Epiphany 2016

MATTHEW 2:1-12
WHEN YOU ARE A LITTLE KID YOU DON'T ALWAYS PICK UP ON WHAT IS GOING ON BETWEEN YOUR PARENTS.  ONE THING I VIVIDLY REMEMBER WAS THAT ON CHRISTMAS DAY AFTER MASS AND BREAKFAST, MY FATHER WOULD TAKE ME – NOT MY SISTERS, NOT MY MOTHER, JUST ME – TO VISIT “THE LINDSTROMS”.  THIS TRADITIONS STARTED WHEN I WAS ABOUT FIVE, AND CONTINUED UNTIL I WAS IN COLLEGE AND THE ELDERLY COUPLE, PLAGUED BY MEDICAL PROBLEMS AND DEMENTIA, DISAPPEARED INTO A NURSING HOME.  THEY WERE THE PARENTS OF ONE OF MY DAD'S FRIENDS.  MR. AND MRS. LINDSTROM HAD EMIGRATED FROM SWEDEN AS ADULTS.  THEY'D HAD THEIR FAMILY AT AN OLDER AGE THAN MOST.  MRS. LINDSTROM, HAVING SPENT HER LIFE AS A HOMEMAKER, COULD BARELY SPEAK ENGLISH, AND MR. LINDSTROM WAS PRETTY DEAF.  OUR VISITS ALWAYS CONSISTED OF MY DAD SHOUTING AT MR. LINDSTROM AND ME EATING SWEDISH COOKIES OFFERED BY MRS. LINDSTROM.  I REMEMBER ONE TIME AS WE WERE ABOUT TO LEAVE THE HOUSE MY MOTHER, WHO WAS AS USUAL OVERWHELMED WITH PREPARATIONS FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER, SAID TO MY FATHER, “WHY CAN'T YOU JUST CALL THEM UP AND WISH THEM A MERRY CHRISTMAS?”  WE WENT ANYWAY.
AS I WAS READING TODAY'S GOSPEL, I THOUGHT ABOUT THE MAGI.  IT IS ALMOST CERTAIN THAT THEY WERE MEMBERS, IF NOT PRIESTS, OF THE ZORASTORIAN RELIGION.  BY THE TIME JESUS LIVED, THE JEWISH RELIGION AND MANY OF THE PAGAN CULTS IN THE ROMAN WORLD HAD BORROWED CONCEPTS FROM ZORASTORIANISM – THE IDEA OF ANGELS, FOR EXAMPLE; THE PERSONIFICATION OF EVIL IN A DEVIL; EVEN THE PICTURE OF AN AFTERLIFE AS HEAVEN OR HELL.  I'M NOT SAYING THAT THESE IDEAS ARE NOT REFLECTIONS OF TRUTH, BUT THE ZORASTORIANS HAD THEM BEFORE THE JEWS DID.  AND THE ZORASTORIANS WERE THE FIRST TO BELIEVE THAT INDIVIDUALS COULD COMMUNICATE WITH GOD THROUGH PRAYER WHEREVER THEY WERE; THEY DID NOT NEED TEMPLES OR CHURCHES, DID NOT NEED TO MAKE ANIMAL SACRIFICES.  SO WHY TRAVEL ALL THAT DISTANCE, WITH ALL THE HARDSHIP AND DANGER, LEAVING BEHIND LOVED ONES AND PROBABLY PRETTY GOOD JOBS, JUST TO SEE THIS BABY WHO ADMITTEDLY, ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN ASTROLOGICAL CALCULATIONS, WAS IMPORTANT – BUT IN THE PASSAGE WE'VE JUST HEARD, THERE IS NO MENTION THAT HE WILL HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH ANY NATION BESIDES ISRAEL.
THAT'S THE ARGUMENT YOU HEAR FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE, CATHOLICS INCLUDED.  IN FACT, I'M SURE MANY OF OUR PARISHIONERS, THE ONES WE SEE ON CHRISTMAS AND EASTER, WOULD OFFER THAT ARGUMENT.  “GOD IS EVERYWHERE, SO I CAN WORSHIP GOD ANYWHERE.  I DON'T NEED TO GO TO A CHURCH TO SPEAK TO GOD.  AND IN A WAY THAT'S THE ARGUMENT MY MOTHER WAS MAKING; JUST CALL THEM UP.  MERRY CHRISTMAS IS MERRY CHRISTMAS, WHETHER IN PERSON OR BY PHONE OR BY CHRISTMAS CARD.
IN LATER YEARS I THOUGHT ABOUT THOSE VISITS.  I REALIZED THAT MY DAD DIDN'T VISIT THE LINDSTOM'S BECAUSE THEY WERE THE PARENTS OF A CHILDHOOD FRIEND – THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER OLDER COUPLES WHO COULD QUALIFY FOR THAT DISTINCTION – AND I DON'T THINK HE VISITED THEM BECAUSE THEY WERE LONELY AND HE WAS DOING THEM A FAVOR.  THEY WEREN'T LONELY – THEY HAD THREE CHILDREN AND A COUPLE OF GRANDCHILDREN RIGHT THERE IN THAT CITY, AND THEY WERE ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE LOCAL LUTHERAN CHURCH WHICH CONTAINED A LARGE CONTINGENT OF SWEDISH IMMIGRANTS.  I THINK HE VISITED THEM BECAUSE IT PUT HIM IN TOUCH WITH SOMETHING HE TREASURED – THE FACT THAT AS A CHILD HE WAS UNCONDITIONALLY ACCEPTED BY THEM – HE WAS MADE TO FEEL PART OF THEIR FAMILY AT A TIME WHEN HIS OWN PARENTS WERE GOING THROUGH A LOT OF STRESS.
THE ZORASTORIAN PRIESTS BELIEVED THAT GOD WAS EVERYWHERE, BUT IT WASN'T THE SAME THING AS TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN THE FLESH, HOWEVER THEY MIGHT HAVE UNDERSTOOD THIS.  AND THAT'S WHY, AS IT SAYS IN THIS GOSPEL,  THEY WERE OVERJOYED WHEN THEIR QUEST WAS SUCCESSFUL.
THERE ARE PLACES WHERE WE FIND GOD IN THE FLESH.  OF COURSE THERE IS THE HOLY EUCHARIST, WHICH WE CATHOLICS ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE AVAILABLE TO US.  ALL OF US COULD OF COURSE DEEPEN OUR DEVOTION TO THE EUCHARIST.  WE COULD TAKE TIME TO LOOK UPON JESUS, PRESENT IN THE FORM OF BREAD AND WINE, AND LET HIM LOOK AT US.  TRUE FRIENDS DON'T NEED WORDS, BUT THEY DELIGHT IN BEING PRESENT TO EACH OTHER.  I THINK THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT MY DAD FELT WHEN HE VISITED THE LINDSTROMS.
BUT ANOTHER PLACE WE FIND GOD IN THE FLESH, AS DO OUR PROTESTANT BROTHERS AND SISTERS, IS IN EACH OTHER.  JESUS SAID THAT WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN HIS NAME, HE WOULD BE THERE.  THAT ITSELF IS A REASON TO GET TOGETHER WITH OTHER BELIEVERS ONCE A WEEK OR MORE OFTEN; TO EXPERIENCE JESUS PRESENCE IN THE MIDST OF THE ASSEMBLY WHO GATHER TO WORSHIP HIM.  MY DAD MAY NOT HAVE HAD THIS ON THE TOP OF HIS MIND, BUT THE CHRISTMAS VISIT TO THE LINDSTROMS WAS A MOMENT WHEN CHRISTIAN PEOPLE, OF DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS, TO BE SURE, CAME TOGETHER TO HONOR THE BIRTH OF JESUS, AND HIS PRESENCE WAS THERE.  THAT COULDN'T HAPPEN OVER THE PHONE.
THE MAGI KNEW ABOUT GOD, AS MUCH AS IT WAS POSSIBLE, I GUESS, FROM A NATURAL PERSPECTIVE.  THEY HAD PROBABLY READ THE HOLY BOOKS OF OTHER FAITHS – IT APPEARS THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT THE JEWS EXPECTED A MESSIAH.  AND THEY HAD ENOUGH INFORMATION TO KNOW THAT THE STAR THEY FOLLOWED WAS LEADING THEM TO THIS MESSIAH.  AND UNLIKE HEROD, UNLIKE THE SCHOLARS HE CONSULTED WHO KNEW WHERE AND PROBABLY WHEN THE MESSIAH WOULD COME, THE MAGI ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING WITH THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND WERE USHERED INTO THE INCARNATE PRESENCE OF GOD HIMSELF.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MAGI.  THERE ARE LEGENDS THAT THEY SPREAD THE NEWS OF THE COMING OF GOD INTO THE WORLD, BOTH IN THE EAST AND THE WEST.  THAT WOULD BE LOGICAL, I'M SURE.  AND IF JESUS IS IN OUR ASSEMBLY AND IN OUR EUCHARIST, THEN IT SEEMS WE SHOULD BE SPREADING THE NEWS AS WELL, ESPECIALLY AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE LOST SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT GOD, THOUGH INDEED EVERYWHERE, HAS MADE HIMSELF PRESENT TO US IN A SPECIAL WAY IN THIS PLACE, AT THIS TIME, SO THAT WE CAN NOT JUST KNOW OF HIM, BUT KNOW HIM IN THE FLESH, IN PERSON, FRIEND TO FRIEND.
MY FATHER KNEW THAT A PHONE CALL WOULD NEVER REPLACE A PERSONAL VISIT.

