Fill the Valleys, Level the Mountains
Make Straight a Highway for Him
(Is 40:3-4)
Dec. 7, 2008, 2nd Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 II Peter 3:8-14 Mark 1:1-3
To the churched and unchurched[1]
gathered in a temple not built by human hands[2]
First reading from the prophet Isaiah
"Comfort my people,” says our God. “Comfort them! Encourage the people of Jerusalem. Tell them they have suffered long enough and their sins are now forgiven. I have punished them in full for all their sins.” A voice cries out, “In the wilderness make straight a highway for our God! Fill in all the valleys and level off all the mountains! Turn the hills into plains and make smooth the rough roads! Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all mankind will see it. The Lord Himself has promised this.”
The word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark
Glory to you, Lord.
Thanks be to God
Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark
Glory to you, Lord.
Here begins the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In Isaiah the prophet it is written, “I send my messenger before you to prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the desert, `Get the Lord’s road ready for Him. Make a straight highway for Him to travel on!’” (Mark 1:1-3)
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Introduction
Good imagery
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Introduction
Good imagery
Every year on the Second Sunday of Advent, whether the Gospel reading is from Matthew, Mark or Luke, John the Baptist appears in the desert, quoting the prophet Isaiah who commands us to,
Prepare in the wilderness a highway for the Lord!
Clear a path in the desert for our God!
Fill the valleys and level the mountains.
Turn the hills into plains and make rough ways smooth.
Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed
and all mankind will see it.
(Is 40:3-5, Lk 3:4-5)
There’s good imagery here. It suggests the preparation made for a visit from royalty in the ancient world. In the days leading up to an official visit from the Pharaoh of Egypt, teams of workers would be sent out to get the roads in shape. They straightened out sharp curves and leveled off hills. They filled in potholes and cleared away litter, so that the litter carrying the Pharaoh might freely move on.
When the Council of Nicea (which gave us the creed we recite at Mass) was held in 360 A.D. near what is today Istanbul Turkey, bishops from Ireland attended. How did they get from Ireland to Turkey? They walked! That’s a long walk. It took them almost a year to get there because there weren’t any trains or planes in those days, and there weren’t any bulldozers to fill in the valleys and level off the mountains. Naturally the bishops stayed for eight or nine months once they got there, conversing with other bishops and theologians from across the continent. We who enjoy the luxury of driving everywhere on perfectly paved super-highways can appreciate the imagery.
When the Council of Nicea (which gave us the creed we recite at Mass) was held in 360 A.D. near what is today Istanbul Turkey, bishops from Ireland attended. How did they get from Ireland to Turkey? They walked! That’s a long walk. It took them almost a year to get there because there weren’t any trains or planes in those days, and there weren’t any bulldozers to fill in the valleys and level off the mountains. Naturally the bishops stayed for eight or nine months once they got there, conversing with other bishops and theologians from across the continent. We who enjoy the luxury of driving everywhere on perfectly paved super-highways can appreciate the imagery.
Early & Late Advent
Advent is traditionally divided into a first and second part. The second part (called Late Advent or the Novena of Christmas) runs from the 17th of December to Christmas Eve. Late Advent joyfully turns our gaze back to a moment of history when Jesus was born of Mary in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King. The first part (called Early Advent) runs from the beginning of Advent to 17th of December. Before gazing joyfully upon Bethlehem, Advent seriously assigns us a hefty job to do: “Fill the valleys, level the mountains and make a straight path for Him to travel on! Hasten the day of His coming!”
Hastening or road-blocking the Messiah
On the 17th of December, the church chants the first of the great Latin O Antiphons. The antiphon for the 19th exclaims, “O radix Jesse! Oh Sprout from the stump of Jesse! Veni et noli tardare!” Stop your delaying and come!” All the O Antiphons are filled with a strong feeling of Advent impatience. This one is steeped in it. It seems to cry out, “Oh Sprout from the stump of Jesse, for God’s sake hurry up and come! What in the world is keeping you!?”
There is, indeed, something that's keeping the Messiah. A rabbi, who no doubt had indelible and personal thoughts of the Holocaust haunting him writes,
If more people in the world were filled with love and compassion and tolerance we would enable the Messiah to come so much sooner. I often kid my synagogue that I visualize the Messiah about to be sent down to the world by G-d,[3] but looking at all the violence, hatred, inhumanity, especially in the name of religion, the Messiah beseeches G-d not to send him down to earth! We either hasten or road-block the Messiah’s coming.
