Matthew 5:1–12a

The Sermon on the Mount

5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

The Beatitudes

²  And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
³  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
⁵  “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
⁷  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
⁸  “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
⁹  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰  “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹  “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 

¹²  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:1–12a ESV – Bible Gateway

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In the lectionary, this Gospel passage marks the start of six consecutive Sundays focusing on the Sermon of the Mount, and we start with the Beatitudes. These verses are charged with meaning and are the template for living the Christian life.

We can blithely pass over “he went up on the mountain” and pass quickly to the Beatitudes. Dr. Brant Pitre brings out an important aspect regarding this:

Just as Moses went up Mount Sinai in order to get the 10 Commandments, the old law, so now Jesus, the new Moses, goes up to the top of this mountain in Galilee in order to give his disciples the new law, the law of the Gospel. So Jesus is a new Moses here. However, it’s important also to note though that there’s both a difference and a similarity. The difference here is significant. If you go back to the book of Exodus in Exodus 19 and 20, Moses, when he gets the 10 Commandments, the old law, he brings it down to the bottom of the mountain and gives it to the people at the bottom of the mountain. But when it comes to Jesus, the new Moses, with the new law of the Sermon on the Mount, he actually doesn’t deliver it at the bottom of the mountain, he gives it at the top of the mountain. So he’s bringing the disciples up to a higher law, a higher commandment, because Moses’ law was ultimately oriented toward the kingdom of Israel, toward the earthly kingdom in Jerusalem, but Jesus’s new law is going to be ordered toward the kingdom of heaven, a heavenly kingdom. So there’s a similarity but there is also a big difference here with regard to Jesus as the new Moses of the new mountain giving the new law.[1]

To continue with a note from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible:

The mountain signifies the higher precepts of righteousness, for the precepts given to Israel were lower. God gave lesser laws to those requiring the bonds of fear, but higher laws to those ready to be set free by love. The higher precepts are for the kingdom of heaven, just as the lower precepts were for a kingdom on earth (St. Augustine, On the Sermon on the Mount 1, 1, 2). he sat down: The posture of a Jewish rabbi speaking with authority (cf. 23:1–2; Jn 8:2). [2]

Dr. John Bergsma gives a quick overview of what the Beatitudes are:

Now, with respect to the Beatitudes (which are just the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount and not synonymous with the entire Sermon, which lasts from Matt 5–7), we should note that there are eight main ones (vv. 3–10), followed by an epilogue on persecution (vv. 11–12). The first and eighth beatitudes promise the blessing of the “kingdom of heaven.” That is a literary device called an inclusio (beginning and ending on the same topic), which highlights the main point. So the Beatitudes are about the kingdom of heaven; specifically, they are the virtues that are required of kingdom citizens.[3]

and

Finally, we should note that the beatitudes are not a simple grab-bag of random virtues, but there is a certain progression as we move through them. They are all interrelated, and to a certain extent they move from one to the next.[4]

I need to be reminded of what the translated word “blessing” means:

The Greek word being translated as blessing here is actually makarios, which means happy. That is the literal translation of the word. So when you read the Beatitudes it’s not just a list of blessings, it’s actually a description of how to be happy, it’s the secret of happiness. And you can see this much more clearly if you read a Latin translation of the Bible like the Latin Vulgate, because the Latin word is beatus, which means happy, and that’s where we even get the word beatitude from.[5]

Dr. Brant Pitre also writes:

…the Catechism says that the Beatitudes “depict the countenance of Jesus Christ.” In other words, the Beatitudes are not just something that he’s calling his disciples to, they are something that he himself embodied. So if you look at each of the Beatitudes, they kind of give you a spiritual profile of Jesus himself. They depict the face of Christ himself. [6]

Specifically, the Catechism says:

CCC 1717 The Beatitudes depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray his charity. They express the vocation of the faithful associated with the glory of his Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured, however dimly, for Christ’s disciples; they have begun in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.[7]

Looking at the individual Beatitudes, you can quickly come to the opinion that they are a serious pushback against almost everything the world attempts to teach daily. This is not surprising, as this is the very pattern of Jesus’ teaching method. To stand us on our heads to see his magnificent creation as it is and that it permeates the moral law with this same magnificence and wonder.

