A Friend Who Expands Horizons
by Fr. David M. Knight
Monday, January 1, 2024
The Octave Day of Christmas, Feast of Mary, the Mother of God
Lectionary No. 18
Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 67; Gal 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman. Galatians 4:4.
Jesus is a joiner of opposites:
God sent his [divine] Son... born of a [human] woman born under the law…to ransom those under the law
You are no longer slaves… but sons and daughters.
Jesus worked miracles for a Roman officer and a Canaanite woman (Matthew 8:5; 15:22), socialized with a Samaritan woman (John 4:7), ate with Pharisees and public sinners (Luke 7:37, 15:2), spoke with God on the mountain and was jostled by crowds on ground level (Mark 5:31; 6:46; 9:2). He affirmed the law but went beyond it, observed the rules but re-interpreted them (Luke 10:24, 17:14; Matthew 5:17, 9:14, 12:2).
Jesus teaches us to be leery of either-or’s. We need to see both-and’s.
“Catholic” combines the one and the many, unity and diversity.
Christians have a Father—and a mother. An institutional Church—and a charismatic Spirit. Laws that direct—and Scriptures that inspire. We are called to be both human and divine.
Today especially, the Spirit appears to be leading Christians into dialogue with each other, and with nonbelievers. So does Pope Francis. (Keep up with him on the Internet).
Friendship is interaction. If you interact with Jesus he will open you to all the truth and goodness of the human race.
ACTION: Go to a Protestant service. Experience “communion in the Holy Spirit.”
PRAYER: “Lord, be with me. Let me be with you.”
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
