From First week to Third week in Advent A-1
Click on any date to go to the Thought for that Day
| Liturgical Season | Sun | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat |
| First Week Advent A-1 | Nov 28 | Nov 29 |
Nov 30 Feast St Andrew |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Second Week Advent A-1 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 Immaculate Conception |
9 | 10 | 11 |
| Third Week Advent A-1 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
Twitter for updates
Facebook
for updates
MySpace for updates
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First Sunday of Advent A
Prayers this week: To you, my God, I lift my soul, I trust in you; let me never
come to shame. Do not let my enemies laugh at me. No one who waits for you is
ever put to shame. (Psalm 24:1-3)
All-powerful God, increase our strength of will for doing good that Christ may
find an eager welcome at his coming and call us to his side in the kingdom of
heaven where he lives and reigns. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your
Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God.
(November 28) St. James of the Marche (1394-1476)
James was born in the Marche of Ancona, in central Italy along the Adriatic Sea.
After earning doctorates in canon and civil law at the University of Perugia, he
joined the Friars Minor and began a very austere life. He fasted nine months of
the year; he slept three hours a night. St. Bernardine of Siena told him to
moderate his penances. James studied theology with St. John of Capistrano.
Ordained in 1420, James began a preaching career that took him all over Italy
and through 13 Central and Eastern European countries. This extremely popular
preacher converted many people (250,000 at one estimate) and helped spread
devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. His sermons prompted numerous Catholics to
reform their lives and many men joined the Franciscans under his influence. With
John of Capistrano, Albert of Sarteano and Bernardine of Siena, James is
considered one of the "four pillars" of the Observant movement among the
Franciscans. These friars became known especially for their preaching. To combat
extremely high interest rates, James established montes pietatis (literally,
mountains of charity) — non profit credit organizations that lent money at very
low rates on pawned objects. Not everyone was happy with the work James did.
Twice assassins lost their nerve when they came face to face with him. James was
canonized in 1726.
"Beloved and most holy word of God! You enlighten the hearts of the faithful,
you satisfy the hungry, console the afflicted; you make the souls of all
productive of good and cause all virtues to blossom; you snatch souls from the
devil’s jaw; you make the wretched holy, and men of earth citizens of heaven"
(Sermon of St. James). (AmericanCatholic.org)
click on centre arrow
Scripture readings: Isaiah 2:1-5;
Psalm 122: 1-9; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44
Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be
when the Son of man comes. In the days before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, right up till the day Noah entered
the ark. They did not know till the flood came and took them all away. So also
will the coming of the Son of man be. Then two shall be in the field: one will
be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will
be taken and one left. Watch therefore because you do not know not at what hour
your Lord will come. But know this that if the master of the house knew at what
hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch and would not allow his
house to be broken open. So you also be ready, because you do not know at what
hour the Son of man will come.” (Matthew 24:37-44)
Particular Judgment
Occasionally we read of intellectual prodigies who attain brilliant grades in
their disciplines and at an early age. I remember reading of an Australian
mathematician who won great honours while still in his teens and who went on to
gain a prestigious professorship when early into his adulthood.
I know of
another Australian who gained a professorship in philosophy in one of the
renowned universities of the world while still young — a man whose philosophy
was, from a religious perspective, anything but satisfactory. However, whatever
be the intellectual attainments of this or that person, no-one would consider
intellectual brilliance as in any way necessary. If a person is of average
intellect, so be it. That person may do well in life, and indeed very well — much better in certain respects (such as, say, his marriage, or in general
happiness) than the brilliant scholar, doctor, or professional. However, there
is one aspect of human awareness and knowledge that is absolutely necessary for
everyone, and it is reflected in ordinary civil law. If a person is charged with
some crime, it is not generally to the point to ask if that person is brilliant
or ordinary in personal intelligence. What is to the point is if it is asserted
of that person that he did not know the difference between right and wrong. If
it is demonstrated that a person does not know the difference between right and
wrong — whatever be his intelligence in other respects — then that person is
judged to be singularly deficient in the most important area of human awareness.
He will be acquitted of personal responsibility for the crime and committed to
special care. As a human being he is seriously incapacitated, and dangerous — indeed, even more so if his intellectual ability in other respects is
considerable. What I am saying is that the conscience of man is the most
important feature of his intellectual capacity. If his conscience is sound and
highly developed, his intellectual powers, whether moderate or great, will serve
for good. Now, an obvious feature of his conscience is its sense of a judgment
on him and on his actions.
That is to say, the person with a lively conscience has a lively sense of being
judged for the goodness or evil of what he does — and this means for his own
goodness or evil. Granted the fallen character of man, generally a sound
conscience will be a somewhat guilty one, though not entirely. But the point I
am making is that my guilty conscience suggests to me that I am being judged now
and will be in the future. In this sense, if I have a lively and sound
conscience I shall be led to expect, however vaguely, a future judgment very
particular to me. Cardinal Newman made a famous remark about this very personal
phenomenon in his classic Letter to the Duke of Norfolk (February,
1875). Conscience, he said, was “the aboriginal vicar of Christ.” It had long
been a dictum in English Protestant thought that nature is the voice of God.
Butler states this in his master work, The Analogy of Religion
(1736). Newman identifies that feature of the mind of man which represents most
of all the voice of God, and in particular, the voice of Christ. It is the
conscience. As the Second Vatican Council would teach, in his conscience, man
“is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.” As The Catechism of
the Catholic Church teaches, “when he listens to his conscience, the
prudent man can hear God speaking” (no.1777). The point here, though, is that we
have a natural sense of a judgment — God’s judgment — on our actions. Now all
this is confirmed by Christ in his teaching — reflected in today’s Gospel
(Matthew 24: 37-44) — but is made far more
certain and explicit by it. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of
Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts
speak of a final destiny of the soul, determined by the judgment of God on his
life and deeds. Each of us receives our eternal retribution at the moment of
death in a particular judgment that refers our whole life to Jesus Christ.
Following death we each face God’s judgment. This will result in the eternal
bliss of heaven, either following a purification or immediately, or everlasting
damnation. Let our conscience and Christ’s teaching guide us!
There is a beautiful prayer that is commonly said following each decade of the
Rosary. It is this: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of
hell, and bring all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of thy
mercy!” Repeatedly Christ refers to the judgment of God, indicating that he
means us to keep it in mind throughout life. It is the greatest thing that we
must face, and all that we think, say and do will come before its examination.
The books will be opened and all will receive their just due. Let us not forget
our particular judgment!
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading: The Catechism of the Catholic Church,
no.1020-1022: (The particular judgment)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Second reflection:
(Matthew 24:37-44)
Materialism The Old
Testament looks forward to the coming of the Messiah. Christians know that he
has come and has won Redemption for mankind. But we await his coming still, for
he comes to us in a variety of ways still in the life of the Church; he will
come to each of us at our death, and he will come finally to judge mankind at
the end of the world. We should live as people who are ever prepared for this
final coming, were it to occur at any moment. We shall be prepared for his final
coming if we live in a way that welcomes him in all his other comings,
especially in the graces and calls of every day. During Advent we begin the new
liturgical year by welcoming Christ in whatever way he comes to us. But there
are factors which prevent us from giving to Christ this welcome, and foremost is
a lack of concern for him due to a love for this world. Our Lord in the Gospel
refers us to the Genesis story of Noah and those who died in the flood. Our Lord
tells us that “In the days before the flood they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, right up till the day Noah entered the ark.”
What is wrong with “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage”? Their
sin was that they were totally unconcerned about God and his will. God created
them to seek happiness in obedience to his will. I am the Lord thy God, he
commands. Thou shalt not have anything in your life before me. Their interest
was in this life alone, in “eating, drinking and marrying”. It was the ancient
sin of materialism.
This ancient sin is ever new, and is especially alive in a secular world in
which God is regarded as a purely private persuasion. In such a mindset, this
world constitutes the true reality. The greatest need of the modern era is that
there be a recapture of belief in God. As children of our era, we can likewise
be touched by an overriding interest in the advantages deriving from this world.
Advent is the season when we renew our welcome for Christ in each and all of his
comings — whether it be in those numerous moments of grace during life, or at
our death, or when he finally comes at the end to judge the living and the dead.
But if we are to welcome him, we must guard our hearts against materialism, the
ever-encroaching love for this world alone.
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whenever you feel the stirrings of your poor flesh, which sometimes attacks with
violent assaults, kiss your crucifix, kiss it many times with firm resolve, even
if it seems to you that you are doing so without love.
(The Forge, no.317)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Monday of the
first week of Advent A-1
Prayers for today: Nations, hear
the message of the Lord, and make it known to the ends of the earth: Our Saviour
is coming. Have no more fear. (Jeremiah 31:10; Isaiah
35:4)
Lord our God, help us to prepare for the coming of Christ your Son. May he find
us waiting eager in joyful prayer. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
(November 29) Servant of God John of Monte Corvino
(1247-1328)
At a time when the Church was heavily embroiled in
nationalistic rivalries within Europe, it was also reaching across Asia to
spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Mongols. John of Monte Corvino went to
China about the same time Marco Polo was returning. John was a soldier, judge
and doctor before he became a friar. Prior to going to Tabriz, Persia
(present-day Iran), in 1278, he was well known for his preaching and teaching.
In 1291 he left Tabriz as a legate of Pope Nicholas IV to the court of Kublai
Khan. An Italian merchant, a Dominican friar and John travelled to western India
where the Dominican died. When John and the Italian merchant arrived in China in
1294, Kublai Khan had recently died. Nestorian Christians, successors to the
dissidents of the fifth-century Council of Ephesus’ teaching on Jesus Christ,
had been in China since the seventh century. John converted some of them and
also some of the Chinese, including Prince George from Tenduk, northwest of
Beijing. Prince George named his son after this holy friar. John established his
headquarters in Khanbalik (now Beijing), where he built two churches; his was
the first resident Catholic mission in the country. By 1304 he had translated
the Psalms and the New Testament into the Tatar language. Responding to two
letters from John, Pope Clement V named John Archbishop of Khanbalik in 1307 and
consecrated seven friars as bishops of neighbouring dioceses. One of the seven
never left Europe. Three others died along the way to China; the remaining three
bishops and the friars who accompanied them arrived there in 1308. When John
died in 1328, he was mourned by Christians and non-Christians. His tomb quickly
became a place of pilgrimage. In 1368, Christianity was banished from China when
the Mongols were expelled and the Ming dynasty began. John’s cause has been
introduced in Rome.
When John of Monte Corvino went to China, he represented the
Church’s desire to preach the gospel to a new culture and to be enriched by it.
The travels of Pope John Paul II have demonstrated the universality of the Good
News and the urgent need to continue the challenging work of helping the Good
News take root in a variety of cultural situations.
In 1975, Pope Paul VI wrote, "The Church evangelizes when she seeks to convert,
solely through the divine power of the Message she proclaims, both the personal
and collective consciences of people, the activities in which they engage, and
the lives and concrete milieus which are theirs" (Evangelization in the
Modern World, #18). (AmericanCatholic.org)
click on centre arrow
Scripture today:
Isaiah 2: 1-5; Psalm 121; Matthew 8: 5-11
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.
Lord, he said, my servant lies at home paralysed and in terrible suffering.
Jesus said to him, I will go and heal him. The centurion replied, Lord, I do not
deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant
will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I
tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to
my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it. When Jesus heard this, he was astonished
and said to those following him, I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone
in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east
and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 8: 5-11)
The centurion’s faith We
read later in this same Gospel of St Matthew that our Lord, in the midst of his
intense ministry, came to his home town (Matthew 13: 54-58) of Nazareth and
taught in the synagogue. The people knew him very well — “is not this the
carpenter’s son?” — but they refused to believe in him. He
“did not work many
miracles there because of their unbelief” (13:58). Many of the religious leaders
(though not all) absolutely refused belief, and engineered his very death. Many
of his own disciples refused to believe his word when he announced the doctrine
of the Eucharist in Capernaum. This amazing doctrine was too much for them, even
though it came directly from his lips. They abandoned their faith in him such as
it was, walked with him no more and returned to their homes (John 6: 66). They
had been granted the grace of hearing and seeing the Lord, of being convinced,
and of walking with him as his disciples. But this grace was forsaken. Most
tragic and most spectacular of all, was the defection of one of the very Twelve.
Judas must have had faith in our Lord because Christ chose him from among his
many disciples to be one of the Twelve. But he did not advance in faith — indeed, he secretly regressed to the point of scheming the betrayal. There are
various instances given in the Gospels of our Lord berating the people for their
lack of faith. He warned Capernaum that it was heading for hell. Of course, our
Lord had ardent disciples who became the foundation of his Church, and who went
on to live lives of heroic service of the Master. The point is that those of
God’s special choice, his chosen people, those among whom the Spirit of God
assuredly moved and was drawing in the direction of faith in the Messiah and Son
of God, could both succeed in faith and could fail miserably. Now, in our Gospel
today (Matthew 8: 5-11), our Lord encounters
one who is not of the children of Israel — a centurion. The fact that our Lord
expresses astonishment at his faith and compares it with the faith of those of
Israel, suggests that our centurion was not of the Faith, though a religious man
and friendly to the chosen people. Let us consider his faith and its
implications.
His faith in Jesus was great — of this we are assured by our Lord’s words. It
far exceeded that of a very great number in Israel. He has profound respect for
Jesus, regarding him as a very holy man and having great power before the throne
of God. He declared himself unworthy to receive a visit from our Lord in his own
home. Let us remember that we see our Lord repeatedly in the homes of people.
Pharisees invited him to their homes for a meal or feast. Matthew, when called
by our Lord arranged a feast in his home, to which he invited his colleagues the
tax collectors. Martha, Mary and Lazarus had Jesus visiting them in their home.
We read that Christ visited the towns and the “farms” of Galilee. He was
received, then, into the homes of farmers. But in our passage today the
centurion, a man with power at his command, declares himself unworthy to have
Jesus in his own home, for Jesus was so exalted a person. We are surely reminded
of John the Baptist’s statement that he was unworthy so much as to undo the
sandals Jesus wore. Again, we think of Simon Peter’s protestation following the
miraculous catch of fish: Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man! The
centurion’s self-abasement before the goodness of Jesus was great, which is to
say that his faith in Jesus had a firm foundation in humility. Moreover, he was
convinced that there was nothing Jesus could not do. All that was needed was to
say the word — nothing more. We are reminded of the pagan official who visited
the prophet Elisha to obtain a cure for his leprosy, and left the prophet,
offended because all that the prophet did was direct him to wash in a local
stream. He changed his mind and obeyed the prophet, but the centurion of today
only asked for a simple word from our Lord. That would suffice. All this is to
say that the Spirit of God works among the peoples. The high faith of the
centurion was but a beginning, of course, and it needed to accept much more of
Jesus Christ to reach its full potential. But other instances can be given. The
Samaritans — foreigners and heretics — of chapter 4 of the Gospel of St John
declared themselves to have accepted that Jesus was the Saviour of the world.
Our Lord speaks of many outside the pale of the Faith coming from East and West
to take their places at the table of the Kingdom. The Spirit of God is at work
among the peoples, drawing them to a greater or lesser extent to the Saviour of
the world, who is found in his body the Church. Within the Church is to be found
the fulness of all Christ left for the redemption and sanctification of the
world. But we ought preserve in our hearts great respect for the striving and
the positive achievements of the peoples. They are not alone. God their common
Father has them in hand, and wishes all men to be saved. Let us respect and love
all people with the mind of Christ.
(E.J.Tyler)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Place yourself before the Lord each day and tell him slowly and in all
earnestness, like the man in the Gospel who was in such great need, Domine,
ut videam! — Lord, that I may see!; that I may see what you expect from me,
and struggle to be faithful to you.