There is, indeed, something that's keeping the Messiah. A rabbi, who no doubt had indelible and personal thoughts of the Holocaust haunting him writes,
If more people in the world were filled with love and compassion and tolerance we would enable the Messiah to come so much sooner. I often kid my synagogue that I visualize the Messiah about to be sent down to the world by G-d,[3] but looking at all the violence, hatred, inhumanity, especially in the name of religion, the Messiah beseeches G-d not to send him down to earth! We either hasten or road-block the Messiah’s coming.
A Samaritan hastening the Messiah.
One day a man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho and was waylaid by robbers who left him half-dead. Along came a Jewish priest, who saw the poor man and passed him by. Along came a Levite who also saw the dying man and passed him by. Finally, a Samaritan came upon this pothole in the road and patched it up. He poured the oil of compassion into the poor man’s wounds, hoisted him on his beast of burden and hurried him off to the nearest inn where he provided for his care and cure. (Lk 10:25-37)
The Good Samaritan had leveled off the mountains and filled in the valleys. He had made a straight highway for the Messiah to travel on. In his person he had hastened Messiah’s coming to a victimized human being. Restored to health, the man went to the Temple to give thanks, for the glory of the Lord had been revealed to him in the person of a despised Samaritan loving a wounded Jew on the road to Jericho! (Is 40:5)
What’s more, when the rabbi’s reluctant Messiah (holed up in heaven) heard about the great compassion of a despised Samaritan towards a wounded Jew on the road to Jericho, he changed his mind and beseeched God to swiftly send him down to the good earth.
The Advent command is “Fill the valleys, level the mountains and make a straight path for Him to travel on! Hasten the day of His coming!” That’s just what the Samaritan did.
The Good Samaritan had leveled off the mountains and filled in the valleys. He had made a straight highway for the Messiah to travel on. In his person he had hastened Messiah’s coming to a victimized human being. Restored to health, the man went to the Temple to give thanks, for the glory of the Lord had been revealed to him in the person of a despised Samaritan loving a wounded Jew on the road to Jericho! (Is 40:5)
What’s more, when the rabbi’s reluctant Messiah (holed up in heaven) heard about the great compassion of a despised Samaritan towards a wounded Jew on the road to Jericho, he changed his mind and beseeched God to swiftly send him down to the good earth.
The Advent command is “Fill the valleys, level the mountains and make a straight path for Him to travel on! Hasten the day of His coming!” That’s just what the Samaritan did.
Church hastening the Messiah
Sometime ago the Anglican Communion had its foundations shaken with the consecration of a gay bishop. That ruffled also the Russian Orthodox Church. One Anglican Church leader said, “The church will never be the same again!” By going on record for being gung-ho on sexual moralism, [4] the Anglican and Orthodox Church (and all the other churches) were simply doing what they always do, and what they always do best.
Worldwide there are 37 million adults and 2.5 million children living with HIV, and half of them will be dead before they are 35. In the United States there are 40,000 new HIV infections diagnosed every year. The day the church (Anglican, Orthodox, Catholic or Protestant) does not put herself squarely and whole heartedly behind sexual moralism but rather behind a morality of compassion for sick people and poor people and lonely people, that’s the day the church “will never be the same again!” That’s the day the church will shine like a city built upon a hill for all to see. (Mt 5:14) That’s the day a sea of HIV victims will give thanks for having seen the glory of the Lord. (Is 40:5)
What’s more, the day the rabbi’s reluctant Messiah (holed up in heaven) sees the church as a shining city built upon a hill, that’s the day the Messiah will change his mind and beseech God to swiftly send him down to the good earth.
The Advent command is “Fill the valleys, level the hills and make a straight path for Him to travel on! Hasten the day of His coming!” That’s a command not only to anyone on the road to Jericho but also and above all to the church. She, if anyone, must hasten the day of His coming. She, if anyone, must fill in the potholes impeding His coming, especially if the potholes are of her own making!
