Today's Gospel Reading begins with Luke's famous account of the care with which he has researched the traditions of the first Christian communities. Luke has the ministry in Galilee leading into the courageous journey of Jesus towards Jerusalem to meet his fate, as he prepares Jesus' disciples for what lies ahead.

The teaching of Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth, concerning his fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and Luke's emphasis upon the traditions of the community, remind us that the world's great religious traditions venerate the writings and teachings that put them in touch with their past. The first reading from the chronicles of Nehemiah describes a moving moment in the reestablishment of the Jerusalem community, after return from the Exile. It is believed that Theophilus simply refers to all who love and seek God. Therefore, this good news is for all of us and our salvation.

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We have now moved from the Christmas season into Ordinary Time. Last Sunday, the Christmas season ended with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus' baptism by John was the formal beginning of Jesus' public ministry. During Ordinary Time, the Gospel readings will focus on Jesus' ministry. This Sunday, we hear about His first recorded miracle. The wedding feast at Cana is a well-known account of Jesus turning water into wine, but there is much more going on here than Jesus simply fixing the problem of a shortage of wine. In fact, this passage tells us much about His mother, Mary. She is the one who first brought the request to Jesus to solve the problem. This shortage of wine, in fact, would have been a major embarrassment to the newly married couple and their families. In that culture, it would have been devastating to their reputation. Jesus' response to Mary's request ("Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.") may at first read sound demeaning, but it should not be taken that way.

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The Christmas season, celebrating the self-revelation of God through Jesus, comes to an end with the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. Christmas is the feast of God's self-revelation to the Jews and Epiphany celebrates God's self-revelation to the Gentiles. At the Baptism in Jordan, Christ reveals himself to repentant sinners. The Baptism of the Lord Jesus is the great event celebrated by the Eastern churches on the feast of Epiphany because it is the occasion of the first public revelation of all the Three Persons in the Holy Trinity and the official revelation of Jesus as the Son of God to the world by God the Father.

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The visit of the Magi occurs directly before the story of the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt. Matthew’s Gospel tells a version of Jesus’ birth that is different than the one in Luke. Of the actual birth of Jesus, Matthew tells us little more than, “When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod...” The story of the census is found only in Luke’s Gospel, but we hear about the visit of the Magi only in Matthew’s Gospel.

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Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. This feast is part of the Christmas season, and we should place today's Gospel in the context of what Luke's Gospel tells us about the birth of Jesus. Luke has been answering the question “Who is Jesus?” through his stories of the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. Today's Gospel reading continues this theme. It has no parallel in the other Gospels and is the conclusion of Luke's Infancy Narrative.

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On this, the last Sunday before Christmas, our Gospel reading prepares us to witness Christ's birth by showing us how Jesus was recognized as Israel's long-awaited Messiah even before his birth. The Gospel turns our attention from the ministry of John the Baptist to the events that preceded John the Baptist's birth. The story of John the Baptist and his parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, are reported only in Luke's Gospel. Luke pairs the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus, establishing John's early connection to the Messiah.

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This Sunday's Gospel continues last week's focus on John the Baptist and his role in preparing the way for Christ. Recall that last week's reading described John's appearance in the desert and established his connection with the prophetic tradition of Israel. If we were to read Luke's Gospel continuously, we would learn about John the Baptist challenging the crowds who came to him and calling upon them to show evidence of their repentance. John tells his listeners that they cannot rely on their lineage as Israelites because children of Abraham can be raised up from stones. Repentance, rather, must be observable in one's actions. Here, Luke is continuing to set up two important themes of his Gospel message: the Christian faith is expressed in one's actions, and the call to salvation is extended to everyone, Jews and Gentiles.

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This week and next, our Gospel readings invite us to consider John the Baptist and his relationship to Jesus. John the Baptist appears in the tradition of the great prophets, preaching repentance and reform to the people of Israel. To affirm this, Luke quotes at length from the prophet Isaiah. John baptizes for repentance and for forgiveness of sins, preparing the way for God's salvation.

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Today is the first Sunday of Advent, which is also the first Sunday of the new liturgical year. The Advent season includes the four Sundays that precede Christmas. Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. In this season, we recall two central elements of our faith: the final coming of the Lord in glory and the incarnation of the Lord in the birth of Jesus. The key themes of the Advent season are watchful waiting, preparation, and justice.

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This Sunday is the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year. On this Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. Each year we set aside this Sunday to reflect upon this title that we have given to Jesus. In Lectionary Cycle C, we read a portion of the passion from the Gospel of John, which is also part of the Gospel reading proclaimed each year on Good Friday.

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This Sunday is the second to last Sunday of our liturgical year. As we approach the end of the Church year, our Gospel invites us to consider Jesus’ predictions and teaching about the end of the world. In the context of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ words about this are spoken to his disciples as he prepares them for his passion and death.

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The context for today’s Gospel continues to be mounting tension between Jesus and the Jewish authorities. Mark reports some of Jesus’ teaching in the Temple area in today’s reading and in the preceding verses not included in our Lectionary sequence. In the first part of today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus warn the crowds not to follow the example of the scribes in seeking honor and attention from others. It is important to recall that Mark indicates that Jesus taught these things while in the vicinity of the Temple in Jerusalem. Mark is setting the stage for Jesus’ passion.

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Every year the Church recalls the example, witness, and prayer of the holy women and men who have been identified by the Church as Saints. These saints are more than just role models; they are family members with whom we continue to share relations, in a prayer bond called the Communion of Saints.

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