Seasonal Reflections

Readings: The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas | USCCB 

Grant us Thy peace. 

Today’s gospel invites us to enter the story of salvation through the eyes of Simeon, the only figure the canonical gospels describe as holding the infant Jesus in his arms. 

Simeon is an “upright and devout man,” which means, among other things, that he spent a good deal of time around the temple in Jerusalem. They would have been a familiar sight to him, this young, impoverished couple and their newborn son, who had come to Jerusalem from who-knows-where to perform the postpartum purification ritual described by the Law of Moses. (Did he know they had walked the six miles from Bethlehem?) 

Like other poor families, they only had two birds to offer for the sacrifice, a concession allowed by the Law, which normally called for a female sheep or goat (Lv 5:6-7). Like other poor families, they would have been waiting their turn in line, perhaps for several hours. 

Grant us Thy peace. 

The young mother would have been tired. What a relief to have someone else hold the child, even if only for a moment. 

But Simeon saw more than most, a function of his age perhaps, or of a wisdom Luke credits to the Spirit. Simeon “looked forward to the liberation of Israel,” not unlike the two companions who much later will accompany Jesus, unawares on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24:21). 

Is it so remarkable that he saw that liberation in the fragile body of the child he now held in his arms? Every newborn child raises these hopes, especially among the poor and those otherwise weary of the constant violence, both real and threatened, of the status quo. “Change is coming.” “The next generation will set things straight.” “Yes, there will be sacrifices, and more blood.” “And the wailing of mothers as they embrace their dead sons.” 

But in this young child, Simeon sees and declares something different. A definitive end to this dreadful cycle. A light shines in dark times. Whispers of God’s peace. And that suffices. 

Paul Wojda, Associate Professor in Theology  

The Campus Ministry Seasonal Reflections are offered during the liturgical seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter. We bring a variety of voices from Students, Faculty and Staff. The perspectives expressed in these reflections are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Campus Ministry 

Readings: Feast of the Holy Innocents|USCCB 

The Feast of the Holy Innocents profoundly interrupts the exuberance of Christmas, as children die because of Herod’s fear and we witness the first martyrs for Christ. We have only a few days of unalloyed celebration before some of the most unsettling implications of the incarnation begin to come into view. 

Despite how incongruous these events are with Christmas joy, it is arguably appropriate to emphasize them at this point in the liturgical life of the Church. After all, they foreshadow the fact that, although Christ will ultimately prevail over suffering, evil, and death, he and those associated with him will enter into the darkness before it is defeated. In a manner similar to icons that allude to the cross as they depict the infant Christ, today’s gospel signals that the God of Christianity is not one who simply beholds the travails of the world from a comfortable distance. Instead, God is in our very midst, having taken on the human condition in all of its complexity, and indeed having taken it on until the bitter end. The method through which God has elected to save the world, then, involves joining with the world, entering into it as deeply as can be imagined, in order to transform it.  

The good news in all of this is that, by the end of Christ’s ministry, no feature of the human condition will have been untouched by God. No matter how dark the world is, through the life and death of Christ, God progressively takes on one element of suffering humanity after another, holding nothing back as God joins with the world, in so doing suffusing that which had been bereft of God’s presence with divine life to save it. 

For that salvation to occur, moreover, the world cannot stay the same. Christ makes Herod afraid for good reason. He is Lord; Herod is not. The incarnation turns the world upside down, and in so doing sets it aright. Those in positions of power are made profoundly uncomfortable by Christ’s arrival. As we celebrate Christmas, then, we are called upon to embrace the discomfort provoked by Christ beginning to transform the world, and to let that discomfort lead us as we discern the role we have to play in God’s saving work. 

Dr. Mark McInroy, Associate Chair and Professor of Theology 

The Campus Ministry Seasonal Reflections are offered during the liturgical seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter. We bring a variety of voices from Students, Faculty and Staff. The perspectives expressed in these reflections are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Campus Ministry. 

We celebrated the birth of Jesus two days ago; however, the Gospel today recalls the story that He died, rose and is missing from the tomb! Hold on a minute. I’m still celebrating His birth! 

John, who’s feast day is today, in the first reading says: 

“Beloved: What was from the beginning,  

what we have heard,  

what we have seen with our eyes,  

what we looked upon  

and touched with our hands 

 concerns the Word of life — 

for the life was made visible” 

When our first child was born, I remember the complete awareness that I had about life. I said to myself, “I get it now!” Our daughter was small and sick, but I knew she had been born to show me the Way. 

