Readings & Reflections with Cardinal Tagle’s Video: Third Sunday of Advent A & Blessed Mary Frances Schervier, December 15,2019

St. James tells the early Christians, who were waiting for Jesus’ second coming, to be patient and said, “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord” (Jas 5:7) as he uses the example of the farmer, something the people of the day knew well. As the farmer awaits the precious yield of the soil, so should they be patient as they wait for Jesus’ coming. Be like the farmer. Be patient and steady your heart. The Lord will come. Prophet Isaiah (Is 35:1-6, 10) tells the Israelites the same thing. The Lord will come and will bring new life. Be patient. “Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes to saves you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing” (Is 35: 4-6).

“Rejoice and be joyful….” (cf. Ps 33, Is 35:1). This is the message of this 3^rd Sunday of Advent because the Messiah has already redeemed us. In this Sunday’s Gospel (Mt 11:2-11), Jesus is telling us that our Christian faith demands us concrete acts of love. When Jesus was asked by one of the followers of John the Baptist who was imprisoned by King Herod: “Are you the real Messiah?” Jesus’ reply was: “Go back and report to John what you hear and see; the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor” (Mt 11:4-5).  This is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah (Is 35:6). These are the signs of the presence of the true Messiah. And we know and believe that He is Jesus Christ.

John’s longing for Christ is what keeps him looking for eagerly to each new day. He lives with the expectation to “see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.” When John hears of the miraculous benefits accorded to the blind, the lame, the leprous, the deaf, and the poor, he will know that the One he has been waiting for all his life has come: God of mercy. He is Jesus Christ. With this truth, how can I be joyful in living my faith and belong actively in the Church founded by Jesus Christ? For more reflection on making Christmas happy and holy click this link:  http://www.pagadiandiocese.org/2014/06/05/making-christmas-happy-and-holy/

AMDG+

Opening Prayer

“Lord, stir my zeal for your righteousness and for your kingdom. Free me from complacency and from compromising with the
ways of sin and worldliness that I may be wholeheartedly devoted to you and to your kingdom.”  Amen.

Reading 1
Is 35:1-6a, 10 – God himself will come to save us.

The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.

Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
they will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10

R. (cf. Is 35:4) Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading II
Jas 5:7-10 – Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Be patient, brothers and sisters,
until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,
being patient with it
until it receives the early and the late rains.
You too must be patient.
Make your hearts firm,
because the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,
that you may not be judged.
Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.
Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

The word of the Lord.

Gospel
Mt 11:2-11 – Are you the one who is to come or should we look for another?

Bishop Robert Barron’s Homily: Tell John what you see and hear click below:

When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
“Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
“What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out? To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – Here is your God.

Dr. Scott Hahn’s reflection click below:

John questions Jesus from prison in today’s Gospel—for his disciples’ sake and for ours.

He knows that Jesus is doing “the works of the Messiah,” foretold in today’s First Reading and Psalm. But John wants his disciples—and us—to know that the Judge is at the gate, that in Jesus our God has come to save us.

The Liturgy of Advent takes us out into the desert to see and hear the marvelous works and words of God—the lame leaping like a stag, the dead raised, the good news preached to the poor (see Isaiah 29:18-20; 61:1-2).

The Liturgy does this to give us courage, to strengthen our feeble hands and make firm our weak knees. Our hearts can easily become frightened and weighed down by the hardships we face. We can lose patience in our sufferings as we await the coming of the Lord.

As James advises in today’s Epistle, we should take as our example the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Jesus also points us to a prophet—holding up John as a model. John knew that life was more than food, the body more than clothing. He sought the kingdom of God first, confident that God would provide (see Matthew 6:25-34). John did not complain. He did not lose faith. Even in chains in his prison cell, he was still sending his disciples—and us—to our Savior.

We come to Him again now in the Eucharist. Already He has caused the desert to bloom, the burning sands to become springs of living water. He has opened our ears to hear the words of the sacred book, freed our tongue to fill the air with songs of thanksgiving (see Isaiah 30:18).

Once bowed down, captives to sin and death, we have been ransomed and returned to His Kingdom, crowned with everlasting joy. Raised up we now stand before His altar to meet the One who is to come: “Here is your God.” – Read the source: https://stpaulcenter.com/reflections/here-is-your-god-scott-hahn-reflects-on-the-third-sunday-of-advent

Reflection 2 – John the Baptist in search for the Messiah

John the Baptist’s faith might have been shaken, as he remained imprisoned when he witnessed a different ‘Messiah’ in Jesus.  He was expecting a severe judge, one who would cut down the fruitless trees, sweep clean the threshing floor and separate the grain from the chaff.  What he encountered was someone who never condemned the sinners and the unjust but one who ate with sinners and befriended them.  He had mercy and compassion for them, changed their hearts and wanted them to be happy at all cost.  He never set aside the poor and the weak but always kept their benefit not only in his heart but also in all that he did.  That is why John the Baptist sent his followers to Jesus to inquire, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”

Jesus in his life revealed the true God who loves everybody, good or bad, honest or dishonest, who makes the sun rise and the rain fall on each one of us, because we are all His children.

Today, we have been asked by God to live the life of His Son, our Lord Jesus.  God has exhorted us to bring Him to all men. He has mandated us to be the undershepherds of His flock.  In such capacity, what have we done?  Have we brought them God’s compassion, love and mercy?  Have we fed them with His Word so that they will be nourished and nurtured day and night with His mighty presence?  Have we lived as a shining light to bring others out of darkness?

Amidst the difficulties and temptations that come our way, we should not be discouraged, even when confronted by difficult and impossible situations. “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged.  Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  James 5:7-10

Let us “Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing.”  Isaiah 35: 3-6a

Direction

Be patient in our work for the Lord

Prayer

Heavenly Father may the joy I have with Jesus make me live and witness for you more intently and bring others closer to your fold.  In Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Reflection 3 – Be patient and have hope

Those who know someone who farms and gets to know their way of life will be the first to tell you that you can learn a lot from a farmer. Farmers are hard workers and they have great trust and great patience. They also have great hope and great expectations. It takes a lot of time, effort and hard work to be a good farmer and, as farmers do their farming, they trust that their work will be successful and productive. The seeds they plant in the fields will grow and they patiently wait for that to happen. Farmers have hoped that their efforts will be successful and they expect that the harvest will be plentiful.

