wpengine

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

Reflection:
As we continue on our Advent journey, we are given ample opportunity to turn and look back upon the journey we have taken through Scripture; to remind ourselves where we have been, and how that helps us to proceed toward our Christmas celebration. 

In my own life, I have always yearned to know more about my own family heritage: people, names, places; things that could give me any indication of who I am and where I came from. Today’s Gospel gives us insight into the people that came before us and how all is interconnected.

Advent scriptures give us genealogies, lists of animals and songs of praise. At first glance, they may seem out of place, or we may not understand why they are there. But with these we are taken back to where it all began and they show us how we arrived at where we are today.

As we continue on our Advent journey, we are given ample occasion to turn and look back. We need that reminder of where we have come from so that we can continue to journey with hope for the future. This look back allows us to prepare the way of the Lord at Christmas and to open up our lives to the Christ-child.

Advent is a time for us to enjoy, prepare ourselves for His coming, and reflect on the rich history that has brought us here. Instead of blinding ourselves to everything but Christmas, we should enjoy the journey beforehand. Throughout Advent we are graced with readings, traditions and music that exude our faith and give us the opportunity to prepare our hearts. We take time to clear away all the debris that has built up, so that when He comes the path is clear. As we prepare in these final days of Advent for the coming of Christ at Christmas, let us remind ourselves that we must take time to reflect on our rich Salvation History and prepare, as we should every day, the way of Lord. Taking the time to immerse ourselves in the rich spiritual traditions of Advent, we can truly become those voices crying out in the wilderness. We become the messengers for and proclaiming Christ’s arrival.

So as the hustle and bustle gets faster and louder, let us take time to slow down. It is not about skipping to the end but appreciating the journey ahead. Let us each have a blessed journey as we prepare our hearts and our homes for the Lord.

A voice proclaims in the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD! – Is 40:3

Kim Valdez is a Pastoral Associate at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
Matthew 21:28-32

Reflection:

The story of the two brothers is deceptively simple and utterly true.  It is a favorite casting in the Scriptures.  We have the brother stories of Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and Brothers. We have the story of the two brothers in Steinbeck’s East of Eden, and more recently on Broadway in the play True Exit with rival brothers Austin and Lee.  The first son represents the religious leaders of Israel. The second son represents the religious outcasts of  Israel.

The scribes and Pharisees have managed to find fault with the teachings of the prophets, more recently with John the Baptist’s gospel of repentance.  Even now they fault Jesus because of his association with questionable persons, i.e. tax-collectors and prostitutes.   

There is a debate in the Matthew community about who should be invited into the community of disciples?  Should the brotherhood adhere to the strict laws of fasting and abstinence of Judaism, or should it be more tolerant? 

Jesus is aware of the unsavory reputation of some of the guests.  He says that grace of God works with the humble of heart and not the self righteous.  Obedient faith is always the final test for Jesus in Mathew’s gospel. Neither son in the story was the kind of son to bring joy to the heart of any father.  Yet in the end one was better than the other.  The first son realizes he needed to repent.  He faced his conscience, laid down his pride admitted his wrong without any excuse.  He fulfilled his work realizing his insolence may have marred his work, but he did his best and God recognized his good deed. 

The first son is an example of how we need not be slaves to our insolent self.  We realize that promises never take the place of performance.  Fine words are never a substitute for fine actions.   Jesus says the one who is open to Jesus’ message of mercy enters the Reign of God.  God is faithful.  Those faithful to God’s message will be blessed.  You can recognize them because they respect everyone’s freedom.  God holds himself against good people (Pharisees and Scribes) who complain God is too merciful. God forgives sinful people.  This is the big tent that Pope Francis is speaking about so eloquently. 

 

Fr. Ken O’Malley, C.P., is the local superior at Holy Name Passionist Community in Houston, Texas.

 

Third Sunday of Advent

Scripture:

Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 19-28

Reflection:

Last week we reflected on preparing a way for Jesus to more deeply enter our lives and hearts as we move through the Advent season. Today, we hear again about John the Baptist, this time from John’s Gospel (John 1:6-8, 19-28), instead of Mark’s. And so, this may be a good opportunity to reflect on how we, using the Baptist as a model, are called to prepare the way of Jesus into the world in which we live.

Our call as Christians always involves both an internal and external dimension. We are required not to keep the Good News about Jesus to ourselves. This is not so easy in a diverse society like the United States. There are people who are openly hostile to any mention of faith or religion. There are others who pay lip service to the value of faith, but are really not interested. There are still others who are faith-filled but do not share our faith and would resent any attempt to "convert" them to ours. And there are people who are willing to dialogue about faith but are not contemplating any change in denomination or religion. However, they are more than willing to work together with us to build a better society (I have experienced this many times in my life). And then there are those who share the same faith with us, who support us and are supported by us in living out our faith.

