The Christmas Octave: Day Eight -- O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations,

Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.

In the Book of Isaiah the prophet had foretold of the birth of Jesus: "The Lord himself will give you this sign:  the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel."

Well, we have reached the end of the Advent journey.  The Octave before Christmas is fulfilled today.  Perhaps faster than ever before, the time of preparing to celebrate the great day of salvation has come upon us.  More quickly than most would have preferred we stand at Christmas Day.

Malachi's words also foretell of this great event:  "And when the time comes ... I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his Kingdom firm.  I will be a father to him and he shall be a son to me.

David is concerned about building a structural house for God.  God, however, is more concerned to build for David a house of a different type.  God's kingship is to be established in David and his descendants.  It is a kingship established on a moral relationship ratified by mutual covenant.  The creation David wanted constructed would be but a "pale image" of the kingdom God expected.  And this kingdom, as God wished, would be prophesied by none other than John the Baptist who would prepare the way of the Lord.

From this parish on Capitol Hill let us continue our prayers for our families on this day that there will be a genuine rebirth of Jesus Christ in their hearts.  May the Child to be born tomorrow be a source of extraordinary blessings for them in these extraordinary trying days and times.  Let us pray that Zechariah's words will become a reality in their lives:  "In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death and guide our feet into the way of peace." 

The Christmas Octave: Day Seven -- "O King"

O king of All nations and keystone of the Church;

Come and save humankind, whom you formed from the dust!

The prophet Malachi makes the coming of the Lord seem imminent.  For us who know the full story we can share the excitement that is in his words with more awareness and gratitude than the Jewish people who were still longing for the arrival of the new Lord, the new King.  While Malachi speaks of hard times that this new King will bring to be a day of judgment for the sins of the past.  He says another prophet will come, Elijah by name, who will help the people not endure such hard times.  His mission is to be the prophet who encourages the people to reform their lives, to change their hearts.  The true reformer will be John the Baptist.  He will fulfill what all the ancient writers have promised.  With the birth of John and his beginning of his ministry of preaching the Messiah is announced.  He makes the final call to repentance.  He wants the people to know that through their repentance all the nations, all the peoples have received salvation in God.

Excitement is in the air today for all of us, I suspect.  No matter how many Christmases we may have celebrated, there is something special that takes over in our hearts.  It is, this blogger believes, a genuine hope.  We all, all of us, beset with worries and genuine concerns for family members, neighbors and friends during these days of most unusual stress.  Some have sons and daughters in foreign lands serving in military assignments or diplomatic posts where war is a very close neighbor to those loved ones.  Many have known or know dedicated people who gave their lives for the freedom the new King brought when he was born but which has been lost because of greed, division, hatred, and the simple lack of genuine human trust between the men and women created by a loving and caring God.  The excitement of hope is very much alive with us today.  Let us allow that hope bring all humankind ever closer to the God who created our world, to the King whose desire is that all live in unity. 

Today from this parish on Capitol Hill, let us pray for all waring nations and tribes.  Let us ask the Lord to bring peace to these nations, especially to those areas around the very lands where Jesus lived and plied out his ministry.  So, let us pray:  "O King of the nations, come and save all humankind.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Deacon Gary Bockweg has prepared a reflection for all of us today.  It is the sermon he will be preaching this Sunday at St. Joseph's on Capitol Hill.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Irangot a lot of attention a few months ago

By saying that the Holocaust

never happened.  

Others on the radical

fringe—including some Christians—agree.  

They profess that belief

despite the overwhelming evidence that it’s untrue.

The testimony of witnesses,

the movies and photos taken by the liberators.

The records kept by the Nazis

themselves.

We can’t judge how genuine

the belief of those radicals might be.

But we know that deep faith

is a powerful force.

Even if that belief is mistaken.

The rest of us have no doubt

that the Holocaust really did happen.  

Nearly 6 million Jews – wiped

out.

In a methodical plan to engineer

the extermination of all the Jews in Europe.

Considering today’s reading

from Samuel, 

We might wonder just how that

Holocaust was allowed to happen.

Didn’t God make promises to David?

I will fix a place for my people Israel

Where they may dwell without disturbance.

Neither shall the wicked afflict them.

I will raise up your heir after you.

He shall be a son to me.

And your kingdom shall endure forever.

When we look at the evidence

of history.

Those look like empty

promises.

The Holocaust was about as

extreme a disturbance and affliction as we can imagine.

And of course, that’s just one

modern example.

Endless afflictions have

plagued the Jews throughout history.

As for a kingdom that will

endure forever,

The Jews were already a

subjugated people long before Jesus was born.

