Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

Mark 1:21-28

Do you believe in demons?  When we hear that word, we probably picture a red-skinned guy with horns and a tail.  And that’s a comic figure, even when we see it about to be stabbed by Saint Michael.  But there are such things as demons.  It’s a matter of faith.  And certainly  Jesus knew about demons -- in the gospel of Mark we have four separate exorcisms described, in addition to the statement that Jesus went about healing the sick and casting out demons.  Many years ago there was a comedian, Flip Wilson, who portrayed a character that was always getting into trouble, and had an answer ""The devil made me do it.” And I suspect we modern people say similar things -- I can’t help it, it’s my upbringing;  or He made me so mad that I just lost it!  You can think of your own excuses for behavior that you're a bit ashamed of.  I know I have my own.  But is our sinful behavior caused by demons?  I think most of us would not agree -- we are sinful enough to cause our own bad behavior.

But here’s the thing.  It doesn’t matter whether some terrible evil is caused by demons or nature or just sinful human beings.  And we don’t have to parse it out.  Sure, the Church continues to train exorcists, and every diocese is supposed to have one -- we do in this diocese.  And when you talk to an exorcist or people who work with one, you hear about some very strange things, seemingly supernatural things, things like levitation, hearing a demonic voice, superhuman strength, speaking in languages that the person had no knowledge of before.  I’ll accept that there are cases where demons possess a person, or more commonly, and I've seen this, “oppress” a person.  This last term refers to people who have thoughts they can’t get out of their heads -- like one person I’ve met who is convinced she is damned and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.  Is that demonic? Or does she have a psychiatric illness?  

In today’s gospel, Jesus teaches with authority, which surprises the synagogue people.  Because rabbis always quoted scripture or other authorities when they taught.  That’s still true today, not just with rabbis, but also with university professors, with clergy of other religions and denominations.  When we teach authentically, we try to build on what has gone before.  Jesus was and is different.  In the Gospels he frequently makes authoritative statements; in Matthew, he gives a whole list of things in which he says, “You have heard it said…. And then “But I say to you…”  And the parables he told were often surprising and showed his originality.  The sewer who sowed seed on pathways and rocky ground and into thorn bushes -- no real farmer would do that.  Or the priest and the levite who passed by the beaten man, leaving a Samaritan to come to the rescue.  Jesus’ authoritative teaching often shocks.  

But Jesus not only spoke with authority, which made people stop and listen, but he demonstrated his authority in the miracles he worked, including his exorcisms.  Now this man in the synagogue, was he truly possessed?  Or was he a madman, a schizophrenic perhaps?  How much of our troubled world is caused by demonic forces as opposed to just plain evil people?  We can see potential demons all around us -- those suffering from addictions might be from demons, those people who are trapped in pornography, those  people who cause and propagate wars.  Was  Hitler possessed?  Is Putin?  And what about our own failings?  Are they sometimes demonic?  Saint Paul lamented:  “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”  Saint Paul and Flip Wilson may have something in common. 

So let’s face the fact that there is lots of evil in the world, some caused by real supernatural demons, much caused by our fallen humanity, and even some caused by indifferent nature.  People are born with genetics that results in cancer or heart disease decades later.  Hurricanes wipe out neighborhoods.  But we Christians don’t have to sort through all that.  One of the doctors of the Church, and unfortunately I forgot which one, said something to the effect that the best way to deal with the evils within us was to allow ourselves to be filled up with Christ.  If Christ lives in us, then regardless of the evil, whether caused by the world, the flesh or the devil, it will be overcome.  Jesus predicted that his disciples would suffer and even be put to death, but at the end of those predictions, he said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus has overcome the world.  And he lives in you and lives in me.  We have nothing to fear.  

