And the Word Became Flesh

And the Word Became Flesh

Christmas Day - Mass during the Day

Isaiah 52:7-10 Hebrews 1:1-6John 1:1-5, 9-14

Second reading from Hebrews

Brothers and sisters: In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets. In these last days He has spoken to us through his Son whom He has made heir of all things and through whom He first created the universe. This Son is the reflection of God’s glory. He is the exact likeness of the Father’s being. He sustains all things by his powerful word. When He had cleansed us from our sins, He took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. The Son was made greater than all the angels, just as the name which God gave Him is greater than theirs. For God never said to any of his angels, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.[1]” Or again, “I will be his Father, and He shall be my Son.” And again, when He leads his firstborn into the world He says, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.[2]”

The word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Alleluia, alleluia.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
Glory to you, Lord.

The Prologue of St. John

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through Him, and without Him nothing came to be. What came to be through Him was life, and this life was the light of the human race. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through Him, but the world did not know Him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept Him. But to those who did accept Him He gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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The 3 Masses of Christmas

Christmas is the only day which has three different Masses assigned it: Mass at Midnight, Mass at Dawn, and Mass during the Day. Each has its own scripture readings. The gospel for the Mass at Midnight relates that an angel of the Lord announced to shepherds watching their sheep that a Savior has been born to them in the city of David, and that there they would find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. (Lk 2:1-14) That gospel (which is story-telling at its best) perks up the ears of the child in us. The midnight tradition seems to be an interpretation of a passage from the Book of Wisdom: “While all things were in quiet silence and the night was in the midst of her course, thy Almighty Word, O Lord, came down from thy royal throne in heaven.” (Wis. 18:14-15)

The gospel for the Mass at Dawn continues the story-telling, as it has the shepherds rushing off to Bethlehem, finding the baby lying in a manger, and then returning to their flocks, praising God for all that they had heard and seen. (Lk 2:15-20)

The gospel for the Mass During the Day is the prologue from the gospel of St. John -- that evangelist whose symbol is an eagle, because he soars, as he proclaims that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was in God’s presence, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh.” (Jn 1:1, 14) Because he soars like an eagle, John’s gospel is more attuned to the mind of a theologian than to the ears of a child.

Verbalism—too much stock in words

The soaring Eagle’s profound prologue lays an axe to verbalism. That’s a tendency in us to put too much stock in words. Verbalism is making people live and die by words, as the Inquisitors did when they burned St. Joan d’Arc at the stake for not having the right words for their theological questions.

Less drastic, verbalism is filling the Sunday liturgy with a steady flow of words -- with three scripture readings, a responsorial psalm, a Gloria, a Credo, an Agnus Dei and an Our Father. That might satisfy our need to always be doing something, but it drowns out the silence (so prized by Quakers) in which the voice of God can be heard.

More annoying, verbalism is the doctrinaire approach to the great issues of life -- like abortion, celibacy, ordination, homosexuality, capital punishment, and human sexuality. The solutions to the complex issues of life lay not so much in the words of our mouths as in the deep recesses of the human heart. The doctrinaire approach assumes that preaching the gospel means speaking words; Mother Teresa of Calcutta preached the gospel all her life, and really never spoke a word.
The soaring Eagle’s prologue lays an axe to our verbalism. The Word of God now is no longer a word (or a plethora of words). In the Incarnation the Word became flesh – became an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

The Word became flesh in Father Damien

Fr. Damien de Veuster (1840 -1889), a Belgian priest of Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, ministered to lepers on the island of Molokai in Hawaii. Slandered by a Protestant minister, Rev. Hyde, Damien was defended by Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote an impassioned defense of Damien in 1905. After sixteen years caring for the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of the lepers, he eventually contracted leprosy and died. That gained him the title of “Martyr of Charity.” On October 11, 2009 Pope Benedict XVI canonized Fr. Damien in the presence of Belgian King Albert II.

The Word of God says, “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn 15: 13) That Word became flesh in this “Martyr of Charity.”

The Word became flesh in Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910 –1997), Nobel Peace Prize winner, and founder of the Missionaries of Charity, ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying in the streets of Calcutta. That gained her the title “Saint of the Gutter.” Though praised by many individuals, governments and organizations, Mother Teresa had to face all kinds of criticisms -- like proselytizing helpless people, baptizing the dying, extolling the `spiritual goodness’ of poverty, and opaquely spending donated money. Despite those who chose to be negative, Pope John Paul II canonized the “Gutter Saint” on October 19, 2003. In 2010 on the 100th anniversary of her birth on August 26, 1910, she was honored around the world, and her work was praised by the President of India.

The Word of God says, “I was hungry and you fed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you took care of me.” (Mt. 25:35-36) That Word became flesh in this “Saint of the Gutter.”

The Word became flesh in Father Mychal Judge

Franciscan Fr. Mychal Judge, (1933-2001) was a compassionate champion of the needy and forgotten of New York City, and a beloved chaplain of the N.Y. City Fire Department. Every Christmas Eve, he’d walk up Ninth Avenue, in his brown habit and sandals, carrying a baby doll wrapped in a towel, to a shelter for abused and homeless women. There he’d place the doll on a table which served as the altar for Mass, and he’d ask the women, “Where do you think baby Jesus would want to be tonight, and then he’d answer his own question: “Right here with you, celebrating his birthday.” The story of his incredible selfless life and heroic death in the line of duty as chaplain of the fire department was one of the first to come out of the horrendous 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.The Word of God says, “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn 15: 13) That Word became flesh in Fr. Mychal Judge.

The Word became flesh in Frank Daly

On the feast of jolly old St. Nick, Dec. 6, 1984, in Milwaukee, WI, the bus was full of high-school kids going home. It was only 10 above zero, and a tattered and torn woman entered. She was pregnant, and what’s more, she had no shoes on her feet! 10 above zero and no shoes on her feet! The kids were making fun of her. When the bus pulled up to 124th and Bluemound Road, one of the kids, 14-year-old Frank Daly, stepped up to the front to get off. He had his tennis shoes in his hands, and his feet were bare! And he said to the woman, “Here, M’am, you need them more than I do!!” That remarkable story hit the front page of the Milwaukee Journal for December 8. 1984. The following morning, Sunday, December 9, the story went forth by UPI to bless the entire nation with a wonder-filled Christmas story.

The Word of God says, “I was hungry and you fed me. I was sick and you took care of me. I was naked and you clothed me.” (Mt 25:35-36) That Word became flesh in a young kid named Frank Daly.

Conclusion
Christmas people

Christmas isn’t the time to be preaching `truth.’ That simply tends to put the followers of the Prince of Peace at odds with Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and anyone else who has a religious truth other than ours. Christmas isn’t even the time to be preaching `morality.’ That tends to fill us with Pharisaic self-righteousness which gives “thanks for not being like the rest of men.” Christmas is the time to do what Christmas does best: tell stories -- wonderful stories about Fr. Damien, Mother Teresa, Fr. Judge, Frank Daly, etc. They weren’t preachers of truth or morality. They were great Christmas people whose lives gave flesh to the Word of God. And they inspire us to do the same.

