—- G o s p e l —

[ @extristitiavenit ]

Hope County was truly a beautiful place; the cascading mountains and rolling hills of fertile farmland seemed to stretch for miles and miles, disappearing into lines of thick spring pines that dotted the horizon. It seemed like it was such an idyllic place; Marion often found herself reminiscing about her childhood home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana whilst on her lunch breaks due to the overwhelming amount of very beautiful but very foreign scenery… A swampy transplant into an arid tundra, a fish out of water. Being sent all over the country was hard enough as it was, but never being able to stay in one place long enough to grow some roots was harder. It was always something- a new job, a boyfriend, loss of income— something- something- something… Deputy Fuller had hoped that a change of scenery into the God fearing farmlands would strike down whatever wandering roots that would grab soil. Maybe this could actually be the place she settled down and called it good. Maybe it was the place where she would live and die quietly after she finished with whatever dumb prospect this job was.

The station was quiet, though as usual there was a gentle chatter over the radio between squad cars and her co-workers idle conversations flowing through the air in a gentle hum while the air conditioning unit whirs quietly overhead. As nice as it was to have such down time, it did put a slight alarm through her. Could it be quiet here for longer than a day? Probably not- there was always something happening over the radio, with those Peggies meandering around the valley and mountains- the ‘Eden’s Gate’ project, or whatever.. She really didn’t care. It didn’t affect her life, (well- it did- it did so much she ended up in Hope County, Montana to fill in a position that was, in fact, permanently vacant); and the ways it did affect her were easily written off with a nice blunt and a cold drink at her small cabin after work. Quitting time was always on her mind- her hazy green hues darting over to the white bubble clock that hung over the dirty front door. 5:15 p.m.- another 15 minutes until she could clock out and head home… Outside, a caravan of white vehicles with that stupid cross painted on the sides of them head down the main thoroughfare- honking and blasting their music loud enough to be heard all the way inside the station offices- “Keep your rifle by our side!” The tune hangs high in the air like a flag, and soon the cacophony of tires and engines and guitars fade into the distance until there was nothing left but the gentle clicking of the clock and the hum of the air conditioner. Marion rolled her eyes, stretched her arms up above her head and let off a loud yawn; hands unceremoniously rubbing her face and pushing back her mess of black curly hair. What a boring day. Nothing but paperwork and emails, two phone calls from the F.A.N.G center and one from the Chief to keep an eye out for a package that may or may not show up. Again. What a thrilling job; (Junior) Deputy Sheriff and she may as well have been a fucking secretary.

Another shift, another day completed; clocking out with an actual time punch was always one of the best parts of the job, one of those ‘little things’ her therapist back in Los Angeles told her when she was in her early years of being on the force.. What a lifetime ago, freshly 18 and just wanting to do the right thing— a road to hell paved with the best of intentions.. The old machine reams the paper with a clunk and Marion is out the door with her bag and glasses in hand, headed out to the old Ford truck in the parking lot.. The sun was setting by now, the sky being painted in brilliant chunks of reds and oranges and pinks.. A nice view for the drive home too, tires whirring down the evenly paved road down into Holland Valley. Farm land, for miles and miles. At least, she thought, it didn’t stink like some parts of the country she had stayed in.. These people out here took good care of their livestock and it showed. When the engine of the trucks begun to rattle and almost scream with uncertainty, it made her flicker back to reality and ease off the road and onto the shoulder; smoke flooding from the hood of the car as the lever under her seat was pressed with trepidation and concern for how she was now going to get home.

Standing over the fried engine, lit cigarette between her lips and flashlight in her southpaw, she felt like a real tool standing out there in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere, nothing but trees and fields and cars that scooted by almost hurriedly as the night settled into the valley. Marion didn’t blame them- things tended to get sketchy at best when night came.

