January 6th Homily

1st Reading: 1 Jn 5:5-13
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 147:12-13,14-15,19-20
Gospel: Mk 1:7-11

During the season of Christmas the infancy narratives are important. In Luke we have the story of shepherds coming to visit the Christ child. It is in Matthew that we are told about magi who travel to the manger to bring gifts to the Savior of the World. It is from these stories that we have constructed nativity plays during the Christmas season. The Gospel of Mark is the only one of the synoptic Gospels that lacks an infancy narrative. With Mark we do not get a glimpse into Christ's life and childhood. The first appearance of Christ for this Gospel is when Christ appears at the scene of the baptism.

Thankfully we have the Gospels of Matthew and Luke to surround the Gospel of Mark. If Mark's Gospel was the only account that we have access to we would be forced to question the divinity of Christ. We would have to ask ourselves when did He become divine. In the account of Christ's baptism we are told: "And a voice came from the heavens, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." Is this the moment that Christ took on His divine nature? We would have no other stories to elaborate on Christ's birth and thus we could easily fall into this trap. Despite being placed after Matthew inside of the Bible this book was probably written first. I am sure the authors of Matthew and Luke who came after the writing of this Gospel saw the need of showing us what took place during the nativity of the Lord and to point out that this child was both fully human and fully divine.

May each of us who are gathered here today continue to trust in the Son of God. May we allow Him to come to us through the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar giving us the strength to endure all that we will face inside of this world. Christ was a man who came into this world and felt the weight of sin upon Him. Christ was the divine Son of God who was sent to overcome sin and death. May we allow the Son of God to dwell within our hearts that we may trust in Him at every moment of our lives.