Called to Proclaim

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate our relationship with God and how we share the transformation path we are following with others.

Proclaim Full Life

 

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans asserts that faith comes from what is heard.

* [10:9–11] To confess Jesus as Lord was frequently quite hazardous in the first century (cf. Mt 10:18; 1 Thes 2:2; 1 Pt 2:18–21; 3:14). For a Jew it could mean disruption of normal familial and other social relationships, including great economic sacrifice. In the face of penalties imposed by the secular world, Christians are assured that no one who believes in Jesus will be put to shame (Rom 10:11).1 

Psalm 19 praises God’s Glory in Creation and the Law.

* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem.2 

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus calls the First Disciples.

* [4:18–22] The call of the first disciples promises them a share in Jesus’ work and entails abandonment of family and former way of life. Three of the four, Simon, James, and John, are distinguished among the disciples by a closer relation with Jesus (Mt 17:1; 26:37).3 

Rev. Richard Gabuzda comments that the growth in faith comes from the experience of people speaking about the One whom they know and love.

Today would be a wonderful day for us to do some serious prayer and reflection on the concrete individuals who have been “apostles” for us, those sent by the Lord to give witness by word and deed to the Lord himself.  In addition to marveling at the individuals who have most immediately brought us to deeper faith, we might pause to consider the long line of others who passed on the faith to them.  Perhaps we might even dare to imagine who in this long line of our individual faith lives was the first to hear the name “Jesus” and to put faith in him? At every turn, back through decades and even centuries, the reality is the same:  faith comes from what is heard.  Let us give thanks for all that we have received and ask the grace to be instruments to awaken faith in others in our own day.4 

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus chooses them for what they can become,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church.

"'Before he says or does anything, he calls the apostles so nothing may be concealed from them as to Christ's words or works and they may later say in confidence: 'For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard' (Acts 4:20). He sees them not bodily but spiritually, regarding not their appearance but their hearts. And he chooses them not as apostles but because they could become apostles. Just as an artist who sees precious, and not rough-hewn, stones chooses them - not because of what they are but because of what they can become. Like the sensitive artist who does not spurn the unshaped good - so too the Lord, upon seeing them, does not choose their works but their hearts." (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 7, the Greek fathers).5

 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 4:18-22 comments that every new revelation deepened Andrew’s faith. Andrew eventually chose to leave his homeland to preach in Asia Minor and Greece, where he made the ultimate sacrifice as a martyr. The same is true for us: every encounter with Jesus can deepen our faith a little bit more. We may experience him reviving us if we’ve become discouraged or indifferent. Maybe he will help us let go of unforgiveness or impatience. Maybe we will experience him strengthening us against temptation. Each blessing will help us follow him better.

It all starts with an encounter, just as it did for Andrew. So remember, it’s not “just another prayer time.” Every time you call on him, every time you go to Mass or Adoration or open your Bible, Jesus is there, waiting. The more you open yourself to his love, the more he will change you. So make time to encounter the Lord today. Listen! He’s calling your name! “Lord Jesus, open my heart to hear your call, today and every day!”6

 

Friar Jude Winkler discusses justification and salvation as Paul taught to the Romans. Advent is a time for sharing our faith, perhaps in word, but maybe more effectively in action. Friar Jude reminds us of the transformation of talents that God undertakes to bring us to full life.

 

The Franciscan Media post on St Andrew notes that 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).

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.7

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author and Benedictine sister Joan Chittister who invites us to the prayerful inner work necessary to discover the God we really believe in, for the sake of encountering the true and living God.

Until I discover the God in which I believe, I will never understand another thing about my own life. If my God is harsh judge, I will live in unquenchable guilt. If my God is Holy Nothingness, I will live a life of cosmic loneliness. If my God is taunt and bully, I will live my life impaled on the pin of a grinning giant. If my God is life and hope, I will live my life in fullness overflowing forever.8 

Tradition has it that St Andrew was martyred on a cross that is now featured on the flag of Nova Scotia, the flag of Scotland, and the Union Jack as Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland. Our experience of God in our lives is the seed that the Spirit nudges to transform us as people who proclaim the fullness of life in Christ.