We need to follow the example of the farmer as we live our life of faith. We need to work hard and we need to have that same hope the farmer has as we patiently wait, expectantly, for the second coming of Jesus.

St. James tells the early Christians, who were waiting for Jesus’ second coming, to be patient and said, “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord” as he uses the example of the farmer, something the people of the day knew well. As the farmer awaits the precious yield of the soil, so should they be patient as they wait for Jesus’ coming. Be like the farmer. Be patient and steady your heart, St. James tells them. The Lord will come.

The prophet Isaiah tells the Israelites the same thing. The Lord will come. The promised Messiah will come and he will bring new life. Be patient. The prophet uses striking imagery to make his point. The dry and barren desert will flourish with flowers and blooms. The glory of the Lord will be evident all around them. Not only will they glory of the Lord be evident around them, the glory of the Lord will be seen in the lives of his people. Feeble hands will be strong and knees that were weak will be firm. The eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will hear, the lame will leap, and those who cannot speak, will sing. “Be strong, fear not!” Isaiah tells them.

In our gospel from Matthew (11:2-11), we heard reported to John the Baptist the response of Jesus to the question of John’s disciples. Jesus told them to tell John what they hear and see. The blind see, cripples walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised. And Jesus also told them to tell John that the spiritually poor, those who had such a great desire to have God in their hearts, were having the good news preached to them. What does this mean for us today?

For us today, we need to be patient like the farmer. We need to conquer fear, as Isaiah insisted. We need to be strong. While we don’t know when and it may seem like a long way off, the Lord Jesus will come as he has promised. And as we wait for that promised coming in glory, we need to pay attention to how the Lord is coming to us in our lives each day. New life is happening in our life and in the lives of those around us. So, I invite you to reflect on your own life: To reflect and to see the times that you went from being blind to seeing how God has been present to you; how the Lord’s help and his guiding hand have touched your life.

Christmas is now but a few days away and we will celebrate once again that the Lord has come as was promised. How blessed we are. Perhaps the best gift we can give to our self as we wait for his promised coming again in glory is to be like the farmer, to be patient and hopeful, to trust and to work hard, to take to heart the words of the prophet Isaiah, to be strong and to fear not.

As we wait for the Lord to come in glory may, the Body and Blood of Jesus strengthen us to be patient, hopeful and strong in following Jesus.

Reflection 4 – John searched the Messiah

Who is the greatest in the kingdom of God?  Jesus praised John the Baptist as the greatest person born. Who can top that as a compliment? But in the same breath Jesus says that the least in the kingdom of God is even greater than John! That sounds like a contradiction, right? Unless you understand that what Jesus was about to accomplish for our sake would supersede all that the prophets had done and foreseen in the past. John is the last and greatest of the prophets of the old covenant. He fulfilled the essential task of all the prophets – to be fingers pointing to Christ, God’s Anointed Son and Messiah. John prepared the way for the Messiah and he pointed others to Jesus the Messiah at the River Jordan when he exclaimed, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29) John saw from a distant what Jesus would accomplish through his death on the cross – our redemption from bondage to sin and death and our adoption as sons and daughters of God and citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

Why did John, while in prison, send his disciples to question Jesus? John wanted them to hear and see firsthand from the Messiah himself before John would meet his fate, martyrdom at the hands of King Herod. Jesus says that his miracles and message about the kingdom or reign of God are proof enough for John and his disciples to recognize as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy foretelling the signs and wonders which the Messiah would perform (see Isaiah 35). Jesus in his characteristic fashion also returned one question with another. What do you see in John the Baptist? And why does Jesus contrast John with a reed? Unlike a reed which is spineless and can be bruised easily, John stands as a pillar of truth which no demonic force can overtake because his heart is set on God and burns with the fire of God’s truth and love. Someone who is tepid – careless, half-hearted, and lukewarm – is easily swayed by whatever hits his or her fancy. If our heart is not filled with the love of God is easily grows cold and our faith wanes. If the heart feels emptied of God it seeks to fill the void with other things, which not being God, cannot bring true satisfaction. If we want to be like John the Baptist, then we must set our heart, mind, soul, and strength on one thing, and one thing only – the Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom of everlasting peace, joy, and righteousness. There is no room for compromise. We are either for Jesus and his kingdom or against it. We either give him our full allegiance and submission or we hold on to the reigns of running life as we want it to go.

“Lord Jesus, stir my zeal for your righteousness and for your kingdom. Free me from complacency and from compromising with the ways of sin and worldliness that I may be wholeheartedly devoted to you and to your kingdom.”

 

Reflection 5 – They shall obtain joy and gladness

Why did Jesus praise John the Baptist as the greatest person born of a woman and then in the same breath say that those who enter God’s kingdom will be greater than John (Matthew 11:11)?  John is the last and greatest of the prophets of the old covenant. He fulfilled the essential task of all the prophets – to be fingers pointing to Jesus Christ, God’s Anointed Son and Messiah. John prepared the way for the Messiah and he pointed others to Jesus the Messiah at the River Jordan when he exclaimed, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29)

John saw from a distant what Jesus would accomplish through his death on the cross – our redemption from bondage to sin and death and our adoption as sons and daughters of God and citizens of the kingdom of heaven. When King Herod tried to silence John by throwing him into prison, John sent his disciples to Jesus after John had heard the reports about Jesus performing signs and wonders and speaking to people about the coming of God’s kingdom. John wanted his disciples to hear and see firsthand what Jesus was doing to bring the kingdom of God to those who were receptive and ready to receive his message.

Jesus the Messiah performs the signs of God’s kingdom power
Jesus confirmed for John that the miracles and healings which he performed were in direct fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies announced by Isaiah some 700 years previously. Isaiah had prophesied that when the Messiah would come to save his people he would “open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf, the lame would leap, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy” (Isaiah 35:5). Jesus’ miracles are a demonstration of the power of God’s kingdom at work in the midst of his people. When God acts to save his people he turns their sorrow and weeping into joy and singing, and their fear and weakness into strength and hope.