(The Forge, no.318)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Feast of St
Andrew, the Apostle (November 30)
Tuesday of the first week of Advent B-2 (2010)
Prayers for today: By the Sea of Galilee the Lord saw two brothers, Peter
and Andrew. He called them: come and follow me, and I will make you fishers of
men (Matthew 4: 18-19)
Lord in your kindness hear our petitions. You called Andrew the apostle to
preach the gospel and guide your Church in faith. May he always be our friend in
your presence to help us with his prayers. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
(30 November) St. Andrew the Apostle
Andrew was St. Peter’s brother, and was called with him. "As
[Jesus] was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is now
called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were
fishermen. He said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’
At once they left their nets and followed him" (Matthew 4:18-20). John the
Evangelist presents Andrew as a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus walked
by one day, John said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." Andrew and another disciple
followed Jesus. "Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, ‘What
are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means
Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.’ So
they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day" (John
1:38-39a). Little else is said about Andrew in the Gospels. Before the
multiplication of the loaves, it was Andrew who spoke up about the boy who had
the barley loaves and fishes (see John 6:8-9). When the Gentiles went to see
Jesus, they came to Philip, but Philip then had recourse to Andrew (see John
12:20-22). Legend has it that Andrew preached the Good News in what is now
modern Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras. As in the case of all the
apostles except Peter and John, the Gospels give us little about the holiness of
Andrew. He was an apostle. That is enough. He was called personally by Jesus to
proclaim the Good News, to heal with Jesus' power and to share his life and
death. Holiness today is no different. It is a gift that includes a call to be
concerned about the Kingdom, an outgoing attitude that wants nothing more than
to share the riches of Christ with all people. “...The Twelve called together
the community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right for us to neglect the
word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable
men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task,
whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word’”
(Acts 6:2-4). (AmericanCatholic.org)
click on centre arrow
Scripture today: Romans 10: 9-18; Psalm 18; Matthew 4: 18-22
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon
called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for
they were fishermen. Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of
men. At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw
two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a
boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and
immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
(Matthew 4: 18-22)
Missionary Abraham
is acknowledged as one of the great religious founders of the world. Mahomet
looked to him, as do, of course, those of the Jewish and Christian religions.
When we look at the biblical account of his call (Genesis 12: 1-3), we notice
that embedded in it is a mission to the world.
God tells Abram to go forth from
his fatherland to a land he would show him. Then God tells Moses of his plan for
him: I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your
name great so that you will be a blessing... All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you.” That is the mission God has set himself, to bless
the earth through Abram and his posterity. So Abram went as the Lord directed
him. Abram simply obeyed, and through his obedience God would bless the earth.
Though there is a mission, it is God who prosecutes it and not Abram himself.
Time and again in the history of God’s chosen people, there is a growing
prophetic awareness of the universal mission of the children of Israel, but the
people themselves do not actively advance this universal mission. That is, as it
were, God’s business. Their task is to remain faithful to their calling of truly
belonging to the one God of Israel and of obeying his commands, and in this they
very often failed. If we take a different scenario, the non-Christian religions,
the pattern is similar. Take the case of Buddha — Siddhartha Gautama. The
evidence of the early texts suggests that Gautama was born in a community that
was on the periphery, both geographically and culturally, of the north-eastern
Indian subcontinent in the 5th century BC. He abandoned the royal life and took
up the spiritual quest of seeking a permanent solution to the problem of
suffering. By his mid or late thirties he had found his answer, attained
enlightenment, had attracted followers and founded a monastic order. He spent
the rest of his life teaching the path of awakening that he considered he had
discovered, travelling throughout the north-eastern part of the Indian
subcontinent, and dying at the age of 80. The great movement of Buddhism arose
from him, but clearly he himself did not institute a religion of missionaries to
the world.
My point is that the general pattern with religions, including what are called
world religions, is that their spread just happens. Their spread is not by
original design. Mahomet did not instantly begin a missionary impulse. That came
later after his own position, power and new religion were established in his
region. But the case was very different with Jesus Christ. Our Gospel passage
today is taken from St Matthew, and the public ministry of our Lord begins at
the end of chapter 3, with his baptism. Thereupon, in chapter 4 and in quick
succession, there is narrated the encounter with and rebuff of Satan, his
departure for Galilee, and the commencement of his public ministry. From the
first, Christ actively seeks disciples — and this is not a notable
characteristic of the prophets before him. Disciples gather around them, but
they do not seem to seek them out in order to make them missionaries too.
Moreover, the disciples whom Christ immediately and from the first seeks, are
told that they will have a mission to others. This is the notable thing in our
Gospel passage today. We read that Christ, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw
two brothers — Simon and Andrew — and he called on them to follow him. Now this
is not unlike the call of Abraham which was to leave all and do what God would
direct. But Christ immediately announces that their call would be essentially a
missionary one. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”
(Matthew 4: 18-22). This, I think, is a
distinctive feature of Jesus Christ as founder of a world religion. From the
very first, he actively calls to himself disciples, members of his religion, and
these disciples — from the very first — are on notice as having a share in his
mission. It is to be a religion on the move, a religion engaged in a massive
outreach, a religion for the world, and its members are to be essentially
missionary like their Founder. They know from the very first that their
following of Jesus Christ would involve their active and ongoing attempt to
bring others to the knowledge and love of him. As disciples they would have the
mission to make disciples, and just before our Lord ascended into heaven he told
them that this mission was to the world. Make disciples of all the nations, he
told them.
It is an essential note of the Christian religion that it is universal and
missionary. Christ’s one true Church is a universal one, and by original design
has an inner impulse to spread everywhere and to be everywhere. While God the
Son was born a Hebrew, a member of God’s chosen people, his mission was to
become British, Greek, German, Syrian, Chinese. By his very humanity, there is a
sense in which Christ has united himself to every man and woman. But of course,
much more so does he do this by means of baptism — the baptism of the believer,
which incorporates him into the Church, and simultaneously into Christ. Let each
of us, on the Feast of St Andrew the Apostle, take up our mission of bringing
Christ to others. If we are not “missionary,” we fail in our faith.
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
My God, how easy it is to persevere when we know that You are the Good Shepherd,
and that we — you and I… — are sheep belonging to your flock!
—For we know full well that the Good Shepherd gives his whole life for each one
of his sheep.
(The Forge, no.319)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Wednesday of the first week of Advent A-1
Prayers today:
The Lord is coming, and will not delay;
he will bring every hidden thing to light and reveal himself to every nation
(Habakkuk 2:3; 1 Cor 4:5)
Lord our God, grant that we may be ready to receive Christ when he comes in
glory and to share in the banquet of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
(December 1) Blessed John of Vercelli (c. 1205-1283)
John was born near Vercelli in northwest Italy in the early 13th century. Little
is known of his early life. He entered the Dominican Order in the 1240s and
served in various leadership capacities over the years. Elected sixth master
general of the Dominicans in 1264, he served for almost two decades. Known for
his tireless energy and his commitment to simplicity, John made personal visits
— typically on foot — to almost all the Dominican houses, urging his fellow
friars to strictly observe the rules and constitutions of the Order. He was
tapped by two popes for special tasks. Pope Gregory X enlisted the help of John
and his fellow Dominicans in helping to pacify the States of Italy that were
quarrelling with one another. John was also called upon to draw up a framework
for the Second Council of Lyons in 1274. It was at that council that he met
Jerome of Ascoli (the man who would later become Pope Nicholas IV), then serving
as minister general of the Franciscans. Some time later the two men were sent by
Rome to mediate a dispute involving King Philip III of France. Once again, John
was able to draw on his negotiating and peacemaking skills. Following the Second
Council of Lyons, Pope Gregory selected John to spread devotion to the name of
Jesus. John took the task to heart, requiring that every Dominican church
contain an altar of the Holy Name; groups were also formed to combat blasphemy
and profanity. Toward the end of his life John was offered the role of patriarch
of Jerusalem, but declined. He remained Dominican master general until his
death. (AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today:
Isaiah 25: 6-10a; Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6; Matthew 15:
29-37
Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a
mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the
blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he
healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the
crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the
God of Israel. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, I have compassion for
these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.
I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way. His
disciples answered, Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed
such a crowd? How many loaves do you have? Jesus asked. Seven, they replied, and
a few small fish. He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the
seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave
them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were
satisfied. Afterwards the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces
that were left over. (Matthew 15: 29-37)
Christ our life In our Gospel passage today, our Lord mentions that the people
“have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.” Let us situate
this in the sequence of events presented in this part of the Gospel. In chapter
14 he is in Galilee, departing “to a desert place apart” after he heard of the
death of John.
There he fed a multitude with five loaves and two fish, after
which his disciples gathered up twelve baskets of scraps. He and his disciples
then went to Gennesaret (14:34), then on to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon (15:
21) where he healed the daughter of the Canaanite woman. Then he returned to a
locality near the Sea of Galilee, which is the scene of our Gospel today. He
taught the crowds, healed the sick, and once again fed a crowd with a handful of
food. This time the crowd was of four thousand men, not counting women and
children. He fed them with seven loaves and a few fish, gathering up seven
baskets of scraps afterwards. Our Lord said that the crowds had been with him
for “three days,” and had nothing to eat, and he could not just send them away
in those circumstances. Following his return to Galilee from Tyre and Sidon, he
had continued his consuming work, and the crowds would not depart and all
provisions had run out. There were not just men there, but, it seems, families:
“women and children” too (15: 38) and they had been with him for “three days.”
Our Lord’s compassion is unflagging, and it is his second miracle of feeding the
crowds with next to nothing. It is symbolic of many things. St John in his
narration of the feeding of the multitude connects it with the holy Eucharist.
It points to the living bread come down from heaven, which if a person eats of
it, will never die. That living bread is the person of Jesus Christ, given to us
especially in the Eucharist. That Eucharistic allusion is not made by St Matthew
in his account, though undoubtedly it would have occurred to very many of
Matthew’s readers. Our Gospel event today is yet another manifestation of the
grand phenomenon of Jesus Christ. He is the one to whom the crowds of the world
come. He is the one to whom they listen, and he is the one from whom they will
depart satisfied.
The picture of the crowds, men, women and children, flocking to be with our Lord
and to hear his words, reminds us of the true source of life for the human race
and of its striving and activity. The foundation of the human being and of
mankind is the moral life. If a man is not good, he is a failure as a man.
Whatever else we do and succeed in, if what we do fails in morality, we have
failed in our humanity. But what is the basis of the good and moral life? Is it,
say, obeying a rule of right conduct, a dictate of how to act — in a word,
observance of a law? Is the moral law to which we must adhere if we are to be
good and successful in our humanity, simply a law? Of course, the mind perceives
a moral law to be obeyed and when it is obeyed, a good action is done and the
one who does it advances in goodness. But mere law as such is not the ultimate
foundation of morality and of the successful life. The ultimate foundation is
not law but a Person — that Person being God, and God is incarnate in Jesus
Christ. That is to say, Jesus Christ is the foundation of human morality, and
the goal of the good life and indeed its source is union with Jesus Christ and
sharing in his goodness. If at the core of our being, if in our hearts, we are
like unto Jesus Christ, we shall to that extent be good. The moral law is that
law, apprehended by man, which reflects the life and mind of God. It is founded
on his nature. Inasmuch as Christ is God incarnate, the moral law is that law
which reflects the life and mind of Jesus Christ. As St Paul writes, let this
mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5), and as he writes
elsewhere, now not I, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20). This is the
mystery now manifest, he declares, Christ in you, your hope of glory (Col
1:26-27). As we think of the crowds remaining with Jesus for those “three days”
and having nothing else to live on but what came from him, let us think of this
as a symbol of adherence to Christ as the life of man — which is to say, Christ
as the heart and soul of human goodness. Man wishes instinctively to be good and
it is devastating to him to be told or to discover that he is bad. In fact, he
wishes to be perfect. The path to this is union with Jesus Christ. Man must,
like the crowds, come to Jesus and make Jesus his life.
Life is very complex, but in another sense it is very simple. Man was made to
know, love and serve not a mere law, but a Person — the Person of God. That is
to say, we were made to know, love and serve Jesus Christ with all our mind,
heart, soul and strength. If we do this properly and correctly, we shall attain
great and heroic goodness. Our life will be successful to its core. Let us think
of this as we think of the crowds gazing on Jesus, being sustained by him, and
being sent away satisfied.
(E.J.Tyler)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today in your prayer you confirmed your resolution to be a saint. I understand
you when you make this more specific by adding, “I know I shall succeed, not
because I am sure of myself, Jesus, but because… I am sure of you.”
(The Forge, no.320)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Thursday of the first week in Advent A-1
Prayers today: Lord, you are near, and all your commandments are just; long have
I known that you decreed them forever. (Psalm 118: 151-152)
Father, we need your help. Free us from sin and bring us to life. Support us by
your power. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, …
(December 2) Blessed Rafal Chylinski (1694-1741)
Born near Buk in the Poznan region of Poland, Melchior showed early signs of
religious devotion; family members nicknamed him "the little monk." After
completing his studies at the Jesuit college in Poznan, Melchior joined the
cavalry and was promoted to the rank of officer within three years. Against the
urgings of his military comrades, in 1715 Melchior joined the Conventual
Franciscans in Kraków, receiving the name Rafal, and was ordained two years
later. After pastoral assignments in nine cities, he came to Lagiewniki (central
Poland), where he spent the last 13 years of his life, except for 20 months
ministering to flood and epidemic victims in Warsaw. In all these places, Rafal
was known for his simple and candid sermons, for his generosity as well as his
ministry in the confessional. People of all levels of society were drawn to the
self-sacrificing way he lived out his religious profession and priestly
ministry. Rafal played the harp, lute and mandolin to accompany liturgical
hymns. In Lagiewniki he distributed food, supplies and clothing to the poor.
After his death, the Conventual church in that city became a place of pilgrimage
for people throughout Poland. He was beatified in Warsaw in 1991. The sermons
preached by Rafal were powerfully reinforced by the living sermon of his life.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation can help us bring our daily choices into harmony
with our words about Jesus’ influence in our life.
During the beatification homily, Pope John Paul II said, "May Blessed Rafal
remind us that every one of us, even though we are sinners, has been called to
love and to holiness" (L'Osservatore Romano, 1991, vol. 25, number 19).
(AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today:
Isaiah 26: 1-6; Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a; Matthew
7: 21, 24-27
Jesus said, Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Therefore
everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a
wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it
had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and
does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on
sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against
that house, and it fell with a great crash. (Matthew 7:
21, 24-27)
Entry to the Kingdom Our
passage today is taken from what has traditionally been called the Sermon on the
Mount — that long compilation of our Lord’s sayings and teachings which, lasting
some 111 verses, follows and includes the Beatitudes at the beginning of chapter
5. The Sermon on the Mount in St Matthew, together with the Last Supper
discourse in St John’s Gospel, are the longest continuous statements of our
Lord’s teaching given in the Gospels. Our Lord, speaking on the Mount, gives
wide ranging teaching which includes our quite fundamental passage today. It
explains what is needed for entry into the kingdom of heaven — about which
kingdom there is so much in St Matthew’s Gospel. It is not enough, our Lord
tells his listeners, to address or acclaim him as Lord. In fact, he was being
widely acclaimed at this juncture. Just before he began the Sermon on the Mount,
we read that “there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and
from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea and from beyond the Jordan”
(Matt 4: 25). After the Sermon was over, we read that “when he came down from
the mountain, great multitudes followed him” (Matt 8:1). He had plenty of
acclamation, but our Lord warned that more was needed for entry into God’s
kingdom than this. They must do God’s will. This applied to those who were
closest to him in other respects. On one occasion (Mark 3: 32-35), our Lord was
teaching a circle of disciples before him and word came through the crowd that
his mother and his brethren were awaiting him outside and wished to speak to
him. Who are my mother and my brethren? he asked. Anyone who does the will of my
Father in heaven, that person is my mother and my brother and my sister. But of
course all are sinners, and so there must be repentance. On another occasion he
told the brief parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:
28-32). Their father directed one of them to go to his vineyard and
he said he would not. But afterwards he repented and went. He then went to the
other, who said he would go, but in the event did not. Our Lord went on to tell
the scribes and Pharisees that sinners were entering the kingdom before them
because they repented at the preaching of John the Baptist.
Repentance, then, is the first and foremost requirement of the will of God.