Holy Family, 2015

LUKE 2:41-52

I HAVE A LITTLE MAGNET – AND YOU MIGHT HAVE ONE ALSO. IT IS AN OUTLINE OF THE CRECHE, AND IT REMINDS ANYONE WHO READS MY CAR TO KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS. THIS YEAR PEOPLE GOT UPSET WITH STARBUCKS BECAUSE THEY HAD A HOLIDAY CUP THAT WAS JUST RED; THERE WAS NOTHING ABOUT IT THAT SAID CHRISTMAS. AND SOME PEOPLE INTERPRETED THIS TO MEAN THAT STARBUCKS WAS TAKING CHRIST OUT OF CHRISTMAS. AND DURING THE WEEKS BEFORE THE HOLIDAY WE CAN BE SURE THAT SOME OF OUR COMMENTATORS WILL LAND ON ONE SIDE OR ANOTHER OF THIS ISSUE; ONE FEELS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE NO PUBLIC EXPRESSION OF THE FACT THAT CHRISTMAS CELEBRATES CHRIST'S BIRTH; ANOTHER THINKS THAT GIVEN THE FACT THAT MOST AMERICANS ARE CHRISTIAN, WHAT'S THE HARM IN REMEMBERING THAT THIS IS HIS BIRTHDAY?

BUT THOSE OF YOU WHO CAME TO ONE OF THE SIX CHRISTMAS MASSES HERE AT SAINT MARY'S YOU WOULD NOT THINK THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH CHRIST BEING IN CHRISTMAS; FOR SO MANY OF OUR PARISHIONERS, THIS SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY TIME THEY COME TO CELEBRATE CHRIST'S PRESENCE IN OUR LIVES.

AND MAYBE THE PROBLEM IS NOT KEEPING CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS, BUT TAKING CHRIST OUT OF CHRISTMAS.

WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL THAT PEOPLE WHO WERE RAISED CATHOLIC, MAYBE WENT TO CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, STILL ARE CONNECTED TO THEIR FAITH, EVEN IF IT IS ONLY AT CHRISTMAS. BUT WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL IF WE GOT CHRIST OUT OF CHRISTMAS, AND INVITED HIM TO COME INTO THE OTHER THREE HUNDRED SIXTY FOUR DAYS OF THE YEAR. THAT COULD BE SOMETHING FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE REGULAR CHURCH GOERS TO CONSIDER AS WELL..

WE ALL HAVE A TENDENCY TO PUT CHRIST IN BOXES. EVEN MARY AND JOSEPH HAD THAT PROBLEM. WHEN THEIR TWELVE YEAR OLD SON WENT MISSING, THEY LOOKED ALL OVER FOR HIM – FOR THREE DAYS – AND WHEN THEY FOUND HIM THEY WERE SORROWING. HIS EXPLANATION DID NOT REGISTER WITH THEM; THEY WOULD NOT BE HAPPY UNTIL HE WAS BACK WHERE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE – A TWELVE YEAR OLD BOY SHOULD BE HOME, LEARNING, BEING DISCIPLINED, BEING SUBJECT TO HIS FATHER AND MOTHER.

AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME JESUS IS PUT IN A BOX. AS HE WENT OUT ON HIS MINISTRY, HIS MOTHER AND SOME OTHER RELATIVES CAME TO WHERE HE WAS STAYING INTENDING TO BRING HIM HOME, BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT HE WAS “MAD”. AND IT ISN'T JUST THE PARENTS; PETER GETS UPSET WITH HIM WHEN HE PREDICTS HIS DEATH AT THE HANDS OF THE JEWISH LEADERS. AND WHEN LAZARUS DIES, AND JESUS DOESN'T SHOW UP FOR FOUR DAYS, MARTHA DOES NOT EXPECT HIM TO BE ABLE TO RAISE HER BROTHER FROM THE DEAD. AND OF COURSE THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THEM ALL; THE AUTHORITIES THINK THEY HAVE PUT HIM IN A BOX ONCE AND FOR ALL, BUT HE RISES FROM THE DEAD.

THIS IS THE FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY. EXCEPT FOR THE EPISODE WE HEAR ABOUT TODAY, JESUS WAS ACTIVELY TAKING PART IN FAMILY LIFE FOR A THIRTY OF HIS THIRTY-THREE YEARS.

OUR CHURCH HAS A FEW THINGS TO SAY ABOUT FAMILIES. ONE OF THE IMAGES IS THAT THE FAMILY IS THE DOMESTIC CHURCH. IF WE THINK ABOUT THE HOLY FAMILY, CHRIST IS AT THE CENTER. AND YET WE DON'T OFTEN HONOR THESE IDEAS IN OUR OWN FAMILIES. IN THE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WIFE AND HUSBAND, WE FORGET THAT WE WERE CALLED TOGETHER BY GOD TO SHOW OUR SPOUSE HOW MUCH GOD LOVES THAT PERSON. INSTEAD WE FIND OURSELVES EXPECTING OUR SPOUSE TO SERVE US AND BEING UPSET WHEN HE OR SHE DOES NOT MEET OUR EXPECTATIONS. AND OUR CHILDREN – WE GO TO A LOT OF TROUBLE, WE FAMILIES IN LONGMEADOW, TO SEE THAT OUR CHILDREN RECEIVE THE BEST EDUCATION, GET TO THEIR SPORT PRACTICES ON TIME, AND WE FEEL GUILTY IF THEY DON'T HAVE EVERYTHING THE WORLD SAYS THEY NEED. BUT HOW ARE WE GOING ABOUT FORMING CHRIST IN THEM? DO OUR CHILDREN SEE THAT CHRIST IS CENTRAL TO THE LIVES OF THEIR PARENTS? IS FAMILY PRAYER A REGULAR THING? DO THEY UNDERSTAND FROM THEIR PARENTS HOW IMPORTANT THE MASS IS? BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT ONE THIRD OF ADULTS UNDER THIRTY YEARS OF AGE CLAIM TO BE ATHEIST, AGNOSTIC, OR HAVE NO RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION. AMONG THOSE OVER SIXTY, THAT TOTAL NUMBER IS ABOUT 10 PERCENT. WE ARE NOT DOING MUCH OF A JOB IN PASSING ON OUR FAITH.

