Epiphany, January 2, 2022

What are the Epiphanies in our lives, and how do we respond to them?

Matthew 2:1–12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.”

After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.

They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

Music Meditations

• We Three Kings--King's College Cambridge
• How Great Thou Art
• Holy, Holy, Holy

Opening Prayer

Help me to discern what star to follow in my life; help me to discern what I want for myself, my family, my friends, for the world. May I see the message hidden and sometimes illuminated by the events of my life, so that I can better follow the path to your kingdom

Companions for the Journey

The following is the slightly edited text of a homily given at Mission Santa Clara on Sunday, January 6, 2019, by the late Father Paul Crowley, S.J. (Paul had been, in his career, the Chair of the Department of Theology at Santa Clara University, the Editor of Theological Studies, a former visiting professor in the Religious Studies Department at Stanford, and the director of the two CC@S classes taught at Stanford through the department of Religious Studies, and a good friend to CC@S. Paul died in August 2020).

The Epiphany, or manifestation of God to all peoples, is symbolized by the well-known story of the visit of the Magi to the stable.  The Magi are represented as coming from a far-off land, the ultimate exotic outsiders. See the reflection on the Infancy Narratives for a short introduction to these stories.

Before we close out the Christmas season, we return to the manger. Charming as the story of the Magi may be, it is in fact an odd, even comical, scene. We are back at that same stable, a rustic and dirt poor refuge where the Savior has been born. The shepherds are there, but they were not styled then as the gentle pastoral types we see in manger scenes; they were considered in their own time to be socially marginal yahoos. One commentator compared them to members of a motorcycle gang—threatening and to be avoided. And they were presumably not regular synagogue attendees. Onto this scene, in the boondocks of Bethlehem, arrive these three astrologers, sumptuously clothed, laden with precious gifts. Together with the oxen, donkeys, and the rest, we have a menagerie to entertain the newborn king.

It was “outsiders” not of the Jewish people who first recognized that a “king”—more specific to the Jewish imagination, a Messiah—had been born. These outsiders were in possession of an insight that it would take some time for even Jesus’ own disciples to see and accept. And the people of Jerusalem would persist in perceiving Jesus simply as a country rustic, an irritating rabbi imposter. Yet it was non-Jews who would recognize that in this helpless baby, born in a stable, God had come not to save not some, or even many, but all, without distinction. As Paul reminds us: “the Gentiles”—outsiders—“are co-heirs, members of the same body, and co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph 3:5–6).

It is the outsider, and the outsider in us, the Gentile in us, that God summons to the stable, to come inside, to enter into the ambit of God’s love. There is no judgment here, but only inclusion of and co-partnership with the outsider. This serves as a model of what the Church must become. As Pope Francis recently wrote to the US bishops:

The Church…bears in her heart and soul the sacred mission of being a place of encounter and welcome not only for her members but for all humanity. It is part of her identity and mission to work tirelessly for all [and to] contribute to unity between individuals and peoples…without distinction. For “there does not exist among you Jew or Greek, slave or freeman, male or female. All are on in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).

What a radical view of reality, for any time, but especially for a time like ours, when rather than imagining ourselves as one in our humanity, we have divided ourselves into tribes, parties, and generations: Boomers vs. Millennials, progressives vs. reactionaries, liberal vs. conservative Catholics, straight and gay, citizens or aliens—marking ourselves off from others and building walls between us. This is the age of identity, a preoccupation that arises when the world seems difficult to map and people feel fearful, fragile, or at flung at sea. We turn then, perhaps naturally enough, to what we think we know most intimately—ourselves, our group, and fortify ourselves in an identity essentialism that easily functions as an ideology.

Yet we can delude ourselves by delimiting ourselves within one or even multiple identities. We can paper over the multi-layered complexity of human experience, of our own hidden and interior selves—a complexity that resists sharp demarcation or boundary. And, worse, when we claim identities in a group or tribal way, we can be drawn into impasse, demonization of the other, and dismissal of certain people (the way shepherds were dismissed as ruffians) or writing off whole generations as either too old or too young. The worst outcomes of identity absolutism are truly dreadful, as we have seen on the worldwide political stage and in the tragedies of war and genocide.

There is of course validity to acknowledging our distinctiveness. We may come from a home infused with a culture—be it Italian, Irish, Mexican, Filipino or Vietnamese—where language, food, religion, customs, and family systems are distinctive. This is a good thing. Yet there are some identities, or locales of human experience, such as those of women, of LGBTQ people, and, still, of African-American people, that need to be vigorously asserted within the life of a church that is still exclusionary and inscribes some forms of exclusion in doctrine (namely, the exclusion of women from ordination, and the deficient language about gay sexuality in the Catechism that has led to exclusionary practices). But in seeking an ideal church, we need to keep in mind that in Jesus’ view of the world, there are to be no identities at war with one another, and this must be pressed. Those whom I or we or some might consider to be outsiders are not only to be included, but they are to become co-heirs, co-partners. We are to learn from them and from one another

This is very difficult for us to grasp and accept, because it threatens the boundaries set by any claim to self-certain identity. It is a little bit scary. Yet it lies at the core of God’s revelation in Jesus. To be a Christian is to live in a fundamental openness to the other, even the radically different, for God may be at work there, and that other may indeed see God in a way that we do not, as did the Magi. This possibility that God is present in the “alien” other is the foundation of Pope Francis’s urging that Catholics not build walls, but welcome refugees, for they are among the outsiders, the “Gentiles” of our time. It is also the foundation for an openness to and embrace of those, like the shepherds, whose very presence might unsettle the comfortable.

Jesus’ deepest identity lay not in his Jewishness, gender or politics. It lay in his intimacy with the mystery of God, whom he called Father. This intimacy anchored him and captured his imagination like a star in the vast heavens. It freed him to transcend boundaries and to welcome the outsider. This began at his birth. The great star that hovered over the stable in Bethlehem was awaiting his gaze. That star remains a reminder today that God’s love is offered to all people, inviting all, without exception, into God’s family, and that our deepest “identity” lies in intimacy with God—an intimacy that frees us and finally dissolves the need for any identity. This is the intimacy that the Magi sought, and which they found, alongside the shepherds, in the poverty of the manger. May it be so for us.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