 

References

 

1	(n.d.). Romans, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/10
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 19 | USCCB. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/19
3	(n.d.). Matthew, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/4
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/113021.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=nov30a
6	(n.d.). Meditation: Matthew 4:18-22 - The Word Among Us. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/
7	(n.d.). Saint Andrew | Franciscan Media. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-andrew
8	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: 2021 - Richard Rohr. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://cac.org/what-kind-of-god-do-we-believe-in-2021-11-30/

Peace and Healing

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us of the ancient vision of a world of where shalom is experienced by all people.

Train for war no more

 

 

The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah envisions the future house of God.

* [2:4] Once the nations acknowledge God as sovereign, they go up to Jerusalem to settle their disputes, rather than having recourse to war.1 

Psalm 122 is a song of Praise and Prayer for Jerusalem.

* [Psalm 122] A song of Zion, sung by pilgrims obeying the law to visit Jerusalem three times on a journey. The singer anticipates joining the procession into the city (Ps 122:1–3). Jerusalem is a place of encounter, where the people praise God (Ps 122:4) and hear the divine justice mediated by the king (Ps 122:5). The very buildings bespeak God’s power (cf. Ps 48:13–15). May the grace of this place transform the people’s lives (Ps 122:6–9)!2 

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant.

* [8:5–13] This story comes from Q (see Lk 7:1–10) and is also reflected in Jn 4:46–54. The similarity between the Q story and the Johannine is due to a common oral tradition, not to a common literary source. As in the later story of the daughter of the Canaanite woman (Mt 15:21–28) Jesus here breaks with his usual procedure of ministering only to Israelites and anticipates the mission to the Gentiles.3

 

Tamora Whitney comments that in Isaiah we hear about how great it will be in the days to come, when “The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills.”  In those days “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.”

Jesus appreciates the man’s faith.  He says, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.”  He should have found such faith in Israel.  That is where the people would profess to have the most faith, but the strongest faith found was in a man of violence – a soldier – a centurion – an outsider.  In Isaiah we look ahead to the glorious times when men will no longer train for war, but before those times come, it is a man of war who professes the strongest faith in the Lord, and who has the most devotion to His authority.4 

Don Schwager quotes “Welcoming the Lord Jesus with expectant faith and humility,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"When the Lord promised to go to the centurion's house to heal his servant, the centurion answered, 'Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.' By viewing himself as unworthy, he showed himself worthy for Christ to come not merely into his house but also into his heart. He would not have said this with such great faith and humility if he had not already welcomed in his heart the One who came into his house. It would have been no great joy for the Lord Jesus to enter into his house and not to enter his heart. For the Master of humility both by word and example sat down also in the house of a certain proud Pharisee, Simon, and though he sat down in his house, there was no place in his heart. For in his heart the Son of Man could not lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). (excerpt from SERMON 62.1)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 2:1-5 comments that when he returns to fully establish his kingdom, Jesus will not only end all wars. He will heal all of the wounds of war. Soldiers and civilians alike, everyone who has suffered from violence of any kind, will be mended by his healing love. In fact, we see a sign of that healing love in today’s Gospel. There, a Roman centurion, a seasoned warrior, encounters Jesus. With just a few words, Jesus cures his servant’s suffering—an act that the centurion could never accomplish with his sword.

So as we long for the day when Isaiah’s prophecy comes to pass fully, let’s pray for peace. Let’s pray for every person touched by hatred or division or war, that they will know the healing love of Jesus. And this Advent, let’s embrace Jesus, the Prince of Peace, in our hearts. “Lord, bring the peace of your kingdom to every corner of the earth!”6 

Friar Jude Winkler connects the work of Isaiah and Micah to the expectation that moral conduct would establish our Covenant with Nature and bring about the end of weapons. Hebrew and Christian authors brought contemporary literature into the Scriptures. Friar Jude notes the respect of the Centurion for Jesus' culture and traditions.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that our DNA is divine, and the divine indwelling is never earned by any behavior, group membership, or ritual whatsoever, but only recognized and realized (see Romans 11:6; Ephesians 2:8–10) and thus fallen in love with. When we are ready, we will be both underwhelmed and overwhelmed at the boundless mystery of our own humanity. We will know we are standing under the same waterfall of mercy as everybody else and receiving an undeserved radical grace, which is the root cause of every ensouled being.