MAYBE THE FIRST PLACE WE NEED TO PUT CHRIST INTO IS THE FAMILY FOR WHICH WE ARE RESPONSIBLE. AND OTHER FAMILIES AS WELL; HOW CAN WE AWAKEN FAMILIES TO THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST IN THEIR MIDST?

IN THE COUNTRY OF CROATIA WHEN A COUPLE BECOMES ENGAGED, THEY BEGIN PREPARATION FOR MARRIAGE WITH A PRIEST. THERE IS NO TALK ABOUT EACH HAVING FOUND THE IDEAL PARTNER. INSTEAD, THE PRIEST TELLS THEM “YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR CROSS”. WHEN THEY GET MARRIED, THEY ARE PRESENTED WITH A CROSS; THE RIGHT HANDS OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM ARE BOUND TO THE CRUCIFIX, AND THE PRIEST COVERS THEIR HANDS WITH HIS STOLE AS THEY RECITE THEIR VOWS. AT THE END OF THE VOWS THEY DO NOT KISS EACH OTHER; THEY BOTH KISS THE CROSS. THEY RECOGNIZE THE SOURCE OF LOVE. THEY RECOGNIZE THAT WHEN THEY LOSE THE CROSS, THERE IS NOTHING LEFT.

COUPLES RECOGNIZE HOW CENTRAL CHRIST IS TO THEIR DOMESTIC LIFE, AND THE CROSS IS DISPLAYED PROMINENTLY IN THEIR HOME. WHEN THINGS SEEM TO BE GOING POORLY, THEY DON'T SEEK OUT A MARRIAGE COUNSELOR; THEY GO TO THE CRUCIFIX TOGETHER. AND THEY SAY THERE ARE NO DIVORCES IN THE VILLAGES WHERE THIS CUSTOM IS PRACTICED.

SO THIS IS A GOOD DAY TO ASK WHETHER WE ARE FORMING A DOMESTIC CHURCH, WHETHER WE ARE FORMING EACH OTHER AND OUR CHILDREN TO BE OTHER CHRISTS. WHAT CAN YOU AND I DO TO RESTORE CHRIST TO HIS RIGHTFUL PLACE, NOT JUST IN THE MANGER AT CHRISTMAS, BUT IN THE HEART OF EVERY FAMILY, EVERY DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR? JESUS WILL DWELL IN OUR FAMILIES IF WE MAKE ROOM FOR HIM.

Christmas Day, 2015

LUKE 2:15-20

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT HEAVEN? OF COURSE YOU HAVE; AND NEARLY EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN GOD AND AN AFTERLIFE HAS. WE CHRISTIANS HAVE COME UP WITH SOME INTERESTING IDEAS. ONE OF COURSE IS WE GET A WHITE ROBE AND A PAIR OF WINGS AND STAND AROUND ON A CLOUD PLAYING A HARP. THAT IMAGE WHICH APPEARS IN A CARTOON NEARLY EVERY WEEK OR SO, IS DEEPLY ENGRAINED IN THE AMERICAN PSYCHE. ANOTHER IS THAT HEAVEN IS A SITUATION WHERE WE WILL CONTEMPLATE THE BEATIFIC VISION FOREVER. THAT DOESN'T GIVE US MUCH OF AN IMAGE, OBVIOUSLY, BUT I DON'T THINK MY YOUNGER GRANDCHILDREN COULD SIT STILL THAT LONG. SOMETIMES WE IMAGINE HEAVEN AS A PLACE WHERE WE WILL HAVE A PERPETUAL PARTY WITH OUR LOVED ONES – THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US, AS WELL AS THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND. BUT ANYONE WHO HAS HAD LOVED ONES FOR HOUSE GUESTS KNOWS THAT THERE'S ONLY SO LONG YOU CAN TAKE THEM.

WHEN YOU GO TO THE BIBLE FOR IMAGES OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, THE WORLD TO COME, YOU FIND TOTALLY DIFFERENT IDEAS. EZECHIEL IMAGINES A CITY WHERE THE TREES THAT GROW BY THE RIVER OF LIVING WATER PROVIDE FOR ALL MAN'S NEEDS. ISAIAH TALKS ABOUT SWORDS BEING BEATEN INTO PRUNING HOOKS – WHY PRUNING HOOKS? – BECAUSE IN THE WORLD TO COME WE WILL BE PRUNING AND TILLING THE GROUND AND CRUSHING GRAPES FOR WINE. HE TALKS ABOUT A RICH FOOD FOR ALL PEOPLE … BECAUSE GOD WILL SWALLOW UP DEATH FOREVER.” AND JESUS HIMSELF PRAYS THAT GOD'S WILL BE DONE ON EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. ALL OF US HAVE HAD MOMENTS HERE ON EARTH WHICH WE WOULD LOVE TO LIVE OVER AGAIN; MOMENTS WHEN WE WERE DOING WHAT WE LOVED TO DO. HEAVEN, PERHAPS, IS NOT A PLACE WE ARE GOING TO, BUT INSTEAD, IT BEGINS RIGHT HERE; IT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD, THE WORLD TO COME.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATES INCARNATION – THAT THIS WORLD MATTERS; THAT THOSE THINGS THAT GIVE US JOY IN THIS WORLD ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO GOD – BECAUSE GOD BECAME HUMAN. THAT'S WHY JESUS WENT ABOUT USING HIS POWER TO HEAL, TO RAISE THE DEAD, TO DRIVE OUT DEMONS; THAT'S WHY HE FED THE CROWD, THAT'S WHY HE SHOWED HIS DISCIPLES THAT HE COULD EVEN CALM A STORM. AND WHEN JESUS WASN'T DOING THESE THINGS, HE WAS TELLING OTHER PEOPLE HOW TO BE HAPPY; HE TOLD THE CROWD THAT BEING PEACEMAKERS, BEING POOR IN SPIRIT, BEING MERCIFUL – ALL THESE WERE WAYS TO BE BLESSED, TO BE HAPPY. IN OTHER WORDS, IN HIS WORDS AND ACTIONS, GOD WHO BECAME MAN WAS GOING ABOUT CREATING THE KINGDOM; JESUS WAS STARTING THE PROCESS OF BRINGING HEAVEN TO EARTH.

GOD THE FATHER GIVES THE WORLD JESUS, TO SHOW US THAT HE CARES ABOUT THE WORLD, AND ABOUT WHAT WE HUMANS CARE ABOUT. AND JESUS, THE PERFECT MAN, SHOWS US WHAT MAN IS EXPECTED TO DO – TO BRING ABOUT HEAVEN ON EARTH.

IT MAKES SENSE. GOD HAS FILLED HUMAN BEINGS WITH INSTINCTS WHICH WE CAN USE TO DESTRUCTION AS WELL AS TO GOOD. SOME PEOPLE FIND THEIR GREATEST JOY IN UNCOVERING THE SECRETS OF THE WORLD; GREAT SCIENTISTS ARE NOT HAPPY UNLESS THEY ARE LEARNING. SOME FIND JOY IN MAKING MUSIC; THE COMPOSER BRAHMS WEPT WHEN HE WAS TOLD HE WAS DYING, NOT BECAUSE HE FEARED DEATH BUT BECAUSE HE WANTED TO GO ON MAKING MUSIC. AND SOME PEOPLE TAKE DELIGHT IN EDUCATING – A DEDICATED TEACHER LOVES WHAT SHE IS DOING, SO MUCH SO THAT SHE SPENDS HER OWN MONEY ON THINGS TO HELP HER CHARGES LEARN MORE. BUT OF COURSE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT AREN'T HAPPY DOING WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO TO SURVIVE. PEOPLE STUCK IN DEADENING JOBS, PEOPLE WHO CAN'T FIND WORK AND WOULD GIVE ANYTHING FOR A JOB; PEOPLE WHO ARE PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY CRIPPLED AND AS A RESULT HAVE TO LIVE ON THE MARGINS OF SOCIETY. BRINGING ABOUT HEAVEN ON EARTH IS WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO; SOME OF US ARE ALMOST THERE, AND OTHERS NEED SO MUCH.

