Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
This is Sundays with Bishop Ken.
Thanks for sharing some quiet time with the Lord today. We welcome guest reader Brenda Piazza.
Brenda is a parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mendon, New York, where she joyfully serves in a variety of ministries.
Brenda also shares her gifts with us each liturgical season, narrating our little book's reflections.
And now, here is today's Gospel and homily.
[00:00:46] Speaker B: A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to John John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said, a man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.
I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.
John testified further, saying, I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him.
I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, on whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.
The Gospel of the Lord.
John's Gospel begins with a great theological prologue.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was made flesh.
This is like an overture to a play.
Then the curtain goes up and the first person on stage is John the Baptist.
Some of the Jewish leaders are asking who he is and why he is baptizing.
Then in this passage, Jesus comes on stage for the first time.
He doesn't say anything.
You'd have to imagine Jesus standing right here and John pointing toward him, talking about him.
John the Baptist was a famous person, an influential leader.
He makes it clear the only reason he baptized was to prepare for this man, Jesus Christ.
All of history was preparing for the coming of this man, Jesus Christ.
If you want sins taken away, you go to him.
If you want to see, listen to be saved by the Son of God, you go to him.
If you want to receive the Holy Spirit, you go to him.
Right after this passage, Jesus speaks his first words.
He turns to some of John the Baptist's disciples who were following him and says, what are you looking for?
When they say they want to know more about him, he says, come and see.
It is to Jesus Christ they went.
It is to Jesus Christ that we go.
Sometimes I worry about a drift toward a vague idea of God's presence.
It is said sometimes that God is everywhere. And of course God is everywhere.
It is said we can pray to God anywhere. And of course we can pray to God anywhere. And we should.
But then we assume we need not go to church, for after all, God is everywhere.
But that's not what John the Baptist said.
That's not what Jesus said. We must go to this man, Jesus Christ.
We do that in a special way in the sacraments.
A sacrament is a crescendo of the presence of God acting upon us.
It is more than simply the presence of God everywhere.
In baptism, Jesus Christ baptizes. In confirmation, Jesus Christ sends his Spirit upon us.
In the Eucharist, Jesus Christ is alive, present, acting upon us.
In the sacrament of reconciliation, Jesus Christ lays hands upon us and forgives our sins.
Jesus Christ unites a couple in marriage, confers holy orders, anoints the sick and prepares the dying.
When the Gospel is proclaimed at liturgy, the risen Jesus Christ is speaking to us.
The belief in and celebration of the sacraments are central trademarks of the Catholic Church.
We cannot let that awareness slip away.
The heart of our religion is not simply remembering who Jesus was and what he did.
It is not merely being inspired by this historical figure, Jesus Christ.
The heart of our religion is going to Jesus Christ, who is alive, present and acting in an absolutely unique way in the sacraments and in liturgical prayer.
I say all this to you not because I don't think you believe it.
You do.
I say it to affirm your faith.
I say it to remind myself and all of us of the magnitude of this great gift that God has given us.
I drive 100 miles to go to liturgy and I know you would too.
May we always give thanks for this gift and may we pass on this awareness from generation to to generation.
[00:06:26] Speaker A: Thanks for joining us today.
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