The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture for the Gospel of Matthew puts this idea succinctly:

Jesus’ beatitudes represent a reversal of values, turning the world’s standards for happiness upside down. Many of the people whom the world would consider to be among the most miserable—the poor, the mourning, the meek, the persecuted—Jesus proclaims to be in an advantageous situation, for God looks now with favor on them and assures them of consolation in the future. Jesus thus challenges his followers to see life from God’s viewpoint, not the world’s. When his followers live by God’s standards, they are truly in a fortunate state in life, no matter what their circumstances may be, for they bring a glimmer of the joy and hope of the heavenly kingdom into the afflictions of the present world.[8]

These references provide a quick summary of the concept of the Beatitudes, and I am only going to do a quick look at one of them. The second Beatitude addresses those who mourn, and this is one I never understood correctly since I have jumped to the common meaning of mourn.

“Blessed are they who mourn” or “happy are they who mourn.” Here St. Augustine and other commentators say that Jesus is describing those who lament the sufferings, the sin and the death that are part of this present life. So someone who mourns is someone who is experiencing the pain of loss, whether lamenting their own sinfulness or the sinfulness of others, lamenting their own suffering or the sufferings of others, and especially of course the primary expression of mourning is mourning for those who have died. What does Jesus say? “Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” He points to a promise of comfort beyond the sufferings of this life.[9]

St. Thomas Aquinas, in his commentary on Matthew, states:

And this mourning can be explained in three ways. Firstly, mourning can be not only for one’s own sins but also for others’ sins; because if we lament those who have carnally died, much more should we lament those who have died spiritually; “How long wilt thou mourn for Saul,” etc.[10]

I will finish with two more quotes from the Church Fathers:

St. Ambrose: When yon have done thus much, attained both poverty and meekness, remember that you are a sinner, mourn your sins, as He proceeds, Blessed are they that mourn. And it is suitable that the third blessing should be of those that mourn for sin, for it is the Trinity that forgives sin.[11]

St. Augustine. Otherwise; mourning is sorrow for the loss of what is dear; but those that are turned to God lose the things that they held dear in this world; and as they have now no longer any joy in such things as before they had joy in, their sorrow may not be healed till there is formed within them a love of eternal things. They shall then be comforted by the Holy Spirit, who is therefore chiefly called, The Paraclete, that is, ‘Comforter;’ so that for the loss of their temporal joys, they shall gain eternal joys.[12]

Sources

• Catholic Productions, Commentaries by Brant Pitre
• The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible꞉ The New Testament
• The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A—John Bergsma
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition
• The Gospel of Matthew (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture)
• Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew
• Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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1. Catholic Productions, Brant Pitre, 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)  ↩
2. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament  ↩
3. The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A, John Bergsma, 4TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME  ↩
4. ibid  ↩
5. Catholic Productions, Brant Pitre, 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)  ↩
6. ibid  ↩
7. Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed). United States Catholic Conference.  ↩
8. The Gospel of Matthew, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, Edward Sri and Curtis Mitch  ↩
9. Catholic Productions, Brant Pitre, 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)  ↩
10. Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, Dolorosa Press  ↩
11. St. Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan, A.D. 374. Ambrose. (ubi sup.) Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers: St. Matthew (J. H. Newman, Ed.; Vol. 1, p. 150).  ↩
12. St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, A.D. 396. (Serm. in Mont. i. 2.) Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers: St. Matthew (J. H. Newman, Ed.; Vol. 1, p. 150).  ↩

Matthew 4:12–23

Jesus Begins His Ministry

¹²  Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. ¹³  And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,¹⁴  so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

¹⁵  “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
    the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶  the people dwelling in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
    on them a light has dawned.”

¹⁷  From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

¹⁸  While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹  And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰  Immediately they left their nets and followed him. ²¹  And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. ²²  Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

Matthew 4:12–23 ESV – Bible Gateway

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This Sunday’s Gospel kicks off our journey through the Gospel of Matthew for Year A of the Lectionary Cycle. This journey starts with what Matthew identifies as the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.

After the news had reached them of the arrest of John the Baptist, they withdraw to Galilee. This reminds me both of the prudence of Jesus, but also of Joseph. When Joseph received word from an Angel that Herod had died, he was all set to return to Bethlehem with Mary and Jesus. When he learns that Herod Archelaus had succeeded his father in Judea, he goes to Nazareth in Galilee instead. In both cases, we see a decision made to avoid what was possibly a dangerous place too close to the political and religious authorities.