God’s will is that we be redeemed and sanctified. Redemption has been won for
us, and sanctity is offered. But for this to begin, we must repent and believe
the Gospel. For this reason St John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins. Our Lord himself began his public ministry
preaching repentance — for the kingdom of God was near. Repentance and obedient
faith unlocks the door to the kingdom. Perhaps the most striking instance of
this occurred during the last moments of our Lord’s earthly life when he was
hanging in agony from the cross, a veritable picture of degradation and
disgrace. There, jeered at by the leaders of the people, he was also jeered at
by one of the criminals being crucified with him. If you are the Messiah-King,
he bawled out, save yourself and us! Above the dying Jesus was the sign, Jesus
of Nazareth, King of the Jews. But now, we read that “the other criminal rebuked
him, saying, do you not fear God, seeing that you share in the same judgment? We
are receiving the just reward of our deserts — but this man has done nothing
wrong” (Luke 23: 39-43). This was a magnificent admission, and clearly a
spectacular fruit of the sacrifice of the divine Victim on the cross. The grace
of Christ was flooding the soul of the repentant and humble criminal. His mind
was being enlightened by divine grace — he could see clearly his own sins, he
feared God, and he could see that the Man hanging next to him was absolutely
holy. He had repented, had accepted as just the punishment he had received, and
saw far more clearly the situation before him than so many of the crowd,
including the leaders. He was granted the grace of a magnificent understanding.
The Man at death’s door before him, rejected by the leaders, executed as a
criminal, blood-soaked and battered from scourging, beatings and the journey to
the place of execution, was the King. “Jesus, remember me when you come into
your Kingdom.” It is one of the amazing scenes of the Gospel. This sinner was
now doing God’s will, and he was granted immediate entry into the Kingdom.
“Jesus said to him, truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The goal of life is to enter the kingdom of God. This we do by entering into
union with Jesus Christ — and we do this by repenting of our sins, believing in
Jesus and his word, and resolving to follow the path of obedience in imitation
of the Master. We must become disciples not just in word, but in deed — not just
saying Lord, Lord, but doing the will of God in union with Jesus Christ and by
the power of his grace. In this way will our house be built on rock, and when
difficulties come, perhaps especially at the very end, the house will stand for
eternity.
(E.J.Tyler)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By yourself, if you don’t count on grace, you can do nothing worthwhile, for you
would be cutting the link which connects you with God.
—With grace, on the other hand, you can do all things.
(The Forge, no.321)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Friday of the first week in Advent A-1
Prayers for today: The Lord is coming from Heaven in splendour to visit his
people, and bring them peace and eternal life.
Jesus, our Lord, save us from our sins. Come, protect us from all dangers and
lead us to salvation, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
(December 3) Saint Francis Xavier, priest (1506-1552)
Jesus asked, “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and
forfeit his life?” (Matthew 16:26a). The words were repeated to a young teacher
of philosophy who had a highly promising career in academics, with success and a
life of 
prestige and honour before him. Francis Xavier, 24 at the time, and
living and teaching in Paris, did not heed these words at once. They came from a
good friend, Ignatius of Loyola, whose tireless persuasion finally won the young
man to Christ. Francis then made the spiritual exercises under the direction of
Ignatius, and in 1534 joined his little community (the infant Society of Jesus).
Together at Montmartre they vowed poverty, chastity and apostolic service
according to the directions of the pope. From Venice, where he was ordained
priest in 1537, Francis Xavier went on to Lisbon and from there sailed to the
East Indies, landing at Goa, on the west coast of India. For the next 10 years
he laboured to bring the faith to such widely scattered peoples as the Hindus,
the Malayans and the Japanese. He spent much of that time in India, and served
as provincial of the newly established Jesuit province of India. Wherever he
went, he lived with the poorest people, sharing their food and rough
accommodations. He spent countless hours ministering to the sick and the poor,
particularly to lepers. Very often he had no time to sleep or even to say his
breviary but, as we know from his letters, he was filled always with joy.
Francis went through the islands of Malaysia, then up to Japan. He learned
enough Japanese to preach to simple folk, to instruct and to baptize, and to
establish missions for those who were to follow him. From Japan he had dreams of
going to China, but this plan was never realized. Before reaching the mainland
he died. His remains are enshrined in the Church of Good Jesus in Goa.
(AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today:
Isaiah 29: 17-24; Psalm 147:1-6 ; Matthew 9: 27-31
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, Have mercy
on us, Son of David! When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he
asked them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? Yes, Lord, they replied.
Then he touched their eyes and said, According to your faith will it be done to
you; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, See that no-one
knows about this. But they went out and spread the news about him all over that
region. (Matthew 9: 27-31)
The Mission It is
interesting to notice how the Gospels end. In the Gospel of St John, the only
explicit post-resurrection mention of the Ascension is that which occurred on
the day of Christ’s Resurrection. Jesus told Mary Magdalene not to hold on to
him, for he was ascending to his Father (John 20: 17). It looks as if an
“ascension” was occurring then, on that day. That evening Christ grants the Holy
Spirit to the Apostles and commissions them with a share in his mission. The
Gospel ends with the profession of the messiahship and divinity of the risen
Jesus by Thomas in chapter 20 and the primacy of Peter in chapter 21. St Mark
ends his Gospel with a reference to the Ascension of the Lord and the disciples
going everywhere to preach, with the Lord working with them (16: 19-20). The
Gospel of St Luke ends with Christ’s charge to the disciples that they preach
everywhere, together with a brief reference to the Ascension which was “towards
Bethany” (24: 50-51), at “the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem” (Acts 1: 12).
Each of these Gospels explicitly refers to Christ’s giving to the disciples
their mission. At the end of the Gospel of St Matthew there is no explicit
reference at all to the Ascension. It is obviously assumed that the reader is
aware of it — what eclipses everything is the final missionary charge imposed on
the “eleven disciples.” Further, while Luke situates the final scene at the
Mount of Olives near Bethany not far from Jerusalem, there is no reference at
all to this scene in Matthew. After his Resurrection, our Lord — as had the
angels before him (28: 7) — directs his disciples to go straight to Galilee.
There they will see him ( Matthew 28: 10). So “the eleven went into Galilee, to
the mountain where Jesus had directed them to go” (28: 16). While Luke’s final
scene is the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem, Matthew’s final scene is the
mountain in Galilee — and there “they worshipped him, though some doubted” (28:
17). Perhaps it was the mountain of the Transfiguration (Matt 17: 1) where he
had been seen in glory, and where the Father had directed that all listen to
him. There Matthew’s Gospel ends, with Christ declaring himself as possessing
all authority in heaven and on earth, and sending his disciples out to the whole
world to make disciples of all the nations. I mention all this to illustrate an
emphasis that is there.
The point is that Christian discipleship means being missionary. So important is
this that at the end of his Gospel, Matthew leaves undescribed the Ascension of
the Lord. What matters in his post-resurrection account is that Jesus is risen
from the dead, that he is Lord of heaven and earth with universal authority, and
that the Church of the Eleven has the mission from him of making of all the
nations members of his Church. However — and this is my second point about the
missionary character of the Church, and of the disciple of Christ — this
missionary impulse is not indiscriminate. It is subject to authority and
guidance. This may be said to be symbolized in our Gospel event today
(Matthew 9: 27-31). Our Lord is pursued by
two blind men — they “followed him,” while “calling out” their request. Our Lord
obviously heard them, but let them continue. When he went indoors, they entered
too and approached him. It was then (in the house and out of sight) that he
asked them if they truly believed that he could do this for them. Yes, they
said. At this he cured them — but “warned them sternly, See that no-one knows
about this.” Our Lord did not want them to tell anyone what he had done. But
they went ahead and told everyone. Their action was not in accord with the will
of God at that point. It went against the divine plan, despite the fact that, as
a result, “news about him” spread “all over that region.” Speaking about Jesus
and telling all of what he has done, is a work that is itself subject to Christ,
and implicitly to his representative, the Church. We ought strive to know how
God wishes us to fulfil our Christian mission in life. We ought ask for light
from the Holy Spirit, and guidance from the Church. We read in the Acts of the
Apostles how, during St Paul’s second missionary journey, Paul, Silas and
Timothy “were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in the province of
Asia.” The same thing happened with Bithynia. At Troas, Paul had the vision
beckoning him to Macedonia (Acts 16: 6-10). They were “sure that God had called
us to preach the gospel to them.” St Luke’s mention of “us” indicates he himself
was with them.
The Christian is called to love Jesus Christ with all his heart and soul, but
this love for Jesus includes being missionary on his behalf. Every day we ought
strive to bear witness to him in ways that are appropriate and effective.
However, we are not lone rangers in this all-important mission. It is not just a
matter of what I wish to do for Jesus. In my efforts to serve Jesus Christ, I
ought strive to know what God actually wants me to do in that respect. I must
not be like our two blind friends of today’s Gospel who — blindly, we might say
— went off and in fact did what our Lord told them not to do. Let us look to the
Holy Spirit and the guidance of the Church, our Mother, and Christ’s
representative, to give us the lead in doing what Christ wants us to do.
(E.J.Tyler)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you want to learn from Christ and follow the example of his life? — Open the
Holy Gospels and listen to God in dialogue with men… with you.
(The Forge, no.322)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Saturday of the
first week of Advent A-1
Prayers for today: Come, Lord,
from your cherubim throne; let us see your face, and we shall be saved.
(Psalm 79:4, 2)
God our Father, you loved the world so much you gave your only Son to free us
from the ancient power of sin and death. Help us who wait for his coming, and
lead us to true liberty. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son.
(December 4) St. John Damascene (676?-749)
John spent most of his life in the monastery of St. Sabas, near Jerusalem, and
all of his life under Muslim rule, indeed,
protected
by it. He was born in Damascus, received a classical and theological education,
and followed his father in a government position under the Arabs. After a few
years he resigned and went to the monastery of St. Sabas. He is famous in three
areas. First, he is known for his writings against the iconoclasts, who opposed
the veneration of images. Paradoxically, it was the Eastern Christian emperor
Leo who forbade the practice, and it was because John lived in Muslim territory
that his enemies could not silence him. Second, he is famous for his treatise,
Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, a summary of the Greek Fathers (of which he
became the last). It is said that this book is to Eastern schools what the Summa
of Aquinas became to the West. Thirdly, he is known as a poet, one of the two
greatest of the Eastern Church, the other being Romanus the Melodist. His
devotion to the Blessed Mother and his sermons on her feasts are well known.
John defended the Church’s understanding of the veneration of images and
explained the faith of the Church in several other controversies. For over 30
years he combined a life of prayer with these defences and his other writings.
His holiness expressed itself in putting his literary and preaching talents at
the service of the Lord.
“The saints must be honoured as friends of Christ and
children and heirs of God, as John the theologian and evangelist says: ‘But as
many as received him, he gave them the power to be made the sons of God....’ Let
us carefully observe the manner of life of all the apostles, martyrs, ascetics
and just men who announced the coming of the Lord. And let us emulate their
faith, charity, hope, zeal, life, patience under suffering, and perseverance
unto death, so that we may also share their crowns of glory” (Exposition
of the Orthodox Faith). (AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today:
Isaiah 30: 19-21.23-26; Psalm
147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Matthew 9: 35-10:1.6-8
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues,
preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed
and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, The
harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest,
therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. He called his twelve
disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal
every disease and sickness. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go,
preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have
received, freely give. (Matthew 9: 35-10:1.6-8)
Zealous God There is a
detail in our Gospel passage today that we ought notice and consider. The
passage begins by telling us that “Jesus went through all the towns and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom
and healing every disease and sickness.”
Jesus went through all (pasas*)
the towns and villages. We are not obliged by the wording of that sentence to
think that literally all were visited by Jesus, for it is a form of speech — but
clearly he did something approximating this. The “towns” (poleis**) would
have included larger centres that we would call “cities” and smaller ones that
we would call “towns” and of course “villages.” Earlier in his Gospel, Matthew
tells us that at the beginning of his public ministry “Jesus went about all
Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching ...... and healing..” (4: 23). He
went through the whole of Galilee (en holee tee Galilaia***). St Luke tells
us the same thing in chapter 13: 22, that he went throughout the towns and
villages. In chapter 9:6,
he speaks of Jesus going “throughout the villages.” St
Mark adds to the villages and
towns, the farms (or crossroads) (Mark 6: 56).
Moreover, he sends the Twelve ahead of him to do the same: “He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal
every disease and sickness. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go,
preach this message”. The Twelve were to be his companions, and to go out as his
envoys. We read elsewhere that this was not restricted to the Twelve. St Luke
tells us that “the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and sent them out in pairs
before him to “every city and place” where he was to go” (10.1). What other
prophet before him had done anything like this? John the Baptist, the greatest
of the prophets before him, had remained in a few places and great numbers had
come to him. Great numbers came to our Lord too, but he went out to all, seeking
out those who were lost. As a result, it is quite possible that the majority of
the population of
Galilee and perhaps even Judea had seen Jesus during his brief
public ministry.
All this is to say that a distinguishing mark of the ministry and life of Jesus
Christ was his missionary zeal. He was a prophet on mission. The Son of God had
become man to save what was lost, and he went out to do it. He did not stay at
home, as it were, awaiting the people to come to him. He did not go out into the
wilderness, and allow his fame, his powers, his words and his compassion to
attract the numbers who would have sought him. He went out to all, searching for
them. He described himself as the Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine in
the wilderness and goes in search of the stray. Moreover, he said that heaven
rejoices more over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous who do
not need to repent. That is to say, heaven is just as Jesus Christ showed
himself to be. God is the opposite of what religions and much of philosophy have
tended to portray him as being. Very many religions have thought of the highest
god as withdrawn, once creation is effected. The active forces, the powers that
are more easily accessible, are the minor deities. The supreme being in very
many religions is out of sight, out of reach, out of circulation, we might say.
He is not interested. In philosophy it has often been the same. If ever anything
looks beyond access, it is Aristotle’s Pure Act, his Supreme Cause. Perhaps this
is as we ought expect, because the world itself appears, at least at first
sight, to continue along according to its own devices. Many have the impression
that the world is just there, that it always has been there, that it always will
be there unless there is some cosmic mishap, and that a being called “God” is an
irrelevant, unseen extra. Indeed, the world is all that there really is. If
there is a God, he is certainly a long way away. Now, all this can be corrected
philosophically, but the greatest indicator of the real character of God is his
own revelation granted over the centuries to his chosen people and finally in
his own divine Son, born into this world as one of us. Christ goes after
sinners, and seeks them all out. This he is portrayed as doing in our Gospel
today (Matthew 9: 35-10:1.6-8), and it is
this which he is doing in the lives of all.
Let us open ourselves to the loving compassion of God our Father and Jesus
Christ his Son, our Redeemer. There is a famous poem by Francis Thompson, first
published in Thompson's first volume of poems in 1893. It is called the Hound of
Heaven. The hound is God. As the hound follows the hare, never ceasing in its
running, ever drawing nearer in the chase, with unhurrying and unperturbed pace,
so does God follow the fleeing soul by His Divine grace. Though it is in sin or
in human love, and seeks to hide itself away from God, Divine grace follows
after. Grace follows unwearyingly ever after, till the soul feels its pressure
forcing it to turn to Him. Let us surrender to the pursuit of the Hound, for
therein lies our
peace.
(E.J.Tyler)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesus knows very well what is best... and I love his Will and will do so always.
He it is who controls “the puppets” and so, provided it is a means to achieving
our end, even if there are godless men who are determined to put obstacles in
the way, he will grant what I am asking.
(The Forge, no.323)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Second
Sunday of Advent A
Prayers this week: People of
Zion, the Lord will come to save all nations, and your hearts will exult to hear
his majestic voice. (Isaiah 30:19.30)
God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that
hinder us from receiving Christ with joy, so that we may share his wisdom and
become one with him when he comes in glory. We ask this through our Lord Jesus
Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.
(December 5) Saint Sabas (b. 439)
(Picture: relics of Saint Sabas at Mar Saba
monastery, Palestine)
Born in Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey), Sabas is one of the most highly regarded
patriarchs among the monks of Palestine and is considered one of the founders of
Eastern monasticism. After an unhappy childhood in which he was abused and ran
away
several times, Sabas finally sought refuge in a monastery. While family members
tried to persuade him to return home, the young boy felt drawn to monastic life.