[1] II Samuel: 7: 14; Psalm 2:7.
[2] Revelation 1:5

A Time for Both

The fourth candle of Advent

A Time for Both

December 19, 2010, 4th Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 7:10-14 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-24

First reading

The Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky.” But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask for a sign! I refuse to put the Lord to the test!” Then Isaiah said, “Listen now, O house of David! It’s bad enough for you to wear out men’s patience—do you have to wear out God’s patience too? I tell you the Lord himself will give you this sign: a young woman[1] shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.”

Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, was unwilling to expose her to shame, and decided to quietly divorce her. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, “Behold, a virgin[2] shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means God-with-us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Introduction
The fourth candle of Advent

The second part of Advent, which is called `Late Advent’ or the `Novena of Christmas’ in the liturgical books, began last Friday, Dec. 17th. This coming Tuesday, Dec. 21st will be the first day of winter. The Old Farmers' Almanac shows the period between 17th and 25th of December as the darkest of the entire year; it has 15 long hours of darkness and only 9 short hours of light. On this fourth Sunday of Advent, Dec. 19h, we light the fourth candle of the Advent wreath to dispel the physical and psychological darkness of these last days of 2010.

A litany of promises in Early Advent

In Early Advent (which began this year on Nov. 28th), the readings at Mass from the prophet Isaiah are a relentless litany of promises that everything that’s wrong with the world shall be fixed. Early Advent gazes forward into the future. Accordingly, the verbs in the Isaian readings are in the future tense (the `shall tense’), for that’s the tense of promise:

“In those days they shall melt down their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. One nation shall not raise the sword against another, and they shall no longer train for war again.” (Is 2:4-5) "In those days the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid." (Is 11:6) "In those days the blind living in darkness shall open their eyes and see. “ (Is 29:18) Etc.

By the end of Early Advent, we are somewhat wearied by Isaiah stoning us to death with the future tense of promise at daily Mass.

A litany of stories in Late Advent

The arrival of Late Advent (or the Novena of Christmas) on Dec. 17th comes as a welcome relief from Early Advent with its litany of promises. Everything suddenly changes. Late Advent now gazes backward into the past -- to a moment of history when the Word became flesh. Suddenly the verbs of the scripture readings at Mass are in the past tense, because that’s the tense of history, and also the tense of story. The wearisome litany of promises in Early Advent is now replaced by an exciting litany of stories in Late Advent. The gospel readings at Mass these days perks up the ears of the child in us, as they do what Christmas does best: tell stories.

“Once upon a time an angel of the Lord appeared to an old priest named Zachariah offering incense before the altar of the Lord, and announced that his barren wife Elizabeth was going to have a baby.” (Lk 1: 5-25) “Once upon a time an angel of the Lord appeared to a maiden named Mary, and announced she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Lk 1: 26-38) “Once upon a time an angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds in their fields, and announced to them that in the city of Bethlehem they would find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” (Lk 2:1-14) Etc.

A time for everything

“There’s a time for everything under the sun,” says Ecclesiastes. (3:1-8) There is a time to take the many stories of Christmas literally and at their face value, as children do -- stories about angels singing “Glory to God in the highest” and about “Magi from the East bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” But there’s also a time to search for the meaning behind the many stories of Christmas, as adults do. St. Paul writes, “When I was a child, I spoke, felt and thought as a child. But now that I am a grownup, I have put away the things of a child.” (I Cor 13: 11)

Retelling the story: a task long overdue

One of those many stories that make up the one great story of Christmas is told on this fourth and last Sunday of Advent (Cycle A). The angel Gabriel appears to Joseph in his sleep, and assures him that his pregnant wife Mary has virginally conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. The story of Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus does not fly well in today’s culture which feeds upon a steady diet of bursting breasts and twisting torsos. Such a culture does not deem the story of virgin birth as worthy of serious thought. It dismisses it out of hand as quite meaningless and even offensive to human nature.

A positive statement about Jesus

There are some, however, who believe the story need not offend. What’s more, they believe the story can be retold in such a way as to be filled with meaning and message. And they believe that that retelling is a task long overdue.

To begin the retelling, the story of Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus is not a negative statement about sex. It cannot mean that when the Son of God comes into the world, it’s below His dignity to be conceived in the very same way that all other babies are conceived. The virgin birth story cannot mean that God, who in the beginning created the world male and female, now repents of His `indecent’ creation, and decides to do things the `right way’ (virginally ), at least in this one very special case. That’s an insult to every mother and father, and to every child born into the world. The story is not about a fundamentalist obsession with virginity.

The story of Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus is a positive statement about Jesus. It says that the Infant born of Mary is much more than just the gift of Joseph and Mary to the human family: He is, above all and especially, the gift of the heavenly Father to us. Jesus is not just from earth, He is also from heaven.

A positive statement about woman

Retelling the story continues: Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus is also a positive statement about woman. When the Novena of Christmas begins on Dec. 17th the gospel opens with that long male-driven genealogy from Matthew: "Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. And Judah begot Perez and Zerah.” The genealogy runs through 42 monotonous generations of “men begetting sons.”(In that genealogy there isn’t a word about mothers begetting daughters!) That tedious male-driven genealogy finally comes to a screeching halt with these words, "And Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, and it was of her [not of Joseph] that Jesus who is called the Christ was born.”(Mt 1:1-16)

With one powerful stroke the story of Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus puts an ax to that implicit lie of history which lines up only men behind the great moments of history. Behind an event so momentous that it divides time for many into B.C. and A.D., there stands not a man but a woman - Mary. Upon such a momentous page of history a woman, and not a man, puts her signature.

A positive statement about man

Retelling the story continues: The story of Joseph and Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus is also a positive statement about man. In the story of Christmas Joseph steps aside and abdicates his sexual prowess to let the message get through that Jesus is much more than his gift to us: He is especially the gift of the heavenly Father.

Stepping aside is a big order for men who down through the ages have been accustomed to center-stage, and who do not give up power easily. At the end of the day, that perhaps is the real but veiled reason why the Roman Church finds it hard to ordain women. Joseph stepping aside invites a male-driven hierarchy to step aside and make room for women.

Joseph’s stepping aside and abdicating his sexual prowess in the Christmas story is a big order especially for a culture like ours which places a heavy expectation on a young man to be a stud. That expectation is unfair to the young man, for it forces him to invest an inordinate amount of time and energy on sex during his developing years, when there are other areas of development which are equally important. The stud approach to the male is also unfair to a young lady. It makes her feel there’s something wrong with her, if she doesn’t arouse the sexual desires of young men. Or it has her investing an inordinate amount of time and energy to be sexy, to the neglect of other important areas of her human development.

Blatant miracle or teeming with meaning?

At the end of the day, we can do one of three things with the story of Mary’s miraculous and virginal conception of Jesus: 1) We can explicitly, or at least implicitly, reject the story as totally incomprehensible, as our carnal culture does. 2) Or we can go to the other extreme and accept the story with a fundamentalist obsession with virginity, as some staunch believers do. 3) Or we can choose to go in search of the meaning behind the story, as do those who contend that virgin birth must be more than just a blatant miracle; it must also and above all be teeming with meaning.