Worldwide there are 37 million adults and 2.5 million children living with HIV, and half of them will be dead before they are 35. In the United States there are 40,000 new HIV infections diagnosed every year. The day the church (Anglican, Orthodox, Catholic or Protestant) does not put herself squarely and whole heartedly behind sexual moralism but rather behind a morality of compassion for sick people and poor people and lonely people, that’s the day the church “will never be the same again!” That’s the day the church will shine like a city built upon a hill for all to see. (Mt 5:14) That’s the day a sea of HIV victims will give thanks for having seen the glory of the Lord. (Is 40:5)
What’s more, the day the rabbi’s reluctant Messiah (holed up in heaven) sees the church as a shining city built upon a hill, that’s the day the Messiah will change his mind and beseech God to swiftly send him down to the good earth.
The Advent command is “Fill the valleys, level the hills and make a straight path for Him to travel on! Hasten the day of His coming!” That’s a command not only to anyone on the road to Jericho but also and above all to the church. She, if anyone, must hasten the day of His coming. She, if anyone, must fill in the potholes impeding His coming, especially if the potholes are of her own making!
Church road-blocking the Messiah
We are recently confronted with a very huge pothole created by the church herself. On October 21, 2008, the Vatican sent a letter to the Maryknoll community stating that Fr. Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest of 36 years, has 30 days to recant his statement of public support of women's ordination or he will be automatically excommunicated.
Fr. Bourgeois isn't just any priest. Like Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, he is a very courageous Catholic voice for peace and non-violence. There is an organization called the School of the Americas (SOA). That’s a United States Department of Defense facility at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia. It trains South and Central American police forces in the techniques of torture, repression, and counter-insurgency. Fr. Bourgeois is the founder and leader of the School of the Americas Watch (SOAW). Its task is to watch over the School of the Americas and expose its torture and repression.
On November 7, 2008, Fr. Bourgeois replied to his threatened excommunication. His response reads in part,
Fr. Bourgeois isn't just any priest. Like Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, he is a very courageous Catholic voice for peace and non-violence. There is an organization called the School of the Americas (SOA). That’s a United States Department of Defense facility at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia. It trains South and Central American police forces in the techniques of torture, repression, and counter-insurgency. Fr. Bourgeois is the founder and leader of the School of the Americas Watch (SOAW). Its task is to watch over the School of the Americas and expose its torture and repression.
On November 7, 2008, Fr. Bourgeois replied to his threatened excommunication. His response reads in part,
To the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith:
I was very saddened by your letter dated October 21, 2008, giving me 30 days to recant my belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church, or I will be excommunicated. I have been a Catholic priest for 36 years and have a deep love for my Church and ministry.When I was a young man in the military, I felt God was calling me to the priesthood. I entered Maryknoll and was ordained in 1972. Over the years I have met a number of women in our Church who, like me, feel called by God to the priesthood. You, our Church leaders at the Vatican, tell us that women cannot be ordained. With all due respect, I believe our Catholic Church’s teaching on this issue is wrong and does not stand up to scrutiny. A 1976 report by the Pontifical Biblical Commission supports the research of Scripture scholars, canon lawyers and many faithful Catholics who have studied and pondered the Scriptures and have concluded that there is no justification in the Bible for excluding women from the priesthood.
Conscience is very sacred. Conscience gives us a sense of right and wrong and urges us to do the right thing. Conscience is what compelled Franz Jaegerstatter, a humble Austrian farmer, husband and father of four young children, to refuse to join Hitler’s army, which led to his execution. Conscience is what compelled Rosa Parks to say she could no longer sit in the back of the bus. Conscience is what compels women in our Church to say they cannot be silent and deny their call from God to the priesthood. Conscience is what compelled my dear mother and father, now 95, to always strive to do the right things as faithful Catholics raising four children. And after much prayer, reflection and discernment, it is my conscience that compels me to do the right thing. I cannot recant my belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church.
The Advent command is “Fill the valleys, level the hills and make a straight path for Him to travel on. Hasten the day of His coming.” It’s directed especially to the church. She, if anyone, should hasten the day of His coming. Instead, when the rabbi’s reluctant Messiah heard of the earthly church’s threat of excommunication upon the good Fr. Bourgeois, he beseeched God not to send him down to the bad earth.