“Aaaah fuckin’… Ya’ piece of shit, perfect fuckin’ timing to die out on me huh. You juss’ loooooove causing me issues.” The bayou woman scoffed and slammed the hood down after settling on a diagnosis: Fried radiator and snapped belt, transmission broken. Absolute destruction. Leaning now with her back to the warmed metal of the hood, she idly flicks through her phone— no signal— no reach. There was nothing out here, and she wasn’t exactly able to take a radio from the station. That was priorly a write up. So with a scoff and a groan and a few more expletives, Marion cleared the cab of her belongings and shoved them unceremoniously into her leather backpack, turned off the lights and slammed the truck door closed with a thud. There was nothing now but the eerie silence and the air current moving through the trees- if she didn’t like the dark at home, she surely hated it when outside. There was a certain fear that comes with walking alone at night, but hopefully, hopefully, the 13 mile walk in almost pitch darkness wouldn’t be that bad.

Born Again

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” — John 3:3 | Legacy Standard Bible (LSB) Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. Cross References: Ezekiel 36:26; Matthew 19:24; Matthew 21:31; Mark 9:47; Mark 10:14; John 3:4-5

Magical girl transformation sequence but a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

The Baptism of the Lord

Gospel Mt 3:13-17

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan

to be baptized by him.

John tried to prevent him, saying,

“I need to be baptized by you,

and yet you are coming to me?”

Jesus said to him in reply,

“Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us

to fulfill all righteousness.”

Then he allowed him.

After Jesus was baptized,

he came up from the water and behold,

the heavens were opened for him,

and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove

and coming upon him.

And a voice came from the heavens, saying,

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Remember Your Baptism (Matthew 3:13-17)

It isn’t what we “do” for people that’s as important as affirming our shared humanity with them.

John baptizing Jesus with the Holy Spirit’s affirmation Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At…

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Sermon for Nativity of Our Lord - Christmas Day (12/25/22)

Primary Text | John 1:1-14

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Dear People of God,

There are three persons in the Trinity. Trinity means three-in-one, a tri-unity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Yet there is and has always been and will ever be just one God. For though the three persons are distinct from each other they share the same divine essence. That is what our catholic religion teaches, that there is one God and no other god. And that there are three persons in this one God. One person put it this way, “Whatever the Father speaks, Christ is, and whatever Christ is, the Holy Spirit hears.” All three persons are equally the very same, undivided God. This God has been around forever. But, of the three persons of the Holy Trinity, only one has become flesh as we are, and that is Jesus the Messiah, whom we also know as the Word. In the Gospel of St. John we hear, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1). Here we learn that God is a Word. A Word is God. The Word is both with God and is God. And he was in the beginning. Meaning, that there was never a time when the Word was not around. The word is not a creation, the word is the one who created each of us as well as the whole world. Without him not one thing came into being. This word is the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. (1:5).

      We are gathered on Christmas morning because of something in particular that the word did. As we heard, “The word became flesh and dwelled among us” (1:14). I remember as a kid growing up in Wisconsin that my school wanted to teach us something of what it means to be a parent. You’ll have to tell me later if other states do this or if they even bother to do this at all anymore. So first they gave us each an egg and told us to bring it back in 24 hours without breaking it. In my proud little five foot tall body I can say that I lasted longer than most of my classmates in not breaking that egg. But my name was added to the list of shame when by the afternoon I twirled the winter hat that held my egg and it smashed on my desk in computer class. With all two brain cells my 10-year-old self could muster I still could not succeed in this thing. Then came the second stage of learning to be a parent where they gave me a mechanical baby for a week and said, “Take care of it.” At any time day or night it would go off and you had to feed it or change it or rock it. I will say I was not too happy to get up at 2am to shove a plastic bottle in its mouth. When we hear scripture say to us that “the word became flesh” we are not saying that the word became an egg or a mechanical, imitation baby like I had in elementary. We are saying that the word, this word who is also God, became an actual baby with the same flesh and blood as you and I have. I like this line from one of the Christmas hymns that Martin Luther wrote: “O Lord, you have created all! How did you come to be so small?” (ELW 268:9). This is to say, our Lord Christ, the word become flesh, also experienced the same baby things that we experienced as babies. This strange God of ours, who created all things, who is the word-in-flesh, pooped his pants. Wet himself. Grew hungry. Got cold. Slept in his mother’s arms. Cried for everything. Smiled when you smiled at him. The light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it, became not a pretend baby, but a real baby. And in that way alone, in his flesh and blood, God chooses to show his favorable heart toward us. That is still how he approaches us—with his word in his flesh and blood.