Although the youngest monk in the house, he excelled in virtue. At age 18 he
travelled to Jerusalem, seeking to learn more about living in solitude. Soon he
asked to be accepted as a disciple of a well-known local solitary, though
initially he was regarded as too young to live completely as a hermit.
Initially, Sabas lived in a monastery, where he worked during the day and spent
much of the night in prayer. At the age of 30 he was given permission to spend
five days each week in a nearby remote cave, engaging in prayer and manual
labour in the form of weaving baskets. Following the death of his mentor, St.
Euthymius, Sabas moved farther into the desert near Jericho. There he lived for
several years in a cave near the brook Cedron. A rope was his means of access.
Wild herbs among the rocks were his food. Occasionally men brought him other
food and items, while he had to go a distance for his water. Some of these men
came to him desiring to join him in his solitude. At first he refused. But not
long after relenting, his followers swelled to more than 150, all of them living
in individual huts grouped around a church, called a laura. The bishop persuaded
a reluctant Sabas, then in his early 50s, to prepare for the priesthood so that
he could better serve his monastic community in leadership. While functioning as
abbot among a large community of monks, he felt ever called to live the life of
a hermit. Throughout each year — consistently in Lent — he left his monks for
long periods of time, often to their distress. A group of 60 men left the
monastery, settling at a nearby ruined facility. When Sabas learned of the
difficulties they were facing, he generously gave them supplies and assisted in
the repair of their church. Over the years Sabas travelled throughout Palestine,
preaching the true faith and successfully bringing back many to the Church. At
the age of 91, in response to a plea from the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Sabas
undertook a journey to Constantinople in conjunction with the Samaritan revolt
and its violent repression. He fell ill and, soon after his return, died at the
monastery at Mar Saba. Today the monastery (Mar Saba in Palestine) is still
inhabited by monks of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and St. Sabas is regarded as
one of the most noteworthy figures of early monasticism. His relics (picture)
are kept at the monastery. (AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today: Isaiah 11:1-10;
Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Romans 15:4-9;
Matthew 3:1-12
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the desert of Judea, saying: Do
penance: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this was he who was spoken of
by Isaiah the prophet, saying: A voice of one crying in the desert, Prepare the
way of the Lord, make straight his paths. And the same John wore a garment of
camels' hair and a leathern girdle about his loins. His food was locusts and
wild honey. Then there went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the
country about Jordan. They were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their
sins. And seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he
said to them: brood of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to
come? Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of penance. And think not within
yourselves, We have Abraham for our father. For I tell you that God is able of
these stones to raise up children to Abraham. For now the axe is laid to the
root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not yield good fruit, shall be
cut down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you in the water for penance,
but he that shall come after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy
to bear. He will baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire. His fan is in his hand,
and he will thoroughly cleanse his floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but
the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
(Matthew
3:1-12)
Repentance One
of the things which distinguishes the life of a true Christian is his long-range
view of things. Years ago the Australian ABC TV Compass programme
featured an interview with the Australian author Donald Horne, the author of the
well-known book The Lucky Country. Donald Horne was then 80 years
of age, and even though by any standards he would not have too long to go in
life (he died only a few years later), he declared himself to be an atheist. The
interviewer, Geraldine Doogue asked him, then, what he expected to happen after
this life was over. He said that his practice had always been not to look too
far ahead, but to deal with things in the immediate future. So he chose not to
think of the Afterlife. An observer could not help questioning the wisdom of
such a policy, for there are plenty of things well into the future which people
naturally prepare for. They prepare for their careers, their retirement, their
children’s education and careers, and so forth. People even prepare for their
very death, with life insurance, their burial plot, and even who the undertaker
might be. It is surely wise then to consider what will happen immediately after
death. It is for good reason that the Christian thinks not just of the things in
the immediate future, but of the last things, the very final things which he
will have to face. And what is the final thing? It is the coming of the Lord.
The Lord will come again to judge the living and the dead. The last things are
death, which can come at any moment at all, and with death Christ comes to
judge. The result of this judgment will be either heaven or hell. For those who
are saved, there will probably be some purification in purgatory, but they are
saved. Similarly, at the end of time the last thing will be the coming of Christ
to judge, and that judgement will be final, and will affect all mankind. It is
scarcely prudent to have a policy of avoiding all thought of the more distant
future, and to confine our plans to what is immediately ahead. Apart from
anything, death itself could come immediately. What is to happen then? While we
know the last things to come, we do not know for certain the more immediate
things ahead.
All our life we live awaiting the coming of the Lord, whether it be his coming
to us individually, or his final coming at the end of time. This we know on the
word of Christ. Advent is the time to renew this awareness. Christ comes to
bring a final and eternal salvation. But of course, as with the coming of anyone
important, there is also a certain apprehension. Will I make a good impression
when he comes? When it is a question of the coming of the Lord, there is this
consideration too, that every day of our lives, indeed every moment, is open to
the gaze of the Lord. He knows us far better than we do ourselves. Every day and
every moment we are creating the impression we shall make. So it is that
Christ’s coming has implications for our daily lives. What have I done for
Christ? What am I doing for him? And what will I do for him from now on? We are
reminded of this by our Gospel today (Matthew 3: 1-12), for in it St John the
Baptist tells the people that their present moral condition was not acceptable
to God. They had to repent. They had to change their whole mind — and that is
where our great struggle lies, within our mind and heart. We are called to be
religious and servants of God above all in our minds and hearts. As St Paul
writes, let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. We are to wait for the
coming of Jesus by reforming ourselves to the very core of our minds and hearts,
modelling ourselves on the mind and heart of Jesus. Indeed, this is what
devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus means. The reform of ourselves is a
demanding and gradual process of having our minds and hearts become like that of
Christ — indeed sharing in the life of Christ by grace. The Holy Spirit
transforms the Christian into another Christ, if the Christian cooperates. Not
I, but Christ lives in me, St Paul writes. But the first step in this long and
redeeming process is that we must repent. We do not repent “first” in the sense
that once we repent for the first time, all further repentance is unnecessary.
We must first repent in the sense that the whole Christian life depends on our
repentance. It is the foundation that itself must ever be renewed. We must be
always repenting, every day of our lives, for the struggle against sin is a
daily one.
Repentance means a recognition of our sins and our sinfulness. It means telling
Christ we are sorry, and having the firm intention to amend. It means making up
for our sins. It means casting our lot again and again all through life with
Christ, and resolving to follow in his footsteps. All this we do and should do
repeatedly in the Sacrament of Repentance and Reconciliation. Let us make this
Sacrament a regular part of our lives, accompanied by daily personal acts of
repentance, especially during Advent, as a new start in our daily quest for
holiness.
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
True faith shows itself in humility.
Dicebat enim intra se — that poor woman said to herself: Si tetigero
tantum vestimentum eius, salva ero — if I can but touch the hem of his
garment, I shall be healed.
—What humility she showed, a result and a sign of her faith!
(The Forge, no.324)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Monday of the
second week of Advent A-1
Prayers for today: Nations, hear
the message of the Lord, and make it known to the ends of the earth: Our Saviour
is coming. Have no more fear. (Jer 31:10, Is 35:4)
Lord, free us from our sins and make us whole. Hear our prayer, and prepare us
to celebrate the incarnation of your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
(December 6) St. Nicholas (d. 350?)
The absence of the “hard facts” of history is not necessarily an obstacle to the
popularity of saints, as the devotion to St. Nicholas shows. Both the Eastern
and Western Churches honour him, and it is claimed that, after the Blessed
Virgin, he is the
saint
most pictured by Christian artists. And yet, historically, we can pinpoint only
the fact that Nicholas was the fourth-century bishop of Myra, a city in Lycia, a
province of Asia Minor. As with many of the saints, however, we are able to
capture the relationship which Nicholas had with God through the admiration
which Christians have had for him—an admiration expressed in the colourful
stories which have been told and retold through the centuries. Perhaps the
best-known story about Nicholas concerns his charity toward a poor man who was
unable to provide dowries for his three daughters of marriageable age. Rather
than see them forced into prostitution, Nicholas secretly tossed a bag of gold
through the poor man’s window on three separate occasions, thus enabling the
daughters to be married. Over the centuries, this particular legend evolved into
the custom of gift-giving on the saint’s feast. In the English-speaking
countries, St. Nicholas became, by a twist of the tongue, Santa Claus — further
expanding the example of generosity portrayed by this holy bishop.
The critical eye of modern history makes us take a deeper look at the legends
surrounding St. Nicholas. But perhaps we can utilize the lesson taught by his
legendary charity, look deeper at our approach to material goods in the
Christmas season and seek ways to extend our sharing to those in real need. “In
order to be able to consult more suitably the welfare of the faithful according
to the condition of each one, a bishop should strive to become duly acquainted
with their needs in the social circumstances in which they live.... He should
manifest his concern for all, no matter what their age, condition, or
nationality, be they natives, strangers, or foreigners” (Decree on the
Bishops' Pastoral Office, 16). (AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today:
Isaiah 35: 1-10; Psalm 85:9ab and 10-14; Luke 5: 17-26
One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from
every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And
the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came
carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him
before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the
middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he
said, Friend, your sins are forgiven. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law
began thinking to themselves, Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can
forgive sins but God alone? Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, Why
are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'Your
sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But that you may know that the
Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . . He said to the
paralysed man, I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home. Immediately he
stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising
God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and
said, We have seen remarkable things today. (Luke 5:
17-26)
Forgiving sins It is often
said that a sense of wonder is important for philosophy — but it is also
important for religion. There are many absolutely remarkable things which our
Lord said, which are recorded in the Gospels and which we tend simply to take
for granted. On one Sabbath our Lord
and his disciples were walking through the
cornfields, and the disciples began to pick ears of corn to eat. They were seen
by the Pharisees, and the matter was immediately taken up as a violation of the
Sabbath. The striking thing about the ensuing exchange was our Lord’s statement
that “the Son of Man is Lord (kurios*) even (kai**) of the Sabbath”
(Mark 2: 28). The Sabbath was one of the most sacred, distinctive and
fundamental institutions of Judaism — and our Lord here calmly asserted that he
was “lord” even of that. No prophet, king or priest in the history of the nation
had made such a claim. In St John’s Gospel there are many extraordinary
statements: “I and the Father are one,” and “he who sees me sees the Father.”
Our passage today is taken from St Luke, and it contains another striking act of
Jesus Christ. When we situate the religion of the Old Testament in the context
of the religions of the peoples, one of its striking notes is its consciousness
of sin. It endeavoured to have sin forgiven. In the Book of Leviticus, for
instance, the ritual for the forgiveness of sin is referred to. When the fat is
removed from the peace offering, “the priest shall burn it on the altar for an
odour pleasing to the Lord. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he
will be forgiven” (Lev. 4: 31). But of course, the priest himself did not take
away sins in this ritual. Indeed, sins were not absolutely “taken away” by the
ritual either, although the mercy of God was expected. After all, we read in the
great prophecy of Jeremiah that in the new and future Covenant, God says that "I
will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more" (Jeremiah
31:34). In the religion of the Old Testament, the children of Israel appealed to
the mercy of God for forgiveness of sin, and trusted that in his mercy he
forgave. But no individual presumed to have the personal authority to forgive
sins.
That this was in fact the case, and not simply because we cannot find an
instance of it in the books of the Old Testament, is indicated by the immediate
reaction of the scribes and Pharisees to our Lord’s action. “Who is this man who
speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” To forgive sins was to
take God’s place, and that was a blasphemy. When he stood before the Sanhedrin
and answered the question of Caiaphas asking whether he was the Christ the Son
of God, Jesus stated that he was, and that they would see him coming on the
clouds of heaven, seated at the right hand of the Power (Mark 14: 62). At this
the high priest accused him of blasphemy, and the council declared him worthy of
death. He was making himself equal to God. Here in our Gospel passage today
(Luke 5:17-26), the scribes and Pharisees
show the intimate and exclusive connection in the religion of Israel between the
power to forgive sins and God himself. No priest or prophet or king on his own
authority forgave sins. At most, the priest signalled the hope that in his mercy
God had forgiven on the basis of the sin-offering having being made. To have
arrogated to oneself the power to forgive sins would have been in effect to have
placed oneself in God’s position — it was a blasphemy. But here our Lord does
precisely this, and does so calmly, in full view of the people, and in full view
of the leaders of the people, knowing exactly what those leaders were accusing
him of in their hearts. Our Lord does not say to the paralytic, I see that you
have faith in God, so I can tell you that God in his mercy would have certainly
forgiven you your sins — a wonderful statement for a sinner to hear, and
doubtlessly one he would trust as coming from a great and holy prophet. But no.
In this case the Prophet means that he himself is forgiving the sins of the
paralytic, and that this is so is evident from the immediate reaction of the
Pharisees. Our Lord does not explain away his action in the face of a
misunderstanding. No. The Pharisees had seen and had understood the situation
correctly, and our Lord proceeds to prove that he has this authority by healing
the paralytic.
I said at the beginning that we really do need to have a sense of wonder in
religion. The great Object of wonder in the Christian religion is the Person of
Jesus Christ and his Revelation. Here he, the Son of Man, reveals more of his
ineffable, divine Person. He has the power to forgive the sins of man. Indeed
that is his great mission, as the Angel declared to Joseph, his holy
foster-father — that he would “save his people from their sins” (Matt 1: 21),
and as John the Baptist said of him, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world” (John 1: 29). This wondrous power of forgiving sins is
entrusted by Jesus to his Church, and administered especially, though not
exclusively, in the Sacrament of Penance. Let us appreciate it, then!
(E.J.Tyler)
--------------------------------------------------------------
If God gives you the burden, God will give you the strength.
(The Forge, no.325)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Tuesday of the second week in Advent
Prayers today: The Lord is coming and will not delay; he will bring every
hidden thing to light and reveal himself to every nation.
Hab 2:3; I Cor 4:5
All-powerful Father, we await the healing power of Christ your Son. Let us not
be discouraged by our weaknesses as we prepare for his coming. Keep us steadfast
in your love. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.
(December 7) St. Ambrose (340?-397)
One of Ambrose’s biographers observed that at the Last Judgment people would
still be divided between those who admired Ambrose and those who heartily
disliked him. He emerges as the man of action who cut a furrow through the lives
of his
contemporaries. Even royal personages were numbered among those who were
to suffer crushing divine punishments for standing in Ambrose’s way. When the
Empress Justina attempted to wrest two basilicas from Ambrose’s Catholics and
give them to the Arians, he dared the eunuchs of the court to execute him. His
own people rallied behind him in the face of imperial troops. In the midst of
riots he both spurred and calmed his people with bewitching new hymns set to
exciting Eastern melodies. In his disputes with the Emperor Auxentius, he coined
the principle: “The emperor is in the Church, not above the Church.” He publicly
admonished Emperor Theodosius for the massacre of 7,000 innocent people. The
emperor did public penance for his crime. This was Ambrose, the fighter, sent to
Milan as Roman governor and chosen while yet a catechumen to be the people’s
bishop. There is yet another side of Ambrose — one which influenced Augustine,
whom Ambrose converted. Ambrose was a passionate little man with a high
forehead, a long melancholy face and great eyes. We can picture him as a frail
figure clasping the codex of sacred Scripture. This was the Ambrose of
aristocratic heritage and learning. Augustine found the oratory of Ambrose less
soothing and entertaining but far more learned than that of other
contemporaries. Ambrose’s sermons were often modelled on Cicero and his ideas
betrayed the influence of contemporary thinkers and philosophers. He had no
scruples in borrowing at length from pagan authors. He gloried in the pulpit in
his ability to parade his spoils — “gold of the Egyptians” — taken over from the
pagan philosophers. His sermons, his writings and his personal life reveal him
as an otherworldly man involved in the great issues of his day. Humanity, for
Ambrose, was, above all, spirit. In order to think rightly of God and the human
soul, the closest thing to God, no material reality at all was to be dwelt upon.
