies are born to single mothers. Other children are being raised by grandparents or foster parents.

"Where does God dwell?" is a question on the minds of many as we continue to adjust to the pandemic. David wanted to build an ornate swelling for the Ark of the Covenant, but God said, "No, that's not what I had in mind!" The reading from Romans teaches us that God is present in the Word, and in Luke's Gospel passage today, Jesus is residing in the womb of Mary. We know that Jesus is present in the assembly gathered, the Koininia, as well as within the Eucharistic species. But no matter how one experiences the presence of Jesus, these days are challenging. In many places, only limited numbers continue to be allowed in church, while others are only able to worship via live-stream. Non of the past answers to where God dwells really fit. We need to try and answer this with new eyes and ears and heart.

The readings this week bear a certain similarity to those of last week - we hear a prophecy from Isaiah that is reiterated by John the Baptist in Mark's Gospel - but today the focus is different. Last week John told us to repent. Today he is the light leading us to God. Today is know as "Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday," as the reading from First Thessalonians commands us to "Rejoice in the Lord always." We are to rejoice. Right now. Combined with last Sunday, this seems like a mixed message. "Which is it? Repenting or rejoicing?" But John is telling us that one leads to the other. As we prepare for the coming of our Savior we must first repent and then rejoice.

In 2020, we heard plenty of voices speaking out and sharing their opinions, but many of those words were not comforting or hope-filled. Sometimes, it was hard to know which expert or "instant expert" to listen to, and it is still difficult to hope as we struggle to regain our balance as a nation and as a Church. The Word of God offers us peace this day.