The greatness of John’s life and witness of the Messiah
When Jesus had answered the disciples of John, he in turn asked them a question.”Why did you go out in the wilderness to see John the Baptist?” “Did you go because you were hungry for the word of the Lord?” Jesus said that John was more than a spokesman for God. John was the faithful witness and friend of the bridegroom who pointed others to the coming of the Messiah in their midst. Jesus contrasted John with the image of a reed shaken by the wind. Unlike a reed which is weak and spineless and can be easily crushed or bruised, John stood as a pillar of strength and truth in the face of opposition and persecution. No demonic force could weaken or crush John in his unswerving trust in God and his word.

Jesus offers us abundant life and joy to be his witnesses
Jesus knew that what the Father in heaven had sent him to accomplish for our sake would supersede all that the prophets had done and foreseen in the past. Jesus’ atoning death on the cross cancels the debt of our sins and sets us free to live as citizens of his kingdom. He gives us pardon, healing, and abundant life through his Holy Spirit, and the promise of unending joy with him in his everlasting kingdom.

John the Baptist paid the ultimate sacrifice of his life for speaking God’s word and preparing the way for Jesus the Lord and Savior of the world. The Lord Jesus offers us the same assurance of faith and the strength to stand against every force that would try to rob us of our conviction and courage to live and proclaim the good news (the Gospel) of God’s kingdom. Do you know the joy, strength, and power which Jesus gives to every one who puts their trust in him and the power of the Holy Spirit? Ask the Lord Jesus to increase your faith and hope in his promises for you.

“Lord Jesus, strengthen my trust in your word and my hope in the saving power of your kingdom. Free me from everything that would hold me back from pursuing your kingdom and your will for my life.” -Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/dec15.htm

Reflection 6 – Rejoice…Despite Everything!

A few years back, I had my angioplasty. In the operating room, the surgeon greeted me, “Hello, Father. I am Dr. Reimers. Are you happy to be here?” Obviously, he was trying to be funny to make me feel at ease. Who would be happy in the operating room? He was surprised when I quickly replied, “Yes.” He laughed. He thought I was joking. But I was not. I was happy, knowing that something is being done to address my health condition. As it turned out, one artery in my heart was 70% blocked, and a stent was implanted right away to keep it open. Had I waited longer, something worse would have happened. St. Augustine wrote: “Even here, amidst trials and temptations, let us, all men, sing alleluia. Scripture does not say that he will not allow you to be tried, but that he will not allow you to be tried beyond your strength. Whatever the trial, he will see you through it safely, and so enable you to endure.”

Even in times of trials and difficulties, we still have reasons to rejoice in the Lord. The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called “Gaudete” Sunday. “Gaudete” means, “rejoice”, echoing St. Paul’s call to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice! The Lord is near.”

In the face of so much sufferings and calamities in the world, the message of Gaudete Sunday sounds inopportune, if not insensitive: how can we rejoice? Understandably, this reaction comes from people who have superficial understanding about salvation, in particular those with wrong expectations from Jesus.

To clarify this issue, the Gospel this Sunday tells us about the experience of John the Baptist. He spent his entire life in the desert in preparation for his role as the precursor of the Messiah. He courageously taught the people and led them to repentance. But now he is in prison for fearlessly denouncing the sins of the king. While in prison, he heard about the public ministry of Jesus. Why doesn’t he visit him? Why doesn’t he perform a miracle to free him from prison? Where is the fulfillment of the prophecy that the Messiah will set prisoners free? Perhaps John was somehow expecting some much-deserved favors from the Messiah. So it is understandable why he sent messengers to ask Jesus: “Are you he who is to come or shall we look for another?” Jesus responded, Yes, I am indeed the Messiah. You see all the signs. But please do not be disappointed if all your expectations are not met. “Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

It has always been our experience that expectations, when unmet, bring disappointments and frustrations. Wrong expectations breed ill feelings, and in some instances, violent reactions. Jesus was a victim of wrong expectations. The Jews were expecting a Messiah in the likeness of King David, a political Messiah. When it became clear he was not, they persecuted him and brought him to the cross.

Many of us judge God by our own human standards and pre-conceived expectations. We have this belief that material prosperity and physical wellbeing are signs of God’s favor. When we try to be good and faithful Christians, we expect God to reward us and exempt us from troubles and trials. So when a good man loses his job, or a devout lady gets sick, or an innocent child meets a tragic accident, we ask God, “Why”? But what about Jesus? He is the Son of God, yet he suffered the most humiliating and cruel death in the hands of unjust and sinful people. Do we bother to ask why? Do we ever raise our voices and complain to God?

In the presence of Pontius Pilate, Jesus publicly declared that he is King, “but my kingdom is not of this world.” In other words, he is saying that the world has no right to judge him. The blessings he brings are not limited to worldly and material blessings. He gives us more than what we expect that this limited and imperfect world can offer.

It is true that in the ministry of Jesus “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised.” But these are miracles that point not only to external physical realities. More importantly, they lead to profound internal and spiritual transformation. Jesus is God. His miraculous actions and powerful teachings are not limited only to material effects, but are most profoundly experienced as spiritual blessings. What is the use of healing the physical eyes and feet of a person when he continues to be spiritually blind and lame? What profit does a man have by having a healthy heart when it is hardened by selfishness and greed? The living signs of God’s kingdom inaugurated by Jesus are spiritual. The blind see, and the deaf hear – these refer to spiritual enlightenment. The lame walk and the dead are raised – these are spiritual empowerment. These spiritual blessings, in turn, lead to physical blessings. For instance, peace with God brings inner peace and even physical healing; forgiveness leads to peace and harmony in the world.

During a prayer meeting in a parish, the new prayer leader was a little nervous. He began with this instruction to the group: “Let us close our eyes and be aware of the presence of the Lord. And now… let us sing the hymn: ‘Open our Eyes, Lord’”. The group had a great laugh at this, but that is the truth. Many times our eyes are wide open but we remain spiritually blind. It is only the Lord who can open our eyes, spiritually and physically.

We are now in the third Sunday of Advent. Like John the Baptist, we are waiting for the true Messiah. But what are our expectations? If we are expecting a political or economic Messiah who will lead us out of dirty politics or economic crisis, we will surely be frustrated. Jesus offers us something more and beyond our myopic and biased expectations. If we but open our eyes of faith, we will realize that he brings us not only political freedom, but freedom from sin and the bondage of Satan; not only economic prosperity, but abundance in heavenly blessings that no amount of money can purchase; not only healing of bodily ailments, but wholeness of our entire being, both body and soul.