INCARNATION MEANS THAT GOD IS WITH US, GOD GUARANTEES THAT FOR THOSE WHO USE THEIR GIFTS TO BRING ABOUT HEAVEN ON EARTH, THEIR WORK WILL NOT BE FRUITLESS, EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS THAT WAY. INCARNATION GUARANTEES THAT GOD'S HEAVEN WILL BE REALIZED ON EARTH, HIS WILL WILL BE DONE, SOMEDAY, BUT CERTAINLY. INCARNATION MEANS THAT GOD GIVES US WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE A WORLD OF JOY, OF PEACE, OF MERCY, A WORLD WHERE EVERYONE HAS ENOUGH TO EAT, WHERE EVERYONE CAN DO WHAT MAKES HIM OR HER MOST HUMAN, WHERE WE CAN RESTORE THE GARDEN OF EDEN, WHERE MAN DID NOT JUST LIE AROUND DRINKING BEER AND WATCHING FOOTBALL, BUT WAS GIVEN THE GARDEN TO TAKE CARE OF AND THE ANIMALS TO NAME.

NOTICE THAT WHEN JESUS BECAME ONE OF US, HE DID NOT WAIT AROUND FOR THE RIGHT CONDITIONS, HE DID NOT COME UP WITH A FIVE POINT PLAN THAT HAD BEEN DEVELOPED BY A COMMITTEE. HE WENT ABOUT USING HIS GIFTS TO CREATE HEAVEN ON EARTH, TO REBUILD THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THE FATHER'S PLAN. AND THE BIGGEST BARRIER TO HEAVEN ON EARTH IS DEATH, BUT HE CONQUERED DEATH SO IT IS NO LONGER A THREAT TO THE FATHER'S PLAN.

THOSE OF US WITH SMALL CHILDREN IN OUR LIVES – MAYBE OUR OWN, MAYBE GRANDCHILDREN – MAYBE JUST MEMORIES OF CHILDREN, KNOW THAT IT'S EASY TO GIVE HEAVEN TO A LITTLE CHILD. THE CHRISTMAS TREE, THE GIFT THAT THE CHILD HAS LONGED FOR, THE COOKIES AND ICE CREAM AND ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS TO EAT; YOU CAN GIVE A CHILD HEAVEN, IF ONLY FOR A VERY SHORT TIME. AND IT'S POSSIBLE FOR US TO GIVE HEAVEN TO OTHERS AS WELL IF WE CHOOSE TO. WE KNOW HOW THINGS SHOULD BE – THERE SHOULD BE NO POVERTY, NO DISEASE, NO ADDICTION, NO HUNGER – AND WE COULD MAKE A LONG LIST. THERE SHOULD BE LOVE NOT JUST BETWEEN CLOSE FAMILY MEMBERS, BUT BETWEEN ALL PEOPLE, ALL NATIONS. WE KNOW HOW THINGS SHOULD BE. AND WE KNOW HOW THINGS ARE, ESPECIALLY IN OUR HOMES, IN OUR WORK PLACES, IN THE CITY WE LIVE IN. AND THERE ARE A FEW PLACES WHERE WE HAVE IT IN OUR POWER TO TAKE SOMETHING THAT IS AND MAKE IT WHAT IT SHOULD BE. AND THEN HEAVEN HAS GOTTEN A LITTLE CLOSER TO EARTH.

CHRISTMAS IS A SEASON OF GIVING. THE FATHER GAVE US HIS SON TO NOT ONLY SHOW US THE WAY, BUT TO BE THE WAY, TO BE THE LIFE THAT ENLIVENS HIS PEOPLE, TO OVERCOME DEATH SO THAT NOTHING WOULD STAND IN THE WAY; AND THEN THE SON PROMISES THAT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AMONG US, IT IS WITHIN OUR GRASP, IT IS THERE FOR THE TAKING AND FOR THE GIVING. YOU ARE GOD'S GIFT TO THE WORLD; YOU ARE THE ONE WHO OPENS HEAVEN'S GATES.

Fourth Sunday of Advent, cycle C

LUKE 1:39-45

MY 73^RD BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP SOON. I WAS BORN IN 1942. THERE WERE A LOT OF FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN THEN. HARRISON FORD, STEPHEN HAWKING, JIMMI HENDRIX, VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN; AND THERE WAS JOHN WAYNE GACY, A FAMOUS SERIAL KILLER, AND MUMAR QUADAFFI, THE LIBIAN DICTATOR.

BUT WHEN WE WERE BORN, WE WERE JUST BABIES. OUR PARENTS LOOKED AT US LIKE ANY PARENT, A LITTLE AFRAID OF THE NEW RESPONSIBILITY, MAYBE FEELING AN OVERWHELMING SENSE OF LOVE; AND MAYBE THEY RESOLVED TO GIVE US A GOOD LIFE AND HELP US TO ACHIEVE OUR POTENTIAL.

MARY AND ELIZABETH WERE PEASANT WOMEN. ONE WAS AN UNMARRIED TEENAGER IN A SOCIETY WHERE SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE MIGHT MEAN BEING STONED, BUT ALWAYS MEANT BEING CAST OUT OF SOCIETY IN SOME WAY. THE OTHER WAS AN ELDERLY WOMAN WHO THOUGHT SHE HAD WANTED CHILDREN, BUT NOW WONDERED WHETHER SHE AND ZACHARY WOULD LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO RAISE THE CHILD. TODAY, OF COURSE, OUR SOCIETY WOULD GIVE THEM AN EASY ANSWER – ABORTION. BUT THANK HEAVEN THEY DIDN'T LIVE IN OUR SOCIETY.

ONE BABY WOULD BECOME AS JESUS SAID OF HIM, “AMONG THOSE BORN OF WOMEN, THERE IS NONE GREATER”. AND OF COURSE THE OTHER IS THE VERY CENTER OF HISTORY, THE REASON FOR OUR JOY, THE SAVIOR OF OUR RACE. IN OTHER WORDS, THESE TWO BABIES WERE REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. BUT THAT COULD ONLY BE DETERMINED WITH TIME, BECAUSE WHEN MARY AND ELIZABETH MET, NEITHER COULD HAVE FORESEEN ALL THIS. IN FACT WHEN YOU READ THE GOSPELS, IT BECOMES OBVIOUS THAT MARY HERSELF DURING JESUS' LIFETIME ONLY HAD THE VAGUEST IDEA OF WHAT HER SON WOULD BECOME; AND THERE WAS A TIME WHEN SHE EVEN THOUGHT HE MIGHT BE MAD.

BUT ONE THING IS CLEAR, THESE TWO INFANTS, BOTH NOT EVEN BORN YET, WERE IMPORTANT; AND ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO GOD, SINCE HIS WHOLE PLAN HINGED UPON THEM. AND DESPITE THE FACT THAT EVEN THEIR OWN PARENTS HAD NOT SEEN THEM, THEY WERE LOVED – BY THEIR PARENTS, BY GOD HIMSELF.

AND DID YOU EVER STOP TO THINK THAT WE COULD SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT EACH OF US? YOU ARE LOVED, YOU ARE IMPORTANT, NOT ONLY TO OTHER PEOPLE, BUT TO GOD HIMSELF, WHO HAS GIVEN YOU THROUGH BAPTISM A SPECIAL STATUS – YOU ARE A PROPHET. YOUR MISSION IS TO LIVE SO THAT OTHERS SEE THAT YOU BELIEVE IN GOD, THAT YOU FIND JOY IN YOUR FAITH, THAT YOU STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE. PROPHETS GET IN TROUBLE, IT'S TRUE, AND THEY AREN'T ALWAYS WELL-LIKED. BUT NEVERTHELESS, THAT'S WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO BE.