Conclusion
A time for both under the sun

Hearing the stories of Christmas as little children and hearing them as adults is not a matter of chronology: first we hear them as children, and then we grow up and hear them as adults. We vacillate between the one and the other in the various phases of our human journey. Sometimes we are in an adult mode, searching hard for meaning -- as today we searched hard for the meaning behind the story of Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus. Sometimes we are in a child mode -- in no great need of deep meaning, but utterly delighted by a simple story about a virgin who gave birth to a Son and laid Him in a manger.

Which mode is better? Neither. There’s a time for both under the sun. On our human journey there is a time to be adults searching for meaning. And there is also a time to be unquestioning children listening delightfully and easily to stories about “heavenly hosts singing glory to God in the highest,” and about “Magi from the East bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

[1] The Hebrew of Isaiah 7:14 does not say “a virgin” but rather “a young woman” shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. In the Hebrew text there is no mention of nor emphasis upon the virginity of the mother who bears the child; the emphasis is upon the name of the child: He is `Immanuel.’ ’He is `God-with-us.’

[2] The use of “virgin” in Mt. 1:23 instead of “young woman” reflects a Greek translation of the Old Testament, made some 500 years after Isaiah.

An Exceptional Candle

The third Sunday of Advent

An Exceptional Candle!

December 12, 2010, Third Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 35:1, 4-5 Philippians 4:4-7 Matthew 11:2-11

First reading

Thus said the Lord, God of Hosts: The desert will rejoice, and flowers will bloom in the wastelands. The desert will sing and shout for joy. Tell everyone who is discouraged, “Be strong and don’t be afraid! God is coming to rescue His people.” Then will the eyes of the blind see and the ears of the deaf be opened. Then will the lame leap like a stag, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.

Second reading

So then, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say rejoice! Let your goodness be obvious to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking Him with a thankful heart. And God’s peace which is beyond human understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.

Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
Glory to you, Lord.

When John the Baptist sitting in prison heard of the works of the Christ, he sent a delegation to Jesus with this question, “Are you he who is to come, or should we wait for someone else?” Jesus answered, “Go back and tell John what you are hearing and seeing: the blind are receiving their sight, the lame are walking, the lepers are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised, and the poor are having the good news preached to them. And give him this message, `Blessed are those who don’t doubt me.’”

As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? Were you expecting to see a reed swayed by the wind? Or someone dressed in fine clothing? Those bedecked in fine clothing dwell in royal palaces. Were you expecting to see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: `Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.[1]’ Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

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Introduction
Gaudete Sunday

The entrance verse of the old Latin Mass for the third Sunday of Advent was the exhortation of Paul (sitting in prison) to the Philippians: “Gaudete semper in Domino! Iterum dico, gaudete!” “Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say rejoice!” (Phil: 4:4). So the third Sunday of Advent came to be called “Gaudete Sunday.” On this Sunday, the color rose may be used for the vestments at Mass, instead of penitential purple. And rose is also the color of the third candle of the Advent wreath. That candle burning brightly today commands us to rejoice, for Christmas Day is drawing near. In fact, the Novena of Christmas begins this coming Friday, Dec. 17.

John in jail

Last Sunday John the Baptist was a clear and unambiguous voice in the desert calling the people to make straight the way of the Lord, and hasten the day of His coming. (Mt 3:3) This Sunday, however, it’s a very different picture: John is sitting in prison, and he’s not so sure of himself anymore. He has gotten himself into deep trouble with the Jewish ruler of Galilee, Herod Antipas, for telling him it was unlawful to marry Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. That angers Herod who throws the Baptist into prison. (Mt 14:1-4) He who baptized Jesus and heard the voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased,” isn’t so sure of himself anymore. He now wonders, “Did I get it right?” So he sends a delegation to ask Jesus point blank, “Are you he who is to come, or should we wait for someone else?” (Mt 11:3)

Upbeat Isaiah & Paul

In the first reading the prophet Isaiah is addressing a group of exiles who are politically powerless. He, however, is not depressed. He is, in fact, upbeat. Amazingly, he proclaims to the people a message of joy: “The desert will rejoice, and flowers will bloom in the wastelands. The desert will sing and shout for joy.”

In the second reading, Paul, who is locked in a dungeon and bound with chains for preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, pens a letter to the Philippians. (Phil 1:13-14) Paul who five times suffered thirty-nine lashes by the Jews, who three times was whipped by the Romans and once stoned by them, who was in three shipwrecks, and once spent twenty-fours in the water, and who was imprisoned many more times than his co-workers (2Cor. 23-29) – as he writes to the Philippians from prison amazingly is not depressed. He, in fact, is upbeat, as he issues his classical command: "Gaudete in Domino semper!” “Rejoice in the Lord always!” To say it once wasn’t enough; he repeats himself: "Iterum, dico, gaudete." "Again, I say, rejoice.” (Phil 4:4) "Gaudete" is the strong imperative mood of the Latin: it does not invite one to rejoice; it commands one to rejoice.

Upbeat Beethoven

This coming Thursday, Dec.16, is Ludwig van Beethoven's birthday (b. 1770). It falls appropriately near Gaudete Sunday when we light the rose candle of joy. Though contemporary drawings of this genius show him to be a rather serious man, Beethoven composed an extraordinary piece of music that is suffused with joy. In the final movement of his Ninth Symphony he put to music Schiller's poem "Ode to Joy.” It is one of the most moving choral works ever written. More to the point, however, Beethoven wrote his Ninth Symphony at a time when he was sitting in a prison of deafness! Despite that handicap, so disastrous for a musician, that great genius was not depressed; he was, in fact, quite upbeat, as he heard the beautiful melodies and haunting harmonies of the Ninth playing entirely inside his head!

Upbeat Fr. Delp

German Jesuit, Fr. Alfred Delp, was executed by Hitler on February 2, 1945. Sitting in prison and bound with chains like Paul, he was not depressed. He was, in fact, upbeat, as he wrote in his diary for Gaudete Sunday, 1944,

Is it possible to rejoice in a prison cell (a space of three paces in each direction)? Is it possible to rejoice when your hands are fettered, and your heart is overwhelmed with longings, and your head is filled with problems and worries? Yes, happiness can happen even under these circumstances. I tell you every now and then my heart can scarcely contain the delirious joy that’s in it. Suddenly, not knowing why, my spirits soar and there is no doubt in my mind that all the promises hold good. This might, indeed, be an unconscious defense mechanism against depression. But not always. Sometimes it is due to a wonderful premonition of wonderful things to come. (Prison Meditations of Fr. Delp)

Joy -- an `inside job’ & a mystery

A culture which protests “I want to be me!” frowns on any attempt to command our emotional states. It says, “If I want to go around grouching “Bah humbug!” like old Scrooge because something has gone wrong in my life, then that’s what I’m going to do, and don’t tell me to cheer up.” On Gaudete Sunday Paul, who has every reason to cry out “Bah humbug!”as he sits in prison, instead commands the Philippians to rejoice.

Paul, the prisoner, can command the Philippians to rejoice, because joy is an `inside job.’ It is a decision not to get stuck in one’s losses, privations or tragedies. To use the vernacular of the season, joy is a decision to sing out “Merry Christmas!" instead of grouching out “Bah Humbug!” To evoke the climate of December, joy is a decision to not be snowbound by the negative circumstances of life. The rose candle burning brightly on Gaudete Sunday (and sticking out from the other three) reminds us that joy is not a mood totally at the mercy of outside happenstances. With help from above, joy is also an `inside job.’