So what are we to make of

those promises?

In our Gospel, Luke tells of

Gabriel’s message to Mary.

Mary’s child, Jesus, will be

the Son of the Most High.

He will be the Messiah.

God will give him the throne

of David, his father.

And his kingdom will have no

end.

But then, Jesus himself is severely

afflicted and disturbed by the wicked.

And he fails to meet the

expectations of those looking for a powerful earthly kingdom.

He’s not the type of messiah

the people had hoped for.

It looks like the promises

made to Mary are empty too.

But surely, God does keep His

promises.

So there must be some deeper

meaning here.

Paul helps us toward an

answer when he speaks (in our second reading)

Of the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages.

The mystery that was revealed

through the coming, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

We’re fortunate to have

already received that revelation.

The mystery revealed by Jesus

himself.

Through his life and his

teachings.

That indeed the Kingdom is

real and will never end.

That not only the Jews, but

all of God’s people, will find peace there.

Peace from disturbance and

affliction.

We can now understand, as

those who lived before Jesus’ revelations could not,

That the Kingdom is not of

this world.

Jesus revealed that he came

to open that Kingdom to us.

To establish its beginnings.

To show us the way.

And he revealed that he will

come again to reign over that Kingdom forever.

We already understand at some

level 

And believe at some level

That the Kingdom awaits us.

And that when Jesus comes

again we can enter fully into it.

But that’s not all the Good

News of God’s promises.

It’s true that the Kingdom is

not of this world.

But it’s also true that we

are not entirely of this world.

We can’t yet fully enter into

the Kingdom.

But we can, even now, enter

to some extent.

We can already enjoy some of

its protection from disturbance and affliction.

The more deeply we believe in

the truth of the Kingdom,

The more deeply we understand

that the disturbances and afflictions of this world

Pale in comparison to the

joys of the Kingdom.

And with that understanding

we enter more deeply into the Kingdom

And we enjoy real relief from

the disturbances and afflictions of this world.

So, God’s promise offers even

more immediate relief than we might expect.

In our few remaining days of

Advent, 

As we prepare and wait to

celebrate Jesus’ first coming 2000 years ago,

We also prepare and wait for

his second coming.

And, as Mary pondered the

words of Gabriel,

We can ponder the promise of

the Kingdom.

And as we ponder, we may well

find that we are entering deeper into the Kingdom.

The Christmas Octave: Day Four (Saturday)-- "O Key of David

 O Key of David

opening the gates of God's eternal kingdom:

come and free the prisoners of darkness!

The fourth antiphon brings our attention to Christ's power which is made evident in Matthew 16:19 where Jesus speaks to Peter about the power of the keys.  The "You are Peter and upon this Rock ... etc." can be understood more clearly after a reading of Isaiah 22.  In that chapter the prophet wrote:

I will place the Key of the House of David on his shoulder; 

when he opens, no one will shut, when he shuts, no one will open.

Here the key of the House of David is conferred upon Eliakim as a symbol of full authority in the Kingdom of Juda.  Jesus' use of the phrase with Peter to express his intention of conferring on him the supreme authority of his Church.

In the two scripture readings of today's liturgy, God makes a communication with two people, Ahaz and Mary.  These two are introduced in a strange way to the authority of God over his people.   Ahaz, King of Judah from 736-716 BC, was a failure in responding to the various ways he could have served God and the people.  On the other hand, Mary, confronted with a challenge message from the angel, is somewhat confused.  When the angel finishes explaining what God wanted, she uttered her word that spoke volumes of her simplicity and her holiness:  "Fiat!"  Let it be done!  She recognized the power of a supreme being, her God, and was willing to live as he wished.

From this Capitol Hill parish today, let us remember to pray for the men and women who offer protection to all who visit, live or work on the Hill -- the Capitol Police force -- as well as others who serve the various publics in our country.  These civil servants carry a key (usually) -- a key that represent authority.  Like the Key of David, they are charged with knowing the laws of the land just as Jesus was sent to make known the will of the Father.  At this parish we are fortunate to have The Capitol Police Department membership as our neighbors across Second Street from the residence and church.

On Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the "O Antiphon" is not included in the antiphon for the Gospel. 

The Christmas Octave: Day Three -- "O Root of Jesse"

O Root of Jesse's stem,

sign of God's love for all his people:

come to save us without delay!

A close study of Old Testament history will make clear that a miraculous birth of a child is intimately linked to people of importance in the Israelite story. Today we hear of the miraculous encounters with an angel making known to Manoah and his unnamed and barren wife of their future.  No doubt the birth of John the Baptist comes to mind.