For out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• The word “Epiphany” means a new awareness or a new insight. In the ordinary sense, we experience epiphanies whenever we gain a new understanding of a person or of an event that radically changes our attitude or our actions. In the religious sense, it may be a new understanding of who Jesus was and is, or a new understanding of God’s action in my life. It can also be a first step in the process of metanoia (a re-orientation of my heart and will to align with God’s will).
  Have I had any epiphanies in my life?
  How did I feel about the experience?
  Did they effect any changes in me?
• In what specific ways can I make Jesus manifest in my world?
• Have I ever embarked on a sort of “journey”, not knowing exactly where I was going, but trusting in my own instincts, my “star”?
  Am I on such a journey now?
  Have I asked God for guidance?
• The Magi were foreigners—outsiders. They demonstrate that no one is excluded from the Kingdom of God.
  How am I a foreigner in the society I inhabit?
  How are strangers welcomed in my town, my neighborhood, my church, my family?
  What do I do to welcome and include “outsiders”?
• What gifts of personal time, talent, or treasure have I proffered this year to those who are poor, outcast, with no place to sleep?
• The following are some reflection questions from “First Impressions” (various years’ reflections on the Epiphany):
  • Where are we looking for Jesus today? Even if we had no other gospel story than this one, we should know where to look: among the newcomers and displaced; among the newborn poor and their families; among those who have no roots and are searching; among those pushed around by an uncaring system of laws and decrees.
  • Would I describe myself as one of the modern-day magi, a searcher for God?
    How do I go about that search each day?
  • Foreigners were led to the Christ child’s home do him homage. National boundaries and differences dissolve when we respond to God’s invitation to come to Christ. We are always welcome into God’s presence and in gratitude our commitment is to Christian hospitality throughout this year—to welcome visitors as we would welcome Christ
    How do I practice hospitality?
    Have I ever been treated as an outsider?
    Do I treat any people or groups as outsiders?
  • Pope Francis challenges us to follow the star that leads us where Christ lives – among outsiders, those born in stables, living on the streets, fleeing civil strife and pushed around by harsh governments.
    Do we see the poor and outcast by the light of Christ?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Like the Magi, am I a seeker of answers about my relationship with God, or do I have the answers already? The Magi were gift-givers; what do I give of myself to the wider community--my church, my neighbor? The Magi set out because they had a vision, a mission, a star to follow. What is my mission or goal in this life? Do I constantly keep it before me? Some similarities between the journey of the Magi and mine: 1. Life is a journey. Where am I in mine? 2. All journeys have obstacles, including self-made ones. What are some of the obstacles I am encountering or have encountered? How many of those are self-made? 3. All journeys have helpers or circumstances that have aided them. Who or what has helped me along life's journey? 4. All journeys have an end. For the Magi, it was to look in the face of Christ. What do I hope for at the end of my journey?

A Meditation in AugustinianStyle/Relationship:

(taken from Birth: a Guide to Prayer, by Jacqueline Syrup Bergen and Marie Schwan, CSJ)

I place myself among the Magi as they travel from the rich, green valleys of the east, through the desert, and down through Palestine into Jerusalem. I am aware of the mysterious star that leads us. In Jerusalem, I too make inquiries about where to find the newborn King. We follow the star. I am aware of my feelings as we approach the house in Bethlehem. I gaze on the mother and child she holds. I realize this is the one I have been seeking. Quietly, I adore him. I offer him my greatest treasures. I stay with Mary and offer joy, thanks, wonder, and praise. I beg for the grace to know and draw close to Jesus. I pray the Our Father I record in my journal my responses and offerings and speak to God of the graces I have received.

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

This meditation written by Rev. Bob Wickizer, uses the story of the three Magi and puts it into our own time. Can you see yourself in any of these events?

An Epiphany

I had been doing some calculations in the sand when like a thunderbolt two of my old friends walked up the road to meet me. They said they heard stories of people beyond the river where wondrous signs foretold big changes - changes that would make the world different forever. So we stood there in the road a long time, three old friends now living in faraway places only to find ourselves called together by events and stories and signs we did not understand. We argued first about what we knew, then we argued about what we didn’t know. What do these things mean we wondered? What should we do? What can we do? Next we began to plan our journey with the same excitement we had when we first encountered each other on a pilgrimage three decades earlier. We knew once again that we had to travel where the heavens directed us. Wandering planets, stars and great comets pointed the way.  What will we find and how will we know when we find it? Surely these signs we have all observed for months must herald a royal occasion. Will it be a wedding, a coronation, a death or a birth, we wondered. Who are the people in this faraway land whose royalty is marked by signs in the heavens? Whatever the occasion we would honor it with gifts suitable for a royal event. We packed and set off in the cold darkness guided only by our reckonings of the path the heavens gave us.  The long journey fueled many doubts and more arguments over campfires. This desert is not safe with wild animals and robbers. Why are we doing this anyway? What brought us all the way out here? Yet each time doubt and fear rose in our bellies like indigestion, one of us would point out that you do not take a journey because you know all the answers. Someone else would note how our path seemed to be set out before us like a long carpet. We all knew just where we had to go. We just weren’t sure why.

Poetic Reflection:

This is a very creative way to look on the journey of the Magi and compare it the journeys of those migrants who must leave what they have always known and must venture, though hardship and pain, to a destination they cannot imagine. Do they wish to return home?

“The Journey Of The Magi”

A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter.' And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory, Lying down in the melting snow. There were times we regretted The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, And the silken girls bringing sherbet. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling and running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all folly. Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley, Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation; With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness, And three trees on the low sky, And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow. Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver, And feet kicking the empty wine-skins. But there was no information, and so we continued And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory. All this was a long time ago, I remember, And I would do it again, but set down This set down This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death.

—T.S. Eliot

Poetic Reflection:

The role of the imagination as an aid for contemplation cannot be overstated. This poem from William Everson, also known as Brother Antoninus, O.P. is a wonderful reflection on a wondrous event, not only in the lives of the Magi, but in our lives as we experience epiphanies of one sort or another:

“The Wise”

Miles across the turbulent kingdoms They came for it, but that was nothing, That was the least.  Drunk with vision, Rain stringing in the ragged beards, When a beast lamed, they caught up another And goaded west. For the time was on them. Once, as it may, in the life of a man, Once, as it was, in the life of mankind, All is corrected.  And their years of pursuit, Raw-eyed reading the wrong texts, Charting the doubtful calculations, Those nights knotted with thought, When dawn held off, and the rooster Rattled the leaves with his blind assertion--- All that, they regarded, under the Sign, No longer as search but as preparation. For when the mark was made, they saw it. Nor stopped to reckon the fallible years, But rejoiced and followed, And are called "wise", who learned that Truth, When sought and at last seen, Is never found.  It is given. And they brought their camels Breakneck into that village, And flung themselves down in the dung and dirt of that place, Then kissed that ground, and the tears Ran on their faces, where the rain had.

Closing Prayer

Be with those, Lord, who are outsiders, strangers, foreigners. Teach me to notice and include those who are marginalized. Help me to see them as someone like myself, needing love, shelter, kindness—all things I take for granted, and have only because of the luck of being born in a certain time and place. I pray for all those who feel isolated because they are ill, those who are sequestered because of Covid, those who feel lost because they cannot speak the language or read very well and have no one to help. Be with them, Lord, and help me to be with them also.

Christmas Season: Infancy Narratives

What Does Your Christmas Creche Look Like?

The gospels are NOT history; they are a theological reflection on the events of Jesus‘ life that happened years before the gospels were written. None of his actual words were ever recorded at the time of his teaching and preaching, so later disciples wrote down snatches of what they remembered and those were circulated among the various groups of early Christians. There was a remarkable similarity we can sense in those memories. Those memories might have eventually been compiled onto a document called the “Sayings of Jesus”, which could have been a major source of info that the gospel writers relied on when crafting their own narratives, which they crafted and shaped for the specific group of Christians for whom they were intending their own gospel to be used.

We do not know the names of any of the gospel writers, but tradition has assigned names and identities to each gospel writer. Twentieth century biblical scholarship has “debunked” some of those traditional beliefs, based on historical and textual evidence from the gospels themselves. For example, the gospels were arranged in the New Testament according to what people believed was the order in which each was written. The gospel of Matthew was believed to be the first gospel written, but later scholarship has determined that Mark was the earliest gospel.

The gospel according to Mark, the earliest on this literary form, and the shortest, was attributed as the source of the information contained in this narrative, but again, there are only guesses as to his actual identity. Tradition holds that “Mark” might have been one of the followers of Paul , but it is highly unlikely that “Paul’s Mark” actually compiled and edited the writing which was probably completed around 70CE, some forty years after the death of Jesus.