As a decision not to get stuck in one’s losses, privations or tragedies, joy is a mystery. Why is it that old Scrooge, who has all the money he needs, makes a decision to grouch out “Bah Humbug, while his nephew, who has almost nothing at all, makes a decision to ring out “Merry Christmas?” Being happy when we get what we want is no mystery. Being happy even when we don’t get what we want is, indeed, a great mystery.

Conclusion
An exceptional candle!

People who are blessed with good health, who enjoy the certainty of a paycheck in these hard times, who have loyal friends to stand by them in thick and thin, and who receive the gifts they want at Christmas, do not need a rose candle burning brightly to command them to rejoice. Joy comes easily and automatically for them.

But there are many others who do, indeed, need the rose candle to command them to rejoice. These are the people who, at this “happiest time of the year,” are suffering personal crises of health, finances or relationships. The holiday music which sings out “T’is the season to be jolly” jars the ears of those who are enduring the “long good-bye” of a loved one afflicted with Alzheimer’s, or are grieving the demise of a spouse of 30, 40, 50 years, etc. Such people (their name is legion during the holiday season) feel excluded, left out in the cold, by a celebration of Christmas which puts a heavy expectation of joy on them. The rose candle burning brightly in mid-Advent is an exceptional candle: it summons first and foremost those who weep to rejoice! The rose candle burns brightly first and foremost for them!

[1] Malachi 3:1

John the Baptist:"Repent! Change Your Minds!"

The second candle of Advent

John the Baptist: “Repent! Change Your Minds!”
December 5, 2010 2nd Sunday of Advent
Is 11:1-2, 5-8, 10 Romans 15:4-9 Matthew 3:1-6

First Reading

Then a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom. [1]

The spirit of the LORD shall give Him wisdom,
and the knowledge and skill to rule His people.
He will judge the poor fairly and defend the rights of the helpless.
He will rule His people with justice and integrity.
Then the wolves and sheep shall live together in peace,
leopards and goats will share the same lairs.
Calves and lion cubs will feed together
and little children shall take care of them.
Cows and bears shall eat together,
and their calves and cubs shall lie down in peace.
Lions shall eat straw as cattle do.
Even a baby will not be harmed, as it plays near a poisonous snake.
A day is coming when the shoot sprung from the stump of Jesse
will be a rallying banner raised on high for Gentiles.

The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Alleluia, alleluia.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord.

At that time John the Baptist came and started preaching in the desert of Judea: “Repent, Change your minds and hearts, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” John was the one about whom the prophet Isaiah was talking, when he said:

Someone is shouting out in the desert,
“Get ready a road for the Lord. Clear the path before Him.
Fill in the valleys, and level off the hills and mountains.
Straighten out the curves, and make the rough ways smooth.
Then all mankind shall see God’s salvation.” [2]

John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

----------------
Introduction
John – the Advent figure par excellence

The Second Sunday of Advent (whether the gospel reading is from Cycle A, B or C) always features the Advent figure par excellence: John the Baptist. He is sent to level off the mountains, fill in the valleys and straighten out the winding trails, in order to facilitate and hasten the Lord’s coming.

Good imagery

There is good imagery in today’s gospel; it suggests the preparation made for a visit from royalty in the ancient world. Preceding a visit from a Pharaoh of Egypt, teams of workers were sent out to put the roads in shape, which at times dwindled down to mere trails cluttered by fallen trees and rolling stones. There were potholes to be mended and bridges to be repaired. There were sharp curves to be straightened and hills to be leveled. There was litter to be cleared away, so that the litter carrying the Pharaoh might move with dispatch.

When the Council of Nicea was held in 360 A.D. near Istanbul Turkey, bishops from Ireland attended. How did they get from Ireland to Turkey? They walked! It took them almost a year to arrive because there weren’t any trains or planes in those days, nor were there any bulldozers to level off the mountains and fill up the valleys. 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 today travel in fine automobiles over perfectly paved super-highways appreciate the imagery of this second Sunday of Advent.

A Capuchin missionary also appreciates the imagery. Today’s gospel, he writes, reminds him of his tour of duty in Nicaragua: “The people who awaited us missionaries to arrive at their little chapel would always clean the path a mile before their chapel. Then they would send a mounted delegation to meet us. With firecrackers, they would make my mule or horse run that last block. By then my rear-end was really very sore from the five or six hour trip, and I found it very hard to keep a serious smile on my face as the people reached up to grab my hand. That always comes to mind when I read the gospel for the second Sunday of Advent.”

Delaying the day of His coming

In Early Advent, the first readings at Mass are from the prophet Isaiah, and they abound with a litany of promises: “In those days, they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. “(Is 2: 4) “He shall judge the poor fairly and defend the rights of the helpless. He shall rule His people with justice and integrity. (Is 11:4-5) “He shall take care of His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs together and carry them in His arms.” (Is 40: 11) Etc.

That litany of promises of Early Advent builds up to an impatience which cries out, “Oh you heavens, stop your delaying! Hurry up and rain down the Just One!"[3] (Is 45:8)

And in Late Advent (also called the Novena of Christmas) the O Antiphon at Vespers for Dec.19 is particularly impatient:”Oh Shoot sprouted from the stump of Jesse, hurry up to save us! Stop your delaying!” [4]

A rabbi, with thoughts of the Holocaust burnt into his soul, knows what delays the Messiah. He writes,

I often kid my synagogue that I visualize the Messiah about to be sent down to the world by G-d, but looking at all the violence, hatred, inhumanity, especially in the name of religion, the Messiah begs G-d to delay sending Him down to this world of ours. If more people in the world were filled with love and compassion and tolerance, we would hasten the day of His coming.

Repenting – changing one’s mind

On this second Sunday of Advent the Baptist calls us “to repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The Greek word for repent is metanoein -- to change one’s mind. The call to repent is a call to change one’s mind and heart about things.

If anyone is called to repent (to change one’s mind about things) first and foremost it is the Church. Once she has obeyed her Lord’s command to repent then she can effectively summon the faithful to repent – to change their minds about things. When it comes to repentance the Church must lead the way. How strange is the boast that’s sometimes heard about “an infallible Church which never needs to change its mind.”

Fr. Boulad – a voice crying in the desert

Father Henri Boulad S J, 79 years young, has an impressive resume: He is rector of the Jesuit school in Cairo. He was superior of the Jesuits in Alexandria, regional superior of the Jesuits in Egypt, professor of theology in El Cairo, and vice president of Caritas International for the Middle East and North Africa. He has given conferences throughout Europe, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, France, Belgium, etc. He has visited 50 countries on 4 continents and has published some 30 books in 15 languages—mainly in French, Arabic, Hungarian, and German. So greatly pedigreed, he obviously isn’t a fly-by-night, and we can presume that his words are worth heeding.