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

Mark 1:14-20

Last Sunday we heard about the calling of Andrew.  Remember?  He was a follower of John the Baptist, who called Jesus “Lamb of God” and Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus.  Later, Andrew went and found his brother Peter and told him about Jesus.  Today we hear about the calling of four apostles, and the story doesn’t seem to match the one from the Gospel of John.  There may be an explanation for this, though, if you read between the lines and use your imagination  

First, let me tell you about my own situation.  During my third year in college, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was a good student and whether it was philosophy or physics or history, I was getting mostly A’s.  I’m not bragging.  If you had known me, you would know I was a nerd.  I wanted to do something to help people, and becoming a psychologist seemed like a possibility.  But then I learned that psychologists could not prescribe medicine, you had to be a psychiatrist for that.  So I applied to medical school intending to be a psychiatrist.  Time went on and I took my psychiatry clerkship.  I spent it on the wards with a bunch of patients who had many different psychiatric illnesses, all too far gone to be out on their own, and yet most of them could talk and interact to an extent.  After my month, I realized I did not under any circumstances want to be a psychiatrist.  So I tried other things.  Finally during my residency in Internal Medicine, I took a rotation on the cancer service.  Cancer treatment was mostly unsuccessful and very primitive, but we had just started using chemotherapy.  An elderly lady with breast cancer became my patient.  She could not open one eye because of her disease.  She consented to receive a new drug, which I administered.  She became deathly ill with nausea and vomiting.  We finally quieted her down.  The next day I came by to see her.  She was ecstatic because she could open her eye.  It was at that moment that I knew what I wanted to do -- become a chemotherapist, become a medical oncologist.  In my training I got to know oncologists, and wanted to be one of them.  

And that, I think may be what is behind the story in John and the story in Mark, which we heard today.  I suspect the four fishermen had met Jesus before.  Maybe that was what John was describing.  And they watched as Jesus preached, performed miracles, confronted the authorities with logic that couldn’t be argued with.  And they probably got to know him as a friend, sitting around talking with him when the nets had been put away.  And these fishermen had a good thing going -- we know the fish caught in the lake were salted and sent all over the near east.  Peter owned a boat;  James and John were part of a significant business which could hire men to help with the work.  

And then one day their friend, Jesus, came by and told them to follow him -- and by then they knew that he was  more than a carpenter, more than a wandering teacher, more than a very charismatic man who drew people to him like honey draws flies.  And when he told them to follow him, it awakened something in them -- “I want to be like Jesus”.  Because that was the promise -- “I will make you fishers of men.”

And after Jesus ascended into heaven, they had become like Jesus -- we read about how the apostles would preach and people would be converted.  We read about miracles worked by Peter and Paul and undoubtedly the other apostles as well; and we see the church growing by leaps and bounds, and when a Christian went to his or her death with a smile on their face and a song on their lips, some people saw this and said, “I want to be like that.”  And down through the ages it continued.  Saint Agustine heard Saint Ambrose preach and said “I want to be like that”.  Saint Therese of Liseaux chose to imitate her namesake, Saint Theresa of Avila, because she wanted to be like that. 

The world is still in need of fishers of men, people who look at Jesus, not only as God to be worshiped, but as an example to be followed,  And Jesus is still telling people “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”.   And just as he did with the apostles, he can still do with you and I; if we follow him, he can make more fishers of men.

I have to close with a story, a true story.  A non-Catholic man married a Catholic woman, and they got along very well, well enough to have five children before the man announced one day out of the blue that he was going to become a Catholic.  And not just a card-carrying Catholic, but a very serious one, whose life’s purpose was to get his children to heaven.  And everyone rejoiced.  And his mother in law later told someone that she had been sleeping on the floor every night as a way of begging God to bring her son in law into the Church, and now that it had happened, she was looking forward to sleeping in her bed again.  Fishers of men are still at it, and you and I can be as well.  Don’t you want  to  be like that?