Given the average life span in that time, it is not likely that the author of Matthew was actually one of the twelve. Tradition holds that the source of information (not necessarily the author) for the gospel of Matthew was a tax collector whom Jesus recruited, whose story shows up in the gospel of Matthew.

The gospel according to Luke, the longest gospel of the four, was written about 85CE. The author seems to have been an Greek speaker, who knew the Jewish scriptures in Greek, but may have been a convert to Judaism and then to Christianity. It is thought that he did not know Jesus and was not a Palestinian.

All three have taken the materials handed down through word of mouth or some collected sayings of Jesus and crafted them into three similar stories with very different emphases.

The gospel according to John was put together somewhere between 80 and 110CE, and there may have been a later redaction (edition) as late as 135CE. This is a very different, almost mystical document, and attests to the ”Cosmic” Christ, and it is the gospel coming closest to declaring the divinity of Jesus: (In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God).

Sometimes we tend to conflate the message of each individual gospel into one amalgamated teaching about Jesus, but that does a disservice to the integrity of each individual gospel message. For example, there are only two gospels out of the four that tell the stories of the birth of Jesus (which are called Infancy Narratives), Matthew and Luke. Each narrative seems to have been written by the gospel writer as a prologue to his version of Jesus’ ministry, and each narrative prologue contains the major elements or themes that each gospel writer would go on to develop more fully in the gospel itself.

Luke’s gospel story, the second chapter of which is usually read at Midnight Mass on Christmas Day, very deliberately incorporates elements into the narrative which carry Luke’s most important points. For example, Luke points out the importance of women in Salvation History. The angel went directly to Mary, and it was her decisive “yes” that made Jesus’ birth possible. Mary’s trip to her cousin Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s recognition of the child in Mary’s womb shows the initiative women have taken in believing in Jesus. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus was born in a poor stable; his parents were migrants from another part of the kingdom with no place to stay. Luke’s gospel spells out in so many ways that Jesus came for the poor, the marginalized, the outcast and the stranger. His birth was attended by some of the most reviled members of the culture—shepherds. They were filthy, and not trustworthy, unspeakable, really, yet it was to them that the Angel announced this momentous birth and it was those same deplorable souls who believed. They heard the angelic chorus because the angels were singing to them when no one else ever did. This prologue, and indeed the whole of Luke’s gospel is about how the kingdom of God is radically different, that compassion, inclusion, generosity and welcome must replace judgmentalism, exclusion and greed. Those messages are clear in this narrative as constructed by Luke.

Matthew’s gospel was written to show that Jesus was a true Jew, and that He was fulfilling the prophesies about a promised anointed one. Even nature cooperated with a wondrous star. Matthew saw Jesus as more than a prophet; Jesus was a “new Moses” bringing further refinements on and explanations to the commandments God gave Moses on the mountain. As the new Moses, Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise to the Jews. In this gospel, we start with the impressive lineage of Jesus, going back through King David to Abraham. This cements Jesus’ place in Jewish culture and history. We proceed to the Annunciation, but with a twist; the angel comes to Joseph to explain God’s plan and gets his approval and cooperation in this enterprise. Joseph, thought his lineage, was part of certain type of Jewish royalty, possible linked to the famous Joseph of the Jewish scriptures. (Joseph’s dreams about Jesus and Herod and his flight to Egypt are very reminiscent of the Joseph of the many-colored coat who was a hero of ages past. It was to Joseph that the angel revealed the name of Jesus (literally, Yahweh is salvation). Joseph took Mary to his home in Bethlehem, which is just outside of Jerusalem, and there she gave birth to a son. The other main players in this narrative are the heroes of today’s feast, the Epiphany. Three wise men (symbolizing all nations) journeyed from the East to Jerusalem, seeking the person to whom a mysterious star had directed them. This is how Herod got into the act, being very paranoid about his precarious position as King of the Jews, and half-mad to boot. When the scribes and pharisees recited for Herod the prophesy that out of Bethlehem would come a leader of the Jews (2 Samuel 5:2), he tried to get the wise men to tell him info on this baby they were looking for, and let him know when they had found him. The wise men found the source of the star and paid homage to Jesus as a great king and source of truth, with precious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (It is odd that those gifts never seemed to have advanced this family’s position in life; I wonder what ever became of them…) Again, God intervened and warned the wise men not to return to Herod or tell him anything, and they returned home by avoiding Jerusalem. After the departure of the wise men, Joseph was warned, again in a dream, to flee to Egypt with his new family, to avoid the slaughter of innocent Jewish babies which followed. They stayed there, according to the story, until Herod died, shortly thereafter. So the major theme of this very “Jewish” gospel shows God acting in very decisive ways, through the males in the story to send a Messiah (God’s anointed messenger) to the Jewish people, and everything that happens in this prologue, this infancy narrative, and later in the main body of the gospel show Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s prophecies to the Jews, and show Jesus as a good Jew with respect for Israel’s traditions and lineage. who was a hero of ages past. The appearance of the three wise men, or three “Kings”, emphasizes the importance of this event in the history of Judaism. Th escape of the Holy Family in this chapter is the triumph of good over evil.

So, what’s in your creche? Mine is a mash-up of both stories, with sheep, wise men and the holy family, all decked out in pristine costume… with angels suspended over the entire scene and randomly scattered about the entire room—the better to hear the singing, I guess. Using my imagination, I have added a few folks who were never written into the scene by the gospel writers, such as a hunter/woodcutter, a woman selling bread, and a donkey. The angel holding aloft a shiny star, and perched atop a tall lamp, could resemble somebody from a Broadway musical, and Jesus cleverly switches from the manger to his mother’s arms whenever somebody small wants to play with the figures. No matter how we depict it, celebrate it or remember it from those childhood hymns, we all seem to love this story, with or without its theological implications. Enjoy your creche!

Third Sunday of Advent, December 12, 2021

What we should do to prepare for the coming of the kingdom

Luke 3:10–18

And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”

He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”

Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do? He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”

Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”

Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah.

John answered them all, saying: “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.

Music Meditations

• Gaudete
• Make the Kingdom Come
• The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor
• Wait for the Lord (Taizé)
• Creator of the Stars of Night (Harvard University Choir)

Opening Prayer

In this and every year, in this and every place, O God everlasting, your word resounds in the wilderness of Advent, calling us to stand upon the height and to behold the splendor of your beauty. Fill the valleys of our neglect; bring low our mountains of self-centeredness. Prepare in our hearts your way of righteousness and peace. Let our love become a harvest of goodness, which you will bring to completion for the day of Christ Jesus, who was, who is and who is to come, your Son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

—James Weaver, et al. At Home with the Word, 2007: Sunday Scriptures and Scripture Insights. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 2006, page 12.