He was an enthusiastic champion of consecrated virginity. The influence of
Ambrose on Augustine will always be open for discussion. The Confessions reveal
some manly, brusque encounters between Ambrose and Augustine, but there can be
no doubt of Augustine’s profound esteem for the learned bishop. Neither is there
any doubt that Monica loved Ambrose as an angel of God who uprooted her son from
his former ways and led him to his convictions about Christ. It was Ambrose,
after all, who placed his hands on the shoulders of the naked Augustine as he
descended into the baptismal fountain to put on Christ.
Ambrose exemplifies for us the truly catholic character of Christianity. He is a
man steeped in the learning, law and culture of the ancients and of his
contemporaries. Yet, in the midst of active involvement in this world, this
thought runs through Ambrose’s life and preaching: The hidden meaning of the
Scriptures calls our spirit to rise to another world.
“Women and men are not mistaken when they regard themselves as superior to mere
bodily creatures and as more than mere particles of nature or nameless units in
modern society. For by their power to know themselves in the depths of their
being they rise above the entire universe of mere objects.... Endowed with
wisdom, women and men are led through visible realities to those which are
invisible” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 14–15).
(AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today: Isaiah 40: 1-11; Psalm 96:1-3 and 10-13; Matthew 18: 12-14
Jesus said to his disciples, What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep,
and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and
go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the
truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did
not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of
these little ones should be lost. (Matthew 18: 12-14)
Lost and saved One of the most well-known features of the ministry and teaching
of Jesus Christ is his use of parables. He takes an ordinary event of everyday
life and points out a likeness between that visible event and something in the
unseen world of God and his ways.
We cannot see what God is like because he is
not visible, but Christ points to something we do see and tells us that in a
certain respect it is like the God whom we cannot see. Christ develops a
parallel between the shepherd seeking the straying sheep, and the unseen God
loving and pursuing the one who is morally astray. The “shepherd” is a kind of
analogy. This is a very common form of teaching, of illustration and of
communication. Someone has no experience of what it is we are telling him about,
so we draw on something he is familiar with and say that it is like what we have
been speaking of. We make use of an analogy. Analogy has often been used in
defending the Christian religion against unbelief. For instance, the
eighteenth-century Anglican Bishop Joseph Butler wrote a famous book, The
Analogy of Religion, defending the divine authorship of the Christian religion.
He sees numerous analogies or resemblances between the course of the world and
the course of the divine plan of redemption. It suggests a common divine origin.
Now, my purpose in mentioning this is just to introduce the idea that patterns
in this world may suggest patterns in the next. For instance, one of the most
striking things about the world is life. Life abounds; it is luxurious,
beautiful and glorious. It is a beautiful world, very largely because it is a
living world. We gain a sense of this in the numerous nature documentary movies
that enjoy undying popularity. From the tiniest living thing at the foot of the
ocean to the thundering hordes of animals in the plains, life dances its dance
and arouses the wonder of all. But living things die. They can be lost,
destroyed, beaten, stamped to the dust. Every living thing can be attacked or
overtaken by an enemy, and in any case, at the last, will wither and die. Things
that live are lost, and pass away. Does this visible pattern forebode a similar
pattern beyond this visible scene?
Of course, very many people never would ask such a question. Such patterns are
just brute facts. Beautiful people and lovely living things come and go. Every
day people are snatched from life. They go missing. They get sick and die. That
is just part of life and that is the end of it. Life moves on and there is
nothing more to be considered in terms of an unseen world beyond. Anyhow, there
is no unseen world. Any talk of a pattern here in this life being illustrative
of a pattern beyond this life is unnecessary, unwarranted, and boring anyway.
But that is very superficial, and as mentioned earlier, our Lord was forever
drawing analogies between what we see in our ordinary life and what happens for
eternity. There is indeed much in this life that is indicative of patterns in
the next. In Christ’s parable today, the shepherd is illustrative of God. He is
like God — in a certain sense he constitutes an analogy of the character of the
Creator. The Creator is not what we might otherwise imagine, never actually
seeing nor hearing him for ourselves. We might easily think that he is absent
and quite unconcerned for our plight and for the plight of those who in any
sense stray from a secure situation. “If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of
them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look
for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is
happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off”
(Matthew 18: 12-14). God is immensely concerned for each of us, and doubly so
— as it were — if we stray from the path of moral goodness. He seeks us out, as if
we are more important to him than the ninety-nine who have not strayed at all.
“In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little
ones should be lost.” These words of Christ suggest to us his agony at seeing
the defection of Judas going on before his very eyes. We must assume that he did
countless things discretely in order to win back the heart of the one he had
chosen. But Judas would not. Real life shows countless instances of individuals
being lost, and it shows numerous instances of others making tremendous efforts
to reclaim and save them. All this is revelatory of the unseen.
There are plenty of things in life to suggest the grand lessons of today’s
Gospel. We can stray and be lost. It can result in death. This pattern can be
regarded as being like what can happen to us in a far deeper and more serious
sense, a sense unseen by the physical eye. We can lose our souls forever. Just
as in real life people can and do abandon all to help those in danger and need,
so God is like the good shepherd who leaves all to seek out the one who is lost.
Christ was sent to seek and save those who were lost, and his own particular
mission was to save the lost sheep of the House of Israel. Let us abandon
ourselves in trust to our Good Shepherd, who saves us from ourselves, and from
all that can do us harm.
(E.J.Tyler)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Invoke the Holy Spirit in your examination of conscience so that you may get to
know God better, and yourself also. In this way you will be converted each day.
(The Forge, no.326)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
The Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary — December 8
(Wednesday of the second week in Advent A-1)
Prayers today: I exalt for joy in
the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God; for he has clothed me in the garment of
salvation and robed me in the cloak of justice, like a bride adorned with her
jewels. Is 61:10
Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your Son. You
let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death, and
keep her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by our prayers
to live in your presence without sin. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, …
(December 8) The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary
A feast called the Conception of Mary arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh
century. It came to the West in the eighth century. In the eleventh century it
received its present name, the Immaculate Conception. In the eighteenth century
it became a
feast of the universal Church. In 1854 Pius IX gave the infallible
statement: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her
conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view
of the merits of Jesus Christ, the saviour of the human race, was preserved free
from all stain of original sin.” It took a long time for this doctrine to
develop. While many Fathers and Doctors of the Church considered Mary the
greatest and holiest of the saints, they often had difficulty in seeing Mary as
sinless—either at her conception or throughout her life. This is one of the
Church teachings that arose more from the piety of the faithful than from the
insights of brilliant theologians. Even such champions of Mary as Bernard and
Thomas Aquinas could not see theological justification for this teaching. Two
Franciscans, William of Ware and Blessed John Duns Scotus, helped develop the
theology. They point out that Mary’s Immaculate Conception enhances Jesus’
redemptive work. Other members of the human race are cleansed from original sin
after birth. In Mary, Jesus’ work was so powerful as to prevent original sin at
the outset. In Luke 1:28 the angel Gabriel, speaking on God’s behalf, addresses
Mary as “full of grace” (or “highly favoured”). In that context this phrase
means that Mary is receiving all the special divine help necessary for the task
ahead. However, the Church grows in understanding with the help of the Holy
Spirit. The Spirit led the Church, especially non-theologians, to the insight
that Mary had to be the most perfect work of God next to the Incarnation. Or
rather, Mary’s intimate association with the Incarnation called for the special
involvement of God in Mary’s whole life. The logic of piety helped God’s people
to believe that Mary was full of grace and free of sin from the first moment of
her existence. Moreover, this great privilege of Mary is the highlight of all
that God has done in Jesus. Rightly understood, the incomparable holiness of
Mary shows forth the incomparable goodness of God.
“[Mary] gave to the world the Life that renews all things, and she was enriched
by God with gifts appropriate to such a role. “It is no wonder, then, that the
usage prevailed among the holy Fathers whereby they called the mother of God
entirely holy and free from all stain of sin, fashioned by the Holy Spirit into
a kind of new substance and new creature. Adorned from the first instant of her
conception with the splendours of an entirely unique holiness, the Virgin of
Nazareth is, on God’s command, greeted by an angel messenger as ‘full of grace’
(cf. Luke 1:28). To the heavenly messenger she replies: ‘Behold the handmaid of
the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38)” (Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church, 56).
(AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today:
Genesis 3:9-15, 20; Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4; Eph 1:3-6, 11-12; Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee,
called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. The angel entered and said to
her: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women."
When she heard this she was troubled at his words, and considered within herself
what manner of salutation this was. And the angel said to her: "Fear not, Mary,
for you have found grace with God. Behold you will conceive in thy womb and will
bring forth a son; and you will call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will
be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne
of David his father. He will reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of his
kingdom there will be no end." Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since
I do not know man?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon
you and the power of the most High will overshadow you. And so the Holy One who
will be born of you will be called the Son of God. Behold your cousin Elizabeth
has also conceived a son in her old age and she who has been called barren in
now in her sixth month, because nothing is impossible with God." Mary said,
"Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word." And
the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38)
Mary Immaculate
The Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of St Matthew is striking if only for the
space it occupies in that Gospel. It extends for some 111 verses and embraces a
wide spectrum of Christ’s teaching. That teaching is mainly, though not
exclusively, moral teaching: what we must do. But there is an even longer
presentation of the teaching of Jesus Christ in the Gospels, and that is the
Last Supper discourse in the Gospel of St John. If we take that discourse as
beginning with the words of Christ at the washing of the feet (John 13: 8), and
including (because of the teaching contained therein) his prayer to his heavenly
Father (ch.17), this presentation of teaching exceeds the Sermon on the Mount by
some forty verses, much more than a typical chapter. Moreover, it is
considerably doctrinal — as well as being moral. The discourse of the Last
Supper, for instance, obviously has far more on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity
than the Sermon on the Mount — and this stands to reason. The discourse is the
record of our Lord’s words to the Twelve at the end of his public ministry and
in a private and intimate setting, whereas the Sermon on the Mount is public and
is situated early in his ministry. That said, one area of its richness in
doctrine are those passages that speak of “another Advocate” who will be given
(14: 16), the “Holy Spirit” (14: 26), the “Spirit of truth” (16: 13). This other
“Advocate” whom Jesus will ask the Father to send, will “abide with you
forever.” He is “the Spirit of truth” who will “be in you” (14:16-17). We read a
little further on that this “Holy Spirit” will “teach you all things, and will
remind you of all that I have told you” (14:26). The very Gospel in which this
is recorded is one fruit of this gift of the Holy Spirit. However, it is to be
noticed that Christ does not formally restrict the teaching action of the Holy
Spirit to the writing and interpretation of the Scriptures. In the persons of
the Apostles, it is the Church that receives the Holy Spirit. The Church will be
taught and reminded by the Holy Spirit of what Jesus revealed. The Church will
be empowered to remember, to understand, and to explain the Faith more fully.
Thus will the Church’s doctrine be able to develop. Let us ponder this point
carefully. At the Last Supper Christ promised the Apostles that, at his request,
the Father would send to them the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. He will
teach them all things, and remind them of what he has told them. The Church, as
led by the authoritative guidance of the Apostles and their successors, will
advance in its grasp and recollection of Christ’s teaching and its implications.
This developing perception and explanation of what was received from the lips of
Christ will be protected and guided by Christ’s gift, the Spirit of truth, the
Holy Spirit. Thus we must expect a development of doctrine — not new
revelations, but a development of the Church’s understanding and teaching of
what Christ taught. In our Gospel today (Luke 1:26-38),
St Luke gives us the Angel’s address to the Virgin Mary. He speaks to her as one
who is “full of grace.” “The Lord is with you.” Christ’s faithful take
cognisance of how the Church has formally remembered the Mother of the Lord, and
how the Church has come to understand the Virgin Mary’s gifts and privileges.
They know that this memory and this advancing understanding is guided by the
Holy Spirit. They know that our knowledge of divine revelation is not restricted
nor exclusively derived from our reading and personal interpretation of the
Scriptures. We read the inspired Scriptures as members of Christ’s Church, and
the Church as such is aided by the Holy Spirit in her memory, her understanding,
and her own reading of the Scriptures which she herself produced. Thus has the
Church seen with a divine clarity and gift that the Virgin Mary was truly full
of grace, and was this from the first instant of her life to its very end. She
was never in sin. She was conceived immaculate, and in this holy state she ever
remained, advancing in an astonishing holiness that is the praise and glory of
God. This is the faith of the Church. It is a formal perception and teaching
which is an instance of that promise made to her by Christ, that she would be
taught “all things” and reminded of “all that I told you.”
The Holy Spirit is the guarantor of the development of the Church’s doctrine in
history. The Church teaches that it is divinely revealed that the Virgin Mary
was conceived free from all sin due to the merits of her future Son our
Redeemer. It was a singular and unique grace by which God prepared a fitting
mother for his ineffable Son. That grace did not come from nowhere — it was a
grace stemming retrospectively from the future Sacrifice of her Redeemer, Jesus
Christ her Son and her Lord. He thus had a perfect mother, and he has entrusted
us to her. Let us place ourselves in the keeping of her prayers, looking on her
as our Model and our Help.
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spiritual direction. Don’t object to someone poking at your soul with
supernatural sense and holy shamelessness to check how true it is that you are
able — and willing — to give glory to God.
(The Forge, no.327)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Thursday of the
second week in Advent
Prayers for today: Lord, you are
near, and all your commandments are just; long have I known that you decreed
them for ever. Psalm 118: 151-152
Almighty Father, give us the joy of your love to prepare the way for Christ our
Lord. Help us to serve you and one another. We ask this through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son,
(December 9) St. Juan Diego (1474-1548)
Thousands of people gathered in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe July 31,
2002, for the canonization of Juan Diego, to whom the Blessed Mother appeared in
the 16th century. Pope John Paul II celebrated the ceremony at which the poor
Indian 
peasant
became the Church’s first saint indigenous to the Americas. The Holy Father
called the new saint “a simple, humble Indian” who accepted Christianity without
giving up his identity as an Indian. “In praising the Indian Juan Diego, I want
to express to all of you the closeness of the church and the pope, embracing you
with love and encouraging you to overcome with hope the difficult times you are
going through,” John Paul said. Among the thousands present for the event were
members of Mexico’s 64 indigenous groups. First called Cuauhtlatohuac (“The
eagle who speaks”), Juan Diego’s name is forever linked with Our Lady of
Guadalupe because it was to him that she first appeared at Tepeyac hill on
December 9, 1531. The most famous part of his story is told in connection with
the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12). After the roses gathered in
his tilma were transformed into the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
however, little more is said about Juan Diego. In time he lived near the shrine
constructed at Tepeyac, revered as a holy, unselfish and compassionate catechist
who taught by word and especially by example. During his 1990 pastoral visit to
Mexico, Pope John Paul II confirmed the long-standing liturgical cult in honour
of Juan Diego, beatifying him. Twelve years later he was proclaimed a saint. God
counted on Juan Diego to play a humble yet huge role in bringing the Good News
to the peoples of Mexico. Overcoming his own fear and the doubts of Bishop Juan
de Zumarraga, Juan Diego cooperated with God’s grace in showing his people that
the Good News of Jesus is for everyone. Pope John Paul II used the occasion of
this beatification to urge Mexican lay men and women to assume their
responsibilities for passing on the Good News and witnessing to it.
“Similar to ancient biblical personages who were collective
representations of all the people, we could say that Juan Diego represents all
the indigenous peoples who accepted the Gospel of Jesus, thanks to the maternal
aid of Mary, who is always inseparable from the manifestation of her Son and the
spread of the Church, as was her presence among the Apostles on the day of
Pentecost” (Pope John Paul II, beatification homily). (AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today:
Isaiah 41: 13-20; Psalm 145:1 and 9, 10-13ab; Matthew 11: 11-15
Jesus said, I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen
anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of
heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the
kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of
it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are
willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him
hear. (Matthew 11: 11-15)
Christ our Light There are two
cases in the Old Testament in which some form of ascension into heaven is
mentioned. The first is the case of Enoch the father of Methuselah, who "walked
with God, and he was no longer here, for God took him" (Genesis 5: 24). The
statement that “God took him” pictures
Enoch being taken alive to God’s abode.