AND YOU ARE A PRIEST. A PRIEST IS SOMEONE WHO IS A LINK BETWEEN GOD AND THE WORLD. YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE LINKS. YOU BRING GOD TO OTHER PEOPLE BY YOUR VERY PRESENCE; CHRIST LIVES IN YOU, AND THE MORE YOU IMITATE CHRIST, THE MORE HE CAN REACH OUT THROUGH YOU TO A WORLD THAT DESPERATELY NEEDS HIM. AS A PRIEST, YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE THAT BRIDGE.

AND YOU ARE A KING. WE THINK OF KINGS WITH ALL THEIR TRAPPINGS OF ROYALTY, OR PERHAPS AS MERE FIGUREHEADS. BUT KINGS IN THE HEBREW TRADITION WERE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF THOSE OVER WHOM THEY RULED. THEY HAD TO BE CONCERNED NOT ONLY ABOUT THE PEOPLE, BUT THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PEOPLE, AND THE LAND WHICH THEY LIVED ON. AS KINGS WE ARE EACH GIVEN A KINGDOM, EVEN LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE A TINY KINGDOM FOR WHICH THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE. AND OUR DUTY IS TO TAKE WHAT WE ARE GIVEN AND PERFECT IT AND GIVE IT BACK TO GOD.

WE EACH ARE PROPHET, PRIEST AND KING THROUGH OUR BAPTISM AND AS SUCH ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO GOD; AND EVEN THOUGH GOD LOVES EACH OF US AS MUCH AS HE LOVED JOHN THE BAPTIST AND JESUS, HIS FATHERLY HEART CANNOT HELP BUT BE FILLED WHEN HE SEES US DOING WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO DO.

WHEN A WOMAN BECOMES PREGNANT, AND MAYBE I'M PRESUMPTUOUS TO SAY THIS, SINCE I HAVEN'T HAD THAT EXPERIENCE, SHE HAS TO MAKE WAY FOR THE CHILD SHE CARRIES. HER BODY CHANGES, EVEN HER MIND IS AFFECTED. AND THE PREGNANCY CARRIES HER ALONG, CHANGING HER, AND FOREVER ALTERING HER LIFE. EVEN LONG AFTER SHE HAS BORN HER CHILD, EVEN INTO HER ADVANCED AGE, THAT CHILD WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT HER, TO BE A PART OF HER LIFE, FOR GOOD OR FOR BAD. ONE OF THE LAST THINGS MY 90 YEAR OLD MOTHER, LOST IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, SAID TO ME WAS, “MY SON, IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO FOR YOU?”

WHEN MARY CONSENTED TO BE THE MOTHER OF THE SAVIOR, WHEN SHE BECAME THE MOTHER OF LOVE PERSONIFIED, HER LIFE WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME; HER LIFE WOULD ALWAYS BE AFFECTED BY THIS EVENT. AND IN EACH OF US LOVE IS BEING FORMED, CHRIST IS COMING INTO THE WORLD. AND LIKE MARY, LIKE EVERY WOMAN WHO CONCEIVES AND BEARS A CHILD, ONCE LOVE HAS TAKEN HOLD, IT WILL GROW, IT WILL SEEK TO COME INTO BEING, AND SOMETIMES IT WILL COMPLETELY ALTER WHATEVER PLANS WE'VE MADE, WHATEVER FUTURE WE'VE WISHED FOR OURSELVES. AND LIKE MARY, FOR WHOM THE CONSEQUENCES OF HER CONSENT PLAYED OUT IN A WAY THAT SHE WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND UNTIL THE RESURRECTION, WE ALSO CAN ONLY SEE GOD'S GUIDING HAND IN OUR LIVES BY LOOKING BACKWARD, AND EVEN THEN OUR VISION IS STILL IMPERFECT; BUT ALL WE KNOW FOR SURE IS THAT WE ARE IMPORTANT TO GOD, AS PROPHET, PRIEST, AND KING; AND WE ARE LOVED BY GOD BECAUSE LOVE IS CONCEIVED IN US AND WE ARE ENTRUSTED TO BRING LOVE TO LIFE, TO GROW LOVE, AND TO BE BEARERS OF LOVE TO OUR NEIGHBORS.

ELIZABETH SAID TO MARY, “BLESSED IS SHE WHO TRUSTED THAT THE LORD'S WORD TO HER WOULD BE FULFILLED.” THE LORD FULFILLED HIS PROMISE TO MARY BECAUSE SHE WAS SO IMPORTANT, BECAUSE HE LOVED HER AS MUCH AS IT IS POSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LOVE SOMEONE. AND YOU ARE SO IMPORTANT, AND YOU ARE ALSO LOVED AS MUCH AS IT IS POSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LOVE YOU. AND HIS WORD WILL BE FULFILLED IN US, THE MORE WE COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY TRUST IN HIM.  

Third Sunday of Advent, Cycle C

LUKE 3:10-18

I RECENTLY READ A BIOGRAPHY OF STEVE JOBS, THE FOUNDER OF APPLE, WHICH IS NOW THE MOST VALUABLE COMPANY IN THE WORLD. HE HAD A LOT OF FAULTS, LIKE MANY GENIUSES. HIS TEMPER WAS LEGENDARY, AND HE NEVER COMPROMISED. HE WAS HORRIBLY ECCENTRIC, AND MIGHT BE ALIVE TODAY IF HE HADN'T DECIDED TO TRY TO CURE HIS CANCER WITH DIET BEFORE HE FINALLY ALLOWED SURGERY. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, HIS IMAGINATION AND DRIVE ALMOST SINGLE-HANDEDLY TRANSFORMED OUR WORLD. HE AND HIS PARTNER STEVE WOZNIAK INVENTED THE PERSONAL COMPUTER. LATER, JOBS RE-IMAGINED THE COMPUTER AND CAME UP WITH THE MACINTOSH, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A “MEDIA HUB”. HE INVENTED THE IPOD, AND IN ORDER TO CONTROL THE CONTENTS HE INVENTED ITUNES, WHICH IN TURN REMADE THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. THE IPAD AND THE IPHONE FOLLOWED. DURING THE TIME HE HAD BEEN FIRED FROM APPLE, HE TOOK OVER THE PIXAR COMPANY AND REVOLUTIONIZED COMPUTER ANIMATED GRAPHICS, WHICH REVOLUTIONIZED THE MOVIE INDUSTRY. WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE WOULD HAVE COME FROM HIS IMAGINATION IF HE HAD SURVIVED? EVERYTHING HE INVENTED GAVE RISE TO COUNTLESS IMITATORS. I DON'T HAVE A SINGLE APPLE PRODUCT BUT EVERY PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY I DO OWN IS AN ATTEMPT TO IMITATE SOMETHING THAT APPLE CAME UP WITH.

THERE IS A STORY I LIKE. WHEN JOBS AND HIS TEAM WERE DESIGNING THE MACINTOSH COMPUTER, HE INSISTED THAT THE INSIDE OF THE CASE BE BURNISHED AS WELL AS THE OUTSIDE. NO ONE COULD COME UP WITH A REASON FOR THIS. YOU COULDN'T LOOK AT THE INSIDE, AND EVEN IF YOU COULD, IT WOULDN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF HOW THE MACHINE WORKED. AND IT ADDED EXPENSE TO THE PRODUCTION OF THE COMPUTER. BUT JOBS INSISTED AND SO IT WAS DONE.

