Epiphany
Fraternal love is the key to unlocking the treasure trove of Scripture.
Scripture References for Monday before Epiphany:
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- First Reading:
- First Letter of St John. Chapter 2, Verses 22 to 28.
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- Gospel:
Vegan Christian Comment:
- Christians are pro-Christ, not anti-Christ. To be pro-Christ is to believe that Jesus is God made manifest in human form; the Christ who is completely without sin (sin meaning lacking in love). To be anti-Christ is to believe that Jesus was a fallible sinner like any other man who ever walked the earth (an adherent of the Arian heresy). 'Christianity for Beginners' is taught in our churches for the new year, the foundational basics. To suggest that Jesus did anything cruel is to refute his Divine identity. Christians strive to be increasingly pure, in order to be more like Christ. We celebrate the true God's birth among men.
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- First Reading:
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- Gospel:
Vegan Christian Comment:
- God is righteous, and all who practise righteousness are obeying him. Jesus is like a lamb following his shepherd, fully trusting and gentle. Do mere sheep in the hands of bandits readily adopt the diets and vices of wicked men? John the baptist recognized Jesus as the lamb of God. Doves make their home on dry land, in peaceful places. Whoever he was amongst, Jesus had only one Master. Jesus is confident in God's strength, because God has no weakness, and the Christ is part of God's being and a manifestation of God's mind. Love can see evil, but could not become like it. Evil has never known love, and can only be undone. It is a measure of our maturity, the extent to which we can differentiate between good and evil.
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- First Reading:
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- Gospel:
- The name Jesus means 'Saviour'. The men who listened to him called him 'Teacher'. Those who questioned him, and saw how he lived, called him 'Messiah' or 'Christ', the fulfilment of the promises given in Scripture. Jesus too could see men's nature, and named them. 'Simon', the fisherman, was a hard case to view, and Jesus called him 'Rock' (Peter). Jesus' name was given to him in infancy as a circumcision of his flesh. Peter's name was given to him in maturity, to re-employ him more virtuously. To learn a new name is an introduction. Seeking out the Messiah led Peter to greater awareness of his own sinfulness.
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- First Reading:
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- Gospel:
- Jesus can see the bonds between people. By calling one man, he calls all those who are in brotherly relationship with him. Through fraternal networks, he is introduced to both hard men and honest men, heedless and contemplative men. Some individuals are slow learning, others spiritual and perceptive, but all are already in relationship with each other. Through those he meets, he reaches out to a yet wider society. Through Jesus, God begins to enter into the networks of fraternal community; those who together hope for better things ahead, increasing their expectations for good.
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- First Reading:
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- Gospel:
- Jesus is in intimate union with God. John the Baptist was in union with men, the Prophets of old. Men who accepted the friendship of John the Baptist, and accepted what he said, followed his example to lead a more straightforward life. They may have torn their rich garments as a sign of conversion. The God who made heaven and earth and all that it contains as a garment for Himself, gave a sign that Jesus's conduct was a good example for conversion to His commandments; he tore the heavens open as Noah once opened a hatch of the Ark and let a dove fly out. Noah's dove settled on an olive branch springing forth in the wake of a natural disaster. God's dove settled on Jesus. John wore leather, and camel hair. Jesus' sandals were in a completely different league.
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- First Reading:
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- Gospel:
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Vegan Christian Comment:
- New stages in the development of our lives are marked by signs. New names are given for new roles and identities. There is a danger where people conform to the expectations of social groups, in pretence, and give false signs of changes of state which have not really occurred. At weddings, girls are supposed to take on a more mature role and be introduced to the fraternity of male society. Bachelors are supposed to take on concerns beyond those specific to men. The God of Creation was able to turn water into fruit juice (which is expected of him by those who know him). That he turned the accepted order of a wedding on its head by listening to his mother's concerns was remarked upon. The provision of hundreds of gallons of refreshing liquid food in answer to prayer is a sobering thought. (Binge drinking of alcohol damages marriages, families and friendships and was part of the cult of idolatry, and so he could not have provided for this.) Jesus and his mother may have been wondering what gift to provide for the newly weds before they left to go home. Setting up in business to sell pure fresh grape juice set them off to a good start.
