Archive for December 5th, 2008|Daily archive page
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT – B
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For us in the Northern Hemisphere, Advent is a season of diminishing light. The hours of daylight shorten and night seemingly threatens to extinguish the light. Imagine our brothers and sisters living in the far north in 24-hour darkness during these months. The very thought sends shivers through me. I have always craved the light. As our days shorten the voice of the Prophet rings out urging us to be faithful, pleading with us to remember the Lord’s promise, a promise supported by past actions in our behalf.
This Advent is not just a season of physical darkness with a waning sun. Each day’s news puts before us deeds of darkness, as we are reminded how inhumane people can be to each other. I imagine that your experience is similar to mine. Just when I think I’ve heard the worst another story comes to top it. As I write this, I am stunned by the news that an 8-year-old boy is in jail having been arrested for shooting to death his father and another man. A community mourns and wonders, Why? And there are stories of war and a crashing economy, unemployment and foreclosed mortgages, people on the streets and declining health care for the poor. We need to hear the Prophet’s voice so that hope can be aroused lest we sink into despair.
Imagine the plight of Israel as Isaiah’s prophecy was voiced. Their Holy City was destroyed. They lived in a foreign and pagan land in slavery. What happened to the Promise? Where was the God who lead them out of slavery and formed them into a people whose way of life was to signal to their neighbors the wonderful and unique relationship that was theirs with their God and God’s with them? And not only did they have to deal with these imposed horrors but they had to suffer the infidelity of their brothers and sisters who had taken up pagan ways and worshipped Babylonian idols.
Comfort; give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly. In their condition, the Israelites thought that all that had happened to them were signs of punishment for their sins and abandonment by their God. After all, the God of the Israelites could be a God of wrath. But here, through the Prophet, God speaks of mercy, forgiveness, expiation of guilt, and release.
Is there any more tender image in all of Scripture than this? Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care. Imagine how the words would sound were you in the midst of that suffering borne by that people. Of course since this is the living Word of God, if suffering is part of your present condition, hear those words and take heart.
From where do we hear the prophetic voice today? From where do people in suffering find comfort today? It seems to me that that is the role of Church in the modern world. And if we believe that Church is the people of God, then the responsibility lies with us, each and all of us. In Advent, the prophetic message is a reminder to prepare the way of the Lord. The Lord is coming to make all things right. The experience of the coming occurs as a result of the deeds of love carried out by the people of God exercising their Baptismal priesthood. These actions are the prophetic voice today. These people of God live lives that can only be explained by faith and the compassion that rises from the conviction that we are brothers and sisters in the Lord. The people of God love the little ones, the lowly, those that the rest of society are tempted to ignore. They are peacemakers. They are neither racists nor sexists. They defend the orphans and the widows and all the vulnerable in society. They long for the freedom of all people. They work for the coming of the kingdom.
Peter reminds us not to be discouraged if adverse conditions should persist for a time. Time and eternity do not have anything in common. Hence, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years are as a day in the Lord’s eyes. Faith convinces us that the Lord is coming to make the new heavens and the new earth transformed by love. And this will happen even if the world as we know it is destroyed by violence or abuse and neglect. In the midst of whatever conditions and sufferings the people of God must be holy in (their) conduct and devotion. We are to be faithful, loving, a people who avoid sin. We watch and wait and believe.
If there is a patron saint of Advent, it is John the Baptizer. He embodied Isaiah’s prophecy: I send my messenger before you to prepare your way: a herald’s voice in the desert, crying, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, clear him a straight path.’ We believe the you in the text is Christ. John’s role through his preaching and baptizing is to prepare hearts to receive Christ.
There is a tendency to romanticize Advent. Already, Christmas carols are heard. Christmas decorations abound. This year, stores were decorated for Christmas before Halloween. And songs about the Infant in Bethlehem can make people think that we are awaiting a birth. Not so. Christmas celebrates the Incarnation, God uniting with humankind, taking on flesh. We celebrate Christmas and remember. But we also celebrate Christmas and look forward – to that Day of the Lord when Christ comes in glory to claim the kingdom for the Father. We are to be an Advent people by continuing the work of the Baptist, preparing the way of the Lord.
The question is how. The directives are vague. Love. Love God. Love your neighbor. Atone for sin. Forgive. Accept forgiveness. Be reconciled. In practice, what does that mean? Live as Christ’s other self where ever you are in whatever condition you find yourself and God will do the rest.
I want to share with you an inspiring note I received recently that enfleshes the Advent challenge. I watched Ben Hur recently, and towards the end, Jesus was truly carrying His cross. That viewing only reinforced my close affinity to our Lord. As a child, I wished that I could have been there during that time in history so that I could have helped Him. Those feelings have not subsided to this day. It is from that foundation of faith and friendship that I have always felt as if I have been put on Earth for a bigger purpose. Those beliefs were dampened when I was diagnosed with ALS. I didn’t feel that I could help others with my limited physical abilities. But in hindsight, I now recognize, from my friends and family, that I am actually helping them to address death in a positive fashion. I am amazed and humbled to hear them tell me what an inspiration I am to them. Even a close friend who has been diagnosed with brain cancer has told me he relies on me for my fortitude and stability in the face of dire consequences. It comes as a surprise to me. But then I think maybe in a small way I am continuing God’s work, and I am gratified in that realization. I am fulfilling my hopes; what more could I ask for?
Sincerely,
Didymus
