Claire Smith

Scripture:

Isaiah 7:10-14
Luke 1:26-38

Reflection:

Today’s readings are about promise and fulfillment, fear and courage, cynicism and trust.   Just five days before we celebrate the birth of Christ, the readings remind us that the coming of Christ was no accident, no twist of fate.  Rather, the coming of Christ was the fulfillment of a promise made long before.

The first reading tells us about the Prophet Isaiah’s encounter with Ahaz, the King of Judah.  Isaiah is trying to give Ahaz a spine so he can face his enemies who are at the gate.  He assures Ahaz of God’s care and tells him to ask for a sign of God’s favor.  Ahaz can’t imagine how God could make a difference in this crisis so he begs off with the words, “I will not ask.  I will not tempt the Lord.”  Isaiah, in disgust, responds, “…the Lord Himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.”  The fear and cynicism of Ahaz result in the destruction of his Kingdom.

In the Gospel, we hear the story of Mary’s encounter with the Angel of God.  The angel tells her that God has a plan for her that boggles her imagination.  She is told that she will bear a son “who will be called holy, the Son of God…and who will rule over the house of Jacob forever.”  Though she is unsure how these things could possibly happen, her personal courage and complete trust in God move her to respond, “I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word.”  Luke clearly sees that the promise made by God through Isaiah is fulfilled in the “yes” of the Mother of Jesus.

These readings call us to realize that God’s promises are best fulfilled in the hearts and lives of those who are open to Him.  As we prepare for Christmas let our prayer be, “Lord, help us welcome you with trust in our hearts whenever you come.”

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P. is the director of retreats at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Scripture:

Micah 5:1-4a
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45

Reflection:

For our Gospel reading for today, we have the account of the Visitation, when Mary visits her relative Elizabeth. We see here one of the most exuberant sharing of joy we find in all of Scriptures. Mary has found out from the angel Gabriel great news, not only about herself and the world, but also about Elizabeth, who was thought to be barren and too old to have a baby, but is now six months pregnant. Luke tells us that Mary goes “in haste” to make the visit.

When the two see each other, there is such joy! In fact, when Elizabeth hears Mary say words of greeting, the infant in her womb leaps for joy. And Elizabeth, filled with the Spirit, says two things which are important to remember as we near the end of Advent and enter into the mystery of Christmas.

One thing Elizabeth says is, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” We could ask ourselves, “How does this happen to me, that my Lord should come to me? That He should become like me, in order to save me?” We know the answer to that is God’s love for us. But we also know that we can’t even begin to understand the immensity of that love. If we are open to it, this can fill us with wonder and gratitude.

Which leads us to another thing that Elizabeth says to Mary: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Blessed are we who believe that what has been spoken to us will be fulfilled for us, and in us, and through us. Can we believe that God is for us? That God does not seek our destruction but our healing and redemption? That the promise that is Christmas has been fulfilled for us in Jesus Christ and will come to complete fulfillment in the coming of the kingdom? As we near the end of Advent, , we may reflect on how we can be ambassadors so that others can believe that what has been spoken to them will be fulfilled. I think a good way for that is to go back to the words of Elizabeth: “and how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” How would our Advent and Christmas and New Year be if every time we encountered someone we would wonder, “How does this happen to me, that the brother or sister of my Lord should come to me?” Is not making room for Jesus inextricably linked to making room for our sisters or brothers?

May we be filled with wonder and joy as we contemplate the coming of Jesus, and share that joy with the sisters and brothers we have in the Lord.

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Scripture:

Genesis 49:2, 8-10
Matthew 1:1-17

Reflection:

In eight days, Christians will again celebrate the miracle that forever changed the world. When God became one of us in Jesus, being born into our world in Bethlehem, we received a promise of hope we never thought possible and a blessing of joy we never believed our hearts could know. This is why Christians profess that in Jesus we meet our king and redeemer, our savior and messiah.