So where does that leave us? I think our Scripture readings can give us some indication to how we might proceed. One thing that is necessary in proclaiming the Gospel is humility. In our Gospel reading The Baptist keeps saying over and over again that he is not the Messiah. When people then ask him who he is, he tells them he is fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah (which we heard last week): He is the "voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord.’" In the Gospel’s words, we are "not the light," but we are "to testify to the light." But we cannot do this out of arrogance or from a feeling of superiority. First of all, that is not like Christ. Second of all, that kind of an attitude will get us nowhere. I think our best testimony comes from a humility that shares with others what God has done for us.

Another thing that Pope Francis is emphasizing, is to share our faith with joy and gratitude. This is what St. Paul tells the Thessalonians in our second reading (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24): "Brothers and sisters: Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." Our sharing of the faith rings true when we demonstrate the joy and peace we have which comes from abiding in the love that God has for us. Are we not impressed by people who are not weighed down by their difficulties, not because they are in denial, but because of their trust in God’s love for them?

And finally, although this topic is not nearly exhausted by this brief reflection, we are called to share the Good News we have been given by sharing something of ourselves with others, especially those in need. In our first reading (Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11), the prophet Isaiah speaks of his anointing in the Spirit, and what that has led him to do: "he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God." Considering what may be going on in our lives, and what has happened in the world during much of 2014, it may seem downright delusional to do what Isaiah did." But remember, Isaiah and those who wrote in his name were dealing with exile and the return from exile. This book of Scripture was not written during some easy time in the history of Israel. And if we examine our lives, perhaps we can see times when we felt captive or as prisoners, and God delivered us, or the times when we were struggling to make ends meet, and God still managed to give us some joy. If that can happen for us, why can it not happen for others?

As we have heard the call to make a way for the Lord in our lives, may we follow the example of John the Baptist, and be heralds of the presence of the Messiah for others.

 

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P. is on staff at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat and Conference Center, Detroit, Michigan. 

 

Feast of Saint Lucy

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

Reflection:
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Lucy who was martyred in Syracuse, Italy, around 303. Her name-Lucia-is derived from the Latin lux, meaning "light." She is considered a luminous witness to God.

This information fits nicely with our readings. The scripture presented to us from the Gospel of Matthew comes directly after Jesus transfiguration on "a high mountain" in the presence of Peter, James and John. As they make their way down the question to Jesus about Elijah makes sense in this context. The symbolism in the scene would not have been lost on them as they processed its significance. The prophet Malachi states, "Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes," (3:23). Elijah was the one who called Israel to repentance of their sins in a time when Hellenism-with their many gods-threatened to erode the Jewish faith, especially their belief in only one God-YHWH.

It seems the disciples are gathering the elements of what they had witnessed with its Messianic significance: Moses, whose face shone like the sun received the Law on the mountain; Elijah; the bright cloud understood as the presence of God. Once again they have their eyes opened by Jesus as they make the connection between Elijah and John the Baptist. They now understand who had been among them.

This gives me hope to realize the disciples didn’t always get what was truly in their presence. Jesus taught them, performed miracles, even gave them the power to do likewise (Matt 10:1) and still it seems they missed the significance of John the Baptist!

I wonder how much have I missed along the way?  Yet, even in their humanity God still worked through them.

"In these busy days of preparation for Christmas, Lord, open my eyes to your presence all around me! Slow us all down; turn our hearts towards you and each other so we may understand the true gift which burns brightly -you-in-us!"  

 

Jean Bowler is a retreatant at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, and a member of the Office of Mission Effectiveness Board of Holy Cross Province.

 

Scripture:

Numbers 24: 2-7, 15-17a
Matthew 21: 23-27

Reflection:

As we prepare once again to celebrate the birth of the Messiah our first scripture reading takes us back to the moment the Hebrew people completed the 40 year journey through the Sinai desert from Mt. Horeb and arrived at the plain of Moab. Before they could move into the Promised Land they would have to fight the Moabites. Barak , the Moabite king, seeks out a locally well-known prophet, Balaam, son of Beor, to curse the invaders. To the surprise and consternation of Barak, rather than cursing them, Balaam utters blessings.

In the first oracle Balaam blesses the Israelite people spread out in the plain below. He says they are like gardens watered by a stream or tall cedars planted by God. Their wells will provide free flowing water and the sea will open ways to prosperity. Their leader will rise ever higher and his family will be exalted. For us today we are reminded that Jesus came from a blessed people, that he was formed by his synagogue in Nazareth, and by the temple worship and sacrifice in Jerusalem. Circumcised on the eighth day he bore in his body the mark of his Hebrew heritage. Mary taught him his first prayers and Joseph introduced him to the annual Passover meal.

The second oracle is mysterious. Far in the future (not now, not near) Balaam sees someone who advances like a star or a staff rising. He sees the star and staff coming from Jacob (Israel). Such portents indicate that the Israelite people have god’s blessing and the Moabites will not be able to block their advance. Looking back two thousand years we have a clearer understanding of the prophecy. It wasn’t David or Solomon or any subsequent king that Balaam dimly saw. The star is Jesus and with his help (the staff) we can walk the way he leads us.  