Realizing all these, we will, without fail, discover the meaning of St. Paul’s call on this Gaudete Sunday: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice! The Lord is near!” (Source: Fr. Mike Lagrimas, St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Amsterdam St., Capitol Park Homes, Matandang Balara, Quezon City 1119).

Reflection 7 – Rejoice, the Lord is near

The third Sunday of Advent holds a special place in the liturgical calendar. Historically it is known as Gaudete Sunday, manifested in the rose-colored vestments that may be worn. The inspiration for the joyous nature of this day comes from the first word of the introit or, as some may know it, the entrance antiphon: “Rejoice (Gaudete) in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice: the Lord is near.”

While we rejoice today at the coming of our Lord at Christmas, we see that most of the world – and even a part of our own heart – is joyless. Modern society is joyless because it is becoming Christless. Where Christ is, there is joy, but where Christ is absent, there can be only sorrow and emptiness. Each day we learn from the news about efforts to take Christ (and all religious expression) out of every aspect of life, to ignore the message of the angel: “I bring you tidings of great joy, joy for all, because a Savior – the joy-giver – is born to you.” For more than two thousand years, Jesus Christ has been living in his Church, so the Church has never been without joy. Throughout that time, our Lord Jesus Christ has poured his life, his joy, into “thousands of his saints,” because they were willing to receive him. No persecution, no sufferings, no sword, no pen, no power, no threats can kill the joy of those who abide in Christ.

“Rejoice in the Lord always” is the refrain of the day. Let your heart overflow with joy, you who are one of his members! Rejoice in the Lord! He is with you, and he is near to you. With you, because he lives in you; near to you, because by the “grace of his visitation,” he will impart to you a fuller degree of his life. He will perfect you for the day of his glorious visitation when he will welcome you: “Come, you blessed of my Father, and possess the kingdom prepared for you.” Isaiah the Prophet also prepares a litany of rejoicing in nature as he announces in our first reading, “Let the wilderness and the dry lands exult. Let the wasteland rejoice and bloom; the glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it, the splendor of Carmen and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.” Rejoice in the Lord, for the ineffable peace of God is with you. This peace, which surpasses all human understanding, will keep your mind and heart united to Christ.

How does one maintain the spirit of joy in this valley of tears? Keep your soul pure and your heart humble and your tongue charitable. Due to the great sorrow and turmoil around us, we may ask the same question that John the Baptist did: “Are you the one who is to come?” On this day of rejoicing, let us receive the same message that St. John the Baptist heard from our Lord: “Go back to John and tell him what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, and lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.”

By finding the joy of Christ in their lives, those blinded by their sins will see clearly once again, those deaf to the power of God’s word will hear his clear call for conversion, those crippled by vices will walk on their own, those disfigured by sin will experience transfiguration through grace, and those who died in the faith of our Lord will rise to the glory of the Resurrection at the end of time. As long as Christ is at the center of our lives there may be struggle and sacrifice, but there can be no sorrow, for we will be able to accept the Cross presented to us with the eyes of faith, hope and charity. The Cross then will become the key that opens the treasury of knowing the joy of Christ in our lives. (Source: Fr. C. Frank Phillips, C.R., “Homilies for Sunday Liturgies and Feasts,” Homiletic & Pastoral Review, Vol. CXI, No. 2. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, November 2010, pp. 34-36; Suggested readings: Catechism of the Catholic Church #: 547-50; 1829-32).

Reflection 8 – The nearness of Christ

Purpose: That the congregation understand and appreciate how they have been drawn near to Christ through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, and so live their lives—with their routines, their joys, and their hardships—in the consolation and joy that comes from the knowledge of the nearness of Christ.

I once had the privilege of celebrating Mass at the grave of 12 of the Ugandan martyrs, which is located in Namugongo, Uganda. St. Charles Lwanga, and a group of about 11 other young men who were all pages of King Mwanga, were killed for professing the Catholic faith, which moved them to resist the king’s immoral advances. At their execution, they were bound and wrapped about with wood slats running along the length of their bodies. They were then placed lying down in a circle, with their feet facing toward a pile of wood for a bonfire. As the first layer of boys was laid down in the circle, another was placed on top of them, and so on. The fire in the center was lit. All were told that anyone who asked to be pulled from the fire would be pulled out and spared. But no one asked. As the fire was lit, and began to spread, they began singing to profess their faith, and encourage each other to persevere. They died singing!

How could these normal young men, living out their daily routines just like you and I must do, sharing the same faith and hope which we have, nonetheless live and die so differently than one might expect? They refused to go along with the immorality expected of them – a pressure we also face. How could they resist it even at the cost of sacrificing their lives? How could they suffer such a cruel death with such joy in their hearts?

They were able to do these things because of their faith in how near the Lord was to them, and the joy and hope which that nearness brought to their hearts.

This nearness of God to us is exactly what today’s liturgy for the third Sunday of Advent holds before us. The entrance antiphon which the liturgy gives us today is from Phil. 4:4—“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Notice that from the beginning, there is something unusual in this verse. Rejoicing is something St. Paul commands Christians to do. This idea is quite foreign to our culture, which tends to understand joy as a feeling and, therefore, something outside our control. How can St. Paul command us to be joyful? He can do this because he sees Christian joy as something much deeper than our feelings. Instead, Christian joy is rooted in facts about reality—facts which he, and the Christians of Philippi, have come to experience. We can understand what these facts are by noticing first how St. Paul describes the way we rejoice: rejoice “in the Lord” (which for St. Paul means rejoice “in Christ.”) Notice, then, that for St. Paul, this rejoicing is something distinct to Christians. Christian joy is grounded in Christ, and what God has done for us in Him. Christians are, therefore, people for whom Christ has become their joy, the source of their happiness. Consider also the fact that St. Paul was a prisoner in chains when he wrote this letter. Paul’s evident suffering, as he writes this command, makes even clearer his claim that a Christian’s ultimate happiness is not to come from this world, or from one’s temporal circumstances in this world. This verse can, therefore, provide a simple way of defining the Christian. The Christian is one whose joy or happiness is in God.

