We Are God’s Children Now

January 3, 2009

Christmas Weekday

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:1-2

John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky 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.’” John 1:32-33

Piety
Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek to rest; to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I am doing your will. Amen.
-- St. Ignatius Loyola

Study

What has been revealed? Jesus has been revealed first by the angels and now by John.

Some people knew that something special happened at that cave in Bethlehem thirty years earlier. Word spread – to Elizabeth and Zechariah, to the Shepherds, to the Magi and to a few others like Simeon and Anna. However, after those early episodes, Jesus’ life is a mystery until he becomes an adult. Little is documented in the Good News about Jesus’ life growing up in Nazareth.

Now along comes John. He knew he had a job to do. “I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.”

John was not there to baptize in the modern sacramental sense of washing away sins. Jesus did not come to be baptized to have his sins washed away. What sins would Jesus ever need to have washed away? None! Instead, John was there to announce the coming of someone greater than himself. As we heard on Friday’s readings, “there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” (John 1:26-27)

If the world did not recognize Jesus, John was there to reveal Him. Prepare ye the way of the Lord! In essence, John’s work was Jesus’ introduction into public life, society and religion. That introduction is now in the history books.

Action

So, what? Who cares? What’s in it for me?

We don’t know that answer…yet. With the incarnation and baptism, we have become God’s children. Where all of this is leading, we do not know. “What we shall be has not been revealed.”

Recall that memorable passage from 1 Corinthians 13:11-13: When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

What has been revealed? John reminds us that we are God’s children, destined to inherit eternal life. However, now our present knowledge is only partial. It is clouded by our limited perspective, our obstacles and our sins. When we see and know God face-to-face, the rest of the truth shall be revealed. However, until that minute, the Spirit remains alive with Jesus and with us. The Spirit guides us to live as God’s children according to the cardinal virtues of faith, hope and love.

How do we live as God’s children?

Those of you reading this message via e-mail or on the Internet page are not most likely not among the portion of the population living in poverty. Our culture puts so much emphasis on those who are at the top of the economic ladder (the exploits of Bernard Madoff); the leaders of the entertainment industry (like the late Heath Ledger, Paul Newman and Charlton Heston); the news and political leaders (like Tony Snow, Jesse Helms, Tim Russert and William F. Buckley) and the sports legends of our day (LeBron James, Brett Favre, and Roger Clemens). We spend little time worrying about the plight of those struggling to hide their poverty amidst this culture of acquisition.

Andrew Natsios, former leaders of the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID), recently said: “All rights are not equal: The right to survive is the most important.”

To get more familiar with those who are impoverished in your area, the late Senator Paul Simon suggests in his book Fifty-Two Simple Ways to Make a Difference that you volunteer to work a day or more at a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen or some other place where you can learn about and understand the problems that many Americans face. Contact your parish social action minister or the local Volunteer Center to find out where your help is needed most.