Sunday's Gospel: What Is a Winnowing Fork?!

The following is republished with permission from my column in Catechist Magazine.  For subscription information, visit Catechist.com.

December 4, Second Sunday in Advent, Gospel Reading:  Matthew 3:1-12

“You brood of vipers!” We always know it is the Second Sunday in Advent when John the Baptist bursts onto the scene. The colorful prophet who preceded Jesus preaches and shouts from the Judean desert, and his voice rings out just as loudly and clearly for us today.

The Gospels tell us that John viewed himself as a prophetic forerunner of the Messiah. In this Sunday’s reading, after his call for repentance and his warnings to the Pharisees and Sadducees, John speaks of Jesus, though not yet by name. He refers to “the one coming after me” and describes the imminent ministry of the Messiah with strong language. The Messiah will be “mighty” and will baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

John then describes the Messiah as a discerning judge who will separate the good from the bad: “His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

This agricultural image may be unfamiliar to modern readers. John is describing the winnowing or threshing process farmers utilized to separate husks from grains of wheat. They used winnowing fans (or forks) to toss the harvested grain into the air. The chaff (the unwanted husks) would separate from the grain and be lifted away by the breeze, while the heavier grain would settle back onto the ground. The farmer could then gather the grain and store it in his barn.

John uses this image to describe the judgment Jesus will ultimately bring. After using his winnowing fan, Jesus will “clear his threshing floor,” gathering the good grain into his barn and burning the unwanted chaff with “unquenchable fire.”

This depiction of Jesus as the one who separates good from bad, then gathers the good to himself and burns the bad, may not be our favorite image of Jesus from the Gospels. But it is one that John the Baptist and the evangelists after him wanted us to hear. We are not supposed to be afraid of Jesus or of future judgment, but we are supposed to be forewarned and aware: What we do and who we are matters to God. We cannot be with Jesus, in his warm barn full of good grain, unless we are ready.

Fortunately for us, the winnowing process has already begun. The words of Jesus and his forerunner John the Baptist have already begun threshing us, separating the worthless, husky part of us from the valuable, substantial grain.

ASK YOURSELF: How do I feel the winnowing fan of Jesus already at work in my life? Am I letting him separate the bad from the good in my heart?

ASK YOUR STUDENTS: Why do you think John the Baptist and Jesus used common images (such as the farming image John the Baptist uses in today’s reading) when they preached to the people?

PRAY: Lord Jesus, I know you will be my final judge. May you find me worthy to be gathered into your barn.

LIVE THE GOSPEL: Is there a bad habit you can “winnow” out of your life so you can be “less husk” and more “good grain”? Choose one bad habit to work on this week.

Tell Me the Stories of (Baby) Jesus

Have you ever heard the term “Infancy Narratives”?  The Infancy Narratives are the stories in the Gospels about the conception, birth and childhood of Jesus.  These stories make up a very small part of the Gospels, so we actually know very little about Jesus’ infancy and childhood. 

Here are a few interesting facts about the Infancy Narratives:

• Only Matthew and Luke include Infancy Narratives in their Gospels (Matt. 1-2; Lk. 1-2). 

• Matthew’s account and Luke’s account are very different from each other.  For example, in Luke’s account, the annunciation (announcement of the conception of Jesus) is made to Mary, but in Matthew’s account, it is made to Joseph.

• Our traditional nativity scenes or creches are usually a combination of the stories from Luke and Matthew.  For example, in Luke’s Gospel, the first visitors to see Jesus are shepherds.  In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ first visitors are the magi.

• Although there are many differences among the two Infancy Narratives, they agree in essential content:  Mary has conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and her son will be a savior, the Son of God. 

If you are interested in learning more about the Infancy Narratives and want the opportunity to retreat with these texts and reflect on their meaning in your own life, I’m giving an Advent Retreat entitled “Reflecting on the Birth of Jesus in Scripture and in Our Lives” at St. Thomas Beckett Church on Sat., December 3, from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.  All are welcome!  Registration information can be found here:  Upcoming Programs.

How Nicholas Really Became Santa

In an effort to keep my 5 year old son informed about who Santa Claus really is, I asked him to watch a video my daughters enjoyed when they were his age:  Nicholas:  The Boy Who Became Santa.  Of course, this was his last choice behind Ninjago, Miles from Tomorrowland, and Peppa Pig.  But he did watch the video.  When he wandered into the kitchen after it ended, I asked, “So how did Nicholas become Santa?”  With a little shrug, Julian said, “He grew a beard.”

One might say that Julian had missed the entire point.  Or perhaps he summed it all up with a keen observation.  To grow a beard is to grow up.  Nicholas grew up.  He grew a beard.  He grew older.  It turned white.  And indeed, somewhere in this living, growing, and aging process, he became “Santa” – holy, a saint. 

So how did Nicholas become Santa?  He grew up.  Too simplistic?  Maybe. 

Whether you grow a beard this year, or maybe just a few new wrinkles, I’m sure you will all grow wiser and hopefully a little more “santa.”  I’m happy to be journeying and growing and, yes, aging with all of you.  Happy, joyous, prosperous and transformative New Year, friends!        

Merry Christmas

“No one has ever seen God.  It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known” (Jn. 1:18).

With a heart full of gratitude, I wish each of you and your families a very merry Christmas.

With prayers in this holy season,

Amy

The Right Gift for a Savior

The iconic image of wise men breaking open their treasure chests before the child Jesus is a powerful one (Mt. 2:11).  The magi travelled a great distance to bring gifts of wealth and luxury, gifts fit for a king.  This is how they paid him homage.

The beautiful story of the magi may lead us to ask what gifts we will bring Jesus.  What does he want from us? 

To understand what Jesus wants, we must first ask why he has come into our hearts and into our world.  The Gospels answer clearly:  “He will save his people” (Mt. 1:21).  This is not just a King but a Savior!  Can the gifts we bring acknowledge this even more magnificent mission? 

Yes, they can and they should.  We must bring him the things a Savior wants most – the things within us that need saving.  We need not travel from east to west but only deep within our own hearts, to bring out the things that lie hidden.  These are the gifts Jesus wants.  This is how we worship a Savior.

Lord Jesus, I lay before you the gold of my sins and weaknesses, the incense of my painful memories and relationships, and the myrrh of my fears and anxieties.  These do not seem like gifts fit for a King, and yet I know they are gifts worthy of a Savior.  I offer them to you from the treasure-chest of my heart, knowing that you can transform and redeem them.  I come to you open, empty and vulnerable; be a quiet, loving, saving presence in me.  Amen.