But of course, the question immediately arises as to what this inspired picture
really signifies. There are many other sentences in this early part of the book
of Genesis which invite such a question, including Enoch’s very age of more than
400 years. The other case of an ascension is that of the prophet Elijah. His
prophetic career is described over several chapters and concludes in 2 Kings 2
with a single sentence describing how he departed the scene of life. He “went up
to heaven in a whirlwind” (2 Kings 2: 11). The meaning of this inspired
depiction of Elijah’s departure is open for reverent discussion. The final
mention of Elijah is in the Book of Malachi, which predicts that “I will send
you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the
Lord" (Mal 3:23). Now, our question could be, what did and does the devout
believer make of all this? There were a variety of interpretations and so it was
in respect to the interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures in general. For
instance, that it was widely expected that the same Elijah of centuries before
would appear again in the flesh is clear in the Gospels. The priests asked John
the Baptist if he were Elijah, and it was widely rumoured that our Lord was
Elijah or one of the ancient prophets come back to life. When our Lord was dying
on the Cross, the people said, “Let us see whether Elijah comes to his rescue”
(Matt 27: 40). The Old Testament — the Hebrew Scriptures — are inspired by God,
but the problem always was their interpretation. For instance, what was to be
made of and expected of the Messiah himself? Jesus Christ came from heaven to
dispel the plethora of interpretations and to bring in his own Person the
definitive one. The Scriptures in their broad outline are interpreted by the
words and Person of Christ.
So it is that, for instance, the coming of Elijah too is illuminated by the
Person and words of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist was Elijah come again. It is
he who fulfilled the prophecy and prepared the people for the Day of the Lord
which was the coming of Jesus Christ. We read in the Gospel of St Luke that the
Angel Gabriel told Zechariah of his son that “God himself will go before him, in
the spirit and power of Elijah, to .... prepare for the Lord a people
well-disposed” (Luke 1: 17). In the Gospel of St Matthew, John the Baptist
predicts the day of judgment using imagery similar to that of Malachi. He
preached that the Messiah was coming and actually identified him. Further, his
prophetic ministry was conducted in a style that immediately recalled the image
of Elijah to his audience. He wore a coat of animal hair secured with a leather
belt. He typically preached in wilderness areas. As mentioned earlier, the chief
priests send a delegation to ask him if he was Elijah, to which, he replied that
"I am not” (John 1:21). In our Gospel passage today, our Lord states clearly
that “if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come”
(Matthew 11: 11-15). That is to say, the
great Day of the Lord has begun with the coming of Jesus Christ, and John was
its great herald — a greater than he had not been seen. He was a worthy
messenger of the predicted Kingdom. “Among those born of women there has not
risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom
of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the
kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of
it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.” On the occasion of
the Transfiguration, Elijah appeared with Moses conversing with Jesus. As Jesus
and his disciples were coming down from the Mountain after it, his disciples
asked him about the teaching of the scribes that Elijah must first come. Our
Lord replied that, yes, but he had already come. They then understood that he
was referring to the Baptist (Matthew 17:12).
The point I am making is that Jesus Christ is the light beaming across the
inspired Scriptures, lighting up their meaning and enabling us to know and love
what God has revealed. I am the Light of the world, he said. After he rose from
the dead he walked with two of his disciples to Emmaus, explaining the
Scriptures and interpreting them in the light of his own Person, his Passion,
Death and Resurrection. That very evening he appeared to the Eleven, reminding
them of what he had said while with them, that “everything written about me in
the law of Moses and the prophets and psalms had to be fulfilled. Then he opened
their minds to the understanding of the Scriptures.” Without Jesus Christ, the
Scriptures will not be properly understood. Let us renew once again our
conviction that in every way, Jesus Christ is the Light of the world.
(E.J.Tyler)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quomodo fiet istud quoniam virum non cognosco? — How can this marvel take
place if I have no knowledge of man? What Mary asks the Angel is a reflection of
her sincere Heart.
Observing the Blessed Virgin has confirmed for me a clear rule of conduct: to
enjoy peace, and to live in peace, we must be very sincere with God, with those
who direct our souls and with ourselves.
(The Forge, no.328)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Friday of the second week in Advent A-1
Prayers today: The Lord is coming from heaven in splendour to visit his people,
and bring them peace and eternal life.
All-powerful God, help us to look forward in hope to the coming of our Saviour.
May we live as he has taught, ready to welcome him with burning love and faith.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
(December 10) Blessed Adolph Kolping (1813-1865)
The rise of the factory system in 19th-century Germany brought many single men
into cities where they faced new challenges to their faith. Father Adolph
Kolping began a ministry to them, hoping that they would not be lost to the
Catholic faith as was 
happening to workers elsewhere in industrialized Europe.
Born in the village of Kerpen, Adolph became a shoemaker at an early age because
of his family’s economic situation. Ordained in 1845, he ministered to young
workers in Cologne, establishing a choir, which by 1849 had grown into the Young
Workmen’s Society. A branch of this began in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1856. Nine
years later there were over 400 Gesellenvereine (workman’s societies) around the
world. Today this group has over 400,000 members in 54 countries across the
globe. More commonly called the Kolping Society, it emphasizes the
sanctification of family life and the dignity of labour. Father Kolping worked
to improve conditions for workers and greatly assisted those in need. He and St.
John Bosco in Turin had similar interests in working with young men in big
cities. He told his followers, “The needs of the times will teach you what to
do.” Father Kolping once said, “The first thing that a person finds in life and
the last to which he holds out his hand, and the most precious that he possess,
even if he does not realize it, is family life.” He and Blessed John Duns Scotus
are buried in Cologne’s Minoritenkirche, served by the Conventual Franciscans.
The Kolping Society’s international headquarters is at this church. Kolping
members journeyed to Rome from Europe, America, Africa, Asia and Oceania for
Father Kolping’s beatification in 1991, the 100th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s
revolutionary encyclical Rerum Novarum (On the Social Order). Father Kolping’s
personal witness and apostolate helped prepare for that encyclical.
Some people thought that Father Kolping was wasting his time and talents on
young working men in industrialized cities. In some countries, the Catholic
Church was seen by many workers as the ally of owners and the enemy of workers.
Men like Adolph Kolping showed that was not true.
“Adolph Kolping gathered skilled workers and factory labourers together. Thus he
overcame their isolation and defeatism. A faith society gave them the strength
to go out into their everyday lives as Christ’s witnesses before God and the
world. To come together, to become strengthened in the assembly, and thus to
scatter again is and still remains our duty today. We are not Christians for
ourselves alone, but always for others too” (Pope John Paul II, beatification
homily). (AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today:
Isaiah 48: 17-19; Psalm 1:1-4 and 6; Matthew 11: 16-19
Jesus said, To what can I compare this generation? They are like children
sitting in the market-places and calling out to others: 'We played the flute for
you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.' For John
came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man
came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a
friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is proved right by her
actions.
(Matthew 11: 16-19)
Our choice One
of the intriguing features — to say the least — of Christ’s almost three years
with the Twelve is his relationship with the one who would betray him. The
Gospel of St John shows that certain of our Lord’s disciples (Andrew, Simon,
John, Philip, Bartholomew)
attached themselves to him even before his ministry
had begun in a public sense. They came to know he was the Messiah soon after his
baptism (John 1: 40-51). At least some of these accompanied him on his return to
Galilee and were present at the wedding feast of Cana when he changed the water
into wine. Other disciples came into contact with our Lord later. We know the
names of a few disciples, outside the circle of the Twelve, who had been with
our Lord from early in his public ministry. Justus and Matthias were two such,
and Matthias became a member of the Twelve after the Ascension, as the
replacement of Judas (Acts 1: 21-26). Another disciple was Cleopas, one of the
two with whom our Lord walked to Emmaus on the day of his Resurrection. Some
disciples persevered in their discipleship (such as those three), others did
not. Among those who were not faithful were those who left our Lord at his
declaration of the doctrine of the Eucharist (John 6: 66). New disciples joined
him too. Bar-Timaeus may have been one, because we are told that he “followed
our Lord along the road” after the cure of his blindness. The chief tax
collector, Zacchaeus, became a true disciple — for our Lord said that
“salvation” had come to him. It seems that our Lord even gained a disciple while
carrying his cross to Calvary — I refer to Simon of Cyrene. His two sons
Alexander and Rufus were known in the later Christian community (Mark 15: 21).
Now, at a certain point in his public ministry, our Lord gathered his disciples
and called the Twelve, whom he called “Apostles” — envoys, ambassadors (Luke 6:
14-16). They were to be envoys of the King. Among them, mysteriously, was Judas
who would betray him. St John tells us that Jesus “knew what was in man” (John
2: 24-25). So he knew what was in each of his Apostles, and we must therefore
conclude that Judas not only had a true vocation (of course), but plenty of
promise. He was selected ahead of many other disciples, such as Matthias, Justus
and Cleopas.
We read that our Lord sent these Twelve out on mission ahead of him to preach
and to work miracles — and this they did, reporting to him on their return.
Judas would have experienced the power of Jesus’ name in what he did on mission.
But our Lord would have seen, and with tremendous concern, a change going on in
the heart of his chosen friend — and chosen “friend” he was. Our Lord addressed
Judas as “friend” in the Garden of Gethsemane when he arrived for the betrayal
(Matthew 26: 50). So serious was the change in Judas’ heart that at the end of
our Lord’s discourse at Capernaum announcing the doctrine of the Eucharist, our
Lord told the Twelve that though he had chosen them, one of them was “a devil”
(John 6: 70). St John tells us that our Lord was speaking specifically of Judas.
Perhaps our Lord’s awesome, though oblique, statement was meant as a solemn
warning to Judas of the terrible course his heart was taking. However, our Lord
did not expel his “friend” from his company, even though he, Jesus, was capable
of dramatically blunt words and actions. For instance, he unhesitatingly and
sharply rebuked the leaders of the people, and he physically expelled the
sellers and money changers from the Temple. We do not read of this vigorous and
open action in respect to Judas. Even at the very last, just a couple of hours
before the betrayal itself, our Lord does not haul Judas to book in front of
them all. He warns of the betrayal in general terms, and warns Judas himself
briefly but privately (Matthew 26: 25). It is obvious that our Lord at no point
had brought Judas’ false position to light, because the disciples could not
guess who the betrayer was when mention of a betrayal was made at the Last
Supper. What, then, was our Lord doing? We may presume that our Lord was doing
all that he could, and all that was best. Discretely, silently, our Lord was
working on the heart of his “friend,” taking the best and most effective course
for a change of heart. Our Lord would have left no stone unturned to bring about
in Judas the change that was so necessary for his very salvation. But all to no
avail. We are reminded of God’s words to his people in Isaiah: “What more could
I have done that I have not done?” (Isaiah 5: 4).
I have dwelt on the case of Judas, and our Lord’s doubtlessly constant efforts
for him, as an example of the point in our Gospel passage today
(Matthew 11: 16-19). John came doing one
thing and to no avail. The Son of man came doing another, and to no avail. God
is the Good Shepherd ever pursuing the stray. But man has been granted the gift
of free choice, and has it in his power to refuse the living God himself — to
his peril. There is nothing God has not done, nor would not do, to save us from
damnation. Let us appreciate our power to choose him, and let us make that
choice. All for Jesus, then!
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A foolish child wails and stamps his feet when his loving mother puts a needle
to his finger to get a splinter out... A sensible child, perhaps with his eyes
full of tears — for the flesh is weak — looks gratefully at his good mother who
is making him suffer a little in order to avoid much greater harm.
—Jesus, may I be a sensible child.
(The Forge, no.329)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Saturday of the
second week in Advent A-1
Prayers today: Come, Lord, from
your cherubim throne; let us see your face, and we shall be saved.
Psalm 79: 4, 2
Lord, let your glory dawn to take away our darkness. May we be revealed as the
children of light at the coming of your Son, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
(December 11) St. Damasus I (305?-384)
To his secretary St. Jerome, Damasus was “an incomparable person, learned in the
Scriptures, a virgin doctor of the virgin Church, who loved chastity and heard
its
praises
with pleasure.” Damasus seldom heard such unrestrained praise. Internal
political struggles, doctrinal heresies, uneasy relations with his fellow
bishops and those of the Eastern Church marred the peace of his pontificate.
Possibly of Spanish extraction, Damasus started as a deacon in his father’s
church, and served as a priest in what later became the basilica of San Lorenzo
in Rome. He served Pope Liberius (352-366) and followed him into exile. When
Liberius died, Damasus was elected bishop of Rome; but a minority elected and
consecrated another deacon, Ursinus, as pope. The controversy between Damasus
and the antipope resulted in violent battles in two basilicas, scandalizing the
bishops of Italy. At the synod Damasus called on the occasion of his birthday,
he asked them to approve his actions. The bishops’ reply was curt: “We assembled
for a birthday, not to condemn a man unheard.” Supporters of the antipope even
managed to get Damasus accused of a grave crime as late as A.D. 378. He had to
clear himself before both a civil court and a Church synod. As pope his
lifestyle was simple in contrast to other ecclesiastics of Rome, and he was
fierce in his denunciation of Arianism and other heresies. A misunderstanding of
the Trinitarian terminology used by Rome threatened amicable relations with the
Eastern Church, and Damasus was only moderately successful in dealing with the
situation. During his pontificate Christianity was declared the official
religion of the Roman state (380), and Latin became the principal liturgical
language as part of the pope’s reforms. His encouragement of St. Jerome’s
biblical studies led to the Vulgate, the Latin translation of Scripture which
the Council of Trent (12 centuries later) declared to be “authentic in public
readings, disputations, preachings.” The history of the papacy and the Church is
inextricably mixed with the personal biography of Damasus. In a troubled and
pivotal period of Church history, he stands forth as a zealous defender of the
faith who knew when to be progressive and when to entrench. Damasus makes us
aware of two qualities of good leadership: alertness to the promptings of the
Spirit and service. His struggles are a reminder that Jesus never promised his
Rock protection from hurricane winds nor his followers immunity from
difficulties. His only guarantee is final victory.
"He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives life to the
dying seeds of the earth; he who was able to loose the mortal chains of death,
and after three days' darkness could bring again to the upper world the brother
for his sister Martha: he, I believe, will make Damasus rise again from the
dust" (epitaph Damasus wrote for himself). (AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture: Ecclesiasticus 48: 1-4.9-11;
Ps 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19; Matthew 17: 10-13
The disciples asked Jesus, Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah
must come first? Jesus replied, To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all
things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognise him,
but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is
going to suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood that he was
talking to them about John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:
10-13)
The true Light
When doing research for this or that project over the years, I have noticed one
difference (among many) between Catholic and Protestant religious culture.
Protestant preaching and spiritual reading appeared to lay considerable stress
on the Old Testament, without of course meaning to neglect the New. In sermons
great space was given to Old Testament figures and lessons — and we see this in
many of the wonderful sermons of John Henry Newman in his Anglican period. This,
of course, was very good and it exploited to the full the inspiration of the
entire Bible. However, much of that discussion of Old Testament material was not
directly connected with the Gospels. That is to say, figures and prophecies from
the Old Testament would often be contemplated, discussed and applied without
explicit reference to the Gospels. This is not to say that the preacher or
writer himself meant to imply that the Old Testament was unconnected with the
New. Nevertheless, it was, I thought, an intriguing feature of much of
Protestant religious culture as expressed in its writing. When I speak of
“Protestant religious culture,” I am not thinking of those currents within the
Protestant world that were Catholic in ethos. When we turn to Catholic religious
culture, the emphasis always seemed to be different. While the Old Testament was
defended as truly inspired by God, and the reading of it recommended to those
able to use it with profit, recourse to it in preaching, teaching, and writing
was usually had only in the context of the New Testament and in particular of
the Gospels. The Old Testament was not pressed on the faithful, and it was not
often used without explicit reference to the New, and in particular, to the
Gospels. The stress was consistently on the New Testament, and especially on the
Gospels. The Old Testament was used to light up aspects of the Gospels, and the
Gospels were usually the prominent backdrop in any Old Testament reading. This
is not the moment nor is there space to discuss the reasons for this difference
in stress. I merely wish to introduce the connection between the New Testament — especially the Gospels
— and the Old.