 

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, cycle B

John 1:35-42

Andrew is an interesting apostle.  He was one of the first to follow Jesus.  And yet he wasn’t in the inner circle of apostles, and we hear very little about him in the scriptures.  But one thing about Andrew is that he is always bringing people to Jesus..  Here he brings his brother Simon to  Jesus.  Another time Andrew is mentioned, he brings a boy with five loaves and two fish to Jesus.  A third time is when he introduces some gentiles to Jesus. And that’s about it.  He didn’t write a gospel, he didn’t leave behind a record; we suspect he preached and was ultimately martyred,  but those facts cannot be proven.  

And yet I think Andrew is a model for the rest of us.  We can’t all be Saint Paul or Saint Peter, great missionaries.  We can’t all be spectacular saints or brilliant theologians or holy popes and bishops and members of religious orders.  But Andrew shows us the common denominator of being a disciple.  

Andrew is apparently a man who is dissatisfied with life, not in a radical way, but he senses there is more to life than being a fisherman, growing old in a small town.  So he became a disciple of John the Baptist, who must have been an imposing figure dressed in animal skins and making people uncomfortable with his sermons.  And it is John himself who points to Jesus and calls him “lamb of God”.  What did that term mean to Andrew?  Did it mean that Jesus was to be sacrificed for our sins?  After all, lambs were being sacrificed in the temple all the time.  Or did it mean that Jesus was in a special relationship with God, a relationship like that of a lamb to his shepherd.  Whatever, Andrew needed to know more.  

So much of the time we are content with mild dissatisfaction, the feeling that something is missing, but we don't know what.  And it’s too much trouble to leave our rut.  But God is always giving us clues, calling us; we just have to be like Andrew and pay attention.

So Andrew gets up and follows Jesus, who says, “What are you looking for?”  Jesus recognizes in Andrew as well as in you and I, that we aren’t fulfilled, we aren’t satisfied, we are searching.  Andrew replies, “Rabbi, where are you staying?”  People have puzzled over that statement, which doesn’t seem to follow.  But in those days, it meant “I’m willing to be your disciple” which in turn meant that I will become a member of your followers if you will let me.  That’s why Andrew addresses him as Rabbi.  John has more or less said that there is something special about Jesus, and Andrew wants to know more. 

Jesus accepts Andrew with the words, “Come and see.”  It’s an invitation to everyone.  We aren’t going to learn what is missing in our lives by reading a book or listening to a lecture.  We will learn what we need by entering into a relationship, and that requires being in the presence of Jesus, forming a friendship with him, learning to speak to him and listen to him.  There is no substitute.  

We next read that Andrew and the other disciple stayed with Jesus that day.  I don’t know how long that was, but surprisingly, you and I have that opportunity frequently.  Jesus is present in the blessed sacrament, and we have the opportunity to spend time with him, just as Andrew did.  I don’t now what happened that day, but whatever transpired, whatever words were exchanged or questions asked and answered, Andrew recognized that he had found the answer to his dissatisfaction with life.  He had found the promised one, the Messiah.  

A lot of Christians, I think,  stop there.  We know that Jesus is the answer to our own seeking, and we find peace when we are in his presence.  But Andrew goes to the next step in discipleship, which is to bring his brother into the Jesus’ circle.  And that’s where we Catholics could do a better job.  We need to bring others into that special relationship we have with Jesus.  It’s not complicated.  It starts with friendship, or a relationship of sorts.  Peter is Andrew’s brother.  Then we do just what Jesus has shown us -- we tell our friend, or our brother, or our uncle, “come and see”.  “I’ve found something I want you to have also”  and the implication is that I want this because I want the best for you.  And certainly we’ll be rejected.  There was a rich young man who had exactly that invitation, but chose not to follow it.  There was Judas, who in the end decided that his relationship with Jesus was not as important as making a few bucks.  But once in a while your efforts will pay off, and someone will be brought into a relationship with Jesus that wouldn’t happen otherwise.  And maybe you will be responsible for the calling of a great saint.  

It’s the beginning of a new year.  It’s a good time to ask, how is our relationship with Jesus -- could it be better?  And who are we going to invite into this relationship this year? We can’t all be Saint Paul or Saint John Paul II or Saint Theresa of Calcutta, but we can all be Saint Andrew.   