            As the world currently is, it is filled with darkness. Sin, death, and the devil wreak their havoc. The darkness is so strong that it is at work in all of us. The darkness of the world is one that hates God. The world knows nothing of God, does not fear or love him, and seeks after its own interests rather than the interests of God. It is the darkness of the world, the darkness that we have also, that ended up putting the Christ-child to death on the cross. It is the darkness that crucified and murdered this precious child of Christmas—who is the light. For it is true, people have loved the darkness rather than the light. And that remains true to this day. Few can be found who care for and love the word. Nevertheless the light is still at work. You and I this morning have been given this light of God in the form of a promise of God that cannot be undone—“the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (1:5). In his resurrection from the dead, we learn that our Lord Jesus Christ is a brilliant beam, nothing can snuff him out. This very same word that has become flesh comes to you now in the preaching of the word and in the administration of the sacraments. That light that shines, that word that is made flesh, that cannot be overcome, has been placed in your ears and into your heart. And thus, not even your own darkness can overcome this light given you. God has put his word in you by the mouth of another human being. This word: Your sins are forgiven you, you have been blessed with eternal life, and you are freed from all that binds you. Christ was born for you, for you. And he will never leave you.

            I want to take a brief moment to address the one to be baptized this morning. Dear Stevie, you are about to encounter the very same word of God that became a baby. As your brother John before you, you are to be baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity—in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. It will look very simple, there will be water poured over you. A word said over you. it is not an impressive thing in the eyes of this dark world, the world rejects what is about to happen. But know this, God is the one doing it. Little Stevie, the creator of the universe is about to make a promise to you in your baptism. Remember this, it is not a fake or mechanical promise, it is real promise with flesh on it…this promise of God can never be broken, you can’t mess it up. This promise, that he will be your God forever. Through thick and thin you forever will belong to him. Just as on the first Christmas morning, when God came down from heaven, born of the Virgin Mary—so again on this Christmas morning, in the sacrament of Holy Baptism, the word that became flesh will come from heaven to earth to be with you. He will place his word in your heart, he will make his home in you. In this sacrament God will forgive you all your sin. Not just now, but forever. He will bestow on you a life eternal. And he will free you from all that burdens you. You may not understand this all now. But by God’s grace, so you will never forget it, God has provided you with parents and sponsors and pastors and any who have been made God’s children by his word, to teach you and remind you of God’s gracious promises—to strengthen your faith. Through them God will place in your hands the holy scriptures, God will feed you with the holy supper of the body and blood of Christ, and God will again and again come to you in the preaching of his word in a sermon. You are about to have a holy bath, to be given grace upon grace. To be given the word made flesh. This promise of God will belong to you from now on: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. No matter how difficult your life may get, what dangers you face, what wearies your heart or strains your body—this promise will yet remain true, the darkness cannot win, it cannot overtake the light God is about to give you in Jesus Christ. That is the gift and blessing of baptism. Merry Christmas, everyone!

#256/257 Title: God the Father, Beloved Son and Holy Spirit Description: Faith Expression Artwork or Image for Bible Verses Luke 3:21-22 and Entitled, “God the Father, Beloved Son and Holy Spirit”; About the Baptism of Jesus and About the Holy Trinity – God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit Bible Verse: “Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21-22 / KJV)

Instantiating the Trinity and the Second Resurrection.

I have spent way too long wondering what on earth was going on here:

G— on his way with the nuke. The ships on the launchpad, twenty hours to go now, less. So much waiting around. Me in my bedroom with a nun and a migraine, her thinking that if she pushed me enough we’d instantiate the Trinity and we’d all be saved. Everyone else drinking.

What on earth does "instantiate the Trinity" mean? What did the nun think she was doing? What did she think John was?

This happens in John 1:20. What is John 1:20 in the Bible?

And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

It's where John the Baptist is asked if he is the messiah and says that he is not.

But what other role does John the Baptist play in the Bible? As his name might suggest, he baptises. He baptises lots of people, but specifically, he baptises Jesus.