From the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible:

Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth in lower Galilee but stays only long enough to say his good-byes. He has decided to resettle in Capernaum, a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. This was a place of some importance in the first century, quite a bit larger than the tiny village of Nazareth. Capernaum thrived on its fishing industry and was close to a Roman road called the Via Maris, which served as a commercial route connecting Galilee with Syria to the north. Jesus chooses this busy town as the base of operations for his Galilean ministry.[1]

Matthew interprets the move to Capernaum as a fulfillment of prophecy.[2] He quotes from Isaiah, which was our first reading today. Dr. Brant Pitre elaborates:

Now guess what were the first two tribes to go into exile in the Assyrian exile. It was the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. In other words, the territory of Galilee is where that exile began, where the overthrow of the 12 tribes started, and that’s where Jesus is going to begin his public ministry. Precisely where the exile began is where Jesus is going to start undoing the effects of the exile. Precisely where the 12 tribes were decimated and broken into pieces and scattered to the four winds is where Jesus is going to begin calling his 12 disciples in order to gather around himself a new Israel and in order to establish a new king. That’s why he’s doing it. This is very very deliberate on Jesus’ part. He knows exactly what he’s doing here.[3]

The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible adds:

4:15–16 The land of Zebulun … dawned: A citation from Is 9:1–2 concerning the land allotments of two Israelite tribes, Zebulun and Naphtali. Since these Galilean regions were the first to be ravaged by Assyrian invasions from 733 to 732 b.c. (2 Kings 15:29), Jesus targets Galilee as the place to begin reversing the tragedies of Israel’s history by restoring the 12 tribes in the New Covenant (cf. 15:24; 19:28; Rev 7:4–8).
Isaiah foresees a “latter time” (Is 9:1), when God will restore hope to Galilee. Matthew links this with Jesus’ residence in “Capernaum” (4:13), a town north of the Sea of Galilee where the tribal territories of Zebulun and Naphtali intersect. Matthew’s sustained interest in the Davidic kingship of Jesus suggests that the fuller context of this oracle is also significant. Isaiah 9:1–2 prefaces an Immanuel prophecy of the birth of a new king who will sit “upon the throne of David” (Is 9:7) and restore this light of hope to Galilee (cf. Lk 1:32–33). [4]

Jesus starts with a message that continues on the preaching of John the Baptist and would also have been very familiar to John’s disciples.

St. Thomas Aquinas, in his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, writes:

From that time Jesus began to preach. Having set forth the place where Christ first began to preach, here is set forth the manner of preaching. From that time, namely, after the conquering of gluttony, vainglory and ambition, or avarice, He began to preach: for suchlike men can suitably preach. And in this way is fulfilled that passage of Acts 1, 1: “Jesus began to do and to teach.” Or, from that time, that is, after John’s imprisonment, He began to preach publicly: for previously He preached secretly and to certain men (Jn. 1, 38 ff.), namely, to Peter, Andrew, Philip, and Nathaniel, but here publicly. Now He did not at first wish to preach publicly, to give place to John’s preaching: otherwise it would have been of no avail, just as the light of the stars is obscured by the light of the sun. Now it is signified by this that when the figures of the Law had ceased, Christ’s preaching began; “But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away” (I Cor. 13, 10). For by John the Law is signified; “The prophets and the law were until John”[5]

As Dr. John Bergsma points out, it is likely not the case that “the four men drop their nets to follow a total stranger…”[6] and continues with the likelihood “that these four men had already encountered Jesus before and had some interaction with him. Jesus is not calling to total strangers, but he is calling the men to commit whole-heartedly to what, up to that time, had been a casual relationship with him.”[7] Another interesting aspect he points to is that “In Judaism, it was only permissible to cease the practice of one’s livelihood and break family ties for the sake of the study of God’s Word, the Torah, “The Law.” In calling his disciples to abandon everything, not to study the Law but to follow him, Jesus is placing himself in the role of the Law of God. He is God’s Word incarnate. Imitating him is a form of studying God’s Law.”[8]
He also gives us this detail:

He calls fishermen to follow him and become “fishers of men.” Although Matthew doesn’t call attention to the fact, this is actually a fulfillment of an oracle of the prophet Jeremiah:[9]

Behold, I am sending for many fishers, says the LORD, and they shall catch them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks. (16:16, RSV2CE)