EPIPHANY 2024

 EPIPHANY

MATTHEW 2:1-12

A LONG TIME AGO WHEN I WAS IN MEDICAL SCHOOL I CROSSED PATHS WITH OPUS DEI.  YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF THIS MOVEMENT -- FOUNDED BY FATHER JOSE ESCRIVA, WHO IS NOW A SAINT, BUT BACK THEN HE WAS STILL ALIVE AND GUIDING THE ORGANIZATION.  OPUS DEI’S PURPOSE IS TO ANSWER THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS -- IT ISN’T JUST FOR CLERGY AND RELIGIOUS.  EACH MEMBER OF OPUS DEI IS SUPPOSED TO SANCTIFY HIS WORK, SANCTIFY THE WORLD THROUGH HIS WORK, AND SANCTIFY HIMSELF THROUGH HIS WORK.  IF YOU BECOME A MEMBER, YOU ADOPT SOME SPIRITUAL PRACTICES, INCLUDING RECEIVING SPIRITUAL DIRECTION FROM ONE OF THE SO-CALLED “NUMERARIES” WHO ARE CELIBATE MEN AND WOMEN, USUALLY PROFESSIONALS, WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED TO GIVE SPIRITUAL DIRECTION.  MY SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR WAS A PROFESSOR OF DENTISTRY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO.

I REMEMBER WHEN I BEGAN SPIRITUAL DIRECTION.  I HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND I KNEW A LOT OF THEOLOGY; I HAD GRADUATED FROM CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY AND REALLY EATEN UP THE RELIGION AND THEOLOGY COURSES, IN ADDITION TO MY BIOLOGY MAJOR.  EVERY MEETING WITH MY SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR I KEPT TRYING TO TURN INTO A THEOLOGY DISCUSSION.  ONE DAY HE TOLD ME THAT I WAS MISSING THE POINT.  HOLINESS WASN’T ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU KNEW, IT WAS ABOUT HOW YOU LIVED.  AND ALTHOUGH I FOUND IT PAINFUL, CHANGING MY LIFE BECAME THE FOCUS OF OUR CONVERSATIONS AFTER THAT. 

I THINK OUR GOSPEL PASSAGE TODAY IS ABOUT THAT.  WHEN THE MAGI COME TO HEROD, HE GOES TO THE EXPERTS, WHO KNOW THE LAW AND THE PROPHECIES.  THEY HAVE NO PROBLEM ANSWERING HIS QUESTIONS.  THE MESSIAH IS TO BE BORN IN BETHLEHEM, IT SAYS SO RIGHT THERE IN THE PROPHECY OF MICAH.  AND POSSIBLY ONE OF THE REASONS HEROD TOOK THE MAGI SERIOUSLY IS BECAUSE HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN AWARE OF ANOTHER PROPHECY, WHICH WE HEARD IN OUR RESPONSORY PSALM -- KINGS FROM THE EAST WILL OFFER GIFTS AND PAY HIM HOMAGE.  AND HERE WERE THOSE STRANGELY DRESSED FOREIGNERS RIDING IN ON THEIR CAMELS.  AND THEN THERE WERE OTHER HINTS -- THE BOOK OF DANIEL HINTS, IN A VAGUE WAY TO BE SURE, BUT NOT TOO HARD TO UNDERSTAND, THAT THE MESSIAH WOULD BE COMING ALONG JUST ABOUT NOW.  AND YET THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES WHO KNOW ALL THIS DON’T SEEM TO BE MOVED; THEY DON’T GET UP AND GO TO BETHLEHEM.  