In a personal lengthy letter to Pope Benedict, circulated worldwide in January of 2010, Fr. Boulad calls his Church to repent – to change her mind about many things. His letter in part reads:

In the matter of morality and ethics, the injunctions of the Magisterium, repeated ad nauseam on marriage, contraception, abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, clerical celibacy, divorce and remarriage, etc. touch nobody and only engender weariness and indifference. All these moral and pastoral problems deserve more than preemptory declarations. They deserve an approach that is pastoral, sociological, psychological and humane.

Bishop Untener – a voice crying in the desert

Bishop Kenneth Edward Untener (1937- 2004) served the

Diocese of Saginaw from 1980 until his death in 2004. He was a very good shepherd for the people of the Saginaw diocese. He was also a great comfort for his priests and a challenge to his fellow bishops. He sold the bishop's mansion and proceeded to live in 69 rectories over the next 24 years. People said his office was the trunk of his car. His first words as bishop to the people of Saginaw were: "My name is Ken, and I will be your waiter for a long, long time.” His funeral Mass, attended by some 1,800 people, evoked tears and laughter, audible "amens" and a standing ovation.

1993 was the twenty-fifth anniversary of Pope Paul VI's encyclical letter Humanae Vitae (which reaffirmed the Church's stand against artificial birth control). Bishop Untener used the occasion to keep his promise to be a “waiter” serving his people; he invited his Church to reopen the discussion on birth control, and to do it honestly and openly. At heart, Untener was inviting the Church to repent – to change her mind about birth control, if that’s what an honest and open discussion on the subject called for. His invitation to reopen the discussion, however, quietly displeased the Vatican.

There were many other issues in which Bishop Untener kept his promised to be a “waiter” serving his people. On the issue of divorce, he said, “I am not here to condemn divorced people, nor am I here to condone them. I am here to help them. Jesus did not come to condemn or condone the woman caught in adultery; He came to help her.”

Conclusion
Challenging an` infallible’ Church

Untener’s office was the trunk of his car. His name was “Ken,” and like Jesus at the Last Supper, he girded himself with a towel and proceeded to be a ”waiter” in the Church of Saginaw. He was a good John the Baptist, filling in valleys and leveling off mountains, in order to make it easier for the Lord to come to his people. He was a good prophet speaking truth to power. In a calm and dignified manner he challenged an `infallible’ Church to do what, by definition, an `infallible’ Church cannot do: repent and change its mind.

[1] A freer translation reads, The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; just as new shoots sprout from its stump, so a new king will arise from among David’s descendants.
[2] Isaiah 40:3
[3] Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant Justum
[4] O Radix Jesse, veni ad salvandum nos. Iam noli tardare! (O Antiphon for Dec. 19)

The Hard Work and the Joy of Advent

The first Sunday of Advent
The Hard Work & the Joy of Advent
November 28, 2010, First Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:37-44

First reading

This is what Isaiah, son of Amos, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many people shall come and say: “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord.

Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men shall be out in the field; one shall be taken, and one shall be left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one shall be taken, and one shall be left. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord shall come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man shall come.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

----------------
Introduction
The Extraordinary Time of Advent

Today we exit Ordinary Time and enter into the Extraordinary Time of Advent in preparation for Christmas 2010. Today is New Year’s Day in the Church. Today we go from liturgical Cycle C to Cycle A for the Scripture readings at Mass. This past church year the gospel readings were from Luke; this new church year they will be from Matthew. The liturgical color of the vestments for Advent is purple -- the color for penance. Before Vatican II, Advent like Lent was strictly a penitential season which frowned upon all partying, gift-giving and decorating before December 24. After Vatican II, Pope Paul VI in 1969 approved a revised Roman liturgical calendar which describes Advent as a “season of joyful expectation,” though not denying its penitential dimension.

Two feasts of lights

The physical darkness of these days is building up to December 21, the shortest day of the year, with only 9 short hours of light and 15 long hours of darkness. The increasing physical darkness of these days is intensified also by hard economic times, never-ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, ever-present threats from Islamic terrorists, and by the recent midterm elections which were blackened by mean-spiritedness and gridlock, instead of being suffused with a burning desire to do the work of the people.

Into this darkness come two Feasts of Lights: Christmas for Christians and Hanukkah[1] for Jews. This Sunday, November28, 2010, we light the first of the four candles on the Advent wreath, as a fourfold genuflection to Christmas - our Feast of Lights. And on Thursday, December 2, 2010, our Jewish brethren at sundown will light the first of the eight candles of Hanukkah - their Feast of Lights. (Jn 10:22)

Hanukkah -- a feast of light gone astray

Johannes Buxtorf (1564 – 1629), an ancient Jewish scholar, writes about how his people have strayed far the original inspirations of their religious feasts. He tells how his fellow-Jews had smothered the Feast of Hanukkah (their Feast of Lights) under a blanket of revelry and busyness:

They celebrate it today more by eating, drinking and having fun than by giving thanks to God for their victory over the enemy. They prepare a seven branch
menorah, and then light one candle each day until the eighth night. The candles are not allowed to burn all night long. While they are burning, no one is allowed to do any work in the house. The menorah itself must stand on the right side of the door, not less than ten paces from the ground, and not higher than twenty. And they often hold subtle and futile discussions on how long the lights should burn, who should light them, whether or not it is permitted to light one light with the other, and similar things. In the observance of our Feast of Lights they are very fussy about the outer light but are not concerned about the great darkness which abides in their hearts.

Christmas – a feast of light gone astray

As we are about to launch off into the Advent-Christmas season, Buxtorf‘s words speak poignantly also to us. They indict us also for having strayed far from the original inspiration of Christmas: “an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”(Lk 2:12) We too smother our Feast of Lights under a blanket of revelry and busyness. Of us Buxtorf would write:

They are busy decorating everything with a million lights for their Feast of Lights, and all the while ”they are not concerned about the great darkness which abides in their hearts.” Their Advent-Christmas season makes them unrelentingly busy. They are busy with parties they have to host or attend. They are busy with Christmas cards they have to write or answer. They are busy with shopping for gifts they have to buy for themselves and others. They are busy with trips they have to make, and with visiting relatives they have to accommodate. They are busy hurrying and scurrying here, there and everywhere, except to the stable where they would find the reason for their season: “an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a
manger.”

Thanksgiving – a feast not gone astray

Last Thursday the Nation celebrated what is perhaps its most cherished feast--Thanksgiving. It is, for sure, the Nation’s purest feast. Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day have deteriorated mostly into picnic days in parks. Thanksgiving, however, has remained true to its original inspiration. It still sends us (loaded down with no other gift but ourselves) “over the river and through the woods” to grandmother’s house, to give thanks for the basic blessings: for family and friends, a roof over our head, a warm bed to sleep in and food aplenty to eat.

A recent trend

Is Advent a season of penance? Or is it “a season of joyful expectation” of the Lord's first coming at Christmas and of His second coming at the end of time? Or is it a season of both penance and joyful expectation? The revised liturgical calendar of Paul VI did not deny that Advent is a season of penance; it simply affirmed that Advent is also a “season of joyful expectation.” Penance doesn’t exclude joy, and joy doesn’t exclude penance. A recent trend, however, turns Advent into a season of joy only, with no price of penance to pay.