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen called Jesus The Only Person Ever Pre-Announced and Dr. Peter Kreeft reminds us about Messianic prophesies and their importance:

There are literally hundreds of specific prophecies in the Old Testament of the Messiah, the “anointed one” or the “promised one,” and Jesus fulfilled every one of them in every detail. No other religious founder ever fulfilled so many specific prophecies. Today’s reading from Isaiah is one of them, and Matthew quotes it in today’s Gospel.[10]

We can discern much by this initial call of four apostles. Unsurprisingly, St. Thomas Aquinas gives us some of the depth of this:

Note that at the beginning He called brothers: and although He called many others, nevertheless, mention is specially made of these, because they were outstanding, and because He called them by pairs: for the New Law is founded in charity: whence, also in the Old Law, He called two brothers, Aaron and Moses, because even then the commandment of charity was given. And because the New Law is more perfect, thus at the beginning a double number of brothers is called, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother. By these four men the four Gospels’ doctrine, or four virtues, is signified: because by Peter, which is interpreted ‘knowing,’ the virtue of prudence is signified; by Andrew, which is interpreted ‘virile’ or ‘very strong,’ the virtue of fortitude is signified; by James, which is interpreted ‘supplanter,’ the virtue of justice is signified; and by John, on account of his virginity, the virtue of temperance is signified. Their piety is set forth, because they were with their father, Zebedee.[11]

St. John Henry Newman reminds us that Jesus calls all of us:

“Such are the instances of Divine calls in Scripture, and their characteristic is this; to require instant obedience, and next to call us we know not to what; to call us on in the darkness. Faith alone can obey them. But it may be urged, How does this concern us now? … For in truth we are not called once only, but many times; all through our life Christ is calling us. He called us first in Baptism; but afterwards also; whether we obey His voice or not, He graciously calls us still. If we fall from our Baptism, He calls us to repent; if we are striving to fulfil our calling, He calls us on from grace to grace, and from holiness to holiness, while life is given us. Abraham was called from his home, Peter from his nets, Matthew from his office, Elisha from his farm, Nathanael from his retreat; we are all in course of calling, on and on, from one thing to another, having no resting place, but mounting towards our eternal rest, and obeying one command only to have another put upon us.”[12]

Sources

• The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible꞉ The New Testament
• The Gospel of Matthew (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture)
• Catholic Productions, Commentaries by Brant Pitre
• Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, St. Thomas Aquinas
• The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A – John Bergsma
• Life of Christ, Fulton J. Sheen
• Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Cycle A
• Newman Reader – Parochial & Plain Sermons 8 – Sermon 2
• Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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1. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament  ↩
2. The Gospel of Matthew, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, Edward Sri and Curtis Mitch  ↩
3. Catholic Productions, Brant Pitre  ↩
4. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament  ↩
5. Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, Dolorosa Press  ↩
6. The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A, John Bergsma  ↩
7. ibid  ↩
8. ibid  ↩
9. ibid  ↩
10. Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Cycle A  ↩
11. Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, Dolorosa Press  ↩
12. Sermon 2 in John Henry Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1899), 8:22–23.  ↩

John 1:29–34

²⁹  The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰  This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ³¹  I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³²  And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.³³  I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴  And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

John 1:29–34 ESV – Bible Gateway

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As Catholics, we are very familiar with the term the “Lamb of God” as we hear it at least every time we celebrate the liturgy. We also see this in artistic imagery, but what we become so familiar with can also lose touch with.

The Navarre commentary of the Gospel of John points out:

For the first time in the Gospel Christ is called the “Lamb of God”. Isaiah had compared the sufferings of the Servant of Yahweh, the Messiah, with the sacrifice of a lamb (cf. Is 53:7); and the blood of the paschal lamb smeared on the doors of houses had served to protect the firstborn of the Israelites in Egypt (cf. Ex 12:6–7): all this was a promise and prefiguring of the true Lamb, Christ, the victim in the sacrifice of Calvary on behalf of all mankind. This is why St Paul will say that “Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor 5:7). The expression “Lamb of God” also suggests the spotless innocence of the Redeemer (cf. 1 Pet 1:18–20; 1 Jn 3:5).[1]

When John the Baptist invoked this term he was not envisioning a warm image of a soft cuddly lamb, but a lamb destined for sacrifice to save us from our myriad sins.