An unusual aspect of these events was that the mother would be expected to dedicate her only born child, a son, to the service of God.  The angel told the parents the child was to be a nazirite -- not someone from Nazareth but a person who gave some or all of his life to divine service.  As well, a nazirite would not have his hair cut nor would he take wine or strong drink. 

So Samson was born and became the so-called strongest man in the bible, saving the Isrealites from the Philistine army's attack.  Samson confronted the political oppression of the people.  John the Baptist prepared the people to make ready for the birth of the long-awaited Messiah.

The third "O Antiphon" reminds of the fulfillment of Isaiah's words "there shall be a Root of Jesse" (Is. 11:1-10).  Recall that Jesse was the father of David and he lived in Bethlehem.  Jesus we know was of Davidic lineage, recalled in the gospel of the first day of the octave.

From our parish on Capitol Hill, let us pray for the men and women who daily work in serving the Church -- bishops, priests, deacons, men and women in consecrated life as well as the laity.  We pray for their continued work in bringing the message of the Messiah to the people of God in today's world.  As well, let us pray for parents to be generous in offering encouragement to their children to consider a life of service in and to the Church.

The Christmas Octave: Day Two: "O Lord"

The second :O Antiphon" cries out:

O Lord of the House of Israel

giver of the Law of Moses on Sinai:

come to rescue us with your mighty power!

The Jewish people were stirred up with the enthusiasm when they heard words from the prophet Jeremiah.  Their new Messiah will be the Lord of Justice.  He will erase all unrighteousness of former days.  The new Lord of Justice will bring salvation.

The gospel event for today's readings reminds us that both Joseph and Mary were willing, although somewhat frightened, to accept a mission from the Lord of Justice.   In our communities, perhaps in our families, our parishes, our offices, there are people who suffer injustices.  At times our challenge, the mission entrusted to us y our Lord of Justice, Jesus Christ may be to speak out, doing what we can to guarantee justice among us.  This, too, is why Jesus comes to us.

Today, as we reflect on Jesus as "Lord," let us continue to pray that the "righteousness" that Jeremiah mentions will be a genuine characteristic.  Let us, from this church on Capitol Hill, pray in particular for all the women and men who are entrusted with Leadership of our nation. In particular, let us remember to incorporate in our petitions to the Lord of Justice the newly elected and appointed members of the Obama administration and those government officials who support them.

The Christmas Octave: Day One: "O Wisdom"

Today the verse before the gospels initiates seven antiphons that had greater significance in by-gone eras than today.  These verses were sung in monasteries just prior to the Magnificat hymn concluding Vesper prayers.  These verses are included in the liturgies beginning today and continuing through the 23rd of December.

First mentioned in France in the 5th century and included in the liturgies in Rome by the 8th century, these petitions reflect the sentiments held by the earliest followers of Christ in their liturgies.

The "O Antiphons" highlight a title used in Old Testament literature for the coming Messiah.  Today the first of the antiphons is "O Wisdom."

O Wisdom of our God Most High

guiding creation with power and love:

come teach us the path of knowledge.

Isaiah had prophesied in chapter 11:2-3, "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:  a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord."  Again, in chapter 28:29, he wrote "Wonderful is his counsel and great is his wisdom."

For us today, we are reminded that God deals with each of us not using logic or power or tradition or merit.  We are the recipients of pure gift from God, pure love.  What he gives us comes from his wisdom, his principles that transcend our human inventions.

As we pray during these octave days, let us ask God to gift us with the skills of prudence in what we do and what we say.  Here, at St. Joseph's on Capitol Hill, let us pray for all who serve our country in the United States Senate both Senators and Staffers that prudence may be theirs for it is the key to wisdom.

Day 16: Advent Waiting ---

Today's readings take us to an Old Testament writer about whom little is known.  Zephaniah only tells us in chapter one, verse one, that he is the son of Cushi!  (Surely a character we all know!!!) But with that one name we know he was the great-great grandson of Hezekiah, a name we have heard before.  From his writings and knowing his lineage, scripture scholars estimate that he wrote between 640 and 612 BC.  That would have him prophesying during the reign of Josiah.

The entire book is a dialog between God and the prophet about the evil, the wickedness that existed in Jerusalem and Judea at the time.  Hezekiah is often referred to as the prophet of doom and gloom because he focuses so much upon the evil of his times and before.  However, in the words of today's reading it is clear that he does believe that those who have a metanoia, a true change of heart, will be granted salvation.  This prophet did see in the virtue of humility the surest way to effect a metanoia in one's life.