CONTRAST THEM WITH THE MAGI.  WE DON’T KNOW HOW MANY MAGI THERE WERE -- OUR MAGI IN THE MANGER OVER THERE ARE TYPICAL; ONE OLD, ONE YOUNG, AND ONE NOT CAUCASIAN.  THEY ARE MEANT TO REMIND US THAT CHRIST COMES NOT JUST FOR JEWS, BUT FOR ALL HUMAN BEINGS.  AND EARLY ON IN THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH A LOT OF STORIES WERE MADE UP ABOUT THE MAGI, WHERE THEY WERE FROM, WHAT THEY DID AFTER VISITING THE CHRIST CHILD, WHAT THEIR NAMES WERE.  IN SOME EASTERN CHURCHES THEY ARE HONORED AS SAINTS AND GIVEN DETAILED BIOGRAPHIES IN WHICH THEY ACTED AS MISSIONARIES.  BUT ALL WE REALLY KNOW ABOUT THE MAGI IS WHAT WE READ IN MATTHEW’S GOSPEL.  THE TERM “MAGI” REFERS TO PERSIAN NOBILITY WHO PRACTICED THE RELIGION OF ZOROASTER, WHICH INCLUDED ASTROLOGY, MAGIC, MEDICINE, AND OTHER KINDS OF KNOWLEDGE, AND SOME WERE RULERS OF PARTS OF THE PERSIAN EMPIRE.  

THE POINT IS, THESE MAGI HAD COME TO THE CONCLUSION FROM THEIR OWN EFFORTS AND OF COURSE THE INSPIRATION OF GOD THAT SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT WAS HAPPENING, AND THEY CHANGED THEIR LIVES IN RESPONSE.  IF THEY LIVED IN THE CAPITAL OF PERSIA, THEY HAD TO TRAVEL ABOUT 1500 MILES TO GET TO BETHLEHEM.  THEY UPENDED THEIR LIVES TO TRAVEL THAT FAR.  

I’M GLAD THAT I WAS BORN A CATHOLIC AND HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF A SOLID CATHOLIC EDUCATION.  I’M SURE THAT OUR CHURCH IS GOD’S PLAN FOR HUMANITY.  IF YOU LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH, AYOU FIND CORRUPTION AND POLITICAL INTRIGUE IN EVERY AGE, INCLUDING OUR OWN.  BUT YOU ALSO FIND SAINTS, AND SAINTS REMIND US THAT GOD WORKS THROUGH THE CHURCH.  BUT THERE’S NO QUESTION YOU FIND HOLY, GENEROUS, SAINTLY PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE CHURCH.  GOD CALLS EVERY HUMAN BEING TO KNOW, LOVE AND SERVE HIM IN THIS WORLD TO BE HAPPY WITH HIM IN THE NEXT, AS THE OLD CATECHISM TOLD US.  THE POINT IS THAT WE CATHOLICS GET COMPLACENT; WE FIGURE IF WE AVOID MORTAL SIN AND PUT A FEW BUCKS INTO THE COLLECTION PLATE AND TREAT OTHER PEOPLE WITH HUMAN DECENCY WE DON’T NEED TO DO MORE.  BUT THE MAGI IN THEIR IMPERFECT PAGAN UNDERSTANDING, KNEW THAT SOMETHING UNIQUE IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE WAS HAPPENING, AND THEY ORDERED THEIR LIVES TO THAT.  AND THAT’S SOMETHING WE SHOULD DO AS WELL. GOD BECAME MAN SO THAT MAN COULD BECOME GOD.  THAT’S A QUOTE FROM SAINT ATHANASIUS, ONE OF THE GREATEST DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH.  

TODAY WE SHOULD PRAY THAT GOD HELPS US BE MORE LIKE THE MAGI, AND LESS LIKE THE AUTHORITIES IN THE JERUSALEM TEMPLE.      

