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[1 John 4:11-18 and Mark 6:45-52   Scriptures may vary at Dominican locales.]

     

     In preaching parish missions, I tell the story I once read in a wonderful book called THE HOLY LONGING by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, OMI about a child that wakes up in the night and begins to cry.  Mama rushes in to give comfort and asks what the problem is.  The child says, "I'm alone and I'm scared!"  Mama replies (maybe even while hugging the little one) that he or she is never really alone.  God is there.  The child answers, "But I want somebody with skin on!" 

     I tell this story to encourage the listeners "to put skin on" their baptismal commitment!  In essence I am asking them to incarnate the love that Jesus has for all of us.  If we do this, then people can see that, as the Letter of John says, "God remains in us."  Of course, this is the fundamental challenge of Christian life.  Christian love is not an abstraction!  In the very next service at the parish mission, I preach about forgiveness as a very real way of showing the love of Jesus.  In the closing service I speak about reaching out to those in need, no matter who they are.  The needs are so great that we can easily become overwhelmed, but one can start with what is nearby.  This means more than sending a check (as important as financial support for helping can be).  It means putting our skin on God's love so that someone can see that God remains in us.

     Once again, this is a form of epiphany.  Those who cannot find comfort in the manger scene can find real comfort in someone who personifies the child whose birth we celebrate in this season.  We can put skiin on the epiphany!  AMEN