Since we are more than half way through the time of Advent Waiting, let me use this occasion to speak about the avenue that Christ gave to all of us to make the metanoia that will help us gain our eternal salvation.  I speak of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 

We are not a perfect people.  Most of us know that we are sinners to one degree or another. Every journey to the Sacrament of Reconciliation is an experience of humility for all of us. What it should not be, however, is an experience that is charged with fear.  Recently I spoke with a person who shared with me his fear of the Sacrament ... event confessing behind a screen.  When I asked "Why?":  he would not find an answer.  My only response to such a fear-filled man was along these lines:  "My friend, do you know what the Sacrament is?  You see it so much a threat, an experience of condemnation.  The reality is that it is far from that. Confessing one's sins is a opening up one's heart and arms to accepting a loving and forgiving God.  If you truly believe that Jesus walked to the top of the Calvary hill to be tortured and crucified for you, would you not want him let him embrace you with his forgiveness?"

The Sacrament of Reconciliation surely makes us ready to celebrate the birthday of the man whose sole mission was to reconcile all of us to God the Father.  It is a Christmas gift that keeps giving us a share of God's love for us.  God invites all sinners to be forgiven.  Don't forget: it is his gift to you if you come to accept it. 

Third Advent Sunday: Gaudete Sunday Day 15

Celebrating this Eucharistic  Liturgy of Gaudete Sunday, we may feel encouraged to rejoice, as the Latin verb commands us.  However, the readings, especially the gospel, are far from genuine rejoicing.  The words of John the Baptist are a direct assault upon the loves of some, if not many, of the people who were drawn to his roadside preaching.    Someone once told me about a bumper sticker seen on a car.  These are the words:  There is a God ... and it is not you.  Repeat the words to yourself.

It has amazed me that John always drew a crowd despite the harshness of his style and message. A Pastor acting and preaching the same message today would surely be the cause of an exodus from the congregation.  What attracted the people ... of all statuses of life?

John, despite his toughness, was preaching a treasure that assured the people that God was very much involved in the world he had created.  He even told them that God would soon, very soon, be with them, altering their history.  And he was to the point:  make ready for the festive celebration by repentance for their sins  Open your eyes; humble yourself:  this is an essential part of his message.

John's words were sharper than any sword the Roman soldiers were carrying.  His words cut to the heart of life and especially to those hearts that were damaged by sin and corruption.  Surely John would have a heyday preaching in our country at this time in its history.  The Baptist reminded the hearers that there was one among them who was soon to be coming, after John.

God continues to live among us despite the corruption that has existed since the times of the Baptist.  A newspaper or TV new report rarely describes evil among us in our land.  Despite immorality and unethical practices God continues to be with us.  Our challenge is to look at our lives "with insight rather than eyesight."  We are challenged "to listen with our souls not only with our ears."  We will never truly see or hear the Baptist's call to repentance in our lives until we slow down the rapid pace we live.  John would contend that those who believe God is somewhat withdrawn from us and the pains our nation experiences now have not listened.  He would charge that they have failed to look.  For John God was still with his people ... and he would say the same today.

Sometimes we cannot find God in our lives because we think or act like we are God.  We have to control our lives as we want.  Our lives, our fate, our fortune are not, ultimately, in our hands.  John would say that this is God's universe.

John's humility also attracted people.  Apparently it was a virtue rarely observed by many.  "I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal."  This caught the hearers' attention.  Consider what out of control egos have done to the Church, to the state and to the business world.  Consider how many pedestals have collapsed.  So many people became victims to their own designs.  "But we cannot count John the Baptist in that march of fools."

God is among us today.  Yes, he is.  God can restore all of us.  Ye, he can.  We have to find him again:  among the poor, the powerless; he is with those rejected by society.  He is with those who shun the spotlights that create idols.  He is with our children.  We need to look.  We can find him.  We need to listen.  He will whisper to us.  We can experience God's blessings.  Yes, we can.

But there is one simple warning I offer you as you consider these thoughts and wonder where we can find God:  Do not look in the mirror: he is not there!  

Day 12: Advent Waiting --- Walk with me.

In Isaiah's words today hear the excitement of the prophet's message about an awesome God doing so much for his people.  But do not miss the same God's twice-said remark, "I will help you."

As we work through days of Advent Waiting, who could be totally focused upon the things of spiritual preparation for a celebration of Jesus' birthday?  The realities, the pain-filled experiences many are enduring in our world and our nation distract us easily and necessarily so.

Well might we see many of the challenges today as God's way of engineering a new environment that will bring us back or closer to our God.  It is a "transformation" that is taking place.  It is a change that is bring "a desert into a marshland and the dry ground into springs of water."  But our God will not bring this about without our collaboration.  Twice in the readings, as noted, God speaks, through the prophet, these words:  "I will help you.  Fear not."  He will not do it alone.  He wants us to be part of the transformation so that it will be a genuine metanoia. 