But Jesus will be a king dramatically unlike other kings and a savior it is easy to overlook. The reading from Genesis foretells the royal life of Israel. Jacob announces to his son Judah that he, like other kings, will conquer his enemies, receive homage from the people, and be like a lion, “the king of beasts,” that everyone fears to approach. By contrast, the psalm response envisions the reign of God that will break into the world in Jesus. Jesus will rule with the wisdom, mercy, and goodness of God. Under his kingship, the world will overflow in justice and peace. The poor will not be trampled, crushed, and forgotten, but liberated. The suffering will not be overlooked or ignored but comforted and healed.

The gospel passage from Matthew recounts the genealogy of Jesus. What can seem like a bewildering chronicle of names nearly impossible to pronounce reveals something wonderful: God works through human beings—including some who were dramatically flawed—to bring about something extraordinarily blessed. But it is easy to miss the blessing because God, who is savior and king, enters our world not in wealth and majesty, but as a helpless child in a family looking for shelter.

Today’s scriptures remind us that to prepare for the coming of Christ we must look for Jesus where perhaps we least expect to find him. Jesus is right before us, once more beseeching our help, in the stranger, in migrants and refugees, in the poor and homeless, in people of other races and cultures and religions, who, like Joseph and Mary and Jesus, are in need of assistance. Are our hearts open to receive them? Are our hands ready to help?

Paul J. Wadell is Professor Emeritus of Theology & Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and a member of the Passionist Family.

Scripture:

Isaiah 45:6b-8, 18, 21c-25
Luke 7:18b-23

Reflection:

In today’s Gospel John the Baptist through his followers asks of Jesus, “Are you the one”?  Isn’t that a question we all ask at some point or even frequently during our lives? We might ask the question in a different way. Are you real God? Are you there? As we move through our faith journey and face challenges or struggles, we may wonder. We too want to know and want some assurance. At the time of John the Baptist, Jesus was in full view performing miracles and curing many, yet at times today we can lose sight of His actions in the world or in our lives, might not so clearly see His work or feel He is here.

John sent his followers to ask the question that would impact his life in a significant way. How do we answer that question for ourselves? Do we approach the Lord in prayer? Do we talk to Him? Do we ask Him? Do we invite Him into our life? Do we ask for confirmation? Do we stay close to Him spend time with Him ask others about Him or read the Bible that we might learn? Like John, the question is important. We have to ask.

The alternative is not to ask. To not ponder the question and what it means. To keep our faith at a safe distance. Comfortable with having the Lord around, but not too close. Really knowing the truth told John the Baptist a lot and changed things meaningfully for him. He would decrease and fade away while the Lord would increase. Knowing the truth would change a lot of things for us. Our plans and our ways would also decrease in importance and the Lord’s influence would increase in our lives. The answer might ask things of us and make us look closer at ourselves, challenge us.

Oh, but what we would gain. To know His presence, His truth, His love. To rest in Him. Like John, may we develop a hunger to know the truth about The Lord.

Steve Walsh is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre ,and a good friend of the Passionist Community.

Scripture:

Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:10-18

Reflection:

For your meditation this weekend, do not miss the importance of God preparing within you the “birthing” of his Son. We are other Christs and nothing less. This time is deliberate preparation for Christ being reborn in you and through you. Reading the signs of the times, as Scripture urges us, and one of the Prefaces reminds us, directs the purpose of Christ presence within us. Take time to think about that.

That birthing is modeled by our blessed Mother in the birthing the Son of God and continuing to nurture him into adulthood. Do not miss God dwelling within you these days. Do not miss the importance of Advent. Do not miss the message that unfolds during this journey towards the birthing of Christ within each of us for the sake of people who live around us.

This weekend, we celebrate the presence of our Blessed Mother in her apparition to St. Juan Diego, amidst the massacre of a whole people. The signs of the times in the 16^th Century centered around world domination by a “super-power” of the day. Namely, Spain which hungered for gold and domination. Genocide of the native peoples of Mexico, as it would come to be known, was tragically being played out in the conquering of the land. The heart of Mary for the poor, especially children, would be nurtured into the heart of her Son. “Bring the little ones to me.” The heart of Jesus would be for the poorest of His Creation.