Bryan Owen, writer and poet, takes to task the trend that makes Advent only”a season of joyful expectation” and neglects its penitential dimension. He writes,

Why, then, do we sometimes hear clergy and laypersons so emphatically deny that these themes [of sin and repentance] are an intrinsic part of the Advent season? I don’t want to paint with too broad of a brush, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s because we are increasingly uncomfortable with btheological concepts like “sin” and “repentance,” and perhaps especially at a time of the year when our consumer culture is in high “feel good” gear. It’s just so much easier (and more fun) to go with the path of least resistance and join the party. By contrast, themes of sin and repentance convey the clear message that we need to change, that we need transformation in order to be ready for Christmas, that we need to wait for the celebration in God’s time, and that it’s inappropriate and even unfaithful to jump the gun by celebrating too early without doing the hard work of repentance in the light of God’s grace.

The future tense: promise

The Scripture readings at Mass for Early Advent (till Dec. 17) are especially from the prophet of Advent – Isaiah. He speaks to us about the heavy-duty work that needs to be done, and he promises that better things are to come. Accordingly, the verbs of the Scripture readings for Early Advent are in the future tense, which is the tense of promise.

“In those days they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning knives. (Is 2:4) "In those days the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid." (Is 11:6) “In those days every valley shall be fill in, every mountain and hill shall be made low.” (Is 40:4 & Mt 3:3) Etc.

The past tense: story

When Late Advent (or the Novena of Christmas) begins on the 17th the mood of the Scripture readings at Mass changes dramatically. They no longer speak about the heavy-duty work that needs to be done, like beating swords into plowshares and leveling off mountains. The readings no longer are filled with promises of better things to come; they now speak about the good thing that has already come to pass! Accordingly, the verbs of the Scripture readings for Late Advent are in the past tense, which is the tense of history and story. Late Advent delights the child in us as it tells one story after another:

“Once upon a time an angel named Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, a priest burning incense on the altar and announced that he and his wife Elizabeth in their old age would bear a son, who would announce the coming of the Messiah.” (Lk 1: 5-25) “Once upon a time an angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds keeping watch over sheep and announced the birth of a savior in the City of David.”(Lk 2:8-20) “Once upon a time an angel of the Lord named Gabriel appeared to a maiden named Mary, and announced that she would virginally conceive a son whom she shall name Jesus.” (Lk 1:26-38) Etc.

As the readings of Late Advent tell us the many stories that make up the one great Story of Christmas, the mood of Advent changes from heavy-duty work to be done to joyful expectation.

Conclusion
Not jumping the gun

Bryan Owen bids us to not “jump the gun by celebrating too early without doing the hard work” of Advent first. In the past we were forbidden to not jump the gun, and we had to do the hard work first, and to do it right up to Christmas Eve itself! The old Advent made us wait until the 24th to decorate the tree, to open our gifts and to indulge in the tastes and sounds of the season. Now days, Christmas begins the day after Thanksgiving when people rush to shopping malls and trample each other under foot, trying to get into stores and lay hold of a bargain. It’s a scene absolutely obscene to behold, especially at this time of the rolling year. By the 26th their trees are thrown out on the curb, and they are left depressed by the season of “joyful expectation.”’

Early Advent invites us “to not jump the gun,” to hold off with the joy part of Advent and to do its hard work first (beating our swords into plowshares and leveling off our mountains). With the hard work done first, the holiday season won’t leave us depressed but filled with joy, the tree won’t be thrown out on the curb by 26th,, and we will find ourselves clinging on to Christmas at least until the Three Kings arrive on Epiphany.

[1] Hanukkah (a Hebrew word meaning `rededication’) commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its defilement by Antiochus Epiphanes, a Greek tyrant of the 2nd century B.C. Hanukkah is also known as The Feast of Lights, because of the 8 candles on the menorah (candelabra ) which were lit for the 8 days of rededication.

Christ the King

Pope John XXIII

Nov. 25, 1881–June 3, 1963

King-on-the-hill
according to Jesus and John

November 21, 2010 -- Solemnity of Christ the King
II Samuel 5:1-3 Colossians 1:12-20 Luke 23:35-43

Gospel
Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Glory to you, Lord.

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer Him wine, they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”Above him an inscription read, "This is the King of the Jews." Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us." The other criminal, however, rebuked him, saying, "Have you no fear of God? We are all under the same sentence. We indeed have been justly condemned; we’re getting what we deserve, but He has done no wrong.” Then the good criminal turned to Jesus and said, "Lord, remember me when You come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

----------------
Introduction
The end of the church year

After having celebrated all the feasts of Our Lord and his saints through fifty-two weeks, today we finish off the church year with a feast in honor of Christ the King. Then next Sunday we will celebrate New Year’s Day in the Church with the first Sunday of Advent -- that season which keeps us so busy preparing for Christmas that there is little time to prepare for the birthday of the Lord.

A recent feast

The feast of Christ the King was instituted as recently as 1925 by Pope Pius XI.[1] At that time, the Pope was battling various kings of this world. He was fighting anticlericalism in Mexico and the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. In his own backyard, he was fighting the Kingdom of Italy which had confiscated papal territories. With the newly instituted feast the Pope was saying, “We have a King who is greater than all you kings. He is Jesus of Nazareth – `the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.’” (Rev 19:26)

This late November feast might be a bit superfluous; already in early spring, the Church celebrates Christ as King as she cries out on Palm Sunday, “God bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to God!” (Lk 19:38) Holy Week is a better context for proclaiming the kingship of Christ. It sets Jesus upon a donkey and not upon a throne. It places a palm branch in his hand and not a scepter. It plants a wreath of thorns upon his head and not a tiara. On Palm Sunday Jesus sets matters straight for all those who are busy building kingdoms and mega-churches in this world for Him; He tells Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (Jn 18:36)

A scriptural feast

However we sons and daughters of the American Revolution might feel about kings, Scripture is clear: Jesus is a king as He comes into the world and as He leaves it. At his conception, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that the Lord God would give her Son the throne of His ancestor King David, and that His kingdom would have no end. (Lk 1:32-33) At his trial, Pontius Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you a king?”He answers, “Yes, for this I was born, and for this I came into the world.”(Jn 18:37) Accordingly, a gang of Roman soldiers wove a crown of thorns and pressed it down on Jesus’ head. (Mt 27:29) Then they forced Him to climb the hill of Calvary and nailed Him to a cross, on which Pilate hung a notice written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. (Jn 19:19)

Christians play King-on-the-hill.

In the old days when kids didn’t have money to buy hi-tech toys, they used to play `Hop-scotch,’ `Kick-the-can’ or `King-on-the-hill.’ Those games didn’t cost a penny. `King-on-the-hill’ required only a hill on which to stand and knock someone down.

Not only kids but also adults play King-on-the-hill. St. Cyprian (d.258), a Church Father of the third century, is famous for his dictum that “Outside the Church there is no salvation.” In the course of time, Cyprian’s dictum deteriorated into a mumbled and half-examined belief that only Christians (or worse yet, only Catholics) made it to the top of the hill in the Kingdom of Heaven. If there were others besides Christians (or Catholics) in heaven that was because they had snuck in through a `backdoor’ called `the baptism of desire’ or `the baptism of blood.’