Dr. Brant Pitre goes into the point that we “we don’t have any text that talks about the Passover Lamb taking away sin. It protects from death…” and that “the image of taking away the sin of the world is actually an allusion to the suffering servant. So in the book of Isaiah 53, Isaiah describes this mysterious figure of the servant who will take upon himself the iniquities of all the people, and Isaiah says of the servant that “like a lamb he was led to the slaughter” and that “upon him were the sins of the many,” that “he bore the sins of the many,” an image of taking away the sin of the people.”[2]

St. Theophylact of Nicomedia. (in loc.) Why does he say the sin of the world, not sins? Because he wished to express sin universally: just as we say commonly, that man was cast out of paradise; meaning the whole human race.[3]

The Catechism concurs in this:

§608 After agreeing to baptize him along with the sinners, John the Baptist looked at Jesus and pointed him out as the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” By doing so, he reveals that Jesus is at the same time the suffering Servant who silently allows himself to be led to the slaughter and who bears the sin of the multitudes, and also the Paschal Lamb, the symbol of Israel’s redemption at the first Passover. Christ’s whole life expresses his mission: “to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”[4]

There is so much depth in all that John the Baptist is revealing here. Pointing out that Jesus is the mysterious figure of the suffering servant as prophesied by Isaiah and then blithely mentioning that Jesus pre-existed him alluding to his divinity. John’s original audience would have understood none of this, would not even have even known that Jesus was born three months after him.

They also would not have been puzzled by the statement made by John that “I myself did not know him.” We, as a modern audience, might ponder why John would not know his relative Jesus.

St. Chrysostom. (Hom. xvii. ❲al. xvi.❳ 2.) That He might not seem however to give His testimony from any motive of friendship or kindred, in consequence of his being related to our Lord according to the flesh, he says, I knew Him not. John could not of course know Him, having lived in the desert. And the miraculous events of Christ’s childhood, the journey of the Magi, and such like, were now a long time past; John having been quite an infant, when they happened. And throughout the whole of the interval, He had been absolutely unknown: insomuch that John proceeds, But that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. (And hence it is clear that the miracles said to have been performed by Christ in His childhood, are false and fictitious. For if Jesus had performed miracles at this early age, he would not have been unknown to John, nor would the multitude have wanted a teacher to point Him out.) Christ Himself then did not want baptism; nor was that washing for any other reason, than to give a sign beforehand of faith in Christ. For John saith not, in order to change men, and deliver from sin, but, that he should be made manifest in Israel, have I come baptizing. But would it not have been lawful for him to preach, and bring crowds together, without baptizing? Yes: but this was the easier way, for he would not have collected such numbers, had he preached without baptizing.[5]

The humility of St. John the Baptist is always so striking. Taking every effort to point to Jesus and away from himself. Aware that even the baptism of repentance he preached and practiced was to be quickly superseded.

Dr. Peter Kreeft writes:

John was not the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John cannot take away our sins. John’s baptism does not take away our sins, as Baptism in the name of Jesus does. In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul discovers a congregation of Christians who don’t see that great difference. He senses something missing, and he says, “How were you baptized?” And they say, “With the baptism of John.” And Paul says, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard that, “they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,” and “the holy Spirit came upon them,” just as the three thousand at Pentecost. They even received the charismatic gift of speaking in tongues (Acts 19:3–8).[6]

St. John the Baptist then gives the testimony of what he witnessed after he baptized Jesus.

Dr. John Bergsma shows some of the connection that this reveals.

“I saw the Spirit come down … and remained upon him.” This calls to mind the anointing of David in 1 Samuel 16, on whom the Spirit came mightily “from that day forward” (v. 13); in other words, it remained on him. The Spirit coming down and remaining on Jesus marks him out as the heir of David. John the Baptist, the prophet, plays the role of Samuel, who anointed the first David. This Gospel announces Jesus as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision of the Davidic royal servant, the one who is “Israel.” Just as Israel washed in the waters of the Jordan symbolically when they crossed into the Promised Land under the first Joshua (Y’shua, Jesus), so this second Joshua (Y’shua, Jesus) comes to enter the Jordan once more and lead us all to the promised land of heaven. This is done primarily through Baptism, in which we, as Christians, are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, which gives us power to become children of God and to live lives of holiness, not continual defeat.[7]

From “The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament” edition:

1:32 the Spirit descend as a dove: The Baptism of Jesus, which initiates his manifestation to Israel (1:31) and prefigures the effects of sacramental Baptism (3:1–13)…. remain: The Greek expression is used often in John (also translated “dwell” or “abide”) for the enduring bond between the Father and Son (14:10; 15:10) and for the indwelling of the Trinity in the believer (6:56; 14:17; 15:4–7).[8]

This is a salutary reminder for us to reflect on our own baptism and how, through it, it configures us to Christ.