Companions for the Journey

From First Impressions, a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

John the Baptist is clearly connected to the long prophetic tradition. Luke raises up John as a link between the Hebrew prophets and Jesus. He’s of the priestly family, yet he wears the camel’s hair and leather belt of the prophet, reminiscent of Elijah. He denies his own importance, claiming he is just a voice. As we saw last week, (the 2nd Sunday in Advent) he is a link between Isaiah and Jesus. He is popular among the masses and Jesus extols him as the greatest “among those born of women” (7:28). John is a strong, critical voice against the indulgences of the current society and he calls for a radical change by all, especially those who wield influence. After a preaching characterized by scathing criticism and a call to reform, he is still described by Luke today as preaching, “the good news to the people,” for he is painting the arrival of the Messiah who will initiate a new reign where the people will be forgiven, healed and saved. John the Baptist, the stern and uncompromising preacher, challenges our superficial attempts at change and helps us go deeper. Only the coming of our God can free us from what enslaves us, can drive out the all-pervasive darkness that touches even the deepest crevices of our lives and bring to bear the longed-for salvation. John’s voice in Advent is urgent, for he also sees God breaking into human history with judgment for those who, for so long, had violated the covenant. Last week he warned that what is crooked must be made straight; what is rough smooth. This making right of our lives is how we are to prepare for God’s arrival.

It’s customary for us to look to Jesus’ more soothing style and gentle ways. We would quickly, perhaps too quickly, brush John off the Advent stage. But in this liturgical year we can’t do that so easily since he appears in the selections from Luke on two of these four Advent Sundays. There he is, shaking us out of our complacency. He forces us to look at our self-satisfaction and false securities. Where have we placed our security; on what are we relying? We live in an age of genocide, ethnic purgings and starvation for many of the world’s peoples. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has us despairing that there will ever be peace in the Holy Land. Meanwhile, for the few and privileged, there is opulence, technological wizardry, indulgence and cravings that are showing themselves once again during the shopping season.

John the Baptist was very rooted in the prophetic tradition which sees Yahweh as the source of our hope. John, the Gospel tells us, was “sent from God” (John 1:6). God sees the people’s need and comes to rescue them. We have reason to hope and look forward eagerly to our redemption, because God is reliable, ever faithful to us. The description of God’s coming is disturbing because John says God’s advent will be with judging fire. God will come judging and healing.

There is a mighty One coming, John tells us, and there are preparations for his arrival. The Advent readings do not advocate a mere posture of waiting. Rather, our work is to repent. This repentance in not a private or internal affair only. Today, John tells the crowd to share their coats and food; he tells tax collectors not to cheat on what they collect and soldiers not to do violence. Repentance was a call to return to being a covenanted people, this would make “the rough ways smooth” (2nd Sunday of Advent). The One coming will proclaim the reign of God, a community living together under God’s rule of peace, justice and in harmonious living. To prepare we need to straighten out our lives.

Taking John’s cues we can say that simply living honest lives is a good start. We look to our relationships and our responsibilities: ruptures are to be mended; frictions addressed; family responsibilities faced; work done honestly; employees treated justly. Start where you are, John says. Our domestic and social houses are to be put in order. The One who is coming will speak on God’s behalf, the God who said in Isaiah (61:8), “For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrong.” John’s Advent voice is a one of sobriety that runs counter to the intoxicating voices around us. He calls for rectitude and social consciousness; while the malls are staying open later to feed our endless thirst for consumption. However, John isn’t just negating everything and sounding doom. After addressing the consciences of hearers, after challenging them to broaden their awareness to include the poor (share cloak, and food he tells them); after telling soldiers to be fair and not extort those over whom they have power; after calling his listeners to life-altering changes, his listeners are not discouraged or gloomy. Rather, they are “filled with expectation.” Something good is about to happen to them, and it is so good they can stop clutching possessions to themselves, they can stop manipulating things to go there way. One is coming who will bring them their deepest desires, quench their thirst for fulfillment. We read the prophets’ pointing to a time of fulfillment. And we see Christ as that fulfillment. But we need to be careful and read the historical fulfillment in Christ with sensitivity. For Christ himself points to a future for us, Israel, the church and the entire world—a future when all shall be complete.

John calls his hearers to common sense change. Anna Quindlen is a Pulitzer Prize author, and writes a biweekly column in Newsweek magazine. She has a new book (A Short Guide to a Happy Life) in which she doesn’t address people’s finances and careers, her usual writing domain. Rather, while respecting people’s need to work, develop their careers and put food on the table, she reminds her readers that a career is not our identity. She calls for developing meaningful relationships. She understands that many people must work two or three jobs for survival but, she says, there are a lot of people of comfortable means who have made work their identity and let their family relationships and friendships suffer as a consequence. She warns that one day these people are going to look up and notice that their lives are empty and significant people are nowhere to be found. I hear in such modern voices a warning similar to the one John addresses to his hearers. Look at your lives. What must be changed so as to put first things first?

We also remember that we look on Advent from the vantage of our Easter faith, lest we miss, with the disciples, the significance of Christ’s simple birth and his words and actions. We celebrate his birth knowing how the story will end; God has been faithful and has kept promises. But the first part of the season is about preparation. We focus, with the guidance of Luke, on the second coming of Christ. The Hebrew prophets prepare us over years of human history for the coming of the Christ. But Luke tells us, when Christ returns, it will be without warning. The Christ we are being prepared to meet, the one for whom we long, will come in fullness at the second advent, and we keep vigilance, holding the promises and faithfully living out of our hope, so that we will be ready when he returns.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Teacher, what should we do?

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• Is there anything in John’s message that is difficult for you?
• John pointed beyond himself, to Jesus. Does my life and do my actions point to Jesus or to something else?
  How do I co-operate with Jesus in the coming of the Kingdom?
• What does my lifestyle say about my beliefs?
• What matters more for you—right religion (or any other affinity group, including family) or right action?
• In what way are we still waiting for Jesus?
  Have we lost our sense of expectation?
• Am I asked to give up everything I love, everything I do, everything I have, to welcome Jesus?
  If not, what AM I asked to do?
• “Stop collecting more than required” —What do I have that is in excess of what I need?
• Am I satisfied with what I have right now? What do I still need? What can I share of my goods and talents?
• How generous am I, really?
• What is the role of Justice in an authentic spiritual life?
• What do I need to do to live an authentic spiritual life?
  What do I need to do to be ready for Christ?
  What behaviors must I choose to meet Jesus?
  What will it cost me?
• Where does Joy fit in our lives? In my life?
  What is the result for me of experiencing joy?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Raising Questions:

There is clever saying I read on a t-shirt once: “Jesus is coming. Look busy.” In this pre-Christmas time of the year, we certainly look busy with end of quarter exams, buying and wrapping of Christmas gifts, sending Christmas cards, visiting family members and friends, hosting or attending parties and other entertainments, travelling, and so on. And yet we know that in this season of getting and spending, John’s message to get busy preparing for the Lord is often lost. The small gestures of kindness are lost. The small gestures of generosity to those who could use a helping hand are lost. The plight of the really poor and suffering in our own community is lost. “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise. Stop collecting more than what is prescribed” (read: what you really need). How do you balance practicality with the radical change in attitude that John is calling for?

A Meditation the the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

Read this responsorial for this week from Isaiah 12, and write your own letter of praise, speaking directly to God:

God indeed is my salvation; I am confident and unafraid. For the LORD is my strength and my might, and he has been my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the fountains of salvation, And you will say on that day: give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. Sing praise to the LORD for he has done glorious things; let this be known throughout all the earth. Shout with exultation, City of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

I read the section from John’s gospel where the five thousand are fed:

After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (some call it Tiberias). A huge crowd followed him, attracted by the miracles they had seen him do among the sick. When he got to the other side, he climbed a hill and sat down, surrounded by his disciples. When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?” He said this to stretch Philip’s faith. He already knew what he was going to do. Philip answered, “Two hundred silver pieces wouldn’t be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece.” One of the disciples—it was Andrew, brother to Simon Peter—said, “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that’s a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this.” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted. When the people had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted.” They went to work and filled twelve large baskets with leftovers from the five barley loaves.