But before he does that, he's out in the wilderness prophesying the end of the world: he warns people of "the wrath to come" and criticises the corrupt authorities and those hoarding wealth and resources. He gets into some trouble with the authorities. All themes that either have or are about to become very pressing in John 1:20...

And then Jesus comes along to be baptised:

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:9-11)

After all his prophesying and calling people to repentence, John the Baptist does something very specific. And suddenly God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all seen together. The gospel passages describing Jesus' baptism by John are some of the key texts that underpin the Christian theology of the Trinity.

The nun has watched John warn people of the doom to come, criticise those who ignore those warnings and value wealth and power. She has watched him perform miracles. And as the clock ticks closer, she is waiting for his moment.

Just as John the Baptist proclaimed the beginning of Jesus' ministry, his actions tearing the heavens open and revealing the truth of God, does the nun expect some climactic action from John to reveal God at the end of days? The book of Revelation too describes heaven as standing open and the figures of the Trinity in action as the end of the world begins.

The nun thought John was a prophet whose decisive action would herald this opening of heaven, the revelation of God, and the end of the world.

When John says she thought "we'd all be saved", that doesn't mean global warming would be fixed, everything would go back to normal, and John and the gang would get tenure and posters of their faces. It means they would all be Saved. The world would end and they, followers of the prophet of the apocalypse, would be amongst "the blessed and holy who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." (Rev 20:6)

This might be starting to sound familiar. Abigail Pent talks about the horrors of a second death. John describes how he picked a worthy few to resurrect and be his followers...

John, of course, was not a prophet. He did not crack open heaven and instantiate the Trinity. He did not usher in the Kingdom of God. He did fundamentally fuck up the boundaries of metaphysics, declare himself god, and then proceed to badly plagiarise the Book of Revelation.

Because what happens next in the Bible may again sound familiar... After that thousand year reign, the Devil is released from prison. There's a final battle. And then, there's the second resurrection:

The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. (Rev 20:13)

Waiting in death, in the sea or in the underworld until a second resurrection and judgement - where have we heard that before?

Magnus coughed in a genteel Fifth House way, and said, “Who wait for our Lord’s touch on the day of a second Resurrection.”

Although Abigail Pent suspects the metaphysical reality is rather different, this is the eschatology of the Houses: the world ended and the righteous dead were raised by god and they and their descendants live in his myriadic reign. And when that reign ends, he will raise the ancient dead who were not included in that first resurrection and those who wait in the River in a second Resurrection.

What happens after that? In the Bible, the world is destroyed and remade:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. (Rev 20:11)

We don't know what the Houses believe will happen at the second Resurrection. We don't know for sure what John is planning. But in light of Revelation, I do wonder about the poem at the start of NTN:

Let’s put this first-draft dream of mine to bed.

In the appointed hour

I’ll pull up your sheets. I’ll kill the light,

Lie down beside you; die; and sleep the night.

This time will be the time we get it right:

Forgiveness not so hard, nor anger long;

Our graves will be less deep, our lies less true.

You held aloft the sword. I still love y-

Could you elaborate on the JS sealing practices?

Great question! Thank you :)

What I am referring to (in this post) is the breadth and depth of the sealing power as envisioned and implemented by Joseph Smith and practiced in the early church. The original post speaks to how our family is more than just direct line descent or blood relations.

I've previously noted that 9 of Joseph's first 12 plural sealings were to women already legally married. Today, we regularly seal deceased women to more than one man (and deceased men to more than one woman) if they were married to more than one individual in mortality. We understand it will all be sorted out later.

But more interesting to many of us is the notion that sealings were performed for things other than marriages and the sealing of direct-line ancestors to direct-line progeny. Consider this account from the diary of John M. Bernhisel relating a sealing between friends and cousins, aunts and nephews and so on:

"The following named deceased persons were sealed to me on Oct 26th 1843, by President Joseph Smith: Maria Bernhisel, sister; Brother Samuel's wife, Catherine Kremer; Mary Shatto, (Aunt); Madalena Lupferd, (distant relative); Catherine Bernhisel, Aunt; Hannah Bower, Aunt; Elizabeth Sheively, Aunt; Hannah Bower, cousin; Maria Lawrence, (intimate friend); Sarah Crosby, intimate friend, /died May 11 1839/; Mary Ann Bloom, cousin."