Recently Pope Francis said we should celebrate our baptism like a birthday.

“It is like a birthday because baptism makes us reborn in Christian life. That is why I advise you to teach your children the date of their baptism as a new birthday: that every year they will remember and thank God for this grace of becoming a Christian.“[9]

Concluding with a paragraph from the Catechism:

§537 Through Baptism the Christian is sacramentally assimilated to Jesus, who in his own baptism anticipates his death and resurrection. The Christian must enter into this mystery of humble self-abasement and repentance, go down into the water with Jesus in order to rise with him, be reborn of water and the Spirit so as to become the Father’s beloved son in the Son and “walk in newness of life”: (CCC 1262; CCC 628)

Let us be buried with Christ by Baptism to rise with him; let us go down with him to be raised with him; and let us rise with him to be glorified with him.

Everything that happened to Christ lets us know that, after the bath of water, the Holy Spirit swoops down upon us from high heaven and that, adopted by the Father’s voice, we become sons of God.[10]

Sources

• The Navarre Bible – St. John
• Catholic Productions, Commentaries by Brant Pitre
• Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers, Volume 4: St. John – Verbum
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition
• Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Cycle A
• The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A – John Bergsma
• The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible꞉ The New Testament
• Pope Francis Celebrate the date of your baptism like a birthday Catholic News Agency
• Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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1. Navarre, Saint John (2005)  ↩
2. Catholic Productions, Brant Pitre, 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)  ↩
3. Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed). United States Catholic Conference.  ↩
4. Theophylact, Archbishop of Ohrid, A.D. 1078, Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers: St. John (J. H. Newman, Ed.; Vol. 4, p. 58)  ↩
5. Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Cycle A  ↩
6. The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A, John  ↩
7. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament  ↩
8. Pope Francis: Celebrate the date of your baptism like a birthday, https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253288/pope-francis-celebrate-the-date-of-your-baptism-like-a-birthday  ↩
9. Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed). United States Catholic Conference. Paragraph 537  ↩
10. St. John Chrysostom, Abp. of Constantinople, A.D.398. Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers: St. John (J. H. Newman, Ed.; Vol. 4, p. 59)  ↩

Matthew 2:1–12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ²  saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” ³  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴  and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵  They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

⁶  “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷  Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸  And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹  After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.¹¹  And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹²  And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Matthew 21–12 ESV – Bible Gateway

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This Gospel invokes so much imagery for us that and so much of this imagery passes on concerning the Magi and the star is simply false. So much conjecture concerning the star that starts on false premises.

Jimmy Akin recently wrote an article in the most recent Catholic Answers magazine titled “Why the Magi Came” which addresses some of this.

Summarizing these myths:[1]

1. The Magi were following the star.
2. The star moved in an unusual way.
3. The star was a new one and never appeared before.
4. The star was an angel or supernatural phenomenon.
5. The star was a fixed star.

He also covered some of this in an episode of Catholic Answers Focus “The Real Star of Bethlehem” which also weighs evidence of what the “star” actually was.

There is also a lot of speculation regarding the homeland of the Magi. There is a tradition of them being Persian, but there is much less certainty regarding this now and it is an open question. We don’t even know the total number of them other than tying this to the gifts given. Considering the time frame that Herod used regarding the slaughter of the innocence, when they arrived was likely long after Jesus’s birth up to two years later.

There has also been a lot of speculation on the gifts the Magi brought and their significance. The first reading from Isaiah has a Messianic prophecy regarding the nations that would come to him and bring him gifts of gold and frankincense.