A second fact to notice is in Phil. 4:5, the verse immediately following today’s antiphon, where St. Paul gives us the reason for Christian joy: “The Lord is near.” The possibility and the obligation of Christian joy is rooted in the fact of Christ’s nearness to us. While this answers a question: “Why do we rejoice?”—it also raises a question:“How is Christ near”? What does the apostle mean by the Lord is near?

“Near” is typically a reference to something in time or in space. Yet, it seems clear here that something unusual or mysterious is happening in the way St. Paul is talking about time and space, so that we could almost say that time and space begin to mean something special for the Christian.

First, consider what is happening with time. Even though St. James tells us in the second reading, “Make your hearts firm, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (literally, “is near”) (Jm 5:8), St. Paul in another place tells the Christians of Thessalonica, who are expecting Christ’s Second Coming to be soon, that they should not be alarmed as if the Lord’s coming was going to be immediate. Thus, while Ss. Paul and James are saying that the Lord’s coming is “near,” it is not necessarily near in time.

As to nearness in space, God is certainly near to us because He is everywhere. But in this spatial sense, God is near to all people, Christian or not. But Paul is speaking about a joy unique to Christians, because he says, “Rejoice in the Lord” (and Jesus is the one that Christians called “Lord”). This means that Paul is probably not talking about nearness in a spatial sense either. The Lord is near to Christians in a different way than He is near to all people.

So if it seems clear that being “near to God” doesn’t mainly refer to space or time, what does St. Paul mean by “the Lord is near?”

Consider what has happened to us in Christ. After Jesus ascended victorious to the right hand of the Father, He poured out the Holy Spirit upon his Church at Pentecost, causing the Spirit to live in the disciples so intimately that St. Paul could say that each disciple is a “temple of the Holy Spirit.” Through Baptism, Jesus now does the same thing with us. Because of this, something further happens. When the Holy Spirit comes to live in you, the Spirit also brings the presence of Jesus to live in you. Jesus speaks of this at the Last Supper, when He promises to send the Holy Spirit to the apostles soon. When St. Jude then asks Jesus about what this means, Jesus replies:

If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him (Jn 14:23).

That is, when the Holy Spirit comes to live in the disciples, the Spirit will also bring the presence of Jesus, and the Father, with Him. So now, we also have Jesus living in the disciples. This union is so real that when Jesus appears to Saul on the road to Damascus, he can ask him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” When Saul then asks, “Who are you, Lord?” Jesus replies, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:4-5). Notice that He didn’t say: “Jesus, whose followers you are persecuting.” No, whatever Saul is doing to persecute the Christians, he is doing to Jesus Himself, because Jesus Himself is living in them. What does this mean for you? It means that in some mysterious but real way, even though Jesus is present in His human body in heaven, He is also truly present and living in you. So because Jesus is one with us, and we are still on earth, Jesus is still present with us on earth.

Consider another marvel of this union. The Holy Spirit brings Jesus to live in us. But where is Jesus, very literally, living right now? Yes, in heaven. Jesus still has a human body, and He is present with that human body, in a mode very difficult for us to understand, in a kind of “place” we call “heaven.” Now consider what this means. If Jesus is in heaven, and you are one with Jesus by the power of the Spirit, then where are you? You are also with Him in heaven. Listen to how St. Paul describes this truth: “But God, Who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ … and raised us up with Him, and made us sit with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4-6). Paul is saying that in some mysterious, yet real way, because Christ is now in heaven, you, too, are already with Him there. He repeats this in Colossians: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1-3).

Paul is saying that Jesus Christ is now a glorious man, dwelling in Heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit, all Christian men and women share in His risen humanity, as “members of His Body.” If we have truly risen with Christ, then we are already with Him in heaven through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Though what Paul calls our “outer man” is still awaiting our physical resurrection, our “inner man” is already risen with Christ, and participating in the life of heaven. In this way, our life is still “hidden with Christ in God”—that is, mysteriously present with the glorified humanity of Christ. Another way of saying it is this: Though we are not yet physically present with Jesus in heaven, Heaven (where Jesus is) is already present in us—through the grace of the Holy Spirit. Because of this, even now, God wants to make a heaven of your soul. That is, he wants you to believe already now, the reality of the God who is in you, the same One whom one day, when the veil is finally removed, you will be able to see face to face.

I hope that we can now understand what St. Paul means by Christ being “near” to us. St. Augustine says that Christ is “closer to you than your inmost self.” We are accustomed to speak about this closeness in two ways. The first way is spatial. We say that because we are in Christ, and Christ is now in a “place” called heaven, we are also present in heaven. So too, because we are still on the earth, Christ is still present with us on earth. But this “place” we call heaven, where Christ is, is not exactly what we mean by a place. St. Augustine calls it “a place that is not a place.” Think about the fact that Christ has a Body that is now risen, that is able to do things normal bodies are not able to do. He can appear and disappear, pass through walls, or be in one place, and then suddenly be in another. Yet, He can also be touched. He eats a fish for His disciples, and it doesn’t fall to the ground. In other words, Christ’s glorified body has an entirely new way of being a body, with new properties which can’t be explained in terms we’re familiar with in this world. This means that there is also a new kind of “space” which has come into being. This is why we can speak, in one sense, of heaven being “up,” while knowing that it is obviously not just “up”—since “up” for us would mean “down” for China! Heaven is thus a place, but not exactly a place in the way we normally understand “place.”

Likewise, we sometimes understand heaven as a future reality. When we die, we hope to go to be with Christ “in heaven.” But, if you are already in Christ, and Christ is in you, then that future reality is already, in a sense, in you now. In Christ, heaven and heaven’s Lord has already been brought “near” to us. This is why we can already anticipate, by hope, the life of heaven. Hope is the confident expectation that God’s promises to us will be fulfilled. It is a way that we can come to “know,” and so experience already, the promised future reality of heaven. A simple secular analogy: holding a winning lottery ticket now helps you experience already, in a certain sense, the future reward that is coming to you. Even if you don’t yet have a cent to your name, you rejoice.