A Gospel Topics essay notes early sealing practices may have been intended to extend family ties "both vertically, from parent to child, and horizontally, from one family to another".

Of additional interest is how proxy ordinances for the deceased, including proxy baptisms, could be performed by someone of any gender, prior to Brigham Young clarifying the same gender requirement in 1845. We also note non-related individuals were sealed by adoption to Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and other church leaders, including men sealed to men as father/son adoptive pairs.

Some believe our current evolution in practice aligns itself more closely to God's will and the original practice was at fault or incomplete. However, I give Joseph's expansive vision a lot of room. And the truth is that non-family, non-lineal sealings were performed by Joseph and others. Will those sealings be honored in the eternities, or will they be null and void? I have a hard time believing the latter. And what of OP's case for "the spinster aunt who had no kids but made sure that three of the six kids her sister abandoned survived into adulthood"? Church doctrine is big on adoption already, and I can only imagine that relationships like found family and adoption continue in the eternities.

To me, the sealing vision feels more expansive than our current understanding and practice may be.

Bright Thursday

Commemorated on May 9

On Bright Thursday the Gospel reading is John 3:1-15, which mentions the Pharisee Νikόdēmos who came by night to speak to Christ. The Lord told him that a man could not see the Kingdom of God unless he were born again. Νikόdēmos, taking Him much too literally, could not understand how such a thing was possible.

The Savior then clarified His words, saying that one must be born “of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5), referring to Baptism. Νikόdēmos, however, still found it difficult to understand Him.

The Lord said, “If I have told you of earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?” (John 3:12).

The reading from Acts 2:38-41 also speaks of Baptism. Saint Peter told the crowd, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you... and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

The main focus of today’s readings is on Baptism, but they also point to other things. We are to raise our mind and understanding from earthly to heavenly things, and to seek the gift of the Holy Spirit.

[Text from OCA]

Ok but the thing about The Matrix, though, is that when it was released we all knew it was a fuckin Gospel allegory, like it was so obvious as to be on the nose. And like yeah basically any heroes journey can be interpreted as the gospel but for real: Neo is The One(it's an anagram lol), who was prophesied, Trinity/The Holy Spirit leads him to Morpheus/John The Baptist who baptises/frees him (the imagery of the mirror like liquid covering and entering neo and then his emergence from the pod is absolutely a baptism) and then Morpheus/John declares him to be The One that was prophesied. This frees him from his identity as Thomas Anderson (Thomas because he was doubting, Anderson because Son Of Man is mortal also flawed) and allowing him to become Neo, who will lead everyone from the flawed world into the world of the truth(kingdom of God). First thing after this revelation he has to go be weak for a while but then gains a bunch of disciples and learns how to do miracles and then Cypher/Judas betrays everyone for earthly pleasures which lead to a confrontation where Agent Smith(Satan, obvs but also his numberplate in the second film is IS5416 for Isiah 54:16) defeats Neo and he dies but then is resurrected because of his connection to Trinity/The Holy Spirit (seriously TRINITY??) which defeats Smith/Satan and empowers Neo/Jesus to spread the truth to everyone in the whole world moving forward.

But ALSO it's clearly, in hindsight, a trans allegory, again so clearly as to be on the nose. The first thing on screen is "call trans opt: received". Neo is obviously miserable with his life and place in society and knows something is up but doesn't know what, has been experimenting with an alternate identity online. Gets an invitation to go to a club and encounters alternative people and one confirms that something IS up. The forces of the system and his own doubt (Thomas) try to keep Neo in his current role, ignorance and the closet, using the name Mr Anderson (mister son of man) repeatedly in a torture scene where he doesn't have access to words to speak his truth. A direct encounter with someone who has already been down the path and now lives in their own truth, and offers the opportunity to discover ones own truth by taking a red pill (the color of premarin pills, a common estrogen HRT medication). Neo then undergoes a physical transformation from the pill and must then relearn how to exist but in doing so becomes more powerful than ever. In this new form Neo still has to battle against the old world and its systems which have become more violent and still continue to try to cast Neo back into the identity of Mr Anderson but it is self confidence in the the truth that enables Neo to be victorious. Also being trans gives you could kungfu super powers.

