Word to the Wise
Monday, January 2, 2017 - Jan. 2
[1 John 2:22-28 and John 1:19-28]MONDAY, JANUARY 2, 2017 ST. BASIL THE GREAT AND ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN [1 John 2:22-28 and John 1:19-28] "Who are you?" [John] Since the day that Jesus was born, believers have wrestled with the question that the religious authorities asked John the Baptist: "Who are you?" Jesus asked his disciples that question: "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" We celebrate today the dual feast of two of the great Fathers of the Church. They both lived in the fourth century when the Council of Nicea issued the creed that we recite every Sunday and Solemnity. This should remind us that faith and vocabulary sometimes have a difficult relationship. Nearly a hundred years after Basil and Gregory, another council, the Council of Chalcedon, issued a declaration about Jesus' divinity and humanity. Nicea and Chalcedon are important events, but most of us do not live our lives of faith on the level of the theological dogmas of those councils, I important as they are. The First Letter of John, which provides the first scripture for today, struggles with the fact that there were many preachers of the time that were preaching answers to the question, "Who are you", that were not true. We have the benefit of many ecumenical councils and magisterial teachings of church leadership, but we also have the Holy Spirit to guide us (as it guides leadership in its role) in our day to day relationship to Jesus. It is always an interesting thing to go around the room and ask each person, "Who do you say the Son of Man is?" Look again at the baby in the manger and ask yourself that question. Even your own answer might surprise you! AMEN
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