SPECIAL EDITION ARTICLE #3 - January 6th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

[Pompeii]

One Thing, Jesus Christ
SPECIAL EDITION ARTICLE #3 - January 6th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

ARTICLE:

Do you know what the word January means? There was a Roman god named Janus. The god had two faces pointed in opposite directions. One face looked to the past and the other face toward the future. That’s you and me right now. It’s natural for us during the New Year to reflect on the past and to look toward the future. The key, of course, is to do so with Christ. The temptation, of course, is to do so without Him.

If we look to the past without Christ, we can stumble into confusion, despair, a longing for what used to be, and it can simply restrict us. If we look toward the future without Christ, we can be filled with fear, anxiety, and stress.

As you know, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away yesterday. He was 95 years old. Like Queen Elizabeth who passed away in September, the death of these two remarkable figures challenges us to look back to the past and to look forward to the future. It’s a natural thing to do when such a remarkable and influential person passes away.

Our first reading from today comes from the Book of Numbers. You know that the Pentateuch contains the first five books of the Bible. We have Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Book of Numbers depicts the narrative after the Israilites have left Egypt and are heading toward the Promised Land.

I remember reading a book by Pope Benedict XVI while in seminary. Pope Benedict XVI said that it was easy for the Israelites to geographically leave Egypt, but it was quite difficult for Egypt to interiorly leave the Israelites.

In other words, the Israelites started out strong, crossing the Red Sea, overcoming pharoah and his forces, and being committed to the Promised Land. Then, as time went on, they started to grumble, reflect on what used to be in Egypt, and simply fell into frustration and confusion. Even though they had left Egypt, Egypt never really left them.

You and I know what this is like. We try to leave behind old ways and old habits only to find them return. It’s one thing to leave Egypt, it’s a far different manner to have Egypt leave you. This is a basic spiritual principle.

We have a word for this dynamic during New Year’s time. It’s called a New Year’s resolution. How many of us begin the New Year with resolutions? We start out strong and then Egypt returns within two or three weeks? Old ways of thinking and old habits that we want to get rid of creep back into our lives before January even ends.

Pope Benedict XVI was brilliant. He was speaking not only about Salvation history but also about our human nature. We all want to head to the Promised Land but we must realize that Egypt will come back. Therefore, we must hold firm to Christ. He must guide us. Otherwise, Egypt will not only catch up to us but it will enslave us yet again.

Today we also celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus had to flee to Egypt. Herod wanted to murder the newborn King named Jesus. Mary, unlike the Israelites, never looked back to Egypt upon her return to Nazareth. She kept her eyes on the Promised Land, on the person of Jesus Christ throughout her entire life.

Mary could have looked to the past in worry, frustration, and confusion. She could have looked at what used to be. She could have looked toward the future with stress and anxiety. Instead, she first kept her eyes solely on the person of Jesus Christ. Then, she looked to the past and toward the future with the help of the Lord.

The lesson could not be clearer as we begin this year of 2023. We must, first and foremost, keep our eyes on the person of Jesus Christ.

I encourage you to look at the official portrait of Pope Benedict XVI because it contains a lesson for all of us. Notice that Benedict XVI is with Jesus Christ. Notice that he is reflecting on the past with Christ. Notice that he is looking toward the future with Christ. Allow this image to speak to you while heading into this New Year of 2023.

Lastly, a thought from Pope Benedict XVI. He repeatedly stated that Christianity is not about a mere philosophy or abstract idea.

Christianity is also not primarily a set of rules. Instead, Christianity is about a person named Jesus Christ. We can encounter this person. This person laughs with us, cries with us, suffers with us and for us, fights with us and for us, and even dies for us. This person is humble, sacrificial, merciful, loving, courageous, authentic, and so much more. We can reflect on the past with this person and prepare for the future with this person. In fact, the person of Christ can become our friend and Lord.

Christianity is all about encountering the person of Christ. It’s, like that of Mary, about keeping one’s eyes solely on Christ. It’s, like that of Pope Benedict XVI, about reflecting on the past and preparing for the future with Jesus Christ.

May 2023 be a year in which we focus on Jesus Christ and allow Him to profoundly encounter us.

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Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.

(Caption for the picture of Pope Benedict XVI: >> This picture depicts the official papal portrait of Pope Benedict XVI. The oil on canvas portrait is titled "The Truth, The Way, and the Life." The artist is Igor V. Babailov.)

[DRNeil]

Pope Benedict lived an interesting life which certainly shows his devotion to Christ and the strength of his faith.  His teenage years under the Nazi regime and his enduring his faith, despite the attempts to indoctrinate him, in a time when many who shared his faith were murdered or sent to concentration camps. Has lived and suffered through oppression, and seen the worst of human life from his time as a soldier in the German Army when Germany was being defeated and over run and it's cities were being destroyed by bombing.  He saw the women and children whose homes were destroyed and were living in a land totally devasted by the war. So if you look at his life you see a man who has seen and experienced great suffering beyond that most people today could ever imagine but he maintained his faith in Christ and used it to guide his life.