I believe many of our friends, fellow citizens and maybe we ourselves are suffering from changes in an economic revolution.  The 1960's may have had a social revolution.  The revolution of these times impacts the wallet and purse.  Our venue had become so much an experience of having more and more.  Greed was sprouting up in our land.  Now it is wilting away; it is dying.  And, at the same time, we know that our God had become less and less and reality in so many lives and ways of living.

Yes, like the Israelites of years past, we may be wandering through a desert of purification.  Be we should not forget Isaiah again:  "I am the Lord, your God, who grasps your right hand.  It is I who says to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'"

This is the expectation of Advent:  waiting for ourselves to recognize and to accept our need to be open to God's voice to each of us in our times.

The Lord is gracious and merciful ... and  of great kindness. 

11th Day: Advent Waiting --- Our Powerful God

Surrounding the United States Capitol Building, in an area designated as the Federal City, there are numerous monuments to America's great leaders.  To those who take note of these works of great artists, there is a reminder of fierce loyalty and dedication to a vision.  During these winter days these truly are cold creations that speak of the flesh and blood, vision and power that are the gift of these men and women to a nation and its people, to you and me.

Today Isaiah's reading offers us an image of salvation -- not carved or built, but in the written word, describes our God.  The prophet paints a picture of a powerful God who "does not faint or grow weary."  He is "the creator of the ends of the earth."  Our powerful leader, our God, is always with us.  He is a leader to whom we can turn when we are weary, when we feel that the power of evil is more than we can bear.

Isaiah assures us that God has given us many signs of his desire always to walk with him if we but invite his presence in our lives.  For many who live and work in this Federal City it is a time of exciting anticipation.  For others it is a painful time of uprooting.  For others beyond this city as well it is a time of great struggle.  Many are living through experiences of great loss:  loss of jobs, loss of homes, loss of hope.  The prophet's words today are a reminder that we cannot lose hope.  Hope is the venue of Advent.  It is a time of our waiting.  In Matthew's gospel we are reminded by Jesus that he always stands ready to be our place of rest and support.  He, like a good leader, wants to take on our "labor and burden" that might be overwhelming.  Our God is a loving God.  God is our strength.  Surely we can pray:  "Show your face to us, God, and we will be saved. 

10th Day: Advent Waiting: Juan Diego Heralding

Saint Juan Diego, a canonized hermit of the 16th century, stands as a herald for a feast to be celebrated on the 12th of December, Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Certainly he stands as a model to many of a man with a mission.  He was a man who would not give up nor give in to those who questioned his credibility.

Today's gospel presents a very brief description of a good shepherd, another man on a mission --- caring for a herd of sheep, especially for those who seem to find a way of separating from the herd.  Some might say it is better to care for the larger number: losing just one isn't all that bad.  That would seem to make sense until it would happen that anyone of us would experience a loved one turning away from the family or from the Church.

Jesus' question to the disciples about what is better to do if one of the sheep breaks away from the group.  Should the shepherd "leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?"  As a TV commentator is want to ask:  "What say you?"

Commitment and conviction are two parts of the life of a true follower of Jesus. Commitment to a mission because of a conviction that the mission is worth living.  In our times our faith is challenged by pressures in family and society that try to weaken our commitments and our conviction.  Juan Diego was determined he would do all he could to fulfill the Blessed Mother's request that a church be built on Tepyac hill in Mexico.  He was committed to bringing about that request.

Yesterday the Catholic Church celebrated the our national patroness feast day.  Today, no doubt many will have forgotten what yesterday was.  Many may not have heard what yesterday was.  Might we not ask ourselves this question:  Do we have the conviction that the intercession of Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, can be of significance for our country, especially at this time in its history?  If you have such a conviction, "what say you" about your commitment to bringing that conviction to be a stronger reality in our Church during these days? 

National Patroness: Mary, the Immaculate Conception

Today the Prayer on the Hill reflection can be read elsewhere.  Yours truly was invited by the popular Catholic blogger, Rocco Palmo, to share my reflection with his readers around the world in Whispers (Whispers in the Loggia).

8th Day: Advent Waiting ... For Whom Do I Wait?