JOHN THE BAPTIST HAS BEEN PREACHING ABOUT THE WORLD-SHATTERING COMING OF THE MESSIAH, WHO WILL TOTALLY CHANGE THE WORLD; WHO HAS BEEN CALLING PEOPLE TO REPENTANCE AND WARNING THAT THIS WAS THE MOMENT WHEN YOU HAD TO MAKE A DECISION, IS ASKED BY PEOPLE, “WHAT SHALL WE DO?” AND HIS ANSWER IS SURPRISING. “IF YOU HAVE TWO CLOAKS, AND YOUR NEIGHBOR HAS NONE, GIVE HIM ONE OF YOURS; AND DO THE SAME WITH YOUR FOOD”. THIS WAS NO REVOLUTION! EVEN IN ANCIENT TIMES, THE JEWS WERE UNIQUE BECAUSE OF THEIR CHARITY. IN FACT, JEWISH SCHOLARS USED THE TERM “TZADIKA” WHICH CARRIES A SENSE OF OBLIGATION. SOME OF YOU MAY REMEMBER IN THE BOOK OF RUTH HOW RUTH AND HER MOTHER-IN-LAW WENT INTO THE FIELD OF BOAZ AFTER THE CROP HAD BEEN REAPED, AND “GLEANED” WHAT WAS LEFT. IT WAS AN OBLIGATION FOR A FARMER TO LEAVE BEHIND PART OF THE CROP, SO THAT THE POOR WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE IT THROUGH THEIR OWN LABOR – LEAVING THEM WITH FOOD AND WITH THEIR DIGNITY. EVEN THE POOR WERE TO GIVE. JOHN WASN'T SAYING ANYTHING HIS AUDIENCE HAD NOT HEARD.

WHAT DID THE TAX COLLECTORS EXPECT WHEN THEY ASKED JOHN THE SAME QUESTION? WOULD HE TELL THEM TO STOP WORKING FOR THE ROMANS? NOT AT ALL. JOHN TOLD THEM “COLLECT NO MORE THAN THE AMOUNT PRESCRIBED FOR YOU.” TAX COLLECTORS WERE PAID A PERCENTAGE OF THE MONEY THEY COLLECTED. THE ROMANS WOULD DEMAND A CERTAIN AMOUNT FROM A GIVEN DISTRICT, AND THE TAX COLLECTOR, WITH THE HELP OF A FEW SOLDIERS, WOULD GO AROUND AND TELL PEOPLE WHAT THEY HAD TO GIVE. OBVIOUSLY IT WAS EASY TO TAKE A BIT MORE THAN THEY SHOULD, BUT PEOPLE HAD NO RECOURSE EXCEPT TO HOPE THE TAX COLLECTOR WAS HONEST. AND THAT WAS RARE.

AND THE SOLDIERS? WERE THEY TO STOP WORKING FOR THE ROMANS? THE SOLDIERS WOULD AUGMENT THEIR INCOMES BY BLACKMAIL OR BY THREATS. “THEY WOULD SAY, “YOU HAVE A NICE LITTLE SHOP HERE, TOO BAD IS SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN TO IT!” BUT JOHN SAID, “BE SATISFIED WITH YOUR WAGES.”

JOHN'S ANSWER TO THE QUESTION “WHAT SHALL WE DO” IS SIMPLY, “DO WHAT YOU KNOW IS RIGHT; YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO OFF IN THE DESERT AND EAT LOCUSTS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO A MONASTERY. BUT WHAT YOU DO HAVE TO DO IS TAKE THE DUTIES YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN AND DO THEM AS PERFECTLY AS YOU CAN.

SAINT JOSE MARIA ESCRIVA, THE FOUNDER OF OPUS DEI, SAID THAT THE VOCATION OF THE LAITY – I'M TECHNICALLY NOT LAITY ANYMORE, BUT I USED TO BE – THE VOCATION OF THE LAITY IS TO MAKE OUR WORK HOLY, TO MAKE OURSELVES HOLY THROUGH OUR WORK, AND TO MAKE THE WORLD HOLY THROUGH OUR WORK. THAT'S IT. WORK ISN'T SOMETHING WE DO BECAUSE WE HAVE TO; IT ISN'T PUNISHMENT FOR ORIGINAL SIN; IT ISN'T SOMETHING THAT IS NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS PRAYING ALL THE TIME. IT'S OUR TOOL, OUR GIFT, OUR MEANS OF HOLINESS. AND WHEN WE DO OUR WORK AS WELL AS POSSIBLE, PAYING ATTENTION TO DETAILS, DOING IT LOVINGLY BECAUSE IN DOING IT WE PARTICIPATE IN THE KINGDOM GOD IS BRINGING ABOUT, THEN WE ARE TRULY LIVING UP TO OUR CALLING.

JOHN IS SAYING, THE WAY TO PREPARE FOR THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH IS NOT TO GO WAIT ON A MOUNTAINTOP OR TO GO OFF INTO THE DESERT, OR TO SELL ALL YOU HAVE AND GIVE TO THE POOR – THAT WAS A COMMAND GIVEN TO ONE PERSON, NOT ALL OF US – JOHN WAS SAYING, PREPARATION FOR HIS COMING IS WITHIN YOUR POWER, RIGHT NOW, TODAY.

STEVE JOBS MAY HAVE BEEN A LITTLE CRAZY LIKE MANY GENIUSES. BUT WHEN HE WANTED THE INSIDE OF THE CASE FOR HIS COMPUTER TO LOOK AS GOOD AS THE OUTSIDE, HE WAS DOING SOMETHING AS WELL AS HE COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE, AND THAT WAS THE WAY HE WOULD APPROACH EVERY PRODUCT OF APPLE AND HIS OTHER COMPANY, PIXAR.

SHARING OUR GOODS WITH OUR NEIGHBOR AND DOING OUR WORK AS WELL AS WE CAN IN ORDER TO MAKE IT HOLY, IN ORDER TO MAKE US HOLY, IN ORDER TO MAKE THE WORLD HOLY – THAT'S JOHN'S MESSAGE. AND JESUS WOULD NEVER DISAGREE. AFTER ALL, IT WAS SAID ABOUT HIM, “LOOK, HE DOES ALL THINGS WELL!”

Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle C

LUKE 3:1-6

IF YOU'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THE NEWS, YOU KNOW THAT THE YEAR OF MERCY IS ABOUT TO BEGIN. AND IT IS A GOOD TIME TO THINK ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR VIRTUE. SO WHAT IS MERCY?

WE ALL HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT JUSTICE IS. JUSTICE MEANS THAT WE GET WHAT WE DESERVE; IF WE HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG, WE RECEIVE PUNISHMENT; IF WE'VE DONE SOMETHING GOOD, WE GET A REWARD. AN EYE FOR AN EYE, A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH. YOU COULD PROGRAM A COMPUTER TO ADMINISTER JUSTICE; YOU DON'T NEED A JUDGE.

AND THEN WE THINK ABOUT MERCY AND SORT OF CONTRAST IT WITH JUSTICE. IF JUSTICE IS GETTING WHAT YOU DESERVE, MERCY IS NOT GETTING WHAT YOU DESERVE IF YOU'VE DONE SOMETHING WRONG, AND MAYBE GETTING FAR MORE THAN YOU DESERVE IF YOU'VE DONE SOMETHING GOOD. MERCY SEEMS TO MEAN THAT SOMETHING GOOD HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T DESERVE IT.

BUT MERCY IS NOTHING LIKE JUSTICE; IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH JUSTICE.

THINK ABOUT IT. IF SOMEONE GIVES ME SOMETHING THAT I DON'T HAVE ANY RIGHT TO, ARE THEY BEING MERCIFUL? WELL, THERE MAY BE MANY OTHER POSSIBILITIES.