On August 6, 2000, Cardinal Ratzinger (now Benedict XVI), as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, reinvigorated St. Cyprian’s dictum that made Catholics King-on-the-hill. In a document entitled Dominus Iesus, the Pope warned Catholics to not water down the extraordinary uniqueness of Jesus, when dealing with Buddhism and Hinduism. He also warned them to not water down the extraordinary uniqueness of the Catholic Church when dialoguing with non-Catholic Christian churches, The document, heavy with ponderous theology, was disheartening for ecumenists who for thirty years were working hard to build bridges. On July 10, 2007, Pope Benedict approved a document which restated the key sections of Dominus Iesus.

The Rev. Sara MacVane of the Anglican Center in Rome said that there was nothing new in the new document, and that she didn’t know what motivated the Pope to write it in the first place. She pointed out, however, that there is the official position of the Church which likes to play `lonely King-on-the-hill,’ and that there is also an unofficial position which is infused with the great good will of Pope John XXIII.

What does Jesus do whenever Christians try to play King-on-the-hill in His name? After the multiplication of the loaves and fishes when the fervent crowds wanted to make Him king, Scripture says, “He fled from them and hid Himself up in the mountains.” (Jn 6: 15)

Muslims play King-on-the-hill.

Not only Christians but Muslims also like to play King-on-the-hill.
The world’s most wanted Islamic terrorist, Osama bin Laden, who believes that only Shari'a[2] (Islamic religious law) can set things right in this world, inspired, master-minded and plotted the apocalyptic day of September 11, 2001. On that unspeakable day, two 747s brought down two signature towers in Lower Manhattan, and three thousand innocent “infidels.”

One year ago on November 5, 2009, another Islamic terrorist, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 and wounding 29 infidels, as he cried out, “Allahu Akbar!” “God is great!” Both unspeakable events were, at heart, more religious than political. At the end of the day, both events were stout proclamations that “Outside the Mosque there is no salvation.”

What does Allah do when Islamic extremists try to play King-on-the-hill in His name? He flees from them, and with Jesus hides Himself up in the mountains.

Judaism does not play King-on-the-hill.

In his book What Went Wrong (with Islam) Bernard Lewis [3] speaks of a `triumphalist approach’ to religion. That’s the approach of Christianity and Islam, which claims that outside the Church or Mosque there is no salvation. Lewis says the `triumphalist approach’ has Christianity and Islam shouting at each other: “I’m right, you’re wrong, go to hell!” Such triumphalism, however, is increasingly under attack in Christianity and is rejected now by many preachers and theologians. There is very little sign, however, that triumphalism is being rejected in Islam.

On the other hand, Lewis speaks of a `relativist approach’ to religion, which says, “I have my faith, you have your faith, and others have their faith.” He says that’s the approach of Judaism. To its great credit, Judaism does not boast that “Outside the Synagogue there is no salvation.” In the Babylonian Talmud Judaism teaches that Gentiles can receive a share in "the world to come.”

A Pope who didn’t play King-on-the-hill

This coming Thursday, November 25, is a doubleheader: besides being Thanksgiving it’s also the birthday of a very beloved man. Many of us were fortunate enough to be his contemporaries, and remember him with deep affection. Like Jesus he was born poor, on November 25, 1881. His name was Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli. Born in a little Italian village called Bergamo Sotto il Monte (Bergamo at the Foot of the Hill), he managed to make it to the top of the hill. On October 28, 1958, Cardinal Roncalli was elected pope and took the name of John XXIII. On November 4, the day of his `coronation,’ a crown was placed upon his head. In his homily that day, the new Pope said that he had in mind the example of the Good Shepherd who came not to be waited upon as kings are, but to serve.

The day after his `coronation,’ John sped off through elaborate Vatican gates to put his money where his mouth was. He visited aging brother priests in nursing homes. He visited inmates in the nearby Regina Coeli Prison along the Tiber. “I come to you,” he told them, “because you couldn’t come to me.” When he celebrated his first Holy Thursday as pope, he revived an ancient custom of the Church: like Jesus John girded himself with a towel and bent down to wash the feet of 13 young priests. John had revived the rite of foot-washing fallen into disuse for centuries – a disuse which was symptomatic of a prevailing institutional attitude.

An example for Morris West

John’s wonderful example emanating from the lofty height of the Petrine throne drew the whole Church and world. It drew Morris West, an Australian writer (1916-1999) famous especially for his books The Devil’s Advocate and The Shoes of the Fisherman. In A View from the Ridge he writes,

I believe I can say with certainty that I remained in communion with the Church even when the Church itself excluded me,[4] and I remain there still, principally because of the presence of John XXIII, the Good Pastor, whom I never met, though I did meet his predecessor (Pius XII) and his successor (John Paul II). Goodness went out from this man to me. I acknowledged it then. I acknowledge it again.

Conclusion
King-on-the-hill according to Jesus and John

When Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, born in Bergamo at the Foot of the Mountain, made it to the top of the hill as John XXIII, he, like Jesus, played a completely new game of King-on-the-hill. In the old game, when you got to the top, you drove everyone down. In the new game when Jesus got to the top -- when He was lifted up on the Hill of Calvary -- He drew everyone up to Himself. (Jn 12:32) Like Jesus, when John got to the top of the hill he, too, played the game in an entirely new way. From the lofty height of the Petrine throne he showed the Church and all of us how much more blessed, how much more effective, and yes, how much more fun it is to draw people than to drive them.

[1] In his encyclical Quas Primas (December 11, 1925)
[2] Shari'a literally means "the path to a watering hole."
[3] British-American historian, Orientalist and political commentator
[4] Though West was and always remained a Catholic, his various writings contain a good deal of criticism about the Church, and the Church was not always pleased with him.

Now-Time and End-Time

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 14, 2010
Malachi 3:19-20a 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 Luke 21:5-11, 25-28

Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be rubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.

Gospel
The end of the Temple (Lk 21:5-11)

When some were admiring how the Temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “I tell you the day is coming when not a single stone will be left on top of another; it will all become one vast heap of rubble.” Then some asked him," Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be that these things are about to happen?" He answered, “Do not let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name, saying, `'I am he,’ and `The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” Then he said to them further: “Nations and kingdoms will wage war against each other. And there will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues everywhere; and fearful events and great signs from the sky.”

The end of time (Lk 21:25-28)

There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars. On earth, countries will be in great distress. Nations will be frightened by roaring seas and raging tides. Men will faint from fear as they wait for what is coming over the whole earth; for the powers in space will be driven from their courses. Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in a cloud with great power and glory . When these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your salvation is near.”

Introduction
33rd Sunday -- end of the church year

The Western World ends its old year on New Year’s Eve, the last day of December. For all practical purposes this 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Church is the end of the church year. The Scripture readings this Sunday are about the End-time. Next Sunday, Nov. 21, the Church will celebrate the feast of Christ the King, as a triumphant finale to the church year. In response to the growing nationalism and secularism of the day, the feast of Christ the King, instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, was sandwiched in between the last Sunday of the church year and the first Sunday of Advent.

This year November 28 will be the first Sunday of Advent in preparation for Christmas 2010. Already in many city squares a towering Christmas tree has been constructed -- aglow with a thousand lights to ignite the spirit of holiday shopping in us, but especially to lighten up a world darkened by unending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a bad economy stressing many, ugly midterm elections dividing the nation, and political parties paralyzed by gridlock.