The words of Isaiah today speak well of the goodness, the kindness, the love of God for all of us.  He is relating God's words to him as his prophet:  "Speak tenderly ... proclaim ... that her (Jerusalem) service (servitude) is at an end."  These are consoling words to a people waiting in exile.  Then these same words were a comfort to the people waiting in exile.  Then these same words were a comfort to the people of Judea some hundreds of years later as their wait continued during the oppression of the Roman armies.  And today, the people of the near East are waiting, waiting for an end to oppression and hoping for a new and genuine peace.  Perhaps, like the Jews of the Roman era in Jerusalem, perhaps today's people are waiting for another John the Baptist to be a voice that cries out that the Lord is coming with his peace.

How many times have you experienced an Advent time, as an adult?  Each and everyone of these seasonal experiences spoke about times of waiting, waiting for the coming of the Lord ....  We know that he has already come!

Perhaps the "waiting game" is not to be a time of our waiting for God to come again.  Indeed the "waiting game" might be our waiting for ourselves, our true selves.  We might be waiting for that Advent when we will truly open ourselves to God, to our understanding of the goodness that Isaiah pictures for us every year during Advent.  We might be waiting for our hearts to recognize the one who might be calling our for us to honestly look at ourselves and the changes we might need to make in our lives.

Jesus came to answer those waiting for a Messiah.  He came not with the fulfilling dreams of regal living that many expected.  No, Jesus came bringing a new age for all who would follow him.  He presented to his hearers and all would learn about him a new perception of God the Father.  His message presented a faith that addresses a personal sanctification which would then be brought to others.  He presented new ways of living and dealing with each other.

The answer that Jesus brought to those who were waiting was a shocker:  people were instructed by this young preacher that they themselves had to make very difficult decisions.  His message is put forward at the time when he encountered opposition to his message and he used a coin to demonstrate what his teaching meant:  it isn't the flipping of a coin.  Rather it is for those waiting to make a decision, to make a choice:  are you going to serve God or are you going to serve others and their idols.

This is what the waiting is about even today.  Our Church, using the writings of Scripture and other great saints and sinners, comes to us with a similar coin as we work through another season of waiting.  The message on the coin is the same as it was when Jesus was teaching:  heads or tails is not an option.  The message is the same.  Are you going to serve the Father or someone else.

As we wait, Advent offers us the way to "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells," as St. Paul reminds us today.  Advent is the seasons of waiting for us to "prepare the way of the Lord" and for us "to make straight his path."

7th Day: Advent Waiting -- St Nicholas

Surely a strange picture to post on a winter's day when the Church calls us to remember a 4th century saint who never lived at the north pole but only in what is today Turkey, St. Nicholas.  However, a very special friend and I had not emailed for a while and we were both wondering what was going on in each other's life.  This picture recalled how many times people sit on the beach without saying a word, just staring at God's goodness in the sea and sky and sand.  That's really what happens between good friends as well.  So, this picture is to you, Blondie.  All the other readers will wonder who you are and where you are!!!  Some good weekend smiling.  But let's get to the liturgical readings for today and the St. Nicholas day celebration.

Isaiah's words are very much like a venetian blind:  reading his thought are like the experience of slowly opening the blinds, allowing light and the world to enter into our experience for the day.  Today's reading presents the Messiah as soon to come.  He is not simply coming, he is bringing with him healing to the suffering that the people were already enduring.  He will end their hunger and thirst.  Isaiah promises that this Messiah will be one that we see, one that we can come to know.  An inner voice will tell you:  this is the one.  This is the Old Testament message of the prophets.

Matthew's gospel directs our thoughts to Jesus' gift to us and the consequential need for us to share that gift.  He tells the disciples "you are the ones now."  You are the ones who are challenged to spread the good news.  You are the missionaries now, you are to go out and find the lost and bring them back to their God.

St. Nicholas was, in a manner of speaking, a rather ordinary priest who became a bishop.  He attended the Council of Nicea (remember we recite the Nicean Creed at Mass on Sundays!!).  "That's about all we know," were the words of the celebrant at the parish Mass this morning.

But there was something about Nicholas that has brought him to be a sign for us:  his obvious generosity.  He was a priest and Bishop who was known for his outreach to those in need.  He heard the voice of the Holy Spirit inviting him to respond with love and care for others just as Jesus had done for him.

This is our challenge today, especially as we join so many, many good people who are in genuine distress at this moment in our nation's history:  to spread the good news.  We can ask ourselves these question:  Am I as excited about my faith and the kingdom of God as was Isaiah?  Am I as outgiving as was Nicholas ... even before people started putting him in a sled!!!

Day 6: Advent Waiting -- From a small stream ....

Look carefully at today's readings. The gospel message reflects Isaiah's insights and wisdom: "... out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see."  There were two blind men who had followed Jesus?  Why?  Because they believed he could and would heal their malady.  Jesus answered their petitions:  "Let it be done to you according to your faith."