PERHAPS THEY WANT TO INFLUENCE ME SO THAT I WILL OWE THEM SOMETHING. THAT ISN'T MERCY. PERHAPS THEY LOOK DOWN ON ME AND THEIR GIFT IS SORT OF A DECLARATION THAT THEY ARE SUPERIOR TO ME. I THINK A LOT OF POOR DEPENDENT PEOPLE CAN SENSE THAT. SOMETIMES A PERSON SEEMS UNGRATEFUL, BUT SHE SENSES THAT WHAT APPEARS TO BE OUR GENEROSITY IS JUST A FORM OF PRIDE. SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES SAID THAT THIS KIND OF GENEROSITY WOULD MAKE THE POOR HATE YOU FOR THE BREAD YOU GIVE THEM.

MERCY ISN'T THE SAME THING AS CHARITY EITHER. CHARITY IS A GREAT GOOD, AND A GOAL FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN. CHARITY IS THE GIVING OF SOMETHING OF OURSELVES – TIME, TALENT, TREASURE – FOR THE GOOD OF OTHER PEOPLE. WHEN BILL GATES OR WARREN BUFFET SPEND THEIR MILLIONS ON THINGS THAT WILL BENEFIT MANKIND, THAT'S CHARITY. WHEN MOTHER THERESA AND HER SISTERS SPEND THEIR LIVES HELPING THE POOR AND DESTITUTE, THAT'S CHARITY. THERE MAY BE MERCY THERE AS WELL, BUT NOT NECESSARILY.

SO WHAT IS MERCY? WE COULD SAY THAT MERCY IS LOVE IN ACTION. THEN WE HAVE TO ASK, WHAT IS LOVE? THE ANSWER GIVEN BY SAINT THOMAS IS SIMPLE: LOVE IS WANTING THE BEST FOR ANOTHER PERSON. IF I WANT THE BEST, I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT IS THE BEST; AND IT HAS TO DO WITH ANOTHER PERSON, A REAL CONCRETE HUMAN BEING, NOT MANKIND, NOT SYRIAN REFUGEES, NOT THE HOMELESS.

SO IN ORDER FOR ME TO BE MERCIFUL TO YOU, THE FIRST STEP IS TO RECOGNIZE YOU AS AN EQUAL, WORTHY OF MY LOVE AND LOVED BY GOD AS MUCH AS GOD LOVES ME. THE SECOND THING IS TO LOOK AT YOU AND ASK WHAT IS IT THAT YOU NEED TO BECOME A BETTER AND MORE COMPLETE PERSON. THE THIRD, OF COURSE, IS TO DO SOMETHING WITHIN MY POWER TO AT LEAST BEGIN TO ACCOMPLISH THAT. MERCY MEANS THAT I LOVE YOU NOT JUST FOR WHO YOU ARE, BUT ALSO FOR WHO YOU COULD BECOME, HOW GOD MEANT YOU TO BE.

AND ODDLY ENOUGH TODAY'S GOSPEL IS ABOUT MERCY. SAINT LUKE TAKES GREAT PAINS TO TELL US THAT AT A PARTICULAR TIME AND PLACE, WHEN HEROD WAS THIS AND PHILIP WAS THAT AND THESE PARTICULAR MEN WERE THE HIGH PRIESTS, THAT WAS THE PRECISE MOMENT WHEN GOD DID SOMETHING NEW; WHEN GOD BEGAN TO INTERVENE IN THE AFFAIRS OF MEN. AND THE FIRST STEP WAS TO INSPIRE JOHN THE BAPTIST TO CARRY A NEW MESSAGE TO GOD'S PEOPLE. THE MESSAGE WAS NOT THAT GOD WAS READY TO FORGIVE YOUR SINS, BUT THAT FORGIVENESS WAS ALREADY THERE, AND THE BAPTISM OF JOHN WAS A SIGN THAT YOU ACCEPTED WHAT GOD HAD TO OFFER. AND THE PASSAGE FROM ISAIAH – THE WORLD WOULD LOOK PRETTY STRANGE IF ALL THE VALLEYS WERE FILLED UP AND THE MOUNTAINS LEVELED, IF THE CROOKED WAYS WERE MADE STRAIGHT; BUT ISAIAH IS DESCRIBING GOD'S ACTION TOWARDS HIS PEOPLE – HE IS TEARING DOWN THE BARRIERS BETWEEN HIM AND HIS PEOPLE, SO THAT THE WAY TO GOD IS LIKE A HIGHWAY; GOD NO LONGER KEEPS HIMSELF APART FROM MAN.

MERCY, YOU SEE, IS GOD-LIKE. GOD LOOKS AT HIS CREATION, AT HIS PEOPLE, AND SEES THEM AS THEY WERE MEANT TO BE – LIKE ADAM AND EVE BEFORE THE FALL. AND GOD SEES EACH OF US AS INDIVIDUALS, LOOKS AT US WITH LOVE, AND WANTS TO RESTORE US TO HOW WE SHOULD BE AND EVEN MORE. AND GOD LOVES US SO MUCH THAT HE BECOMES ONE OF US; HE DOESN'T LOOK DOWN UPON US FROM THE HEAVENS, HE JOINS US AS AN EQUAL ON THE EARTH AND LOOKS AT EACH OF US EYE TO EYE. HE THEN OFFERS US WHAT WE NEED TO BE COMPLETE, TO BE THE WAY HE MEANT US TO BE; HE OFFERS US HIMSELF. WE TALK ABOUT THE CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH OF JESUS IN TERMS OF PAYING A DEBT WE CAN'T PAY, OR HIM UNDERGOING A PUNISHMENT THAT YOU AND I DESERVE, SO THAT GOD WILL NO LONGER CONDEMN US. BUT GOD NEVER DESIRES EVIL, NOT FOR US, NOT EVEN FOR HIS ONLY SON. WHAT GOD REALLY DOES IS BECOME ONE OF US SO THAT HE CAN TRAVEL THE SAME JOURNEY WE MAKE, SO THAT HE CAN LIVE OUR LIVES OVER AGAIN, IN A SENSE, THE RIGHT WAY. AND IN DOING SO, THOUGH IT'S A GREAT MYSTERY, HE UNITES US TO HIMSELF AND WE THROUGH NO POWER OF OUR OWN, WE ARE GIVEN THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME WHAT HE MEANT FOR US TO BE.

AND THAT'S OUR CALL AS WELL; WE HAVE BEEN THE RECIPIENTS OF MERCY, SO WE ARE CALLED TO BE GIVERS OF MERCY. IN A VERY CONCRETE PRACTICAL WAY, WE NEED TO CULTIVATE IN OURSELVES A CERTAIN HUMILITY SO THAT WHEN WE SEE ANOTHER PERSON, WE DON'T SEE THEM AS PART OF A CLASS – AS POOR, AS DISABLED, AS A CRIMINAL, AS REFUGEES – BUT INSTEAD, WE SEE THEM AS SOMEONE GOD LOVES AS MUCH AS HE LOVES ME. AND THEN WE NEED TO SEE HOW GOD WANTS THAT PERSON TO BE, NOT AS HOW HE IS RIGHT NOW. AND THEN WE DO WHAT WE CAN TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. IF THIS IS HOW WE APPROACH EACH OTHER, THEN WE ARE PRACTICING MERCY.

THE GOSPEL THIS SUNDAY TELLS US THAT IN HIS MERCY GOD FILLS UP VALLEYS AND TEARS DOWN MOUNTAINS AND MAKES WINDING ROADS STRAIGHT AND ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH SO THAT THERE ARE NO BARRIERS BETWEEN GOD AND HIS PEOPLE. AND WE ARE INVITED TO HELP IN THAT TASK WHERE EVEN A SMALL EFFORT ON OUR PART WILL BE MAGNIFIED THROUGH GOD'S POWER.

THE CHAPLET OF THE DIVINE MERCY IS RECITED HERE EVERY TUESDAY AT 3:00 PM BEFORE THE BLESSED SACRAMENT; THIS COMING TUESDAY IS THE SOLEMN FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION AND IT WOULD BE A WONDERFUL THING IF MANY OF OUR PARISHIONERS WERE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS DEVOTION. WHAT BETTER WAY COULD YOU SPEND FIFTEEN MINUTES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR OF MERCY?