The end of the Temple

The Temple in Jerusalem was a marvelous human creation. It took 10,000 men to build it, 1000 priests as masons to construct its sacred sections, and 46 years to complete. Imagine then how shocked were some people when Jesus told them, as they were admiring the Temple before them, that, “The day is coming when not a single stone will be left on top of another; it will all become one vast heap of rubble.” (Lk. 21: 6) That was like standing in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and telling Italian people that their marvelous creation which took 120 years to build was going to be destroyed.

Jesus’ prediction about the Temple’s destruction came true. In 66 AD, Jewish zealots began a revolt against the power of Rome. On the day of Passover, 70 AD, Roman legions surrounded the city and cut off all food and water supplies. After a siege of five months, Roman forces stormed Jerusalem and burned down the Temple. As Jesus predicted, not one stone was left on another; the only part of Herod’s Temple that remains standing today is a section of the western wall called the Wailing Wall.

Apocalypse – a literary genre

The second part of today’s gospel reading is an apocalypse -- a literary genre which appeared two centuries before and three centuries after Christ. An apocalypse paints a picture about an imminent End. It describes a stunning and momentous event which brings on the Messiah, who once and for all will fix everything that’s wrong with this world, but which man hasn’t been able to fix. That momentous event which brings on the age of the Messiah will occur in the near future, and will be accompanied by all kinds of signs:

There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars.
On earth, countries will be in great distress.
Nations will be frightened by roaring seas and raging tides.
Men will faint from fear as they wait
for what is coming over the whole earth;
for the powers in space will be driven from their courses.
Then the Son of Man will appear,
coming in a cloud with great power and glory.
When these things begin to happen,
stand up and raise your heads,
because your salvation is near.”
(Dan 7:13-14; Lk 21:25-28)

Challenged to wait as they were

For most of us an apocalypse is a strange and esoteric genre. Who of us are hoping and waiting for an End to the world which will fix once and for all everything that we couldn’t fix for ourselves? Who of us, in fact, are hoping and waiting for Christ’s second coming “in a cloud with great power and glory” to be our great Fixer. Teilhard de Chardin (that great mystic theologian of the End-time) writes, albeit with a tone of complaint,”We persist in saying that we wait in hopeful expectation of the coming of the Master. In reality we must admit, if we are sincere, that we no longer wait for anything!” (Divine Milieu)

We are undoubtedly different from Luke’s audience. At the same time, however, we are as much challenged as they were to wait for an event greatly longed for, but disappointingly delayed in coming. We might be waiting for a national or global event like economic recovery or an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Or we might be waiting for an event on a personal level like the results of a biopsy, a letter from an estranged child, or the safe return of a loved one from a tour of duty. Whatever the case, we, like Luke’s audience, know the challenge, the stress and the anxiety of waiting.

Despair of & belief in human endeavor

An apocalypse foretells that “Men will faint from fright as they wait for what is coming over the whole earth.” Strange to say, an apocalypse was written not to frighten people but to console them. It was written because human conditions were felt to be beyond human fixing, and in great need of nothing less than divine intervention. Strange to say, an apocalypse was inspired by a hope based upon despair: despair of human effort leads to hope in divine effort.

Some religious sects despair that human endeavor can fix what’s wrong with this world. They put all their trust in an End-time God who on the last day will do for them what they feel they can’t do for themselves. These `other-worldly’ people betake themselves not to action to fix things up, but to prayer that God will hasten the day of the Great Fixer, and that God will enable them to hold on until that great day comes. That‘s a light year away from the `this-worldly’ spirit of Teilhard de Chardin, who again writes in Divine Milieu, “Our faith imposes on us the right and the duty to throw ourselves into the things of this world.”

Most of us, however, believe in human endeavor, and are so busy trying to fix what needs fixing in this world that we have little room or need for an apocalyptic God to step in and do the job for us. We are not preoccupied with apocalyptic thoughts about “the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and glory” to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves.

The culture of the instantaneous

Teilhard is, indeed, right when he says that if we’re sincere we must admit that we no longer wait for anything!” We are woefully blighted by a culture of the instantaneous which can’t bear waiting for anything. We don’t wait for food (by preparing a good healthy meal); we get it instantly at a McDonald’s drive-through. We don’t wait for mail; we get it instantly through e-mail. That is a light year away from the old days when the stagecoach or the pony express used to deliver the mail. It is even a light years away from the mailman today delivering his `snail mail.’

In a culture of the instantaneous we don’t wait until we have enough cash to buy the things we want or think we need; we now have a wallet full of credit cards to take care of that. In a culture of the instantaneous, we don’t even wait for Christmas anymore. Now days it arrives on the very Friday after Thanksgiving Thursday. Already a tall fully decorated Christmas tree stands at the entrance of a Wal-Mart Store. That, too, is a light year away from the old days when Christmas was religiously held off until Dec. 24. And yes, in a culture of the instantaneous, it was to be expected that the nation would have no patience whatsoever to wait for economic recovery; through the recent midterm elections it chose to `throw the bums out.’

End-time already & always upon us

The second part of today’s gospel is about the End-time. But does the End-time come only at the very end, or is it already and always upon us? Haven’t we already experienced “men fainting from fear” in the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Dachau, Buchenwald, etc., during the Nazi reign of terror? In 12 short years (1933-1945 VE Day) the Nazis systematically murdered 6,025,000 Jews and roughly 6,667,000 non-Jews, to make a grand total 12,692,000 people!
Isn’t the End-time already upon us? Haven’t we already experienced “nations and kingdoms waging war against each other” on our planet? The first half of the twentieth century was devastated by two horrific World Wars. The estimated total casualties of World War I is 18 million plus! The estimated total casualties of World War II is 22 million plus!

Isn’t the End-time already upon us in those two apocalyptic days of August 6 and 9, 1945, when two atomic bombs exploded upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing World War II to an end, and ushering in an utterly foreboding age? In those two blasts between 130,000 and 200,000 were killed, injured, or simply disappeared in atomic dust.

Isn’t the End-time already upon us? On September 11, 2001, we saw “men fainting from fear.”The scene of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, plumed in black billowing smoke, is indelibly burned into our imagination. On that day Islamic terrorists drove two 747s into the Twin Towers, killing 2,752 victims, among whom were 343 firefighters and 60 police officers. How more apocalyptic than that can life on earth get!

Conclusion
Both now-Time & End-Time people

We are Now-Time people who are called to roll up our sleeves and labor to fix the things we can fix, and to build a new heaven and earth. (Rev. 21:1) Our faith imposes that on us. We are also End-Time people “who have no permanent city here on earth, and who go in search of that city which is to come.” (Heb 13:14) Only there will the fruits of our labor be “freed of stain, burnished and transfigured, when Christ hands over to the Father `a kingdom eternal and universal, a kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace. ’"

When we are Now-Time people only, we place too much hope in human endeavor. When we are End-Time only, we despair of human effort and place too much hope in God. The Church’s dismissal to us on this 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (her End-time Sunday) is to go forth and be both.