In our Gospel passage today (Matthew 17: 10-13),
our Lord is asked by his disciples about the great Old Testament prophet,
Elijah. Our Lord and his disciples were coming down from the Mountain after the
Transfiguration. As an aside, may I remark that the Transfiguration could be
regarded as the greatest of Christ’s miracles during his public ministry — prior
to the Institution of the Holy Eucharist during the Last Supper and then his own
Resurrection. While during his public ministry our Lord worked an astonishing
range of miracles, in the case of the Transfiguration the miracle was worked on
himself. He himself was transfigured and his great glory was revealed visibly.
The Father spoke about him. As well as this, the Old Testament, the first
Covenant, the Law and the Prophets — as embodied in Moses and Elijah seen
conversing with Jesus — were shown as pointing to him. Jesus Christ is
intimately connected with the Old Testament, and the Old Testament is to be
understood in light of him. If Moses and what are traditionally regarded as his
books are read, they are read with Jesus Christ in mind as their fulfilment. If
Elijah and the other prophets are read, they are read with Jesus Christ in mind.
They themselves help us to understand Jesus Christ, and he is their fulfilment
and their true key. As Jesus is going down the Mountain after the great
Apparition and the Instruction from the Father, the disciples ask our Lord about
Elijah whom they had just seen conversing with him. The teachers of the Law,
they said to Jesus, maintain that Elijah must come first. Yes, he must come, our
Lord concurred. But he has come — referring to John the Baptist. In John the
Baptist Elijah was not acknowledged, and he was made to suffer — and so it will
be with the Son of Man. We see here that Jesus Christ is the constant reference
point. He is the key to the true understanding of the return of Elijah, as he is
of Moses, the prophets and all that they are part of and represent. Let us love
the entire corpus of Holy Scripture, knowing that we have in our hands its key — Jesus Christ, about whom the Father said, “This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen
to him!”
Jesus Christ is not only the key to the entire Scriptures. He is the key to all
of life, both the life of every individual, and the life of mankind. If we hold
on to him, we hold in our hands the torch that lights up all. Without that
light, we are in the dark. I am the Light of the world, he said. Whoever walks
by me, is in the light. He who does not, is in the darkness. Let us resolve to
stand by him, and not to lose our way, then!
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My child, my little donkey: if the Lord, with Love, has washed your grimy back,
so accustomed to the muck, and has laid a satin harness on you, and covered you
with dazzling jewels, don’t forget, poor donkey, that with your faults you could
throw that beautiful load on to the ground... But on your own you couldn’t put
it back on again.
(The Forge, no.330)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Third Sunday of Advent A
Prayers today: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord
is near. Phil 4: 4, 5
Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ,
experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and
thanksgiving. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,..
or
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises and ever close
to your Church: the earth rejoices in hope of the Saviour's coming and looks
forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our hearts and
remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope which his
presence will bestow, for he is Lord for ever and ever.
(December 12) Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico)
The feast in honour of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the sixteenth century.
Chronicles of that period tell us the story. A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac
was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He was a 57-year-old widower and
lived in a small village near Mexico City. On Saturday morning, December 9,
1531, he was on his way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in honour of Our Lady.
He was walking by a hill called Tepeyac when he heard beautiful music like the
warbling of birds. A radiant cloud appeared and within it a young Native
American maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. The lady spoke to him in his own
language and sent him to the bishop of Mexico, a Franciscan named Juan de
Zumarraga. The bishop was to build a chapel in the place where the lady
appeared. Eventually the bishop told Juan Diego to have the lady give him a
sign. About this same time Juan Diego’s uncle became seriously ill. This led
poor Diego to try to avoid the lady. The lady 
found Diego, nevertheless, assured
him that his uncle would recover and provided roses for Juan to carry to the
bishop in his cape or tilma. When Juan Diego opened his tilma in the bishop’s
presence, the roses fell to the ground and the bishop sank to his knees. On Juan
Diego’s tilma appeared an image of Mary as she had appeared at the hill of
Tepeyac. It was December 12, 1531. (click here for
information about scientific studies on the eyes in the image)
Mary's appearance to Juan Diego as one of his people is a powerful reminder that
Mary and the God who sent her accept all peoples. In the context of the
sometimes rude and cruel treatment of the Indians by the Spaniards, the
apparition was a rebuke to the Spaniards and an event of vast significance for
Native Americans. While a number of them had converted before this incident,
they now came in droves. According to a contemporary chronicler, nine million
Indians became Catholic in a very short time. In these days when we hear so much
about God's preferential option for the poor, Our Lady of Guadalupe cries out to
us that God's love for and identification with the poor is an age-old truth that
stems from the Gospel itself.
Mary to Juan Diego: “My dearest son, I am the
eternal Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God, Author of Life, Creator of all and
Lord of the Heavens and of the Earth...and it is my desire that a church be
built here in this place for me, where, as your most merciful Mother and that of
all your people, I may show my loving clemency and the compassion that I bear to
the Indians, and to those who love and seek me...” (from an ancient chronicle).
(American.Catholic.org)
Scripture today: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10;
Psalm 146:6-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew
11:2-11
Now when John had heard in prison the works of Christ he sent two of his
disciples to ask him, "Are you he who is to come, or are we to look for
another?" Jesus answered, "Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen.
The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead
rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them. Blessed is he who is not
scandalized in me." And when they went their way, Jesus began to say to the
multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? a reed
shaken with the wind? What did you go to see? A man clothed in soft garments?
Behold those who are clothed in soft garments are in the houses of kings. But
what went you out to see? a prophet? yes I tell you, and more than a prophet.
For this is he of whom it is written: Behold I send my angel before you, who
shall prepare your way before you. Amen I say to you, there has not been born of
woman a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is the least in the kingdom
of heaven is greater than he." (Matthew 11:2-11)
Jesus Christ John the Baptist
had the extraordinary mission from God of announcing the coming of the promised
Messiah, and then of identifying him among the people. There is the Lamb of God,
he told his disciples, pointing to Jesus who was walking by. With the exception
of the mother of Christ herself, John knew more of the mission of Jesus Christ
than any other person — and his knowledge came from above. But there were limits
to his knowledge. When Jesus actually got working, John must have had some kind
of doubt, because he sent his disciples to ask our Lord if he, after all, were
the Messiah who was to come. Our Lord had not been fulfilling John’s
expectations. Perhaps he expected something grander, more impressive, more
“larger than life,” something much more out-of-the-ordinary, we might even say.
John’s puzzlement is an occasion for us to contemplate yet again the Person of
Jesus Christ. In fact, our Lord was far grander than anything hitherto, but
there is a real sense in which he was “ordinary.” He was truly man, and reading
between the lines of the Gospels we see how human our Lord was, and how immersed
in the human condition he had placed himself. We can never appreciate
sufficiently the two distinct yet closely associated natures in and through
which our Lord’s ineffable person lived and operated. He was truly man, and
truly God. The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us, letting his glory be
seen in and through the human nature he took to himself. St John the Baptist was
puzzled at what our Lord might have been about. He was about the work of
Redemption. The Word became flesh for us in order to save us by reconciling us
with God, who loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. He
became flesh so that thus we might know God’s love. Finally, he became flesh to
be our model of holiness. The aspiration to be good is the most natural
aspiration in the world — but it is easily smothered out of existence by our
innate desire for self gratification and aggrandizement, and it is distracted by
competing voices as to what it is to be good. The Christian fastens his gaze on
Christ, as being both the Goal and the Means.
In his reply to John, our Lord pointed to the signs of the Kingdom of God in his
ministry (Matthew 11:2-11). When Peter spoke
to the people following the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he said that
“Jesus of Nazareth was a man whom God sent to you with miracles, wonders and
signs as his credentials. These God worked through him in your midst, as you
well know” (Acts 2: 22). In his reply to John, our Lord pointed to the signs
that attested that the Father had sent him, inviting belief in him. As we read,
“Jesus answered, ‘Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen. The blind
see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again,
the poor have the gospel preached to them. Blessed is he who is not scandalized
in me’.” Our Lord meant his miracles to strengthen faith in him and in his
testimony about himself. By freeing some individuals from the earthly evils of
hunger, injustice, and death (as in the raising to life of the son of the widow
of Nain), our Lord worked messianic signs, signs that he was the Messiah to
come. Nevertheless, of course, he did not come to abolish all evils here below.
Those signs pointed to the greatest liberation of all, the slavery of sin which
thwarts man in his vocation as God’s son or daughter. The coming of God’s
kingdom means the defeat of Satan: “If it is by the kingdom of God that I cast
out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12: 26.28).
Christ’s exorcisms are a sign of this: they free some individuals from the
domination of demons. They anticipate Christ’s great victory over the ruler of
this world (John 12: 31). The kingdom of God will be definitively established,
not by what John may have been expecting of a Messiah, but through the Cross.
His reign will be from the wood of the Cross at Calvary. We may presume that all
of this our Lord was hinting at, obliquely, in his reply to John. It seemed to
satisfy John, for there were no more enquiries, and our Lord gave to him the
highest praise.
As we think of John, uncertain about the course Christ was taking, and with
little of his short life left to him, let us resolve to contemplate the person
and work of Jesus Christ. Let us keep before our eyes its redemptive mission and
how he chose to pave the way for it during his public ministry. Christ, God and
man, our Redeemer and our Friend, was and is about the business of our salvation
and sanctification. Let us view all that he is recorded in the Gospels as doing
for us, looking on who he really is. He is our God and our Brother, and he has
let his glory be seen. Let us then resolve to love him, follow him, and bear
witness to him.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading: The Catechism of the Catholic Church,
no.456-460 (The Word became flesh)
no.547-550 (Signs of the Kingdom)
------------------------------------------------------------
Second reflection: (James
5: 7-10)
Patience in life
I have heard it said that,
statistically, the majority of small businesses fold within a few years of their
beginning. They invariably require great patience and perseverance. So too with
the project of salvation and sanctification. In the second reading, St James
(James 5: 7-10) tells us to be patient until the Lord’s coming.
Think of the
farmer, he continues, who patiently awaits “the precious fruit of the ground”
until it has received the rains of autumn following the heat of summer, and the
rains of spring following the winter. The Christian too must not lose heart, for
the Lord is coming soon. Submit to difficulty with patience, for “the Judge is
already to be seen waiting at the gates.” Much of life consists in fulfilling
our responsibilities each day without much obvious reward or satisfaction.
Indeed, at times a person may have to live out a tragedy or a disappointment for
the whole of his life, or the frustration of lacking all he would like to have
seen happen. As St James says, that person must be patient, because the Lord’s
coming will be soon. God has his plan for each of us. He will come in all sorts
of ways in life to console and sustain us. All we need to do is trust him and do
his Will as well and as joyfully as we can.
It is a joyful patience in the midst of adversity which is such a powerful
witness in our modern world, a world which expects rewards for effort, and
compensation for injustices and ills. The Christian, by his patient forgiveness,
by refusing to lose heart, bears witness to the great doctrine that the Lord is
coming soon. This coming of the Lord gives meaning to each person’s life, and to
the course of human history.
(E.J.Tyler)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rest in divine filiation. God is a Father — your Father! — full of warmth and
infinite love.
—Call him Father frequently and tell him, when you are alone, that you love him,
that you love him very much!, and that you feel proud and strong because you are
his son.
(The Forge, no.331)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Monday of the third week of Advent A-1
Prayers today: Nations, hear the message of the Lord, and make it known
to the ends of the earth: Our Saviour is coming. Have no more fear.
Jer 31:10;
Is 35: 4
Lord, hear our voices raised in prayer. Let the light of the coming of your Son
free us from the darkness of sin. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son,...
(December 13) Saint Lucy, virgin and martyr (d. 304)
Every little girl named Lucy must bite her tongue in disappointment when she
first tries to find out what there is to know about 
her patron saint. The older
books will have a lengthy paragraph detailing a small number of traditions.
Newer books will have a lengthy paragraph showing that there is little basis in
history for these traditions. The single fact survives that a disappointed
suitor accused Lucy of being a Christian and she was executed in Syracuse
(Sicily) in the year 304. But it is also true that her name is mentioned in the
First Eucharistic Prayer, geographical places are named after her, a popular
song has her name as its title and down through the centuries many thousands of
little girls have been proud of the name Lucy. One can easily imagine what a
young Christian woman had to contend with in pagan Sicily in the year 300. If
you have trouble imagining, just glance at today’s pleasure-at-all-costs world
and the barriers it presents against leading a good Christian life. Her friends
must have wondered aloud about this hero of Lucy’s, an obscure itinerant
preacher in a far-off captive nation that had been destroyed more than 200 years
before. Once a carpenter, he had been crucified by the Roman soldiers after his
own people turned him over to the Roman authorities. Lucy believed with her
whole soul that this man had risen from the dead. Heaven had put a stamp on all
he said and did. To give witness to her faith she had made a vow of virginity.
What a hubbub this caused among her pagan friends! The kindlier ones just
thought her a little strange. To be pure before marriage was an ancient Roman
ideal, rarely found but not to be condemned. To exclude marriage altogether,
however, was too much. She must have something sinister to hide, the tongues
wagged. Lucy knew of the heroism of earlier virgin martyrs. She remained
faithful to their example and to the example of the carpenter, whom she knew to
be the Son of God. She is the patroness of eyesight.
“The Gospel tells us of all that Jesus suffered, of the insults that fell upon
him. But, from Bethlehem to Calvary, the brilliance that radiates from his
divine purity spread more and more and won over the crowds. So great was the
austerity and the enchantment of his conduct....
“So may it be with you, beloved daughters. Blessed be the discretion, the
mortifications and the renouncements with which you seek to render this virtue
more brilliant.... May your conduct prove to all that chastity is not only a
possible virtue but a social virtue, which must be strongly defended through
prayer, vigilance and the mortification of the senses” (Pope John XXIII, Letter
to Women Religious). (AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today:
Numbers 24: 2-7.15-17;
Psalm 25:4-9; Matthew 21: 23-27;
Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests
and the elders of the people came to him. By what authority are you doing these
things? they asked. And who gave you this authority? Jesus replied, I will also
ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am
doing these things. John’s baptism— where did it come from? Was it from heaven,
or from men? They discussed it among themselves and said, If we say, ‘From
heaven’, he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From
men’— we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet. So
they answered Jesus, We don’t know. Then he said, Neither will I tell you by
what authority I am doing these things.
(Matthew 21:
23-27)
All authority A
frequent feature of the religious history of Israel was the rejection of the
authority of its prophets. Elijah faced the rejection of his authority and he
challenged the prophets of Baal to a formal confrontation. The miracle he worked
on that occasion established his authority to a point — he successfully appealed
to
Yahweh to accept his sacrifice of the bull he had prepared over that of the
prophets of Baal. Then he executed those prophets. His successor Elisha also
worked miracles, which helped establish his authority. The prophet Jeremiah had
to face stiff opposition to his prophetic authority. He did not work miracles,
but insisted repeatedly that he was called by God to act as prophet. He
consistently foretold the doom of the city if certain things were not done — and
so it came to pass. Other prophets, such as Micah and Zechariah, faced the
rejection of their authority. One gets the impression that the majority of
prophets did not work miracles in order to vindicate their authority to speak on
God’s behalf. If they warned that a particular course would be successful, and
if this did not come to pass, they stood discredited. The message which the true
prophet proclaimed was its own proof — a rightly disposed person would know that
what the prophet announced was indeed from God. The conscience of the hearer
would confirm the message of the prophet. In the story of Jonah, the prophet
preached, his authority was accepted, and the pagan city of Nineveh repented — without the support of miracles. John the Baptist was declared by our Lord to
have been more than a prophet — he was the one Malachi foretold, the “angel”
(messenger) going before him. John claimed to have been sent:
“He who sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, 'The one upon whom you see the Spirit
descend, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit'” (John 1: 33).
He
claimed the authority of being sent by God, and numerous rightly-disposed
persons accepted his claim. He worked no miracles. Now, one of the most striking
things about the ministry of Jesus Christ was the authority with which he
appeared to act and to speak. He acted as his own authority.