That is the priority of the heart which is being reborn in us this Advent.

It is easy to miss it. It is so easy to get caught up in the deadlines of Christmas. We are preparing, first and foremost in this sacred season of Advent, for Christ, to enter and dwell with us, which is divinity within our humanity. Ponder that the rest of Advent.  What are the implications of accepting the divinity of God within our person, body and soul? Christmas sends our all kinds of messages that we are called. Try to discover them in your prayer, contemplation and reading the signs of the times.

Speaking of reading the signs of the times. I observed through the communal celebration of the Sacrament of Penance for a Catholic grade school, that many children were confessing that they were “missing Mass on Sunday.” I pointed out to each, “so was it your fault you could not get here?” I made my point, I think. It was not their sin to own.

We are living in “mission times.” Let’s not be afraid the address the heart of the issue. It is up to all of us.

Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P., is a member of the Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan.

Scripture:

Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11
Matthew 17: 9a, 10-13

Reflection:

The Jewish belief in first-century Palestine was that Elijah did not die, according to Hebrew Scripture, but was taken up to heaven by a chariot of fire, and that his return would signal the coming of the Messiah, of the House of David.  This messiah would vanquish the despised occupying Roman forces in Judah and restore the kingdom of Israel to its former Davidic glory.

In that context, Jesus told his disciples: “…I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they (the Jewish leaders) did not recognize him…”  The gospel episode continues: “Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist” (Mt 17:10-13).  By implication, of course, Jesus was the true and long-awaited messiah of a different, heavenly kingdom.

The so-called “Christmas season,” as commercials, advertisements, and shopping malls, relentlessly beckon us to shop till we drop, can distract us from the true nature of the season.  We are in the Advent season, a time of spiritual preparation for the coming of the Messiah.  With apologies to Santa, Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, they are not the heralds of Jesus.  They may be fun and Christmassy, but they are diversions from the true spirit of the season

That is where John the Baptist comes.  With ear-piercing shouts, John declares: “Reform your lives!  Repent!  Behold the Lamb of God!”  His message will not give us the warm fuzzies, nor is it supposed to.  Advent is the season that calls us to prepare for the triple coming: his first coming at his birth, his coming to us soon on Christmas day, and his final coming either at the end of our lives or at the Second Coming. 

Advent is the time to prepare the way of the Lord, to clear away every obstacle that may prevent Jesus from coming to us.  Elijah has already come, Jesus tells us, if we can recognize him.  He is the forerunner announcing the Messiah.  John’s mission 2,000 years ago and today, is to keep us focused on Jesus as the pivotal point of Advent, Christmas, and to a kingdom already bursting forth into our world.

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Isaiah 48:17-19
Matthew 11:16-19

Reflection:

I’ve read so much about profiling – when another’s character, motivation, or worth is assumed by external characteristics like skin color, hairstyle, clothing, etc. It’s easy to condemn anyone who profiles. Yet it’s wired into our brains as a survival mechanism, and it’s overcome only with conscious effort. That’s because our ancestors had to quickly “profile” to determine levels of threat and ensure their personal survival. Given any hint of danger, that person was assumed to be malicious until proven otherwise. Trust came slowly.

Jesus encountered profiling. He didn’t meet the authorities’ expectations of a religious teacher. He didn’t act or speak as they wanted, nor offer them the deference they felt they “deserved.” They called him a glutton and a drunkard, and his message was dismissed outright.

I witnessed profiling in my hometown – an almost exclusively Catholic and Caucasian rural community. When our small-town hospital desperately needed a resident doctor and a Filipino answered the call, people were wary. He was even Catholic, yet many refused his services, driving 30 miles to the nearest alternative. His children were teased for their darker skin and “funny” accent. Eventually, the doctor’s competence and kind manners won over the town, but it took a long time. If he hadn’t filled a vital role, or if he’d been bold and outspoken, I doubt he ever would’ve been accepted. This incarnation of the healing power of Christ in our midst didn’t fit the rules of inclusion.