Christmas, 2023

 Today we celebrate the fact that the infinite God chose to become one of us, a human being. And tonight I’d like for us to meditate on that. Because God did not send Jesus to us as a fully formed perfect adult -- although we believe he was exactly that at the time of his crucifixion, and probably before that as well. Why do I say this? The gospel of Luke says that he advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man. And we see Jesus learning things in his adult life. “Blessed are you, Simon, son of John, because this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my father in heaven.” Or when he heals the centurion’s servant -- Truly I say to you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith!” Or, to Nathaniel, “Here is an Israelite with no deceit” And you could find other examples as well. And we know Jesus ate and drank, and undoubtedly had other physical functions like you and I. And we know he wept, he got angry, he was exasperated when his disciples couldn’t understand what he was talking about. Jesus was physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually a real human being, always learning, always changing, always having real emotions.

And the question is, how did God accomplish this? By the Holy Spirit he was incarnate of the Virgin Mary. But that was only the beginning.

We believe Mary was a perfect human being -- born without original sin, fully cooperating with the will of the Father, so blessed that she shared in Jesus’ passion as she stood at the foot of the cross. Perfect, by the way, means that you do everything the way it is supposed to be done. It doesn’t mean you are superman or superwoman. But Joseph had to be a perfect human being as well. Not born without original sin, but maybe cleansed afterwards, like we believe was the case with John the Baptist. And why? Because Jesus needed a perfect family to become a perfect human being himself. Vatican II recognized Joseph’s status when his name was inserted into the Eucharistic prayer -- before all the other saints except Mary herself.

Matthew and Luke both testify to the fact that Jesus’ conception took place in Mary after she was betrothed to Joseph. God waited until there was a family, even though Joseph and Mary had not begun living together. But they were truly married, because Joseph, learning that Mary was pregnant, wanted to divorce her quietly. You don’t have to get a divorce if you are merely engaged. And I might add that Mary probably told Joseph what had happened, and Joseph believed her, and in his humility, he wanted to step aside and not interfere with God’s plan -- until he was told “Do not be afraid to take Mary into your home”.

Let’s look into that home. First, Mary and Joseph truly loved each other. Both were chaste, but chastity is a virtue that helps us integrate our sexuality into our humanity. The catechism of the Catholic Church says, “the virtue of chastity blossoms in friendship; it leads to spiritual communion.” Mary and Joseph were not just good friends; there was true marital love. And that was important for Jesus’ developing humanity. Saint Augustine said that in the marriage of Joseph and Mary, all the goods of marriage were realized. Offspring -- Jesus; fidelity -- total commitment to each other; and sacrament -- since there was no divorce.

The second thing about the home is that Jesus' needs were provided for. He did not starve to death because Joseph earned a living and Mary prepared the meals. He was clothed because of his parents; he was taught to speak by his mother and father. His father taught him how to be a good Jew and a good carpenter and through his own example, a good man. Mary gave birth to Jesus, and that’s not a small thing; but from that time until the death of Joseph, Jesus’ body, his well-being, his education, his spiritual development, and even his psychological make up were being formed by Joseph and Mary. .

The third thing, and this takes a little explaining, is that Jesus was made to feel valued. There are three kinds of conversation -- one is transactional, an exchange of information. The second is called positional -- when you trust someone enough to give your opinion. The third is transformational -- when you truly value what the other is saying. It turns out that this third kind of conversation is very important for a person to become psychologically mature; there is evidence that people exposed to transformational conversation develop changes in the brain which go along with developing empathy and the virtue of kindness.

So what does this have to do with us?

First, I suspect that you and I did not have perfect parents. But because we have been baptized into Jesus, we can call upon Mary and Joseph to make up for all those imperfections our parents had; we can ask them to parent us.

Second, we can try to imitate the holy family. The friendship between Mary and Joseph should illuminate our own friendships. Friendship, after all, is one of the greatest goods. Jesus told his apostles, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I now call you friends, because everything I learned from the Father I have made known to you.” Ideal friendship, between husband and wife, between parent and child, between any real friends, should have the quality of transformational communication -- I truly value what you say, because I value you, even if I disagree with you. Transformational communication seeks the meeting of minds, the overcoming of personal barriers.