The Isaiah readings of the last five days of Advent have been a sharing in the prophet's efforts to teach us of the wonders of God's kingdom ... likened to a mountain and a house on a mountain.  These are insights that help us build our own faith many centuries later.  Just as Isaiah was trying to form a genuine spirituality for his hearers, his written word is a key for us to open even wider the doors of faith in our contemporary lives.  Isaiah's words, poetic in many instances, are God's way of calling us to understand his kingdom.

Today Isaiah continues the theme of transformation ... the change needed to fully understand and participate in the kingdom of God.  The kingdom of Lebanon has changed.  Oppression which once ruled is now gone.  A new way of living has come about.  We know this:  a new way of living does not come about simply by wishing it.  Transformation is the result of hard work. For us today the means for transformation, for metanoia, is attempting to participate as fully as possible in the waiting spirit of the days of Advent.

Imagine walking into a room sparsely decorated.  Simplicity speaks loudly in the room.  There are no distractions.  A definite sense of peace persists in the room.  In this room are minds are freed from any distractions.  This is the place where we meet the Holy Spirit.  This is the space that becomes sacred because God is present.  Here we learn what we need to do in our lives to bring about transformation.  The room is the season of Advent.  In this quiet, in this peace, we are given new vision, a new understanding of who we are -- like the two blind men it is the gift given to us because of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Day 5: Advent Waiting -- A Seeming Eternity

Just recently a young man was undergoing a heart valve replacement operation when his aorta ruptured.  Unfortunately this critical heart vessel was terribly deteriorated making an immediate repair impossible.  Almost ten minutes passed before a renowned heart surgeon with more than 15000 similar surgeries to his credit could get blood pumping to John Holzbach’s brain.  Two days ago, John’s dad, Bob, met with the medical team to review John’s status.  Bob was told the prognosis:  at only 38 years old, John is most likely in a permanent vegetative state.

Aware that his only son would never be the John he had raised as an only son.  This was added to Bob’s painful year.  Only six months ago Bob and the healthy John and his sister buried his wife and their mother.  How could this new widower now face what would be like an seeming eternity of waiting ... waiting, waiting ... waiting for his offspring either to experience a miracle or to follow his mother in death.  Bob is now faced with living in a seeming forever Advent.  Bob now lives with an awareness of what could have been if cancer had not taken his wife and the tragic aorta problem had not made John’s brain inoperative.

We live our Advent of waiting with a sure knowledge that the Son of God is reborn in our lives every day.  We know that December 25th will be our recelebration of the birth of Jesus.  Yesterday I continued my vigil with Bob who realizes he must wait with genuine hope that something will happen to restore John’s brain.

“How can you believe there is a God?  First, your dear wife and now your only son.”  A question from a friend put before Bob.  His answer: “I know that our son and daughter are creations that were given to me and my wife.  No human could have created the truly incredible creation we call a human being.  Even though I now have a most unusual son, I believe that only a loving God could have given me and my wife the joy of a wonderful son for 38 years.  Strange isn’t it:  My son is no longer the man he was a few days ago.  Yet, honestly, my waiting for the first sign that a cure might be happening has strengthened my belief that there is a God with me today.  Please pray for John.  That’s all I need is the I know you are praying for him ... and me and his sister.

This is a most unusual reflection.  However, this event in a brother Christian's life offers all of us much to think about and pray for.  So today I ask you who read this reflection to add young John to your list of intentions as well as his Dad and sister.  We could never begin to understand the pain they now know will be a daily dose of waiting, waiting and waiting.  As we await the recelebration of Jesus birth, let us ask for a faith that could be as strong as Bob’s.

DAY 4: ADVENT WAITING -- St Francis Xavier, SJ

The liturgical readings continue the theme and imagery Isaiah uses to help his hearers recognize the power and strength that comes from the house and mountain of God.  He reminds his listeners that on his mountain the Lord God gives a feast to those who come.  He provides healing and care through a process of purification.  Reread the Isaiah verses slowly and let your mind taste and see how good is the good God!  On his mountain there is redemption.  His hands hold all who come to him.

In the words of Matthew, Isaiah's words take flesh.  Jesus goes up a mountain, drawing many to himself.  He healed and he cured because the same Jesus we receive in the Eucharist was moved with pity for those in great need.

The second part of the gospel reading describes how Jesus used the gifts the Father gave him.  He used the seen loaves and a few fish to feed the large crowd.  As we spend Advent days of prayer preparing our hearts for a recelebration of the birth of Jesus, consider the talents and the skills that God has given you.  See yourself and these God-given gifts as food for others, as ways for others to recognize God's goodness to you.  

