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Men of Epiphany will be meeting this Saturday, February 10th, 6:30 a.m. in the Hearth room. If you can make it, this study is a marvelous preparation for each week's Mass readings.

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Receiving the Love of Jesus Christ, And Then Giving It to Others

Sunday, February 11, 2007
Jeremiah 17:5-8
Psalm 1:1-4,6
1 Corinthians 15:12,16-20
Luke 6:17,20-26

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Dr. Ramsey MacMullen, professor of classics at Yale University, wrote a book entitled Christianizing the Roman Empire: a.d. 100-400. The book describes how the early Christians genuinely wanted to be Christ’s disciples and heroically spread the gospel throughout the Roman Empire, at the risk of being maligned, persecuted, and even put to death.

For these early believers, the gospel entailed a clear choice between being set free by Jesus or being bound by sin. What is amazing is that they chose Jesus because they had experienced his love. They knew how much Jesus loved them personally, and they loved Jesus in return.

St. Luke tells us that the people who came to hear Jesus’ words came also to be healed and delivered from evil spirits. And they were healed because of the power that came from Jesus. Divine power, sustained by unconditional love, flowed freely from him.

We might come to Jesus because his words are true. However, it is far more likely that we will come to him and embrace his teachings when we experience his love and his power to heal and help us. When we sense Jesus’ presence, we feel drawn toward him like a giant magnet. And as we go to him, we experience his forgiveness, mercy, and love.

So when you receive Communion today, look up to Jesus and say, “Lord, show me your power and your love. Give me the same experience you gave to those who heard you preach long ago.” Jesus won’t let you down. You will experience a great joy in your heart as the love of God is poured upon you.

But it doesn’t end there. The early Christians “gave” Jesus to the Roman Empire. Similarly, each of us should be sure to receive Jesus and to give him to our family and friends. It may involve embarrassment, a negative comment, or a even a taste of the rejection the first Christians experienced. But it will be well worth it.

“Dear Lord, come and fill me with your love, and then I will tell others of your love.”

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1.    In the first reading, Jeremiah contrasts the “cursed” man who trusts only in his own strength and the “blessed” man who trusts in the Lord. Can you share from your life an example of the negative fruit of not trusting in the Lord and the positive fruit of trusting in Him?

2.    The responsorial psalm offers again these two vivid images of the blessed and wicked man. What did you learn about yourself when you turned away from God that can help you overcome when similarly tempted? What happened when you turned back to God?

3.    In the second reading, St. Paul asserts that the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the heart of our Christian faith. Do you believe this as well? Why or why not? Do you also believe that our own individual resurrection from the dead is as certain as Christ’s own was? Why or why not? Our trust in God’s word and his promises should dispel anxiety and fear and give us courage. How, if at all, is your day/week/life shaped by this sure and certain expectation of the resurrection of Jesus and your own resurrection?

4.    The Gospel reading contains St. Luke’s account of Jesus’ sermon on the beatitudes. Jesus says that those who are poor, hungry, weeping, and persecuted are the ones who are blessed. Why do you think this is so? How does this differ from how we as men judge those who we think are the blessed ones? God wants us to be detached; i.e., to look at things objectively and not be ruled by our natural preference for abundance over scarcity, pleasure over pain, applause over ridicule. Who or what rules your life?

5.    Jesus Christ was the perfect “man of the beatitudes.” We too are called by Christ to be “men of the beatitudes.” How can you as a group of men, or individually, be a channel of God’s love as you reach out to the poor, or the hungry, or the sorrowful, or the persecuted in response to the gifts you have received?

6. In the meditation, we hear these words, “each of us should be sure to receive Jesus and to give him to our family and friends.” In spite of the difficulties we may be experiencing, God offers us an experience of Jesus’ love so great that everything else pales in comparison. How can we as Catholic men open our hearts more to receive this love? What practical steps can we take to share this love with others?

Come Holy Spirit!  ~  Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and en kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. Let us pray: O God, you taught the hearts of your faithful by sending them the light of your Holy Spirit. In that same spirit give us your right judgment and the joy of your consolation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Prayer to St. Joseph  ~  Glorious St. Joseph, guide and protector of the Holy Family, we ask that you obtain for us from your son, Jesus, the strength and wisdom to lead our families to their Father in heaven. Most Chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may we imitate your obedience to the will of God and be ever mindful of the vocation to which we have been called. Amen