I am convinced that so much guilt, negative self-image, self-hatred, and self-preoccupation occurs because we have taken our cues and identity from a competitive and comparing world. But Jesus told us to never take this world as normative. Jesus asks, “Why do you look to one another for approval instead of the approval that comes from the one God?” (John 5:44). So many of us accept either a successful or a low self-image inside of a system of false images to begin with! (Smart, good looking, classy, loser—are all just words humans create). This will never work. We must find our true self “hidden within Christ in God,” as Paul says in Colossians 3:3. Or, as Teresa of Ávila envisioned God telling her, “If you wish to find Me / In yourself seek Me. [2] Then we do not go up and down, but we are built on the Rock of Ages. It is the very shape of all spiritual maturity, regardless of what religion we may belong to.7

 

Conflicts among people rooted in political and cultural differences are healed by the Spirit in our striving for peace.

 

References

 

1	(n.d.). Isaiah, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/2
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 122 | USCCB. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/122
3	(n.d.). Matthew, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/112921.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=nov29
6	(n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/11/29/256912/
7	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: 2021 - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://cac.org/finding-ourselves-in-god-2021-11-29/

Loving and Alert

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the First Sunday of Advent, feature images of encounters with the action of God as Redeemer.

Anticipation and Action

 

The reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah images God providing the Righteous Branch through the Covenant with David.

* [33:14–26] This is the longest continuous passage in the Hebrew text of Jeremiah that is missing from the Greek text of Jeremiah. It is probably the work of a postexilic writer who applied parts of Jeremiah’s prophecies to new situations. The hope for an eternal Davidic dynasty (vv. 14–17; cf. 2 Sm 7:11–16) and for a perpetual priesthood and sacrificial system (v. 18) was not realized after the exile. On the canonical authority of the Septuagint, see note on Dn 13:1–14:42.1 

Psalm 25 is a prayer for Guidance and for Deliverance.

* [Psalm 25] A lament. Each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Such acrostic Psalms are often a series of statements only loosely connected. The psalmist mixes ardent pleas (Ps 25:1–2, 16–22) with expressions of confidence in God who forgives and guides.2 

The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians is an exhortation to a life pleasing to God.

* [4:2] Instructions: these include specific guidelines on the basis of the Lord’s authority, not necessarily sayings Jesus actually uttered. More profoundly, as 1 Thes 4:8 implies, the instructions are practical principles that Paul worked out in accordance with his understanding of the role of the Spirit.3 

In the Gospel of Luke, images of the coming of the Son of Man precede an exhortation to watch.

* [21:5–36] Jesus’ eschatological discourse in Luke is inspired by Mk 13 but Luke has made some significant alterations to the words of Jesus found there. Luke maintains, though in a modified form, the belief in the early expectation of the end of the age (see Lk 21:27, 28, 31, 32, 36), but, by focusing attention throughout the gospel on the importance of the day-to-day following of Jesus and by reinterpreting the meaning of some of the signs of the end from Mk 13 he has come to terms with what seemed to the early Christian community to be a delay of the parousia. Mark, for example, described the desecration of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans (Mk 13:14) as the apocalyptic symbol (see Dn 9:27; 12:11) accompanying the end of the age and the coming of the Son of Man. Luke (Lk 21:20–24), however, removes the apocalyptic setting and separates the historical destruction of Jerusalem from the signs of the coming of the Son of Man by a period that he refers to as “the times of the Gentiles” (Lk 21:24). See also notes on Mt 24:1–36 and Mk 13:1–37.4 

Eileen Burk-Sullivan shares that with the Season of Advent comes the opportunity to become part of Jesse’s sapling – to grow into the life of Jesus in this new year. Simply put, Jesus invites each one of us to fall in love, or more deeply in love, with him;  to find in him the completion of the greatest longings to be what we were called to be from our mother’s womb.

For each of us such a call challenges us to awaken out of the habits that have blinded us to his endearing love. I pray today that this new year will be a time when again I encounter Jesus face-to-face and desire above all things to be his companion in the Kingdom Work God asks of me.  If we pray for each other, we will find companions to keep us awake and to make the labor more fun.  This may well be the best hope and promise we have from Advent this year.5

 

Don Schwager quotes “The coming of the Son of Man,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"He says that they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Christ will not come secretly or obscurely but as God and Lord in glory suitable for deity. He will transform all things for the better. He will renew creation and refashion the nature of people to what it was at the beginning. He said, 'When these things come to pass, lift up your heads and look upward, for your redemption is near.' The dead will rise. This earthly and infirm body will put off corruption and will clothe itself with incorruption by Christ's gift. He grants those that believe in him to be conformed to the likeness of his glorious body."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 139)6

 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 comments that Jesus’ warning about anxiety is one of the best pieces of advice we could receive right now. We have all heard the statistic that people are more likely to feel worried or depressed during the month of December than at any other time of the year. The “anxieties of daily life” seem amplified as the holidays approach, and all the emphasis on parties and family gatherings can make some people feel more stressed or isolated. It’s not surprising to find our hearts feeling a little “drowsy” as we begin the season of Advent (Luke 21:34)!