What does all this mean for you today? First, it means tremendous consolation in the midst of present suffering. All that we suffer—sufferings of body, of soul, emotional suffering—we now experience from within Jesus’ risen humanity. We suffer and die as partakers of Jesus’ resurrection. This “place” in which we suffer transforms how we suffer. On the one hand, suffering is always still suffering. Yet the consolations of being “in Christ” fundamentally change how we suffer. For example, our union with Christ means that we have already been freed of the greatest evil possible—everlasting suffering in hell. This is a source of immeasurable consolation, no matter what happens to us. Likewise, because we are united to God, we can be assured of the personal love and compassion and consolation of the Heavenly Father, “because,” as Paul says, “the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 5:5). Finally, because we are now united to the Risen Christ, we already have the hope of future Resurrection. This transforms everything about our life now on earth.

A final thing this means is that, as we just heard St. Paul say, “your life is hidden with Christ in God.” You have a life that is hidden to you. In fact, all the most important things about your life in Christ are hidden from you all throughout this life, and knowable only by faith—for example, God, God’s gift of life in Christ, the life of the Spirit, all the rewards we hope for. These are visible to God, but not to us. This does not mean that they are “less real.” If anything, they are “more real”—so real that merely earthly senses cannot grasp them. They can be grasped only by faith, the new supernatural way of knowing that God gives to us. The knowledge we gain by faith is different from natural knowledge, not only in degree, but also in kind. I said last week that our way of knowing depends on the object known. The eye knows light. The ear knows sound waves. In the same way, grasping a supernatural God demands a supernatural way of knowing. When God reveals to us what He sees, we are enabled, by the gift of faith, to “see as God sees.” God is the only one who sees reality. As the Lord said to Samuel, when he asked which of Jesse’s sons should be king, “[T]he Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7).

Faith also allows us to value as God values. Once, while walking past a large wall of newspapers in many languages at an international airport, I wondered: “What if I were to read all those newspapers? Would any of them have anything which God finds important?” And then I wondered: “What if heaven had a newspaper? What would make the news in heaven’s newspaper?” I realized that most of what would appear there are things humans despise, or find unimportant. For example, Jesus said that the angels rejoice (and all of heaven as well, I suppose) when one sinner in the silence of his heart repents. So, too, when Jesus pointed to the widow putting her two last coins into the Temple treasury, he indicated that God found this act very significant. But no one would have noticed it had Jesus not called his disciples together to point it out. He was trying to teach them to “see as God sees.”

Recall again the martyrs of Uganda. How did they do what they did? They already hoped in Christ for the future life of heaven, so that God was already making a heaven of their souls.

Brothers and sisters, the same Christ lives in you, and so you, too, can be filled with joy no matter what may happen to you in the this life. The Eucharist brings the reality of Christ’s sacrifice from heaven down to earth—from the timeless life of heaven, into this earthly present time. So, too, as you receive it, you are brought into heaven itself, because heaven’s Lord has been brought to you. – Read the source: http://www.hprweb.com/2016/12/homilies-for-december-2016/

Bibliography:
Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The Holy Spirit, God’s Gift of Joy §736

Theological Virtues §1812 – 1813; Faith §1814 – 1816; Hope §1817 – 1821

Reflection 9 – Indeed the Lord is near

“Rejoice (Gaudete) in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed the Lord is near” (Phil 4:4–5). St. Paul’s words from his Letter to the Philippians resound throughout the Church today as we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, or Gaudete Sunday, as it is also called, marking less than two weeks until our celebration of the Lord’s Nativity. With St. Paul’s encouragement, we have asked the Lord to increase the joy within us as we prayed in the Collect of today’s Mass: “enable us . . . to attain the joys of so great a salvation [as we] faithfully await the feast of the Lord’s Nativity” (Collect, Third Sunday of Advent). We are still in this great season of waiting and preparation, so St. James reminds us, “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord” (Jm 5:7), yet in the midst of our preparation, Gaudete Sunday is an anticipation of the joy of Christmas. It is also a privileged opportunity given to us by the Church to meditate on what joy is and what the reason for our joy is.

Taking the time to consider the true meaning of joy is especially important because joy is often misunderstood. Many think that joy is reducible to a pleasurable feeling or a delight. Joy, however, is not simply delight. We take delight in all sorts of things, like a delicious meal or a fine glass of wine. Even animals take delight in things that taste good, but we do not say that those animals are joyful. Joy, on the other hand, is caused by love, especially when we are in the presence of the thing or person that we love. The joy of Christmas, therefore, does not come from the holiday trappings as our materialist and consumerist society leads us to believe. Far greater than the presents we exchange at Christmas is the presence of Jesus Christ, sent to us from God the Father — a gift wrapped in swaddling clothes. God’s presence in the Word made flesh is the true source of our joy. Not only does our God Who is Love and Who created us out of love come to dwell among us, but He also comes to bring us salvation. As Isaiah says, “Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you” (Is 35:4). We are filled with joy in the presence of the God who comes to save us and in the salvation He has already won for us.

Since joy springs from love and from the presence of the one that we love, it is possible to have joy even in the midst of suffering. Many do not come to the celebration of Christmas with feelings of delight. Some are grieving the loss of a loved one. Many may be enduring some type of hardship at home or in the workplace. Others, like the Infant Savior, may not even have a home or place to rest their heads. Many more bear other spiritual burdens and wounds that make Christmas a difficult time to celebrate. If joy were simply a feeling of delight, it would be impossible to speak of joy for all who suffer. Yet, when God reaches out to us, as He did by coming to dwell among us, all people — and especially those who are suffering — have reason for true spiritual joy. This is why the Prophet Isaiah says to us today, “Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong fear not! Here is your God” (Is 35:3–4). It is only the presence of God and the salvation that He brings that can bring joy to those who are weak, fearful, suffering, and in distress.

In fact, the reason for the Lord’s coming was precisely to relieve the suffering of His people — the suffering which is the consequence of sin in the world. When asked if He is “the one who is to come” (Mt 11:3), Jesus tells John the Baptist’s followers, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (Mt 11:4–5). It is Jesus who brings relief to the suffering. He, therefore, is their cause for joy. As Isaiah says, “those whom the Lord has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee” (Is 35:10).