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- First Reading:
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- Second Reading:
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- Gospel:
- The visitors from afar were wise because they sought God. They were wise because they gave God thoughtfully individual gifts. They were wise because they gave God the very best that they could offer. They were wise because they gave him things that were fitting to his role. Gold, because Jesus is King and gold is the most beautiful and expensive metal to honour him with. Frankincense, because Jesus is God and it is the fragrance burned to accompany our most noble and solemn prayers on their ascent to heaven. Myrrh, because it is over Jesus' dead body that injustice reigns on earth, and he is Saviour of all creatures living and dead.
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- First Reading:
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- Gospel:
- Jesus is recognized because he is true. He is truly God, truly man, and truly amongst us. He is sought out because of the fruits of his labours. He proclaims a repentance that brings healing, alleviating all sufferings brought to him. To recognize him is to shake hands with heaven. To meet eye to eye is to see not just a life, but the power of life who vanquishes tragedy and death.
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- First Reading:
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- Gospel:
- Jesus gives his people a choice between good and evil, between love and hate, food or poison, bread or animal flesh. Jesus gives his people an opportunity to look at ourselves. To think about the way we live our lives, and to consider the choices we make. Jesus teaches people to accept what is good. He also gives the grace (the time and the wherewithal) to make good all of the bad things that have so far been accepted. Things that are in God's sight unacceptable.
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- First Reading:
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- Gospel:
- Jesus gives his followers opportunities to welcome him, not only as man, but as God. He leaves, and then returns, in ways that appear strange. The Lord of Life appears as it is imagined the dead appear. But Jesus does not recognise those who do not follow him as being alive like Himself. To fear Jesus is to fail to recognize him as the God who is love and Lord of all Creation. His words are not shifting or groundless like the waves and the tides. He has integrity and is borne up by the Truth whatever the circumstances.
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- First Reading:
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- Gospel:
- Our brothers are those who share our origin and purpose. Brothers respect and follow the same rules; the rules given by a shared father. We cannot be sons of God without loving our brothers. Nor can we be children of God without recognizing the full extent of his paternity. We have been promised that we may eventually know him, and the procedure of our adoption has begun. God is not limited to the restraints of human society. Alone, without God, the death-dealing world is passing away. All creatures have a shared purpose to praise God, and to live as the mutual cause of our being commands.
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- First Reading:
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- Gospel:
- When Jesus is recognized as Lord, and welcomed within a person, the disorders which blight and offend are restored to health and beauty. The world is subject to that which reigns in a person's heart. Men are swayed by a multitude of uncertainties. Jesus is certain. We welcome him to the extent that we are certain about his love.
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- First Reading:
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- Gospel:
- Only the things that God gives are certain. A friend of God has no cause for jealousy when His words favour another. If human beings have been chosen by God, as a species, to enjoy a special relationship in partnership with Him, this is a cause of joy for the whole of the animal kingdom whom the partnership can only be intended to benefit.
Scripture References for the Tuesday before Epiphany:
Scripture References for the Wednesday before Epiphany:
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Scripture References for Thursday before Epiphany:
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Scripture References for the Friday before Epiphany:
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Scripture References for the Saturday before Epiphany:
Scripture References for Epiphany Sunday:
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Scripture References for the Monday after Epiphany:
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Scripture References for the Tuesday after Epiphany:
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Scripture References for the Wednesday after Epiphany:
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Scripture References for the Thursday after Epiphany:
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Scripture References for the Friday after Epiphany:
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Scripture References for the Saturday after Epiphany:
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This is the way the Christmas Season comes to an end.