Finally, we should ask for the intercession of the Holy Family in our world which so desperately needs what they have to offer -- because Mary and Joseph formed the man who would be the Prince of Peace, and he is the only answer to the world’s problems.

Fourth Sunday of Advent, cycle B

Luke 1:26-38

We’ve just read the passage about the Annunciation.  Let’s think about that for a moment.  She was betrothed to Joseph.  In those days among the Jewish people betrothal was an agreement between parents -- the parents of the bride and groom, or possibly the groom himself if he were of age.  But betrothal took place very early in the life of a woman, even as early as the age of 12.  And if she and Joseph had not yet consummated their marriage, as the gospel indicates, it was for one of two reasons; either Joseph had not yet built a home and established himself in a profession that could support a family, or Mary was considered too young to bear a child.  

In this situation, the angel Gabriel appeared to her.  And it says that Mary was greatly troubled.  I’m sure you remember when the angel appeared to Zachary announcing that he would have a son.  Luke describes that event as well, but says Zachary was troubled, not greatly troubled.  Mary, who is very young, illiterate, a woman and unmarried is just about as low as you can get in Jewish society -- not as low as a leper, perhaps, but pretty low.  And she is approached by an angel, who tries to reassure her that she has found favor with God, that the Lord is with her.  But that does not take away her being troubled.  

The angel goes on to elaborate:  YOu will conceive a son, you will call him Jesus (which means savior), He will be great, He will be the Son of God, He will sit on David’s throne, he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.  Seven promises, seven unbelievable promises.

But Mary still hesitates.  “How can this be,” she asks.  And the angel answers, “the Holy Spirit will do it.  And, seeing that Mary’s hesitation persists, he goes on to tell her that Elizabeth who is too old to have a child has conceived; something impossible has been done.  And that’s when Mary says, “Behold,I am the handmaid of the Lord.  and there’s one translation of the Greek words that I like, “Do to me what you say you will do.”  It is when Mary learns that her old relative will be going through the same thing as her that she is finally ready to accept what the angel is offering.  If you were reading the section of Luke’s Gospel just before the Annunciation to Mary, you would read the Annunciation to Zachary.  We can forgive a twelve year old girl for being hesitant; iti’s harder to forgive an elderly priest like Zachary who has been praying all his life for a child and when told that his prayers were finally answered, refuses to believe God’s messenger.  

So what does Mary’s story say to you and I?  Our second reading today is from the ve3ry end of the epistle of Paul to the Romans.  If you want to know what God has in store for us, Romans is a good place to look.  Basically, Paul talks about God building up Christ in his people -- as with Mary God wants to conceive his Son in each of us, through the Holy Spirit;   or to put it another way, wants to transform each of us into his son or daughter.  And Romans is full of God’s promises to those who allow this to take place.

But despite all the promises, it’s still a scary thing, just as it was for Mary.  If I allow God to take over my life, I won’t be in control anymore.  What about my plans, my ambitions?  Or as Saint Augustine said, “Lord, make me chaste, but not just yet.”  In the face of the power of the Holy Spirit, we are afraid of losing ourselves completely -- and Paul even tells us that our destiny is to be a new creation.  

So, how do we overcome those barriers that we ourselves erect?  Again, it’s interesting to look at Zachary, who was struck mute when he  did not believe.  God will have his way, even if it hurts us.  Zachary had given his life to God, as a priest, but something held him back from complete trust.  On the other hand, Mary is convinced when she learns that someone she knows, someone she is probably very close to, her cousin, is going to be accompanying her on this journey that Joseph could never understand because only a woman can understand what a woman goes through to have a child.  And I think that sometimes we really need that -- a companion in our efforts to become holy, a friend who will walk with us as we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us.  In short, as many saints have pointed out, and many have demonstrated, the path to holiness is made easier if you have a friend walking on the same path with you.  

So let us resolve to find someone like that in our lives if we don’t already have such a companion.  And certainly we can ask the Angel Gabriel to reveal that person to us as he did to Mary.  