We read repeatedly in the Gospels how the people stood in awe of the person, the
words and the deeds of Jesus. He spoke with authority, not like their scribes.
That is to say, while the scribes and teachers of the Law brought forward their
authorities to support their teaching, Jesus of Nazareth taught the people in
the synagogues and elsewhere without appealing to that kind of support. You have
heard it said that it was said of old, you shall not kill, and whoever shall
kill will be in danger of the judgement — but I say to you, whoever is angry
with his brother will be in danger of the judgement (Matthew 5: 21-22). In his
teaching he acted as if he was the supreme authority in religion. He even said
he was Lord of the Sabbath. He took matters into his own hand and cleansed the
Temple of the buyers and sellers. He acted as one having the authority to
forgive sins. He commanded the evil spirits and they obeyed, as did the very
elements. He was sure of his authority, exercised it, and no-one among the
leaders could successfully shake his calm assurance of this authority. Time and
again they gathered as a group to challenge him, and he silenced them. The scene
of our Gospel passage today (Matthew 21: 23-27)
is the Temple precincts and our Lord is teaching the people. He is
suddenly interrupted by the approach of the chief priest and elders of the
people. In the presence of our Lord’s audience, they demand to know by what
authority he was doing these things. Could he point to any acknowledged
authority who supported him — what were his references? Our Lord calmly routed
them in the encounter: What do you make of John the Baptist? he asked. What of
his authority? They refused to answer, because it would immediately vindicate
Jesus. The clash left them silenced, and Jesus’ own authority enhanced in the
eyes of the people. Matters reached such a pass that, as all the synoptic
Gospels report, his enemies dared not ask him any more questions (Luke 20: 40;
Matthew 22:46; Mark 12: 34). But what it also illustrates is that to accept the
authority of Jesus Christ — as with each of the prophets before him — there must
be a rightly-disposed heart, a true and religious conscience.
Jesus Christ is the highest of all authorities in the history of religion. He
acted as such, claimed to be such, died precisely because of this claim, and was
vindicated by his Resurrection and Ascension to glory. All authority in heaven
and on earth has been given to me, he told his disciples. Go, therefore, make
disciples of all the nations. All mankind is called to recognize his authority
and to make it the basis of life. As the book of Revelation calls him, Jesus
Christ is the Lord of lords and King of kings. Let us make this our faith and
our message to others.
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cheerfulness is a necessary consequence of our divine filiation, of knowing that
our Father God loves us with a love of predilection, that he welcomes us, helps
us and forgives us.
—Remember this and never forget it: even if it should seem at times that
everything is collapsing, nothing is collapsing at all, because God doesn’t lose
battles.
(The Forge, no.332)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Tuesday of the third week in Advent A-1
Prayers today: See, the Lord is coming and with him all his saints. Then
there will be endless day. Zec 14: 5, 7
Father of love, you made a new creation through Jesus Christ your Son. May his
coming free us from sin and renew his life within us, for he lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
(December 14) St. John of the Cross (1541-1591)
John is a saint because his life was a heroic effort to live up to his name: “of
the Cross.” The folly of the cross came to full realization in time. “Whoever
wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me”
(Mark 8:34b) is 
the story of John’s life. The Paschal Mystery — through death to
life — strongly marks John as reformer, mystic-poet and theologian-priest.
Ordained a Carmelite priest at 25 (1567), John met Teresa of Jesus (Avila) and
like her vowed himself to the primitive Rule of the Carmelites. As partner with
Teresa and in his own right, John engaged in the work of reform, and came to
experience the price of reform: increasing opposition, misunderstanding,
persecution, imprisonment. He came to know the cross acutely—to experience the
dying of Jesus—as he sat month after month in his dark, damp, narrow cell with
only his God! Yet, the paradox! In this dying of imprisonment John came to life,
uttering poetry. In the darkness of the dungeon, John’s spirit came into the
Light. There are many mystics, many poets; John is unique as mystic-poet,
expressing in his prison-cross the ecstasy of mystical union with God in the
Spiritual Canticle. But as agony leads to ecstasy, so John had his Ascent to Mt.
Carmel, as he named it in his prose masterpiece. As man-Christian-Carmelite, he
experienced in himself this purifying ascent; as spiritual director, he sensed
it in others; as psychologist-theologian, he described and analysed it in his
prose writings. His prose works are outstanding in underscoring the cost of
discipleship, the path of union with God: rigorous discipline, abandonment,
purification. Uniquely and strongly John underlines the gospel paradox: The
cross leads to resurrection, agony to ecstasy, darkness to light, abandonment to
possession, denial to self to union with God. If you want to save your life, you
must lose it. John is truly “of the Cross.” He died at 49 — a life short, but
full.
John in his life and writings has a crucial word for us today. We tend to be
rich, soft, comfortable. We shrink even from words like self-denial,
mortification, purification, asceticism, discipline. We run from the cross.
John’s message — like the gospel — is loud and clear: Don’t — if you really want
to live!
Thomas Merton said of John: "Just as we can never separate asceticism from
mysticism, so in St. John of the Cross we find darkness and light, suffering and
joy, sacrifice and love united together so closely that they seem at times to be
identified."
In John's words:
"Never was fount so clear,
undimmed and bright;
From it alone, I know proceeds all light
although 'tis night." (AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today:
Zephaniah 3: 1-2.9-13; Ps 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 and 23; Matthew 21: 28-32;
Jesus said, What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the
first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he
answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the
other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not
go. Which of the two did what his father wanted? The first, they answered. Jesus
said to them, I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are
entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the
way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and
the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe
him. (Matthew 21: 28-32)
Beginning again One not-uncommon problem among those who have been blessed with
a life that is not short, is the problem of a sense of futility. Life has
brought its sorrows and disappointments. The person looks back on his youth and
remembers hurts and frustrations. His marriage has also brought its
disappointments, as has his career. He has gradually come to see that he has
very real limits, that he cannot do very well certain things that make a mark on
others and on the society around him. Perhaps he has reached a certain level of
accomplishment in life, and he is reluctant to move beyond that for fear of
further disappointment and hurt. In the case of many, this may be over-stating
the situation, but it is certainly to be noticed that the older person does not
normally have the initiative that he had at an earlier age. The causes of this
vary, of course, but it may be due to a certain disillusionment with both
oneself and with life. There is the sense that it is not worth the bother of
trying again, that any new attempts may once more bring further hurts and
sorrows. Now, even humanly this is a pity because among man’s greatest
satisfactions is his work. The more he can do that is of service, the more
fulfilled he will be. At any stage of life he is free to serve by his work, and
the better the kind and form of service through work, the greater his own
fulfilment. Entertaining a sense of futility is not a good idea. But let us
consider this pattern in a much more serious context — the context of man’s
religion, which is to say, his relationship with God. In his conscience he knows
that he should strive to be good — indeed, very good. There is a vague sense
within him that he should be aiming at being perfectly good, with no truck being
allowed for moral evil. To this innate sense there is addressed the command of
God, confirmed by Jesus Christ, that we are to love the Lord God with all our
heart, mind, soul and strength, and our neighbour as ourself. By the call of our
very nature, we should strive for goodness. By the call of God and Christ as
expressed in historical Revelation, we are called to sanctity. But our
disillusionment with life and with ourselves can lead us quietly to set this
call aside as being unrealistic and futile, in view of past experience.
In our Gospel today (Matthew 21: 28-32), our Lord presents us with the parable
of the two sons. The father went to the first and asked him to go to work in his
vineyard — and he refused. But afterwards he thought better of this and went. He
went to the second and told him to do the same, and that son said he would go — but he did not, after all. The context of this parable was our Lord’s encounter
with his enemies, the chief priests and elders, who had demanded to know by what
authority he was acting as he was. Our Lord told them that they were like the
son who said he would obey, but did not. The “tax collectors and the
prostitutes” were like the son who said he would not obey, but did. Now, while
our Lord’s parable is directed in the first instance to this situation, it is
applicable to all of us. We combine in ourselves both sons of the parable. We
may look back on our lives and see that we have often said to God, yes I will
obey you, but we have failed to do so. If we have anything like clarity of moral
vision we shall see how poor and inadequate has been our obedience to God and
the moral law. We have been like the second son, and precisely because of this
we may have a certain disillusionment about our religious life and prospects.
Without saying as much, we may tend very much to think that, granted who we are
and our seeming inability to get on in the business of sanctity, life does not
offer us much more in terms of a true religious flourishing. We may think we are
more or less condemned to a course of spiritual mediocrity. We have been like
the second son of the parable, saying yes to what God and a good life asks of
us, but then failing to carry through with it. Such has been our life, and such
it will continue to be. But no, for at every point God calls us to be like the
first son. We can hear his call anew, and like the first son who at first
refused, we can begin again and proceed in a life of obedience. Let us liken our
mediocre past life with the initial refusal of the first son. But he
subsequently repented of his refusal and proceeded to do what his father wished.
Let us begin again, as he did.
One of the most obvious differences between the existence of an Angel and that
of the human being is that the human being has the chance of a new beginning at
every point of his existence. He can make radically new choices for God (and
against him). An Angel, it seems, concentrates his entire being and destiny in a
single choice for God (or against him), because he sees all the issues before
him at once. Once his choice is made, the die is cast. But in our case, as long
as life lasts, we human beings can begin again. No matter what be the past, I
can start afresh and take my stand with God and Christ — provided I count on and
depend on grace. So, whatever be our past course, let us be like the first son
who “changed his mind and went.” Now I begin!
(E.J.Tyler)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The best way of showing our gratitude to God is to be passionately in love with
the fact that we are his children.
(The Forge, no.333)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------
Wednesday of the
third week in Advent A-1
Prayers today: The Lord is coming
and will not delay; he will bring every hidden thing to light and reveal himself
to every nation. Habakuk 2: 3; 1 Cor 4: 5
Father, may the coming celebration of the birth of your Son bring us your saving
help and prepare us for eternal life. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son.
(December 15) Blessed Mary Frances Schervier
(1819-1876)
This woman who once wanted to become a Trappistine nun
was instead led by God to establish a community of sisters who care for the sick
and aged in the United States and throughout the world. Born into a
distinguished family in Aachen (then ruled
by
Prussia but formerly Aix-la-Chapelle, France), Frances ran the household after
her mother’s death and established a reputation for generosity to the poor. In
1844 she became a Secular Franciscan. The next year she and four companions
established a religious community devoted to caring for the poor. In 1851 the
Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis (a variant of the original name) were
approved by the local bishop; the community soon spread. The first U.S.
foundation was made in 1858. Mother Frances visited the United States in 1863
and helped her sisters nurse soldiers wounded in the Civil War. She visited the
United States again in 1868. When Philip Hoever was establishing the Brothers of
the Poor of St. Francis, she encouraged him. When Mother Frances died, there
were 2,500 members of her community worldwide. The number has kept growing. They
are still engaged in operating hospitals and homes for the aged. Mother Mary
Frances was beatified in 1974. The sick, the poor and the aged are constantly in
danger of being considered "useless" members of society and therefore ignored —
or worse. Women and men motivated by the ideals of Mother Frances are needed if
the God-given dignity and destiny of all people are to be respected.
In 1868, Mother Frances wrote to all her sisters,
reminding them of Jesus’ words: “You are my friends if you do what I command
you.... I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another” (John
15:14,17). She continued: “If we do this faithfully and zealously, we will
experience the truth of the words of our father St. Francis who says that love
lightens all difficulties and sweetens all bitterness. We will likewise partake
of the blessing which St. Francis promised to all his children, both present and
future, after having admonished them to love one another even as he had loved
them and continues to love them.” (AmericanCatholic.org)
Scripture today: Isaiah 45:
6-8.21-25; Psalm 85: 9 & 10, 11-12, 13-14;
Luke 7: 19-23;
John sent two of his disciples to the
Lord to ask, Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?
When the men came to Jesus, they said, John the Baptist sent us to you to ask,
‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’ At that
very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and
gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, Go back and
report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame
walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and
the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away
on account of me. (Luke 7: 19-23)
Falling away Let us notice the
structure of John’s question as presented to Jesus: “Are you the one who was to
come, or should we expect someone else?” John’s question raises the matter of
what man expects of God. The Old Testament contained some massive predictions.
In the Book of Genesis, God tells the Serpent that the offspring of the woman
“will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel” (3:15). That is a
prediction, giving rise to expectations on the part of God’s chosen people.
There were further predictions in the Book of Genesis. God promises to Abraham
that he would make of him a great nation, and that “all the communities of the
earth shall find blessing in you” (12: 2-3). Jacob, grandson of Abraham,
predicts that “the sceptre shall never depart from Judah” — “until” (as one
reading of it would go) “he comes to whom it belongs” (49: 10). There are many
predictions in other Books, especially those of the Prophets. All up, there was
what we might call a great Likelihood ahead, an antecedent overwhelming
Probability due to the word of God having been declared on the matter. But these
predictions were not absolutely clear. In his Wars of the Jews,
Flavius Josephus writes that “what most elevated them in undertaking this war
(i.e., the great revolt against the Romans) was an ambiguous oracle that was
found also in their sacred writings, how ‘about that time one from their country
should become governor of the habitable earth.’ The Jews took this prediction to
belong to themselves in particular, and many of the wise men were thereby
deceived in their determination...” (Book VI, Ch.V). Josephus, a Jew of the
Roman party, does not seem to dispute the validity of the oracles, and in
particular the “oracle” about the coming world “governor” from “their country.”
The question was the detailed interpretation of the oracle and what to do in consequence.
But even apart from the sacred and inspired “oracles,” man finds himself with
various expectations. He expects things of God. We need not go into the grounds
of his expectations in both nature and in revelation. The question is, what to
do when his expectations are not met by what happens in fact?
In our Gospel today, John’s disciples come to Jesus presenting John’s
expectations. “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone
else?” It seems that John was puzzled and perplexed at what our Lord was doing — it seems that John had an image of the Messiah launching a dramatic rule that
would inaugurate God’s kingdom. This image, developed on the basis of his
reading of “the oracles,” was not in accord with news he was receiving. Our
Lord’s answer is important for all of us: “Go back and report to John what you
have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have
leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is
preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of
me” (Luke 7: 19-23). The foundations in the
Scriptures of John’s expectations were right and sound, of course, but John had
to leave behind his particular expectations and align his mind with that of God.
There are other instances in the Gospels of people having to adjust their
expectations. When Joseph saw that Mary his betrothed was with child, he was
profoundly perplexed. His expectations were in a quandary, and it was when the
Angel enlightened him that he was able to align his mind with that of God. When
the Child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, it was only after three days that
Mary and Joseph found him — they could not understand his action. Did you not
know I must be about my Father’s business? Jesus asked. Their expectations had
to adjust. When Christ began to be explicit about his coming rejection, his
sufferings and his death, Simon Peter took him aside to remonstrate with him — this must not happen to you, he told Jesus. It went clean against all that Simon
Peter expected and wanted. Simon had to change, and align his expectations to
the plan of God. Every disciple of Christ must do this all along the way,
striving to align totally and perfectly his own wishes and expectations with the
will of God. Now, some fail to do this — they “fall away on account of” Jesus
and what he says or does. When our Lord announced the doctrine of the Eucharist
in Capernaum, many of his disciples walked away from him. They fell away “on
account of” him. Judas too fell away on account of him.
Let us pray to God for the grace to accept whatever God’s plan for us entails,
and to accept fully and totally all that he has revealed of his saving and
sanctifying plan in Jesus Christ. All that we expect in life should ultimately
be based on our acceptance of God as God, and our consequent readiness to do his
will when it is made manifest. It will mean shaping our expectations according
to the will and teaching of Jesus Christ, and never making the truth of his
teachings in effect depend on our own expectations. That is the pivotal issue,
and on it salvation depends. Let us not fall away on account of Jesus because we
hang on to our own wishes and expectations.
(E.J.Tyler)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You are like the little pauper who suddenly finds out that he is the son of the
King. That is why now the only thing that concerns you on this earth is the
Glory of your Father God, his Glory in everything.
(The Forge, no.334)
---------------Back to index for this period---------------------------Back to index to Liturgical Days---------