A CEO hastening Messiah
Aaron Feuerstein is CEO and owner of Malden Mills, a fabric factory in Methuen, Massachusetts. He is also a devout Jew who reads Shakespeare and the Talmud (a rich treasury of rabbinical tradition). On the night of December 11, 1995 (six days before the beginning of Hanukah on the 17th that year), a surprise party was held for his seventieth birthday. During the party a boiler exploded and a devastating fire broke out which demolished a good part of his factory.
He didn’t grab the insurance money and run as a good man of business would do. Instead the morning after the fire he assured all his 2400 employees that with God's help they would all get through that tragedy together. Then he gave them their pay checks plus a $275 Christmas bonus and a $20 food coupon. Three days later on the night of Dec 14th in the gym of the Catholic High School where 1000 of his employees gathered to learn their fate, he made a startling announcement.
He didn’t grab the insurance money and run as a good man of business would do. Instead the morning after the fire he assured all his 2400 employees that with God's help they would all get through that tragedy together. Then he gave them their pay checks plus a $275 Christmas bonus and a $20 food coupon. Three days later on the night of Dec 14th in the gym of the Catholic High School where 1000 of his employees gathered to learn their fate, he made a startling announcement.
For the next 30 days, and it might be more, all our employees will be paid their full salaries. I think you already have been advised that your health insurance has been paid for the next 90 days. But over and above the money, the most important thing Malden Mills can do for our workers is to get you all back to work. By January 2, 1996, we will restart operations, and within 90 days, God willing, we will be 100 percent operational
There was a moment of stunned disbelief, and then the workers rose to their feet cheering and hugging each other and also weeping.
What a bright shining star is CEO Feuerstein in the darkness of the corporate greed and economical meltdown which are bringing the curtains down on fast-departing 2008! Time magazine for January 8, 1996 reported that Feuerstein was true to his word; he continued to pay his employees in full, at a cost of one and a half million dollars a week and at an average wage of twelve and a half dollars an hour. Later that same year, corporate America, stunned by such fiscal insanity and half-hearted capitalism, named him CEO of the Year!
What’s more, when the rabbi’s reluctant Messiah (holed up in heaven) heard about such stunning magnanimity of a CEO who had no private jet of his own to take him to congressional meetings on the terrible state of the economy and on the plight of the people on Main Street, he was flabbergasted. The Messiah changed his mind and beseeched God to swiftly send him down to the good earth.
The Advent command is “Fill the valleys, level the hills and make a straight path for Him to travel on! Hasten the day of His coming!” That’s just what Aaron Feuerstein did.
What a bright shining star is CEO Feuerstein in the darkness of the corporate greed and economical meltdown which are bringing the curtains down on fast-departing 2008! Time magazine for January 8, 1996 reported that Feuerstein was true to his word; he continued to pay his employees in full, at a cost of one and a half million dollars a week and at an average wage of twelve and a half dollars an hour. Later that same year, corporate America, stunned by such fiscal insanity and half-hearted capitalism, named him CEO of the Year!
What’s more, when the rabbi’s reluctant Messiah (holed up in heaven) heard about such stunning magnanimity of a CEO who had no private jet of his own to take him to congressional meetings on the terrible state of the economy and on the plight of the people on Main Street, he was flabbergasted. The Messiah changed his mind and beseeched God to swiftly send him down to the good earth.
The Advent command is “Fill the valleys, level the hills and make a straight path for Him to travel on! Hasten the day of His coming!” That’s just what Aaron Feuerstein did.
Conclusion
A huge cloud of witnesses calling him to come down
A huge cloud of witnesses calling him to come down
When the rabbi’s reluctant Messiah looked down on earth and saw a huge crowd of people filling in the potholes, especially those created by the church herself, he was delighted. He saw Archbishop Hunthausen of Seattle giving gays a place to worship in his cathedral. He saw Bishop Untener of Saginaw, MI, courageously inviting the church to open a brand new discussion on birth control. He saw Auxiliary Bishop Gumbleton of Detroit audaciously predicting there will one day be priestesses in the church. He saw Sr. Joan Chittister gently speaking truth to church and civil power. He saw Fr. Farrow and Fr. Bourgeois bravely putting their necks on the chopping block as both obeyed their conscience. When the reluctant Messiah saw such a huge cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) calling him to come down, he changed his mind and earnestly besought God to send him down upon the good earth.