SO

You know where I'm going.

TRANSitive property of allegory...

Is the Gospel a trans allegory?

Jesus Of Nazareth is born with an innate identity that is hidden for years by his parents for fear of government persecution but there are signs of this true identity all throughout childhood. When Jesus meets someone with access to the truth he becomes fully aware of the truth of his own identity. He then has to go endure a period of suffering and temptation to abandon the path of truth, but eventually emerges enlightened as his true self. That true self is then a symbol that inherently reveals the falsehoods of the social constructs underpinning the society around him and those who rely on those constructs to hold power and status over others become enraged by this undermining and weaponise the tools of the state against the body of the transgressive person.

I'm not saying that Jesus was trans, of course. I'm saying the story of Jesus is actually an allegorical myth to reveal that trans people and trans bodies are holy and sacred and should be honored for the truth they reveal to us.

SAINT OF THE DAY (December 9)

On December 9, Roman Catholics celebrate St. Juan Diego, the indigenous Mexican Catholic convert whose encounter with the Virgin Mary began the Church's devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

In 1474, 50 years before receiving the name Juan Diego at his baptism, a boy named Cuauhtlatoatzin — “singing eagle” — was born in the Anahuac Valley of present-day Mexico.

Though raised according to the Aztec pagan religion and culture, he showed an unusual and mystical sense of life even before hearing the Gospel from Franciscan missionaries.

In 1524, Cuauhtlatoatzin and his wife converted and entered the Catholic Church.

The farmer now known as Juan Diego was committed to his faith, often walking long distances to receive religious instruction.

In December 1531, he would be the recipient of a world-changing miracle.

On December 9, Juan Diego was hurrying to Mass to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

However, the woman he was heading to church to celebrate came to him instead.

In the native Aztec dialect, the radiant woman announced herself as the “ever-perfect holy Mary, who has the honor to be the mother of the true God.”

“I am your compassionate Mother, yours and that of all the people that live together in this land,” she continued, “and also of all the other various lineages of men.”

She asked Juan Diego to make a request of the local bishop.

“I want very much that they build my sacred little house here” — a house dedicated to her son Jesus Christ, on the site of a former pagan temple, that would “show him to all Mexicans and exalt him throughout the world."

She was asking a great deal of a native farmer. Not surprisingly, his bold request met with skepticism from Bishop Juan de Zumárraga.

But Juan Diego said he would produce proof of the apparition, after he finished tending to his uncle whose death seemed imminent.

Making his way to church on December 12 to summon a priest for his uncle, Juan Diego again encountered the Blessed Virgin.

She promised to cure his uncle and give him a sign to display for the bishop.

On the hill where they had first met, he would find roses and other flowers, though it was winter.

Doing as she asked, he found the flowers and brought them back to her.

The Virgin Mary then placed the flowers inside his tilma, the traditional cloak-like garment he had been wearing.

She told him not to unwrap the tilma containing the flowers until he had reached the bishop.

When he did, Bishop Zumárraga had his own encounter with Our Lady of Guadalupe – through the image of her that he found miraculously imprinted on the flower-filled tilma.

The Mexico City basilica that now houses the tilma has become, by some estimates, the world's most-visited Catholic shrine.

The miracle that brought the Gospel to millions of Mexicans also served to deepen Juan Diego's own spiritual life.

For many years after the experience, he lived a solitary life of prayer and work in a hermitage near the church where the image was first displayed.

Pilgrims had already begun flocking to the site by the time he died on 9 December 1548, the 17th anniversary of the first apparition.

Pope John Paul II beatified him on 6 May 1990 and canonized on 31 July 2002.

He is the first Catholic saint indigenous to the Americas.