As Adam rejoiced when he saw one who was “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen 2:23), we rejoice in the presence of “the Word [Who] became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). We rejoice in the presence of the One Who is like us in all things but sin. By his Incarnation, God became present to us in such a way that we can encounter Him in the flesh. Before His Ascension, the Lord Jesus promised that He would remain present with us: “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 18:20). He remains present with us in many ways, but principally through the Sacrament of His Sacred Body and Precious Blood. In that Sacrament we encounter the presence of the One who came to save us and we are given the opportunity for a profound union with Him. Today, we can rejoice before the True Presence of the Lord on the altar.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first to experience the presence of the Lord in the flesh come to our aid as we approach the solemn days of Christmas, reminding us that “there is cause for rejoicing here” (1 Pet 1:6). – Read the source: https://www.hprweb.com/2019/11/homilies-for-december-2019/

Reflection 10 – Doubting John

[Like some others, this homily has local or timely references, such as the names of persons and towns. The homilist is encouraged to substitute and personalize his or her own local tragedies and injustices, of which, unfortunately, there are no lack of examples.]

It is worth noting that the gospel story of Jesus Christ is bracketed by two doubters. At the beginning of the story stands John. At the end of the story stands Thomas. Like a living parenthesis, they introduce and end the story of Jesus. These two men have much in common. Both are in the gospel. Both started out as believers. Both wound up as doubters. Both had received a call. John was called by the Spirit and sanctified in his mother’s womb. Thomas was called by Jesus himself, “Come, follow me,” and there was indeed that initial fervor and commitment.

As for John the Baptist, after all, he baptized Jesus and heard the voice from heaven declaring that Jesus was a Beloved Son; listen to him. John said of Jesus that he was indeed the one who was to come, whose sandal he was not fit to tie, that Jesus was the one who was to come after him but is greater than him, that he, John, must decrease and he, Jesus, must increase. It’s all there at the beginning of the Jesus story.

And at the end of the Jesus story, there’s Thomas, called, as we said, by Jesus, witness to his miracles, and companion on his journeys. That took a great faith. And yet, at the end, after it was all over, after Easter, Thomas doubted. Doubting Thomas. And John? Here he is: John with second thoughts. Doubting John. Perhaps because he’s languishing in a filthy prison, perhaps because he’s heard nothing about the man he baptized, except bits and pieces. In any case, he wonders if he made a mistake. So he, always a direct man, sends two of his disciples who had visited him in prison to seek out Jesus and forthrightly express his doubts: “Are you in fact the one who is to come, that is, the promised Messiah–I’m not so sure any more–or shall we get on with it and look for another?”

Thomas and John: faithful ones who wound up as doubters. Now, let’s add a third: ourselves. Let’s be honest. Who is innocent of doubt? Who has never started out as a faithful disciple and wound up asking John’s question? Just one look at our world, one acknowledgment of the crime rate, the fear, the drug addicts, the child abuse, the too many people who need more than we can give, the slaughter in Bosnia and Rwanda and on our streets and, sooner or later, we ask: Where is the Kingdom Jesus came to bring? Just one look at our own lives–the anger, the hurt, the tragedies, the disappointments, the losses–and we ask, where is Jesus? Shall we look for another? asks John. Some have looked. We know that. Perhaps in our own family. Some have abandoned the church, switched religion, or just dropped out. Others in desperation for something buy into therapies and New Age stuff, crystals, angels, miracles, and after-death books. There’s got to be a Kingdom out there somewhere.

Is there any way out of this? Yes. The way out is in the answer Doubting John receives, an answer, not a direct one, but a powerful one: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind recover their sight, cripples walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the poor have the good news preached to them.” You see, John’s problem, like Thomas’s problem later on, was distraction. Thomas concentrated so much on the horrible crucifixion that he didn’t see the resurrection. John concentrated so much on horrors of prison life that he didn’t see the Kingdom. So they both slipped from faith to doubt. Remember, at this time John was in prison and knew only the bad news: the tragedies and crimes and squalor of his fellow prisoners, and too much bad news distorts reality. No wonder he lost his first fervor.

And we are in the same position. We are in the same position. We are inundated, are we not, with bad news as a daily diet. Our papers today, our TV newscasts fill us with endless images of child abuse, infidelity, youthful killers, royal scandals, celebrity divorces, war, torture, and moral mayhem. Our movies fill us with endless images of unbelievable garroting, slicing, blood-letting and brutality of every sort, from a man’s head being squeezed to a pulp in a vise in Casino to the torching of a toll booth in Money Train. We have become desensitized to violence and endured to suffering. We take abandoned children–abandoned by the poor and the rich, the poor by poverty, the rich by careers–as normal, divorce as inevitable, and out-of-wedlock births as commonplace. We are subject to and forced to concentrate on life’s horrors. No wonder we ask of Jesus Christ: Are you the one who is to come? Where are you in all this mess? Where is your kingdom? I have my doubts about you. Count me in with John and Thomas.

But I suggest we, like John, are the victims of too much bad news and that’s why we ask his question, Are you the one who is to come? But I tell you, Jesus’ answer still stands. Which comes down to, “Take time to look at the good news and you will perceive the Kingdom.” Right now as I speak to you, there are endless, daily, routine instances of the blind seeing. Think of the countless catechists letting in the light of the gospel all over the globe. Catholic schools, with great hardship, for example, in Philadelphia or New York, are educating hundreds of thousands of minority children and many non-Catholic minority children through dedicated, underpaid staff and teachers. Converts to the church continue at a large rate, although you never hear about it. Millions of cripples are walking, hanging on the arms of orderlies and nurses all over the world. Lepers are cured and church-run leprosaria are among the largest in the world. The deaf are hearing the word of God from endless clerical and lay ministers who surround the globe. The dead are raised to life as people recover from addictions, accidents, illness, and depression at the hands of innumerable counselors, volunteer firefighters and first aid personnel, therapists, and healers. The poor have the good news preached to them in the way of comfort and aid. Catholic Relief Services is the largest single private charitable service in the world and the largest single caregiver of AIDS patients as well. Did you know that?

Every day the corporal and spiritual works of mercy are being carried out in hundreds of millions of ways, but they never make the media news. Virtue seldom does. Why, look around in this building where the church has met for worship. Look how you love your children, provide for their needs. Look how you care for one another. The gifts you bought to light up someone’s life, the house you prepared to make life festive are small examples of daily decency and love. Look at the countless charities you take for granted.