Now imagine that you are the little boy who was in the crowd that day. Why are you there, and alone? Did your mom pack you a little lunch to take on your adventure to see this famous preacher? Were you surprised by the size of the crowd? Did people start to get restless because it was time to eat and nobody was stopping to do so? Did others bring picnics with them as well? When you heard the conversation among the men around Jesus about there not being enough to feed everyone, did you volunteer to share your lunch with whoever needed it? Did you suffer a little pang when he took your entire lunch and gave it to Jesus? How did you feel when you saw that Jesus used your little offering to feed everyone? Did others volunteer their lunches as well? What did you learn about generosity and the risks and rewards of sharing?

For those of us reading this advent gospel in which John tells us that we best prepare for the coming of the kingdom by prying our little fingers off some of the goods and money we have, there is a familiar but daunting message, Familiar, because we see the same phenomenon throughout the gospels—the poor widow who gives all, the rich man who shared nothing with Lazarus, the practical disciple who says feeding all these people would be way too expensive. Daunting, because Jesus deliberately chose not to provide for all without the cooperation of that little boy and his generosity. Jesus is working though us as well. How generous am I? What risks to my financial security am I willing to take to help others? How much is enough?

Poetic Reflection:

How does the poem from Mary Oliver capture the message of John the Baptist about what it means to prepare for God’s coming into our lives?

“Making the House Ready for the Lord”

Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice—it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances—but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will
come, Lord: you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.

Literary Reflection:

This Sunday has been, in the past, called Gaudete Sunday; Gaudete means rejoice. What is there to rejoice about in our lives? Look more closely:

“Gaudete”

Because Christmas is almost here Because dancing fits so well with music Because inside baby clothes are miracles. Gaudete Because some people love you Because of chocolate Because pain does not last forever Because Santa Claus is coming. Gaudete Because of laughter Because there really are angels Because your fingers fit your hands Because forgiveness is yours for the asking Because of children Because of parents. Gaudete Because the blind see. And the lame walk. Gaudete Because lepers are clean And the deaf hear. Gaudete Because the dead will live again And there is good news for the poor. Gaudete Because of Christmas Because of Jesus You rejoice.

—by Brad Reynolds, S.J.

Closing Prayer

Adapted from “Sacred Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

Lord, I pray for an awareness of the calmness and greatness of your presence. Grant me greater sense of freedom from my own fears and expectations, from my list of “oughts” and “shoulds”, so that I may be open to the possibilities for growth, service and generosity that you put before me. Help me to spend time in awareness of your love and care so that I may hear your call.

First Sunday of Advent, November 28, 2021

Be prepared; Finding hope in the midst of waiting

Luke 21:25–28, 34–36

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth.

Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Music Meditations

• “Waiting in Silence” (composed by Carey Landry) [YouTube]
• “On Eagle´s Wings” (Joncas/Kingsbury; sung by Walkers to Heaven) [YouTube]
• “Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus” (compsed by Janèt Sullivan Whitaker) [YouTube]
• “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” [YouTube]
• “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” [YouTube]

Opening Prayer

Dear Lord, the expectations of what I ought to or should be, the expectations of what this Christmas season ought to or should be can distract me from an awareness that I and all humanity are held in the palm of your hand. Increase my trust in you and your word. In this time of waiting, let me use my time wisely to care for the planet and all who are on it. Help me to see that while I wait for you, you are already here through your Spirit.

Companions for the Journey

Adapted from “First Impressions,” a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

The liturgical year begins with the crashing of cymbals and the roar of kettle drums. With the new year we turn to a sequential reading of Luke’s gospel. But not the way one would read a book or a story—starting at the beginning and proceeding in an orderly manner to the end. As we get closer to Christmas we will go to the early chapters of Luke for the stories of the Visitation (4th Sunday in Advent) and then to the Nativity for the Christmas masses. On the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary time, the sequential readings begin in earnest as we proceed week by week through the gospel. Those who prefer order and a “proper” sequence in life will feel more satisfied—later on.

But not now; not at the beginning of Advent when the chaos described in today’s gospel (from chapter 21 in Luke) parallels the disruptions we feel today as we reflect on the world immediately within and around us—as well as the turmoil beyond our personal horizons in the wider world. No, Advent doesn’t begin with a lullaby story from Luke; it begins raucous and conflicted, the way life is for much of our world. Indeed, a closer reading of the Nativity stories will also reveal conflict and hints of the Christ child’s future passion and death right beneath the seeming-serene accounts of the birth, with its supporting cast of angels, shepherds and wise men. Don’t forget that evil Herod is also a part of the stories of the birth of the savior…

The gospel tells us today that the arrival of “the days” will not be easy. Much will happen before Christ can come again. Just prior to today’s passage Jesus told his disciples that they would have to give witness to his name (21:13). As a result, they will suffer persecution because of him (21:12-19) and then Jerusalem will be destroyed (21:20-24). After all this, “…then they will see the Son of Man coming…” And one can presume that after all he just told them, they will be very happy indeed to see him! We can draw some obvious conclusions from what Jesus is telling his disciples.

Having faith does not protect his followers from persecution; in fact, it is because of their faith that they will suffer. Disciples can take heart that we will be strengthened to bear witness in Christ’s name and that, after a period of trial and rejection, Jesus will return. Calamity marks the opening lines of today’s passage; but God’s salvation with Jesus’ return, is the dominant theme and conclusion. Even the faithful are not spared the trials, “For that day will assault everyone.” So, it is very important that the disciples stay alert, for the temptation is great to “go with the flow”—to blend into the dominant culture and adopt its values and habits of living. Jesus warns us not to fall asleep on the job. And what’s the job description for Christians? “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.” What will keep us awake and not overcome by anxiety?

Prayer.

Luke’s gospel has strong emphasis on the importance of prayer. There are temple scenes and times when Jesus bursts into spontaneous prayer. He also prays at important moments throughout the narrative (5:16; 3:21; 6:12, etc.) and he instructs his disciples on prayer (6:28; 10:2; 20:45-47, etc. ). Today’s passage, so filled with distressing signs and warnings of future frightening events, for everyone—including disciples—ends with a strong, typically Lucan reminder: “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength.”

Will the parts of the world that are corrupt, indulgent, lustful, aggressive and oppressive really pass away? Sounds like a wistful dream of someone who has lost contact with reality. Look around, can’t you see how entrenched the old ways are! Yes, they are, but even the implacable sun, moon and stars are going to show signs of the end of such dominance and of coming change. Powerful and firmly established powers will require an even more decisive power to uproot and cast them into the sea. And that’s exactly Jesus offers us. The encouragement he gives us to pray is not a pious tidbit attached to the end of his teaching. Prayer is essential if the disciples are to fulfill their call to vigilance against the surrounding seductive powers we encounter daily in overt and subtle ways: aggression, racism, political corruption, indifference to the blight of others, isolations from the community, greed and a host of other such forces.

The gospel’s apocalyptic language is very graphic. The upsetting events that are described are less predictions of how things will be, as much as metaphorical images to describe endings and beginnings. What is evil and persistently destructive to human beings will not last. God will see to that. There is going to be a great turnaround. God has promised and will also see to that!

