Word to the Wise
Wednesday, January 2, 2013 -
[1 John 2:22-28 and John 1:19-28]"Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father." [1 John]
The early Christian community did not have a comprehensive document like the Catechism of the Catholic Church to point to for reference! Questions about Jesus and his identity were actively debated and decided for nearly five hundred years! Sts. Basil and Gregory, whose feast day is today, were very active in that process in the fourth century! They were concerned with a heresy called Arianism, which taught that Jesus was less than divine. The letters of St. John show a concern for teachers who were "not on message!" So, we have the exhortation quoted above that urges the community to remember the true teaching that they had "from the beginning." The word that is commonly used is "orthodoxy."
The community has attempted time and time again for find language, symbols and expressions that will adequately communicate the truth about Jesus Christ. We have the scriptures as our first guide, and the traditions and teaching of the apostles and their successors. The sacraments of the church represent the continuing presence of God in our midst. All of this is necessary, but each of us also has to experience the "Christmas story" over and over again. It is what we have had "from the beginning." We may be lowly like the shepherds or important like the Magi, but we all have to go to see what has been announced by the angels and the star. AMEN
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