Of course, there’s the hitch. You take these things for granted. I have always maintained, for example, that all parents are guaranteed to get to heaven. Remember, there is only one place in the entire gospel where Jesus gives the criteria of who gets to heaven. It’s in Matthew 25. When I was hungry you gave me to eat, when I was thirsty you gave me to drink, when I was ill you visited me, and so on. As long as you did it to one of the least of my brethren you did it to me. Enter into the joy of the Lord. You know, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy–and, they are built into family life by nature. You can’t escape them, which is why I said that all parents are guaranteed to get to heaven: “Mom, what’ll I wear?”–counseling the doubtful. “Dad, will you help me with my math?”–instructing the ignorant. The 2:00 a.m. bottle–giving drink to the thirsty. Changing diapers–clothing the naked. Preparing meals–feeding the hungry. The cat died–burying the dead. “Are you still in the bathroom?”–visiting the imprisoned.

Well, you say, I have to do these things. It’s my job, my duty, as if that made it less wonderful, less meritorious, less the fulfillment of Jesus’ criteria for heaven. But my point is, these things go on all the time. The Kingdom of Jesus is here. Goodness abounds. Love is given and received. People are faithful. Caring, courtesy, and good deeds are commonplace.

So heed Jesus’ warning: “Blessed is the one who finds no stumbling block in me.” That is, don’t let the daily diet of bad news trip you up. When we look around at a world out of control, we all have our doubts at times and side with John and Thomas. It’s only human to do so. But in Advent we are told to lift up our heads. For looking down at the ground too much distorts the truth. Looking up in expectation helps us perceive the Christ in our lives. The Kingdom of God is at hand, indeed, here among us. Every day, the blind see, the crippled walk, the deaf hear, the dead rise, and the poor have the Good News preached to them. Every day. Like now. (Source: Fr. William J. Bausch. Story Telling the Word. Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 2022, pp. 170-173).

Reflection 11 – Saying Goodbye

There has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. —Matthew 11:11

If you’ve ever been asked to say a few words at a memorial service, you know how difficult, yet important, it can be. Cyrus M. Copeland, compiler of two books of tributes to famous people, said: “A great eulogy is both art and architecture—a bridge between the living and the dead, memory and eternity.”

The Bible contains little that corresponds to our modern eulogy. Yet Jesus paid a great tribute to John the Baptist when he faced the looming threat of execution by Herod. From prison, John sent his disciples to confirm the identity of Jesus the Messiah (Matt. 11:2-6). Jesus talked with them, then told the listening crowd, “Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (v.11).

Jesus’ tribute captured the essence of the desert-dwelling, straight-preaching John, who was maligned and misunderstood as he prepared the way for the Son of God. John’s greatness was more than personal; it was wrapped up in the kingdom of God. He wrote his own eulogy by his actions.

As we ponder what we might say about others at their passing, it’s also good to ask, “What will people say about me when it’s time to say goodbye?”  — David C. McCasland

The way we live our lives each day
Makes up our eulogy;
So ask yourself, “When I pass on,
What will be said of me?”  —Sper

Living for the Lord today leaves a lasting legacy when we’re gone (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 12 – Who is Jesus?

In today’s Gospel, we hear how John the Baptist sent his followers to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3). John was asking for clear affirmation that Jesus is the one for whom the world had longed.

One of the perennial favorites on many people’s Christmas music playlist is all or part of Handel’s Messiah. This oratorio, written in the 18th century by George Frederic Handel effectively answers John’s question, bringing alive the story of Jesus Christ by setting to music the prophecies of the Old Testament and the story of Jesus birth in the Gospel. In one piece of the music, the titles for the Messiah are sung by a full choir. The musical setting is as regal as his titles: Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:5). All of these titles tell us something of who Jesus Christ is.

“Who is Jesus?” is as important a question today as ever. Perhaps the question is even more pressing as the festivities of the “holiday” risk getting more and more separated from the reason for the season – the story of Jesus’ birth.

One of the reasons that we mark the Advent season is to recall in the liturgy what Handel’s oratorio captures so beautifully, the feeling of the centuries and millennia when the world awaited the arrival of salvation. The Church remembers the oracles of the prophets of Israel so that the world may see their fulfillment with the birth of Christ.

After John the Baptist was beheaded, Jesus would ask his disciples essentially the same question, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)  The Lord later told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Then Jesus asked her directly, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

We know how Peter and Martha responded and we know what the Church professes, but this timeless question is a personal one and it is asked of each of us: Who do you say Jesus is?

These questions frame Advent for us, asking: Do we personally believe what Peter and the Church believe? Do we believe in our own hearts that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God – and does it change the way we lead our lives?

To truly believe that Jesus is the Messiah is to believe that God gave us his only begotten Son so that we might not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). This is the God’s perfect gift. This is the great gift of the mystery of the incarnation – that God became man.

To understand what happened in the Word becoming flesh, we have to go all the way back to the beginning and this is what the readings during Advent do for us. They take us back to the beginning. In Genesis, we read how God spoke his Word, creating us in friendship with himself so that we might life on this earth and someday be united in eternal happiness with God. All of this was marred by sin, but God’s love is greater than sin.

Only God could restore the harmony between the created world and its loving Creator. Only the power of God could heal so great a wound and make new what is broken. Thus in the divine plan, God would come among us, became one of us, and effect the healing in a way that combined both the power of God and the weakness of human nature.

Listen to how Jesus responds to John’s question: “Go and tell John what you hear and see:  the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (Matthew 11:4-5). God’s merciful love became incarnated in his Son and continues to be revealed in the followers of Jesus.

Advent reminds us that ours is an incarnational living faith. We manifest this in many ways and it might be something simple – lighting the Advent candles and offering a prayer, going Christmas caroling around the neighborhood or office, making a visit to church when it is quiet, or just sitting in front of the Christmas tree and expressing gratitude for so great a gift from God as Jesus. Perhaps even opening our hearts in Confession. Each of these in their own way tells ourselves and others our answer to the question, each offers our personal testimony to the world – Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God; he is the way, the truth and the life. – Read the source: https://zenit.org/articles/forum-who-is-jesus/

Reflection 13 – The joy that comes from being rescued by Christ