First Sunday of Advent, cycle C

LUKE 21:25-28, 34-36

JESUS TELLS HIS DISCIPLES, “BEWARE THAT YOUR HEARTS DO NOT BECOME DROWSY FROM CAROUSING AND DRUNKENNESS AND THE ANXIETIES OF DAILY LIFE, AND THAT THAT DAY CATCH YOU BY SURPRISE LIKE A TRAP. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT ADVENT IS ALL ABOUT. NOW IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU PROBABLY DON'T HAVE TOO MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT WITH CAROUSING OR DRUNKENNESS, BUT THE ANXIETIES OF DAILY LIFE ARE ANOTHER MATTER. YOU KNOW THE FEELING; YOU GET UP IN THE MORNING WITH A PLAN, BUT BEFORE TEN O'CLOCK YOUR PLAN IS ON THE SHELF WHILE YOU COPE WITH THIS OR THAT INTERRUPTION; AND BY THE TIME THE DAY IS OVER, YOU HAVEN'T REALLY DONE WHAT YOU SET OUT TO DO. SOME PEOPLE ARE PERHAPS MORE ORGANIZED OR MORE SINGLE-MINDED AND GET DONE WHAT THEY PLANNED TO DO; BUT EVEN THAT CAN BE A PROBLEM, BECAUSE THEN EACH DAY IS JUST A SERIES OF TASKS, TASKS THAT NEVER SEEM TO HAVE AN END. AND A YEAR GOES BY, AND ALL WE HAVE TO SHOW FOR IT IS THAT WE ARE OLDER. ALL THE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS, THE LOSING WEIGHT, THE STARTING AN EXERCISE PROGRAM, THE PLAN TO SAVE A LITTLE MORE MONEY AGAINST RETIREMENT – IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. AND THE OLDER YOU GET, THE HARDER IT IS TO CHANGE YOUR HABITS.

ADVENT IS PLACED RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CHURCH YEAR. IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A TIME WHEN WE ANTICIPATE, WHEN WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT SINGULAR EVENT WHICH CHANGED ALL OF HUMAN HISTORY. CHRISTMAS CELEBRATES JESUS' BIRTH OF COURSE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT CELEBRATES THE INCARNATION, THE FACT THAT GOD BECAME A HUMAN BEING SO THAT HE COULD SHARE HIS DIVINITY WITH US. SO HOW DO WE CELEBRATE ADVENT?

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, SOME PEOPLE CALLED ADVENT “LITTLE LENT” AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID – GAVE UP CANDY, USUALLY, JUST LIKE WE DID IN LENT. IT DIDN'T HELP THAT THE PRIEST WORE PURPLE VESTMENTS IN BOTH SEASONS. BUT LENT IS INDEED A TIME OF PENANCE, OF REPENTANCE, OF EXAMINING OUR LIVES AND CONFRONTING OUR SINS. ADVENT IS A TIME WHEN WE “STAND ERECT AND RAISE OUR HEADS BECAUSE OUR REDEMPTION IS AT HAND”.

SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO PICK SOMETHING TO DO EVERY DAY TO REMIND OURSELVES WHAT SEASON WE ARE IN AND THAT WE ARE WAITING FOR GOD TO COME INTO OUR LIVES IN A NEW WAY. AND THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO ADOPT A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE THAT IS DONE EVERY DAY. THIS WILL SERVE TO REMIND YOU OF THE ATTITUDE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE – AN ATTITUDE OF WATCHFULNESS, OF ANTICIPATION, OF BEING PREPARED.

HERE ARE SOME IDEAS: READ THE GOSPEL OF LUKE. IF YOU READ A CHAPTER A DAY THERE ARE 24 CHAPTERS. OF COURSE THE LONGEST ADVENT WOULD CONSIST OF 27 DAYS, BUT IF THERE ARE EXTRA DAYS, YOU WILL PROBABLY NEED TO CATCH UP ON CHRISTMAS SHOPPING OR SOMETHING – OR GO BACK AND READ THE STORY OF THE ANNUNCIATION AND BIRTH OF THE LORD OVER AGAIN.

ANOTHER IDEA: FIND A GOOD BOOK THAT YOU CAN READ A BIT AT A TIME – A BOOK FOR SPIRITUAL READING. DIG OUT THAT BOOK THE PARISH GAVE YOU LAST YEAR THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE OPENED YET, OR IF YOU'VE READ IT, IT MIGHT BE WORTH READING AGAIN; JUST REMEMBER TO READ A LITTLE AT A TIME, JUST SO YOU READ SOME EVERY DAY.

YOU MIGHT THINK ABOUT THE ROSARY. WE DON'T APPRECIATE THE ROSARY. LOTS OF CATHOLICS ARE ATTRACTED TO MEDITATION, SOMETIMES TO YOGA; BUT THE ROSARY IS A UNIQUELY CATHOLIC EXERCISE. THE TWENTY MYSTERIES WALK US THROUGH THE LIFE OF MARY, JESUS AND THE EARLY CHURCH – THAT IS THE KERYGMA, THE SUBSTANCE OF WHICH HAS BEEN PREACHED FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS OF THE CHURCH. ITS THE SAME THING PAUL WAS TALKING ABOUT, WHEN HE SAID, “AS FOR ME I PREACH CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED.” AS YOU SAY THE HAIL MARY, THE PRAYER STRAIGHT FROM THE BIBLE, CONSISTING OF THE ANGEL'S GREETING TO MARY AND ELIZABETH'S GREETING TO MARY HER COUSIN, AS WELL AS A REMINDER THAT MARY IS INDEED THE MOTHER OF GOD, A TRUTH ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE EARLY CHURCH AGAINST MUCH CONTROVERSY, YOU HOLD THE IMAGE OF THE MYSTERY IN YOUR MIND'S EYE. QUIET YOUR HEART AND LISTEN AND SOMETIMES THE LORD WILL SPEAK. AND IF YOU CAN'T BRING YOURSELF TO DO A WHOLE ROSARY EVERY DAY, TAKING TWELVE TO FIFTEEN MINUTES, THEN DO A MYSTERY AND A DECADE – BUT DO WHATEVER YOU DO EVERY DAY.

DAILY MASS WOULD BE A GREAT EXERCISE. WE ARE SO LUCKY AT SAINT MARY'S. WE HAVE CHOICES. THERE ARE PLACES WERE YOU CAN'T GET TO DAILY MASS; THE PARISH MIGHT HAVE MASS ONLY TWO OR THREE WEEKDAYS. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF PARTICIPATING IN THE SUM AND SUMMIT OF CHRISTIAN LIFE MORE OFTEN THAN JUST ON SUNDAYS.

FINALLY, THINK ABOUT ADORATION. THINK ABOUT JOINING YOUR FELLOW PARISHIONERS BY BEING PRESENT WHEN THE SACRED HOST IS FORMALLY HONORED ON TUESDAYS. GIVE THE LORD AN HOUR OF YOUR TIME ONCE A WEEK. AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU DO; IF YOU ARE PRESENT TO HIM, THAT'S A GREAT BEGINNING. LET HIM SEND HIS HEALING GRACE TO YOU.

SOME OF YOU ALREADY DO SOME OR ALL OF THESE THINGS. OTHERS DON'T DO ANY. BUT THE POINT IS TO ADD SOMETHING TO YOUR DAY DURING ADVENT SO THAT YOU CAN ENTER INTO THE ANTICIPATION TO WHICH THE CHURCH CALLS HER CHILDREN. AND ASK THE LORD FOR THE STRENGTH TO ESCAPE THE TRIBULATIONS THAT ARE IMMINENT AND STAND BEFORE THE SON OF MAN.