There is so much that your heavenly Father wants to give you during this time of grace: inner healing, a deeper sense of peace or joy, a powerful encounter with his mercy, and wisdom and guidance for your life. If you can spend just a few minutes each day with the Mass readings and meditations in this booklet, you’ll be opening your heart to these gifts and more. Don’t let Advent slip away. Your redemption is at hand. Stay awake so that you can receive it! “Jesus, help me to seek you this Advent!”7 

Friar Jude Winkler notes the change of tone in Chapter 33 of Jeremiah to restoration, a shalom, and away from punishment. Paul urges the Thessalonians to try more and more to improve their relationship with the Lord. Friar Jude reminds us that the figurative language of the Second Coming should encourage us to leave nothing unsaid or nothing undone in our own lives.

 

Sarah Broscombe, worker in the charity sector and a retreat guide, asks what kind of Advent are these readings inviting us to?

Jeremiah points us forward to a day of fulfilment, a day which is imminent. Because of one life, Judah will be safe, Jerusalem will dwell secure. I notice myself being drawn towards this safety and security; as a guide, I find myself yearning for a dwelling place for my retreatants where they feel that sense of safety. The days that Jeremiah foresees are replete with hope and promise. The exhortation here is, ‘Hope’; hope, because of the One who is coming. The days that Jesus sees coming, on the other hand, are full of dismay, fear and dread. Who is this terrifying Son of Man whose day ‘will assault everyone’, causing people to die of fright? But as we sit with the words, we see that they are not a threat, but that they, too, are an exhortation. Jesus’s description of the uncertainty and perplexity of what we see in the world around us rings painfully true. We know this terror. I think the terror is as familiar to many of us as the joy that it precedes. The exhortation here is, ‘Be ready’. That lovely state where we are not running to stand still, nor are we losing ourselves in the kind of distractions that make us befuddled, dull and stressed. As with Ignatius’s Meditation on the Two Standards, the point is not to work out which side we are on, to agonise about whether we are sheep or goats. Jesus is talking to his friends, to the ones who have chosen him. We are invited not for judgment, but for redemption. ‘Stand erect and raise your heads, because your redemption is at hand’.8 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that the Advent season begins with Scriptures that focus on the “second coming” of Christ. At times, this has been presented as a frightening event, exacerbated by the negative images of God which many Christians hold. Father Richard writes “Your image of God creates you—or defeats you.” There is an absolute connection between how we see God and how we see ourselves and the universe.

After years of giving and receiving spiritual direction, it has become clear to me and to many of my colleagues that most people’s operative image of God is initially a subtle combination of their mom and dad, or other early authority figures. Without an interior journey of prayer or inner experience, much of religion is largely childhood conditioning, which God surely understands and uses. Yet atheists and many former Christians rightly react against this because such religion is so childish and often fear-based, and so they argue against a caricature of faith. I would not believe in that god myself! Our goal, of course, is to grow toward an adult religion that includes reason, faith, and inner experience we can trust. A mature God creates mature people. A big God creates big people. A punitive God creates punitive people.9

 

As we contemplate our image of God and the end times, we seek the enlightenment of the Spirit to show us the path to practice greater love for God and Creation.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Jeremiah, CHAPTER 33 | USCCB. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/33
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 25 | USCCB. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/25
3	(n.d.). 1 Thessalonians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1thessalonians/4
4	(n.d.). Luke, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/21
5	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/112821.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=nov28
7	(n.d.). Meditation: Luke 21:25-28, 34-36. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/
8	(2012, November 30). Advent, Anticipation and the Days that are Coming | Thinking Faith. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20121130_2.htm
9	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: 2021 - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from https://cac.org/creating-god-in-our-own-image-2021-11-28/