But on a personal basis, anyone who has suffered great loss through: the death of a loved one, a breakup in a close relationship: the loss of a job in middle age; a disabling accident or illness; the decline of advanced age; civic strife; violence in the neighborhood or town in which they live; a child’s life ruined by drugs, etc.—any of these people would, in the midst of their crisis, say that today’s exaggerated biblical imagery describing endings and upheavals, is right on target. That’s the way it feels—the powers of the once-secure heavens are shaken. Everything has changed, life’s foundations have been removed.

What’s left? Nothing we usually count on. Except Jesus’ assurance that on “that day” he comes to help us. “Stand erect and raise your heads,” because, as impossible as it seems, he offers us new life. During the duress, he advises prayer to keep our faith from collapsing. People say that at such crisis moments they are unable to pray. There are people in the congregation going through such terrors right now. We can invite them just to be with us and let us do the praying for them until a time when they find their footing more secure and have a breath of new life. Then they may have to return the favor and carry us for a while in their prayer, for at one time or another, each of us experiences the end of a world.

We are not dreamers with our heads in the clouds. We are realists who must persevere in our mission of service to the world, while not getting overwhelmed by the size of our task. It is hard to believe at times, but something new is coming. It is awful dark out there, but we can see a light up ahead and it is drawing closer. With that vision sustained by prayer today we can renew our commitment to stand in vigilant service to the Lord and to wait with eyes wide open for his return. The gospel today may have its scary aspects, but the focus isn’t on the cataclysmic. God is the center of this narrative. We have looked at the reassuring face of Christ and know that God is in control and will not let go of us until Jesus returns.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Be vigilant at all times

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• How do you deal with waiting?
  What frustrates you the most?
  What keeps you waiting?
• What realities of life are humans often in denial about?
  What do we do as humans to try to sleepwalk through difficult times?
  What does that “sleepwalking” look like?
• How aware are you of the passage of time?
• Describe a time in your life when someone has helped you through a great difficulty.
  Describe a time in your life when hope has carried you through a great difficulty.
• In our present times, what are some things that frighten you?
  What are some “signs of the times”?
• What are some things in your life that weigh you down?
• What are some ways we can practice redemption to prepare for our meeting Christ?
  What is the role of prayer for you?
• When you look at the world situation where do you see signs of our need for God’s presence?
  When you think of these situations what is your emotional response?
• Do you see, in our world today, some signs that the kingdom of God is at hand?
  Do you see any signs of God’s loving care in your own life?
  Do you really believe that “all will be well”?
• Luke tells the community of Christians that they should stand erect and raise their heads at the coming of Jesus.
  Do we need to hear this? Why?
• What do you most look forward to this Christmas? How do you expect to spend the day? What are you hoping for?
• How do you regard talk about the second coming of Christ?
  Does it frighten you?
  Does it comfort you?
  Or do you just ignore it?
  Why?
• Do you believe that Jesus is already here?
• From Daniel Harrington, S.J:
  Have you faced situations that you dreaded deeply but have been a source of great blessings for you or others?
• When end times come for you personally, what do you want to be remembered for?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican style/Asking Questions:

From “First Impressions”, a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

And what about us? We are still waiting. Does our faith also seem gullible and naive to our unbelieving world? To our neighbors and co-workers? To our families? If Jesus doesn’t come back soon how can we prove the validity of our faith to observers? While Jesus has not returned to draw the final curtain, still one proof that he is already with his church are the signs of his presence. Jesus may be a long time in coming, but he certainly is already present when his disciples mirror his extraordinary acts like: forgiving the offender; dedicating their lives to caring for the poor and infirmed; challenging world powers to pursue peace; sharing from limited resources; raising a good family under stressful conditions; speaking up to local and national governments for just legislation; struggling to get a health plan for the poor etc.

These are just some ways we can practice what Jesus tells us in today’s gospel, “Be vigilant at all times and pray…,” until he returns. That’s how people will know the already-presence of Christ in the world—by the powerful signs at work in us, his disciples. As he instructed us, we will practice vigilance till he returns and be on the watch for ways to put into action the faith we profess here in church today. How do we do this? What gets in the way? What might be a corrective for our distractions?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Praying with Fantasy:

Write your own end of the world scenario, employing imagery that reflects our scientific, military and technological advances. Be sure to include your own ideas about the signs in the heavens and earth. Then add yourself into the mix: where will you be and what will you be doing? Who is there with you? How do you react? Describe how Jesus will appear. How do you feel about seeing him? Do you feel redemption is at hand for you? Why or why not? Who do you think will “make the cut”? Finally, pray to God about the things you need to be mindful of in order to “be ready”.

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

We all have times in our lives when we have been waiting for something. Recall several of those times. Has the experience of waiting been different at different times in your life? Who or what has sustained you during these periods of waiting? Have you ever sensed God’s sustaining presence during these times? Using Psalm 25 as a guide, write a letter to God expressing your thanks for the presence of the Spirit in your life, or asking God to make you more aware of the way in which God sustains you during such times.

Psalm 25

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 In you, O my God, I have trusted; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.
3 Let none who hope in you be put to shame; but shamed are those who wantonly break faith.
4 O Lord, make me know your ways. Teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth, and teach me; for you are the God of my salvation. I have hoped in you all day long.
6 Remember your compassion, O Lord, and your merciful love, for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. In your merciful love remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord.
8 Good and upright is the LORD; he shows the way to sinners.
9 He guides the humble in right judgment; to the humble he teaches his way.
10 All the Lord’s paths are mercy and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and commands.
11 O Lord, for the sake of your name, forgive my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who is this that fears the Lord? He will show him the path to choose.
13 His soul shall live in happiness, and his descendants shall possess the land.
14 The Lordʼs secret is for those who fear him; to them he reveals his covenant.
15 My eyes are always on the Lord, for he rescues my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and poor.
17 Relieve the anguish of my heart, and set me free from my distress.
18 See my lowliness and suffering, and take away all my sins.
19 See how many are my foes; with a violent hatred they hate me.
20 Preserve my life and rescue me. Let me not be put to shame, for in you I trust.
21 May integrity and virtue protect me, for I have hoped in you, O Lord.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, from all its distress.

Poetic Reflection:

The final stanza of “Little Gidding” (part 4 of T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets”) is a wonderful theological and personal meditation on the meaning of our lives in God…a good reflection for Advent:

With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this Calling We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. Through the unknown, unremembered gate When the last of earth left to discover Is that which was the beginning; At the source of the longest river The voice of the hidden waterfall And the children in the apple-tree Not known, because not looked for But heard, half-heard, in the stillness Between two waves of the sea. Quick now, here, now, always – A condition of complete simplicity (Costing not less than everything) And all shall be well and All manner of things shall be well When the tongues of flame are in-folded Into the crowned knot of fire And the fire and the rose are one.

Poetic Reflection:

This excerpt from the Fifties Beat Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti is a lighthearted introduction to the central issue of Advent: Advent is a time of waiting. But what are we waiting for, and how are we waiting?