Jesus is rooted in the hopes and expectations of his people. He is the Messiah. the anointed one who reestablishes the Kingdom. May we enter deeply into this time of waiting and experience once again the mystery of Divine Birth.

 

Fr. Michael Hoolahan, C.P. is on the staff of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

 

Scripture:

Isaiah 41:13-20
Matthew​ 11:11-15

Reflection:

Matthew chapter 11 introduces that section in the Gospel that reports how different people respond to Jesus.  Some believe he is the messiah.  But most have a difficult time recognizing and accepting him.  Some think he is a powerful prophet.  Still others reject him.  Then there are those who oppose Jesus, accusing him of being in league with Satan.

Jesus gradually begins to reveal who he is, indirectly, by revealing who John the Baptist is.  And who is John?  He stands with the greatest, yet he is the least in the kingdom of heaven.  He straddles the boundaries  of the old and the new.  John has one foot in the time of preparation.  And he has the other foot in the kingdom.  He will be the first to suffer the violence directed at the kingdom.

Who is John?  He is a prophet like Elijah, bursting onto the wilderness horizon, and at the very last place Elijah was seen — the Jordan River.  John, like Elijah, dressed in a camel hair garment, and ate locust and wild honey.

Centuries earlier, Malachi prophesied that Elijah would return, and when he did, it would be time to start looking for the messiah.  Could John be the one Malachi spoke of?  Jesus gives the answer.  "…if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah."  And if that is true, the Jesus must be…

But let’s be honest.  John isn’t the most pleasant person to be with.  He has a rough, disheveled appearance with his wild hair blowing in the wind, his scraggly beard littered with his last meal, grasshopper crumbs.  And that camel hair he wears smells rather gamey, to say the least.  John is strange, austere, prickly as cactus.  Would anyone want to invite him to their Christmas dinner?  Would anyone want him standing next to the eggnog?  Santa is jollier, Rudolph cheerier.

And yet, God chose John as his messenger to announce the coming of the messiah, to shock us into paying attention when we’d rather look the other way.  But if we refuse to accept him, we may fail to recognize the one he is pointing to.  Advent is the time of waiting in anticipation, in preparation so that we will recognize and welcome the messiah into our lives.  If we are willing to accept it, Elijah has returned.  The messiah cannot be far off.  Will we recongize him?

 

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

 

 

 

Scripture:

Isaiah 40:1-11
Matthew 18:12-14

 

 

 

Reflection:

In the Light of the Savior Shadows Disappear

I have been thinking that the beautiful readings of Isaiah are like a walk along the Grand Canyon, but very close to the edge and on a narrow path. Or they are like a venus fly trap, alluring but dangerous. Advent is so beautiful, yet its color is violet, a shadow color. During these days of beauty we hear a Savior approaches, but why do we need a savior? That is the shadow.

Isaiah wrote for people in exile who had lost homes and homeland. They had lost a war. Into their gaping wounds Isaiah directs his words: Comfort, give comfort to my people, says the Lord. The time of service is at an end. An exciting trip home is near. And to the spent, weary and faint, Isaiah says that their hope in the Lord will renew them so they will soar as on eagles’ wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.

If we are on the edge of the canyon or feel the flytrap close, would we think Isaiah’s words a help? Can such hopes come to any of us in exile? To those with no hope they might seem a mockery of their situation; words not worth the breath that speaks them. If we think this way are we relying only on our own resources and power?

The image of the shepherd who carries the lambs in his arms, or who is willing to search for the lost sheep is our savior. We can stumble on the narrow path, we can make the bad choice, we can find ourselves in places where we cannot escape and do not want to be. This is when we need someone to come to our aid, find us, lift us up and embrace us. We cannot save ourselves. It is the Father’s plan that not a single one of these little ones shall ever come to grief.

May Advent be all the more beautiful. Our shadows diminish and disappear in the light of this Savior. Renewed we can fly, run or walk, but definitely enjoy the journey. In the Father’s plan there is a Shepherd, God’s love made flesh, who comes to save us. At journeys end we will be in the Father’s house where the banquet of Love awaits us.

 

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

Scripture:

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
2 Peter3:8-14
Mark 1:1-8

Reflection:

I love to listen to Doris Day’s "Que Sera Sera, Whatever will be, will be". My mother had a different twist on this song’s motif however. She told me: "You can do or be whatever you want if you make up you mind to do and be it. Nothing is impossible!" To this day, I believe my mother and I think of her advice when I hear Isaiah’s promises in today’s first reading:

"…the rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;"

Wow! Are these just the dreams of a wild man, or can we make them real today? I think we can if we listen to my mother’s advice, forget the words of "Que Sera Sera" and just enjoy its enchanting melody.

I see Isaiah’s promises coming true when I get out of the way and realize that it’s not God’s job to make the world and my life according to my wishes, but it’s my job to be thankful for God’s gift of life and to tune in to His plans, to be baptized not only in water and word, but also in deed.  Please dear God, give me eyes to see and ears to hear Your plan and the courage to say amen and thanks for my life today.

 

Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists.  He lives in Chicago.