Dr. John Bergsma writes:

The gifts that the magi bring are rich in biblical symbolism. As stated above, frankincense and myrrh are only mentioned together in the Old Testament in the Song of Songs, where they are nuptial perfumes employed by Solomon and his bride to prepare for their marriage. Here in Matthew, Jesus is being marked out as Bridegroom King from his birth.[2]

The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible brings out some of the traditional allegories:

Allegorically (St. Irenaeus, AH 3, 9, 2): the gifts of the Magi signify the mystery of Christ incarnate. Gold, a symbol of royalty, represents the kingship of Jesus. Frankincense, used in the worship of God, points to his divinity. Myrrh, a burial ointment, signifies the humanity of Christ, especially in his Passion and death. Morally (St. Gregory the Great, Hom. in Evan. 10): the treasures signify the gifts we present to Christ in our daily lives. Gold is Christ’s wisdom, which shines in us, frankincense is the prayer and adoration we give him (cf. Rev 8:3–4), and myrrh is our daily self-sacrifices (10:39; cf. Rom 12:1).[3]

What is much more significant than the gifts is that fact that the Magi worshipped the Christ-child.

Dr. Brant Pitre comments on this:

They go into the house with the child, they find Mary his mother, and they fall down and they worship him. Now this is extremely important because the word used here for worship, proskyneō , literally means to bow down prostrate before someone. It actually means to get down like a dog before another person. So you bow down before them prostrate.

and

And in some contexts the word proskyneō can be used for the kind of homage that you pay to just an ordinary king, but in the Gospel of Matthew he uses this term for the kind of expression of adoration and veneration that you give to God and God alone. So for example, just a couple chapters later in Matthew 4:9, the devil says to Jesus that if he just “bows down and worships him, he will give him all the kingdoms of the world.” And Jesus responds by saying “No. God alone shall you worship.” And yet we see the Magi in chapter 2 here worshiping Jesus the Christ child. So what is the implication? The implication is that they recognize that he’s not just the king of the Jews, they are not just venerating him as King, they are worshiping him as divine, as the divine king.

St. Peter Chrysologus in one of his sermons, wrote:

“Today the Magi find crying in a manger the one they have followed as he shone in the sky. Today the Magi see clearly, in swaddling clothes, the one they have long awaited as he lay hidden among the stars.

Today the Magi gaze in deep wonder at what they see: heaven on earth, earth in heaven, man in God, God in man, one whom the whole universe cannot contain now enclosed in a tiny body. As they look, they believe and do not question, as their symbolic gifts bear witness: incense for God, gold for a king, myrrh for one who is to die.

So the Gentiles, who were the last, become the first: the faith of the Magi is the first fruits of the belief of the Gentiles.”[4]

God used the Magi to give witness to the incarnation and the birth of the Messiah. Their own theological understanding was incomplete, but it moved them to worship. They sought this sign using their own arts, but it lead them to truth, in fact, the incarnate truth. God also entered their lives by warning them off to not return to Herod. I would guess that after meeting Herod, it would not have taken much convincing that he was a bad dude to avoid.

The word epiphany includes a range of meanings. There is a specific context in how the Church uses it as Dr. John Bergsma references:

The word “Epiphany” comes from two Greek words: epi, “on, upon”; and phaino, “to appear, to shine.” Therefore, the “Epiphany” refers to the divinity of Jesus “shining upon” the earth. In other words, it is the manifestation of his divine nature[5]

Leaving off with a paragraph from the Catechism:

528 The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Savior of the world. The great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the wise men (magi) from the East, together with his baptism in the Jordan and the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. In the magi, representatives of the neighboring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation. The magi’s coming to Jerusalem in order to pay homage to the king of the Jews shows that they seek in Israel, in the messianic light of the star of David, the one who will be king of the nations. Their coming means that pagans can discover Jesus and worship him as Son of God and Savior of the world only by turning toward the Jews and receiving from them the messianic promise as contained in the Old Testament. The Epiphany shows that “the full number of the nations” now takes its “place in the family of the patriarchs,” and acquires Israelitica dignitas (are made “worthy of the heritage of Israel”). [6]

Sources

• Catholic Answers November-December 2022
• Catholic Answers Focus “The Real Star of Bethlehem”
• The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A – John Bergsma
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition
• The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible꞉ The New Testament
• Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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1. Catholic Answers November-December 2022, Jimmy Akin “Why the Magi Came”  ↩
2. The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A, John Bergsma  ↩
3. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament  ↩
4. Peter Chrysologus, Sermo 160, PL 52:620–62. As translated in Office of Readings:Non-Biblical Readings for Christmas Season, reading 8 in Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours (New York: Catholic Book Publishing, 1976), 1965.  ↩
5. The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A, John Bergsma, First Reading  ↩
6. Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed). United States Catholic Conference.  ↩