“I Am Waiting”

I am waiting for my case to come up
and I am waiting for a rebirth of wonder
and I am waiting for someone to really discover America
and wail
and I am waiting for the American Eagle
to really spread its wings and straighten up and fly right
and I am waiting for the Age of Anxiety to drop dead
and I am waiting for the war to be fought
which will make the world safe for anarchy
I am waiting for the Second Coming
and I am waiting for a religious revival to sweep thru the state of Arizona
and I am waiting for the Grapes of Wrath to be stored
and I am waiting for them to prove that God is really American
and I am seriously waiting for Billy Graham and Elvis Presley
to exchange roles seriously
and I am waiting to see God on television piped onto church altars
if only they can find the right channel to tune in on
and I am waiting for the Last Supper to be served again
with a strange new appetizer
and I am perpetually awaiting a rebirth of wonder

and I am waiting for the meek to be blessed
and inherit the earth without taxes
and I am waiting for forests and animals
to reclaim the earth as theirs
and I am anxiously waiting for the secret of eternal life to be discovered
by an obscure general practitioner and save me forever from certain death
and I am waiting for life to begin
and I am waiting for the storms of life to be over
and I am perpetually awaiting
a rebirth of wonder

Poetic Reflection:

This poem by Mary Oliver, from Thirst, captures one way in which we might prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. What about the speaker’s heart makes her “receptive to the Lord”?

“Making the House Ready for the Lord”

Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice—it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances—but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will
come, Lord: you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.

Closing Prayer

Lord, today’s gospel calls me to be present, be awake, be aware. Help me to be more awake to your presence in my life and of the need to stay focused on the things that really matter. Keep me from the distractions of buying and getting, from the craziness and frenzy that this season can bring. Help me to be aware of the isolation and loneliness of others, and help me to be present to those in true need through my care and generosity.

Solemnity of Christ the King, November 21, 2021

Jesus and power; my relationship with power/Jesus and truth; my relationship with truth

John 18:33–37

So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?”

Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”

Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants [would] be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”

So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Music Meditations

• “How Great Thou Art” (sung by Selah) [YouTube]
• “Soon and Very Soon” (Andraé Crouch) [YouTube]
• “Sing to Jesus” (sung by Fernando Ortega) [YouTube]
• “The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns” (sung by OCP Session Choir) [YouTube]
• “Alleluia, Sing to Jesus” (sung by Saint Michael's Singers) [YouTube]

Opening Prayer

From Sacred Space, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

Jesus, in the midst of all the noise and distractions of this world we find it hard to hear your voice.
Open our ears Lord that we may hear and take account of your word.

Companions for the Journey

From a homily delivered at Memorial Church, Stanford, for the Feast of Christ the King, 2006:

Let’s do a little word association:

What comes to mind when I say King?

What came to my mind was: King Henry the VIII, King David, King Louis XIV, Elvis, King Kong….

What they all had in common for me was the idea of wealth, dominance, power, and the abuse of same.

This feast of Christ the King is just the opposite. It is not about power at all. And it is not about heaven. It is about God’s vision for the earth—a transformed world, a world where kings or dictators and systems of economic or physical domination and exploitation do not exist.

The Jesus whom we meet in today’s gospel, this battered, exhausted little man standing in front of Pilate, is not a King as you and I would define one, and his kingdom is not a place; it is a moral landscape we inhabit, where the values of the world are turned upside down. We describe it in today’s preface to the Eucharistic prayer: “an eternal and universal kingdom: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of Justice, love and peace.” Is this the kind of world we want? (I think so)

We celebrate that Jesus came, in the words of Luke and Isaiah: “to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, and the recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus was about inclusion, not exclusion, about sharing, not domination. His friends were those marginalized by the society in which they traveled: women, the uneducated, the poor, the unclean, the schizophrenic, the criminals, tax collectors and other sinners. In Matthew he is reported to have said to the righteous leaders of Israel: “Even tax collectors and prostitutes will enter into the kingdom before you.”

Jesus spent his life as a subverter of the order that existed. That’s what got up the noses of the Scribes and Pharisees. They were complicit in a system that bled the poor people dry in order to feed the massive machinery of war and government that Rome had constructed. Rome ruled the Jewish homeland through native collaborators of the elite class—temple authorities and Jewish aristocracy under a high priest appointed by Rome. They had a stake in how Galilean Jews behaved—an economic stake in whether those Jews paid tithes to the temple and a political stake in whether those Jews were restive and prone to rebellion. Along the way, they skimmed off a little for themselves, but the real issue was that they participated in and benefited from an economic system that oppressed the rest of the population (1) Jesus was openly critical of them, and that’s why they considered him so dangerous.

Scripture is political. It is about God’s passion for a different kind of world—one in which people have enough not as the result of charity but as the fruit of justice, (2) a world in which success is not measured by the size of our automobiles or the number of our toys, but by the quality of our service to others. Jesus’ vision of the kingdom was a world in which the laborers in the vineyard were paid according to their economic and physical needs, not necessarily according to the amount of their labor. Jesus’ vision of the kingdom was a world in which a spendthrift son who dissipated his inheritance came home to a warm welcome and absolute forgiveness from a loving father. No questions asked.

Is that the kind of world we want? (I wonder…)

Jesus spoke and still speaks on behalf of people at the bottom who are victims of a systemic social sin that finds it easier to blame the victims for a speck in their eye than society itself for the timber blinding its own eye. (3)

Jesus’ vision is one of a world where the Good Samaritan risks ritual uncleanliness and personal safety to rescue a man found along a barren roadside. He gives out of his own pocket money to care for this man who is a stranger and from an enemy tribe. Pretty risky and very irresponsible, some might say.

Jesus’ vision is of a world where we don’t rely only on governmental “safety nets” to save the old, the ill, the poor, the disabled in any way. A world in which in which we give to those who ask without judging the recipient as worthy of our “charity”. A world in which we can look a raggedy, dirty street beggar in the eye and recognize our brother or sister, or maybe Jesus.

Is that the kind of world we want? (The jury is out on this one.)

An examination of the values of the kingdom provides a lens through which to bring the questions of our personal life into sharp focus: What will make me happy? What shall I do with my work? How shall I spend my money? Who shall be my friends? How am I to love? Filtering the questions of one’s personal life through the scope of the kingdom brings to light the vision on which Jesus was focused. Such a process can stamp out selfishness, vindictiveness, hatred and judgmentalism, and substitute generosity, forgiveness, inclusion and understanding, but only if we are open to change. (4)

When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God he posited a countercultural lens through which to view the world. [The kingdom] suggests a cataclysmic shift in which the poor, the blind, the lame and the captives are represented and included. (5) Is that the kind of world you want? Make no mistake about it, that’s the kind of world Jesus was talking about.

Before we pray “thy kingdom come” we must be willing to pray “my kingdom go” (6) and that requires a shift in values and a desire to conform our will to that of Jesus. The world would look a little different from what it looks like right now: Right now 6% of the people (all American) control 59% of the entire world’s wealth, 80% live in substandard housing, 70% are unable to read, 50% of the world’s people suffer from malnutrition. For all that to change, we have to understand that the “good life” cannot be measured by what we own. For most of us caught up in this frenzy of getting and spending that exploits both nature and the poor, but fuels our society, Jesus’ world is not a world in which we might feel at home.

Someone once said” Show me where you spend your money and I will show you your priorities.” Worth a thought.