Third Sunday of Advent, cycle B

 Third Sunday of Advent, cycle B

John 1:6-8, 19-28

When I was growing up back in the age of the dinosaurs this was one of the two Sundays in which the vestments were pink, or maybe rose would be a better term.  When I was ordained, I received a deacon’s stole as a gift; one side is pink and the other purple.  Double purpose.  Many years ago, I had the opportunity to put on my pink stole for the first time, and the priest told me to change into purple, because he himself would not be caught dead wearing a pink vestment.  Anyway, this third Sunday of advent is called “Gaudete” Sunday in Latin.  It means Sunday to rejoice.  

In the olden days Advent was like a mini-Lent.  It was a time of fasting and doing penance as we prepared for the coming of Christmas.  Yes, we gave up candy.  In our grade school one of the teachers, Sister Suzanne, asked us to tell what we gave up for lent.  Candy was very prominent.  One of my classmates said she was giving up candy because her dentist had told her to do that, and we were treated to an impromptu lecture on sacrifice by our teacher.  During lent, the period in which you could break out the candy began at noon on Holy Saturday.  I’m not sure we ever figured out when Advent ended.

We don’t spend much time thinking about Advent as a penitential season, so it seems to make even less sense to have a day of rejoicing.  With Christmas decorations everywhere, we are already in a holiday mood. But for the moment, why should we rejoice?  

Saint John Chrysostom had some thoughts on this.  He was one of the fathers of the Church, and lived in the late 300’s.  We still have a lot of his writings.  In a homily he gave about advent, he said that advent is a time when we look to the coming of Jesus Christ.  The first coming has already occurred.  It was that moment two thousand years ago when Jesus was born, which we will celebrate on Christmas day.  It was a moment that changed the universe.  Because up until that moment we human beings really had no hope.  It was reflected in the belief in many parts of the world that life after death would be a pale imitation of life on the earth.  Think about that.  It would almost be better to have no life after death than an eternity in which nothing much happened, you just hung around underground somewhere.  Some of the writers of the bible seemed to believe that.  Saul summoned the ghost of the prophet Samuel who was upset because he was awakened from his sleep.  The writer of the Psalms talks about going down into the netherworld after death.  Jesus in his first advent changed all that, made it possible for us to share God’s life.

The second coming of Christ is when we ourselves will die. Paul tells us that we will be judged.  It’s hard to imagine this, of course, but it is a doctrine of our religion, we call it the particular judgment.  At that moment Jesus judges our lives.  Now you and I have consciences.  We know when we are doing right and when we are doing wrong.  In the particular judgment, we will see our whole lives and Jesus’ judgment will not be a surprise to us.  We will get what we deserve.  

The third coming of Christ is what the church refers to as the general judgment.  It’s a moment when all our sins, even the most shameful, are revealed to the entire world.  It’s part of God’s justice, because we human beings like to compare ourselves to each other.  This will be a moment when we recognize real saints and sinners, and for many of us, it will probably be a moment when we will feel regret that we did not make better use of our time on earth.  This is the moment when Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats. 

In the Book of Revelation we learn about the fourth coming of Christ.  That’s the end of time when Jesus returns to rule whatever has become of the world by then.  It’s the dawning of the metaphorical thousand years of his rule, with Satan no longer in the picture.  It’s the transformation of our world into the kingdom of Heaven.  And some of us will be there.  Hopefully all of us.  It’s the time when as we proclaim at Mass, Christ will come again.  

Saint John Chrysostom knows that thinking about these ultimate matters is frightening and can keep us from sleeping well.  But there is a remedy, and that is the sacrament of reconciliation.  If we want Jesus to forget about our sins, he told his disciples that they had the power to forgive sins, and for Jesus, forgiving is forgetting.  If you haven’t been to confession for a while, this is a good time to make sure that the three Advents that you still must go through will be joyful times.