The Church celebrates the feast of an extraordinary missionary today, Spanish Jesuit priest Francisco Xavier.  A very bright priest who was one of the seven men with St. Ignatius when the Jesuit order was founded and approved by the Holy See.  It was his openness to God's gift to him that brought him far away from his native Spain and his relocated home in Rome to India and Japan.  There he tirelessly  labored to use his talents to feed others, to teach others and to comfort others.  He gave all he had because he believed he was God's instrument in making the imagery of Isaiah's mountain description of God's kingdom as a reality, a possibility in the lives of others.

Francis Xavier made real the teaching and the feeding we see in the life of Jesus.  Xavier was truly what Ignatius taught his followers to be: a staff in the hands of a master, God.  In Xavier's life, he was the staff in the hands of the Good Shepherd on the Lord's mountain.

And you?  Where are you today?  Do you recognize you own gifts and do you use them so that others might be fed?  that others may know how good is the good God?  During these Advent days of waiting, consider your response.

Day 3: Advent Waiting -- Kingdom Imagery Continued

In today's first reading the prophet Isaiah continues  to express in vivid imagery again what God's house, God's mountain are ... the kingdom of the Messiah.

Personal awareness:  if I do not see in myself or the life of someone near or dear to me -- a relative, a friend, an acquaintance -- personal needs brought about by failures or losses, how can I truly understand the wonder of God's kingdom?  Perhaps the excessive wealth many have enjoyed -- until recent times -- has blinded many of the followers of Jesus.  Perhaps the true character of his house, his mountain has been overlooked.  Indeed the "sprout from the stump of Jesse" that has blossomed for humankind has lost its attraction in our world.

In the gospel today, St. Luke expresses a reality that we might consider.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit in life have been lost.  They no longer draw some to know well the presence of God in our day-to-day moments.  To his followers, to those who have a genuine yearning for an experience of the love of God, he has given his blessings.

But there are many, not just "prophets or kings" who do not see, who do not hear.  They desire to hear, to see God but have become caught by idols they have created for themselves.

Come to the Holy Spirit in these Advent days of waiting.  Come and seek to discover if the Lord we await is truly meaningful to us as we consider God's house and mountain that is before us. 

Just for a moment try to imagine what your life would be if Isaiah's words were a part of your prayer each day:

There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea.  What would life be if it were "filled with the knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea?"

Day Two: Advent Waiting -- The Invitation

On this the 2nd Day of Advent, the first weekday of the holy season, this reflection is a genuine and sincere invitation. During these Advent moments of waiting, I extend an invitation to set aside just eight minutes each day for your personal and very private time with God. As we await the Church' celebration the holy night of God's gift to us in the person of his Son, before you is the opportunity to develop the practice of time with God.
Let it be a specific time of each day. Print out this reflection if you wish ... just to get you away from the computer. As Fr. Henri Nouwen noted: the more often we afford ourselves time with God, the more we discover "the lost coin," the treasure we may have buried because we are so busy, the discovery that God is always and everywhere with us. Remember: just eight minutes ... or more if you are so inclined.
Today's readings are strong. Isaiah offers you a gift, an invitation. "Come, let us walk in the
light of the Lord" (Isaiah 2:5). The earlier verses of the chapter set the scene for us: "The mountain of the Lord's house ..." In your mind picture a house (Why not your own home or the castle of your dreams?), a house on the highest mountain. And what do these two images together speak to and for you in the context of your personal relationship with God?
The invitation is extended to you as Advent begins is to "walk in the way of the Lord." Perhaps you might consider the imagery as a concretization of God's plan is to lead us to recognize that his kingdom, his house on his mountain are symbols of his salvation and peace. God, through Isaiah's magnificent imagination and God's insightful gifts to him are not meant to frighten. These images symbolize God's gift of peace, his desire to offer us a place in his house on his mountain.
The words of Jesus that brought peace and salvation to the centurion teach us that God will always come to us and bring whatever healing we may need. Yet, notice this: the gift was given only after the centurion's seeing Jesus as an extraordinary person of care and healing which brought him to ask for help. We, too, need to know ourselves well enough to know what we should ask of the Lord.
On this first weekday of December and Advent, like the centurion, let us pray to our God with words of petition for the enlightening grace of his kingdom. Salvation is his gift to all ... if they but ask. It is "the ask" that makes real in hearts a genuine faith in Jesus. It is an awareness and an admission that we can walk in God's light if we take time to make God present in our lives during these days of "waiting."

Photo: FostkeyMinistries