Many of us have sung “make the kingdom come, make the crying done, make the kingdom be, kingdom of the free”, but we want it to happen without changing anything in our own lives, in our own priorities, in our own comforts. —Can’t happen. So I am telling you. Your job will be to carry God’s love to the hungry, to the homeless and the helpless, and add a steward’s care for God’s good earth that we ravage so pitilessly. (7)

So I am telling you: If you do not wish for His kingdom, don’t pray for it. But if you do, you must do more than pray for it; you must work for it.(7)

Notes:
1. Marcus Borg, Jesus p226
2. Marcus Borg, Jesus p225
3. Raymond Schults, National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada LP Jan-March 2006
4. The Rev. Dr. Rebecca Pugh Brown, LP January-March 2006, p 6
5. The Rev. Dr. Rebecca Pugh Brown, LP January-March 2006, p 6
6. The Rev. Alan Redpath , LP January-March 2006, p 6
7. Walter Burkhardt S.J. LP 1-3 2006

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

My kingdom is not of this world

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• Have I often thought of God’s kingdom as a place in the afterlife, rather than here and now?
  How does this affect my actions?
• When you hear the word “king” what comes to mind? Is it a person or a title? Are the images positive or negative? Are you comfortable with the “Christ the King” image? How do you describe the Kingdom of Jesus?
• Why do the words “king” and “power” sometimes go together? Which type of power do I fear?
• Why is Jesus’ kingdom different? What about this kingdom attracts me? Repels me?
• What has our culture “enthroned” (money, success, addictions, pleasure, for example)?
  What is my lodestar in this culture’s firmament?
• What disconnect do you see between the values of the “kingdom” and the values of this world?
• From “First Impressions,” a service of the Southern Dominican Province, 2003:
  What are we living for?
  What energizes and gives meaning to each day?
  To whom or what do we give our allegiance?
  At what altars do we burn incense, bend our knee in submission?
  What power holds sway over us?
• In what ways has truth been perverted in our current culture?
• In this passage Jesus claims that he has come into this world to bear witness to the truth.
  Have you ever been in a position where you were called on to do the same?
  What were the difficulties or risks?
  What was the outcome?
• What is the basic truth Jesus wants me to understand?
• Our text ends with the statement by Jesus that everyone who belongs to the truth listens to his voice.
  What do you think Jesus means by this statement?
  How do you LISTEN to God speaking truth in your life?
• Jesus was dismissed as a rather unprepossessing individual—small, slight, probably dirty—Have you ever met someone whom you judged as more-or-less wonderful based on her appearance?
  Have you ever been wrong?
  If so, how did you deal with it?
• Like Jesus and Pilate, did you ever have a conversation with someone, and you felt like you were really not connecting with the person and they to you?
• From Faith Book, 2006:
  Who or what set of values rule my life and guide my daily decisions?
  What can I do to respond more fully to Jesus’ rule in my life?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

“Are you the King of the Jews?” Pilate seems to be searching for the truth about Jesus. Maybe he is asking the wrong question, because the truth about Jesus is not that simple. As a matter of fact, getting to what is true about anything is not that simple. First of all, the truth may be more nuanced than simply a collection of facts. Second, we tend to act as if we owned the truth, that the truth belongs to us. Whom do we listen to when we think the truth belongs to us? Do we listen to those who think and act like us? Do we listen to the voice of anxiety and insecurity? Do we listen to the voice of a particular political stance? Do we listen to our prejudices? Do we listen to our individual needs and desires? What, in particular, do listen to when I think I own the truth? What does it mean to belong to Jesus’ truth? What are some of Jesus’ truths that are hard to swallow? Here are some voices from “the Kingdom”: Isaiah 41:10; Mt 20:20; Mk 12:31 and Luke 6:27-37? Which one is the most comforting? Which is the most challenging?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Consideration:

Imagine that you are Pontius Pilate and the Jewish scribes and priests have dragged this man Jesus of Nazareth before you. He is a typical Jewish man of his time, small in stature (maybe about 5’4”, and weighing 125 pounds or so—remember, he was so small and fragile that someone had to help him carry his cross) and dressed in very poor garments which he has been wearing for who knows how long since he is homeless. He has been up all night being questioned and badgered by the high priests and their thugs and looks a little worse for wear. You have heard that this man is accused of setting him self us as the King of the Jews. What do you think about this Jesus? Does he strike you as regal or powerful? Is he just delusional? Are the accusations credible? How do you feel when Jesus refuses to answer your question with a simple yes or no? Do you understand all of his talk about a “kingdom not of this world”? What sort of kingdom is Jesus talking about? Why does he make you uncomfortable? Zooming ahead to our own time, you can ask the same questions: what kind of kingdom is Jesus talking about? How consistent is this kingdom with a world that worships power? How comfortable am I with this vision of God’s realm? What do I have to change in my own heart so that my aspirations conform more closely to those of Jesus?

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

Pray the Lord’s Prayer, being especially attentive to the words “Thy kingdom come”. Talk to God about the kind of kingdom you think God wants. When you ask for God’s kingdom to come, what of your own personal kingdom must go? Ask Jesus to conform your will to His, so that God’s will may come to pass through the actions of your life. Write or speak a set of resolutions about honesty, power, forgiveness and selflessness that you can live out in order to make God’s kingdom happen in your little corner of this earth.

Poetic Reflection:

This poem, written by Thomas à Kempis in the fifteenth century, shows us the difference between our notions of power and the power God favors:

Oh, love, how deep, how broad, how high,
Beyond all thought and fantasy,
That God, the Son of God, should take
Our mortal form for mortal's sake!

He sent no angel to our race,
Of higher or of lower place,
But wore the robe of human frame,
And to this world himself he came.

For us baptized, for us he bore
His holy fast and hungered sore;
For us temptation sharp he knew;
For us the tempter overthrew.

For us he prayed; for us he taught,
For us his daily works he wrought,
By words and signs and actions thus
Still seeking not himself, but us.

For us by wickedness betrayed,
For us, in crown of thorns arrayed,
He bore the shameful cross and death;
For us he gave his dying breath.

For us he rose from death again;
For us he went on high to reign;
For us he sent his Spirit here
To guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.

All glory to our Lord and God
For love so deep, so high, so broad;
The Trinity whom we adore
Forever and forevermore.

Poetic Reflection:

“Salvator Mundi: Via Crucis” by Denise Levertov gives us another way to look at what Jesus renounced in order to be the kind of King that the world really needs:

Maybe He looked indeed much as Rembrandt envisioned Him in those small heads that seem in fact portraits of more than a model. A dark, still young, very intelligent face, A soul-mirror gaze of deep understanding, unjudging. That face, in extremis, would have clenched its teeth In a grimace not shown in even the great crucifixions. The burden of humanness (I begin to see) exacted from Him That He taste also the humiliation of dread, cold sweat of wanting to let the whole thing go, like any mortal hero out of his depth, like anyone who has taken herself back. The painters, even the greatest, don’t show how, in the midnight Garden, or staggering uphill under the weight of the Cross, He went through with even the human longing to simply cease, to not be. Not torture of body, not the hideous betrayals humans commit nor the faithless weakness of friends, and surely not the anticipation of death (not then, in agony’s grip) was Incarnation’s heaviest weight, but this sickened desire to renege, to step back from what He, Who was God, had promised Himself, and had entered time and flesh to enact. Sublime acceptance, to be absolute, had to have welled up from those depths where purpose Drifted for mortal moments.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, I ask you to help me know your kingdom and its values. Help me to care myself and for others as you would have me do, regardless of my personal biases and prejudices. Help me to understand that the moral landscape that is “The Kingdom” requires me to love as you did, forgive as you did, and pray as you did, for those who need help. [Take a moment to think of one or more particular people whom you especially wish to raise up in prayer.]