Absence for the remainder of the week
brings these reflections for each day through the First Sunday of Advent..
TUESDAY, November 25th
From the second letter of St. Peter (1:20-21):
First you must understand this: there is no prophecy contained in Scripture which is a personal interpretation. Prophecy has never been put forward by man's willing it. It is rather that men impelled by the Holy Spirit have spoken under God's influence.
From a treatise on Peter by Augustine:He speaks of a voice that came from Surpreme Glory and said to the Lord Christ: You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.... This voice we heard coming from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because we ourselves were not present there and did not hear that voice from heaven, Peter says to us: And we possess a more certain prophetic word to which you do well to attend ....
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Wednesday, November 26th:
From a homily attributed to Saint Macarius:
When a farmer prepares to till the soil, he must put on clothing and use tools that are suitable. So, Christ, our heavenly king, cam to till the soil of mankind devastated by sin. He assumed a body and, using the cross as his plowshare, cultivated the barren soul of man. He removed the thorns and thistles which are the evil spirits and pulled up the weeds of sin.... And when he plowed the soul with the wood of the cross, he planted in it a most lovely garden of the Spirit,, that could produce for its Lord and God the sweetest and most pleasant fruit of every kind.
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Thursday, November 27th, Thanksgiving Day
From: Words of Hope and Healing, Rev. Henri Nouwen, 2005
When we claim and constantly reclaim the truth of being the chosen ones, we soon discover within ourselves a deep desire to reveal to others their own chosenness. Instead of making us feel that we are better, more precious or valuable than others, our awareness of being chosen opens our eyes to the chosenness of others.
And so, my friends, while I am celebrating Thanksgiving with friends in Minnesota, know that my prayers today are words of gratitude for all who read these pages, all who are so much a gift to me in kindness, in wisdom and in fraternal support.
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Friday, November 28th
From: Fr Jordan: Personal reflections after reading parts of Henri Nouwen Illuminated, by Len Sroka.
Why make so much of a spiritual life? We are so busy with the ordinary moments of the day? Fr. Nouwen stresses the spiritual life as the opportunity to live in the presence of God. Despite all the difficulties we encounter, especially the painful days that have fallen upon our nation and the world because of financial meltdowns, we are invited to find God in the world around us.
We are indeed in a time of purification. It is a time when, as we prepare for the season of Advent, to make ready our hearts and minds to receive Jesus Christ, once again despite the ups and downs of our personal lives. It is through prayer, some fasting, and other sacrifices that we are pull back the curtain that separates us from seeing God in our losses, our pains, our confusion.
We pray for those who have lost jobs, homes, resources. Theirs is truly a time of walking with Jesus as he carried his cross.
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Saturday, November 29th
St. Ignatius ends his Spiritual Exercises with a meditation on Obtaining God's Love. This is what we might consider on this eve of the First Sunday of Advent. How can I obtain God's love? What does it mean for me in my very busy world? How is God's love truly present in the world we live in today with all of its difficulties and pains, all of its disappointments?
Yes, it is a time of purification that surrounds us each day. The sacrifices we are called to make at this time, are without doubt, opportunities. These moments are but doorways to the mystery of God. Consider the challenges that confronted the Jewish people in Old Testament days. So often these pain-filled days were not days of punishment for wrong-doings as much as they were resurrection days ... times when we can push aside the idols we have made for ourselves in recent days and months and see where it is that God is leading us, where God is calling us.
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Sunday, November 30th.
From: A Fr. Jordan reflection prepared for the Archdiocese of Washington's Catholic Standard, for this Sunday.
Three Sundays past, a prominent TV news show panelist was walking down the center aisle toward me. A genuine woman of color, she looked exhausted: another victim of a grueling presidential campaign! Nearing each other, I saw the glitter of tears on her face. "Are you okay?" She replied, "Father, I have waited so long for this time. I was lighting a candle at Mary’s altar when a wave of emotion hit me. It is so hard to believe. In my lifetime. I have witnessed the election of an African-American as President of our country." Then we just looked at each other, smiling, and allowing the marvel of the moment speak for itself.
My friend had waited and waited for this day when she could give such a meaningful thanksgiving. How wonderful that she went to Mary who had to wait for the moment her child would be born! So, on this first of the Sundays of Advent, we begin waiting. We await again the true gift of the Christmas season.
"Tis the season," when our Church gives us, with determined purpose, a time of waiting. Despite the Christmas decorations already refashioning malls and TV commercials, our Church does not want to jump ahead so quickly. The Church knows there is genuine spiritual gold in the four weeks of waiting. It is Holy Spirit grace of letting us mull over how centuries of people waited for a Savior, a Messiah. It is the grace of letting prophetic and poetic words explode within our hearts and minds, reminding us of the wonder of our God.
How about Thanksgiving Day we celebrate this week? When I was growing up, preparations would begin in earnest on Tuesdays. Both grandparents lived but one block apart. It was just a treat to run between the houses seeking to know what these special ladies were preparing for the big dinner – at that time not realizing it was always a "set menu." The aroma of the pumpkin and spice pies my Dad’s Mom was making had me dreaming about what was to come. My Mom’s Mom would be getting the spices out for the turkey stuffing. Both houses were filled with aromas that made my expectations dominate my mind and appetite. Thinking about the pies and the turkey stuffing, my appetite was growing.
These four weeks of Advent are "expectation" days when we have the opportunity of realizing perhaps with greater wisdom as we grow older that the child about to be born will be a most unusual food for us. His will be a daily nourishment for us if we "tease" ourselves by imagining what a gift his birth will be for us when we arrive at the Eucharistic celebration of his birth on Christmas day and at every Mass.
In Advent days seek out the whispering voice of God in the noise of our all-too-busy world. Advent is a time not only of awaiting the celebration of Mary’s day of birthing a savior for the world, a unique gift from God. Advent is also a part of our joining the community of all saints and sinners who await the final coming of God.
At the end of my Thanksgiving and Christmas days this is my sentiment each time: the gifts from God, every time, are well worth the wait.
I return to Washington on Sunday evening, November 30th, trusting the abbreviated reflections are somewhat helpful and that everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day as we begin the season of waiting, waiting for our celebration of the Lord's birth. Amen.