Profiling is rampant these days against those of a different political party or opinion, resulting in vicious attacks, name-calling, and rejection of persons themselves. Our church is splitting into “camps” of ideology and beliefs. School board meetings are blowing up (sometimes almost literally). Opportunities for housing, employment, and physical safety are deeply affected. Across the board, we’re becoming increasingly exclusionary, refusing to listen to, be around, or know each other.

This is clearly not what Jesus calls us to, nor a good model for discipleship. It needs to be rejected at all levels. I wish I could achieve that, but I can’t control others. What I can do is change myself, and awareness is the first step.

What am I saying to myself when I see someone begging for money or food?  What are my assumptions about a person wearing a MAGA hat or an LGBTQ equality slogan? What do I believe I know about a Black or Latino person’s family and life? What runs through my head when I see a hijab, turban, or yarmulka?

I’m trying to do a better job of noticing and writing down my profiling of those who are not like me. Then I take those to prayer and ask the God who created all of us to open my mind and heart, to see them with the eyes of Christ, and to change not only my attitudes but my actions and reactions. They are, after all, my brothers and sisters whom I am called to serve.

This is my goal for Advent, a way for me to give birth to the Christ Child in my life. May I (and all of us) nurture the healing, inclusive, loving power of God in this fractured world.

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she has partnered with the Passionists.  Visit Amy’s website: http://www.corgenius.com/.

Scripture:

Isaiah 41:13-20
Matthew 11:11-15

Reflection:

Advent, a Mother’s Love, and Juan Diego

Today we celebrate the feast of Juan Diego of Mexico, “hermit”. The Ordo says ‘he devoted himself to the pilgrims who came to see the image of Mary on his tilma’.

I think of a hermit as one who has encountered God’s love and wants nothing more than be with that love. Since love affairs can be tempestuous, the love affair of a hermit must have it ups and downs (probably off the chart?).

Pilgrims going to see the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe conger up in my imagination the crowds at the Shrine in Mexico today. Proportionately perhaps there was a crowd of people in 16th century Mexico? Who knows how many? But what did Juan Diego do as the welcomer of pilgrims? Can we describe his day as beginning in this fashion:

First, he shared with those whom he welcomed his surprise. ‘She was beautiful, so gentle to me, her skin not white like the Spaniards, and she smiled, what a smile’.

I heard her say to me, “My little Juan”. She knew my name. I can still hear it.

Then he shared, I was very shy! Wouldn’t you be? The bishop wouldn’t listen to me when I told him what the lady said to me. I was embarrassed and tried to avoid the lovely woman taking another route to visit my sick uncle. There she was. Big smile, ‘My little Juan’. She put me at ease and told me my uncle was well, and he was.

She knew the bishop did not believe my story or her request. So she sent me up the hill to gather roses to take to the bishop to help him believe her. I did just that. Beautiful roses! The bishop wanted to know what I had wrapped up in my tilma so I opened it and let all the roses fall before him. And the bishop and all the  priests in the room fell down before me! I said, ‘what’s happening’? When I saw my tilma it was covered with the picture of my friend, the most beautiful woman.

Let’s go inside now and I’ll show you the church the bishop built. You can see for yourselves my tilma and the picture of the Little Dark One, Mother Mary, the Mother of Jesus, that she gave us.

The Advent words of Isaias today sound like a mother’s love for us: ’Take hold of my hand; don’t be afraid. I will help you’. Your helper is the Holy one of Israel. The thirsty seek water in vain; their tongues are parched. I will not forsake you’. Could a mother forget the child of her womb? Oh, console my children.

The Lord did not forget his children in Mexico. How lovely that his Mother had the joy of being a mother again to so many of us! She leads us as she did Juan and the bishop to the love of her son. No wonder Juan Diego became a hermit, (except when he gave tours to pilgrims), just to savor the sound of his name of the lips of Mary, to describe again that meeting, to see in her warm, dark flesh love, and to know the love of her son that she brought as a special gift to him and to all who would listen to his story.

Father William Murphy, CP is the pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Jamaica, New York.