Babies are watched over lovingly by their parents, relatives, and even strangers. They attract attention. Jesus came to us as an infant to bring our Christian family together-as babies often do. 

“we have seen it and testify to it  

and proclaim to you the eternal life  

that was with the Father and was made visible to us—  

what we have seen and heard  

we proclaim now to you,  

so that you too may have fellowship with us;  

for our fellowship is with the Father  

and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 

We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.” 1 Jn 1:1-4 

Set your attention on the infant child that we are celebrating during these days of Christmas. Let your joy be complete in Jesus Christ. Let him show you the way. 

Merry Christmas! 

Michele Goodson, VP Administrative Assistant at the Office for Mission 

The Campus Ministry Seasonal Reflections are offered during the liturgical seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter. We bring a variety of voices from Students, Faculty and Staff. The perspectives expressed in these reflections are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Campus Ministry. 

Readings: Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr | USCCB 

Commemorating the martyrdom of Saint Stephen just a day after celebrating Christmas feels a bit like spiritual whiplash. The birth of Jesus which is marked by joy, light, and love is immediately followed by talk of persecution, hatred, and death. Though the themes of these two feast days seem to contradict one another, perhaps we are being invited to see that they also complement each other in some important ways. 

The familiar hymn “O Holy Night” portrays the contrast beautifully. Its early lines go, “Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope – the weary world rejoices.” The joy of Jesus’ coming is felt that much more because of the darkness that is present in his absence. Our soul comes to life with the hope that he brings, knowing that we are not constrained by the errors of the world or the sin of our own hearts now that the Savior has come. 

The next verse goes on, “In all our trials born to be our Friend. He knows our need – to our weakness is no stranger.” Though we may feel embarrassed, angry, or ashamed by our weaknesses, Jesus is not surprised or scandalized by us. He has come to accompany us in our neediness if we allow him to. We are not meant to face our trials alone. 

Stephen knew the truth that he was not alone through his own trials even as he was stoned to death. As we face the sin in the world and within ourselves, may we look intently to heaven for strength. To have our Friend is the thrill of hope in a sometimes weary world. 

Michelle Rash, Program Manager for the Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law, and Public Policy  

The Campus Ministry Seasonal Reflections are offered during the liturgical seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter. We bring a variety of voices from Students, Faculty and Staff. The perspectives expressed in these reflections are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Campus Ministry. 

Readings: The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) | USCCB 

Confession: I am a Christmastime procrastinator. I often begin my shopping on the Saturday before Christmas, which this year meant I started buying presents two days before they were to be unwrapped. This tendency results in my family receiving some head-scratching gifts from me that were nowhere close to appearing on their wish lists. Effective Christmas shopping requires some advance planning. 

I also can be slow to get my head around the significance of Christmas. It’s tempting for me just to glide along in my day-to-day routine, knowing that there is a major holiday approaching. But eventually – some years maybe not until Christmas Eve mass – I have to reckon with what it all means. God taking on human form, dwelling among us, embodying a love for us that transcends human understanding. Or as C.S. Lewis put it in The Last Battle, “Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.” The truth of Christmas changes everything. 

Unlike shopping for my family, what matters is not whether I contemplate the meaning of Christmas in late November, mid-December, or not until Christmas Day itself. What matters is that I grasp it and let it permeate my sense of purpose and view of the world. 

I don’t know what has been occupying your mind over these past few weeks. There are so many projects and plans and tasks to keep us scrambling during this season. But I know you’ve taken the time to read this email, so let me take the opportunity to remind you why the truth of Christmas matters so deeply: God loved you so much that He took human form to live among us and restore our relationship with the Creator of the universe. That love is for us, to be sure, but it’s meant to share – and we’re invited to convey God’s love, to be God’s love, in the world. 

However frantic you’ve felt in the days leading to this one, please pause to remember the life-changing truth we celebrate: God loves you. My prayer is that this truth will encourage you, sustain you, and transform you. Merry Christmas. 

Robert Vischer, University of St. Thomas President  

The Campus Ministry Seasonal Reflections are offered during the liturgical seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter. We bring a variety of voices from Students, Faculty and Staff. The perspectives expressed in these reflections are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Campus Ministry.