Memorial of Saint John Neumann

Today's Mass Readings

In the Catholic Church, we continue to celebrate Christmas this week. But while it is God’s coming among us that we embrace, our readings move us to consider Jesus among us as an adult, rather than simply as an infant. We can regard this as the next step of Christmas; the child who comes to us in a lowly manger now brings his message to the world as an adult priest, prophet, teacher, and Messiah. Today’s gospel reading from Matthew highlights this. Matthew describes Jesus by quoting the words of Isaiah: “the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen” (Mt. 4:16). What follows this description is Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God. And here we see an overarching theme of our liturgical year: whether the end of Ordinary Time, the season of Advent, or now the season of Christmas, we are constantly pointed to this idea of the Kingdom. In this season of Christmas, we might particularly reflect on the Kingdom of God embodied in the person of Jesus. With his coming among us, we have the Kingdom of God among us. God is with us, and he invites us to be a part of his Kingdom – a part of his very self, the body of Christ.

The selection from the first letter of John gives us some sense of what it means to be a member of the body of Christ. John tells us that we receive from God whatever we ask because we follow the commandment of Jesus to love. Jesus remains in us, and we remain in him. This, again, is the essence of the Christmas message. Jesus comes to dwell among us and brings his Kingdom among us that we might be a part of his body and ultimately dwell with him eternally in this Kingdom. “We belong to God” (1 Jn. 4:6). The implications of this statement are profound. In everything we do, we are members of the Kingdom of God, members of the body of Christ.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. John Neumann, one of the first saints to be canonized from the United States. Neumann’s life is a beautiful witness to our readings today. Called to the priesthood, but unable to be ordained because of a priest abundance in Europe, Neumann immigrated to the United States from Bohemia to be ordained, and he ultimately learned eight languages so that he could minister to the various Catholic immigrant populations in the United States. His ministry was in rural areas, and so he spent much of his time traveling in rough conditions—even after he became the bishop of Philadelphia. Neumann also established the first diocesan Catholic school system, and he assisted in the founding of several religious orders. His was a life characterized by preaching the Kingdom far and wide, sharing God’s love with those who otherwise would have been neglected.

Neumann’s life ought to be an inspiration for us as we face difficulties in our own struggle to live God’s Kingdom. We pray during this Christmas season that God’s coming among us will not leave us forgetful, but rather help us to be mindful of Christ living within us and our call to remain in him. Today, let us spend some time reflecting on what it truly means to “belong to God.”

Maria Morrow