The Mission of John the Baptist (Isaiah 40:1–5; Mark 1:1–8; Luke 3:1–20; John 1:19–28)

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

4 John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan.

7 But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 I baptize you with waterd for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. 12 His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22; John 1:29–34)

13 At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

15 “Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” — Matthew 3 | Majority Standard Bible (MSB) The Majority Standard Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Leviticus 11:22; Joshua 15:61; Judges 1:16; 1 Samuel 14:26; 2 Samuel 23:7; Ezra 10:1; Psalm 1:4; Psalm 2:7; Psalm 40:7-8; Psalm 92:12; Proverbs 28:4; Isaiah 1:31; Isaiah 4:4; Isaiah 11:2; Isaiah 40:3; Isaiah 42:1; Daniel 2:44; Matthew 2:1; Matthew 2:22; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 12:18; Matthew 12:34; Mark 1:3,4 and5; Mark 1:9; Luke 1:16; Luke 3:8; Luke 16:24; John 4:34; John 8:33; Acts 26:20; Romans 1:13; Hebrews 7:23

I was skimming thru the gospels recently, trying to get a feel for how they're structured for myself, and smth that caught my eye are what events each Gospel use to open Jesus' ministry after the initial baptism, gathering disciples etc

Matthew, wanting to present Jesus as a second Moses, opens with the Beatitudes, and the sermon on the mount. Jesus is an authoritative teacher of God's Law, the Torah, and how he tells us to live is important.

Mark similarly opens with Jesus teaching in a synagogue, except - we aren't told any of what he said! But we know he teaches with authority, an authority he demonstrates in a very dramatic way by casting a demon from a possessed man. Jesus is God's representative, one who speaks and acts with authority, and yet there's something mysterious about him that can't yet be grasped.

and it's interesting, bc it's sometimes said by people trying to push back against a hyper-theologised protestantism that neglects the social justice implications of the Gospel, that christians spend too much time focusing on the epistles theologising about who Jesus is, than the Gospels which tell us about his moral teachings. But if we accept such a binary division (which I don't), Mark is much closer to the latter than the former; he gives us some teaching, for sure, but much of his Gospel is about establishing Jesus' authority not just through miraculous works but through his Passion and Resurrection.

Luke, meanwhile, opens with Jesus at the synagogue in Nazareth, applying the words of the Prophet Isaiah to himself to declare the Spirit of the Lord is upon him to proclaim liberation and the year of the Lord's favour - in response to which he is rejected by his own hometown. This is doing a lot of things at once; firmly placing Jesus in the tradition of the OT prophet hated by others for speaking the truth and championing social justice, but also foreshadowing Luke's interest in the eventual way Christianity was rejected by Jews and went to Gentiles (which btw i acknowledge this raises issues of supersessionism, but we do not have time to unpack those; suffice to say Luke wrote with a specific agenda at a specific point in time when there was a v specific relationship btwn Jews, Gentiles, and Christianity as a Jewish sect).

Finally, John opens with... Jesus turning water to wine? It almost seems like a parody next to the other gospels! Next to handing down the law, casting out demons, and fulfilling biblical prophecy, throwing out some extra booze at a party seems rather indulgent.

Jesus even seems to acknowledge this "What concern is that to you and me? My hour has not yet come." The Son of gOD should be making a big, dramatic debut, not performing party tricks. And yet he does it anyway.

I'm sure there's much to be said about the theological significance of this - a reference to the Eucharist, a fulfillment of OT themes of the great eschatological banquet with wine running freely, 'the best wine saved for last' as symbolising Jesus.

But what strikes me most is how low-stakes it is - and it's not as if the rest of John is exactly slice-of-life; unlike the other 3 gospels people are much more consistently out to get Jesus here. And yet as his first great sign, through the miracle of water into wine Jesus celebrates the goodness of God's creation, of wine to make man's heart glad, of weddings to join two people in commitment, of parties to celebrate family and friendship. In a sense he's hallowing everyday life here; the lack of drama is the point.

And I think it makes for a poignant book-end with the epilogue to John, which involves no dramatic ascension to heaven as in Luke, nor the giving of the Great Commission as in Matthew, nor the ambiguous cliffhanger ending of Luke. It involves Jesus having breakfast on the beach with his besties. Jesus' ministry in John starts with a wedding and ends with brunch with the bros.

𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel Jn 1:29-34

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 Lamb of God (John 1:29-34)

Faith is never a static sort of thing. Rather, faith is always moving in a direction; it’s dynamic.

Stained glass of the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), Chamonix, France The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to…

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