The Spirit of Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the changes that the Spirit reveals to us in this Advent season to bring us more fully into presenting the truth and love of God to the people in our lives.

The Spirit of Truth and Life

The reading from the Prophet Isaiah describes the Peaceful Kingdom and the return of the remnant of Israel and Judah.

* [11:1–16] Isaiah 11 contains a prophecy of the rise of a new Davidic king who will embody the ancient ideal of Davidic kingship (vv. 1–9), an elaboration of that prophecy in a further description of that king’s rule (v. 10), and a prophecy of God’s deliverance of the chosen people from exile and cessation of enmities (vv. 11–16).

* [11:1–9 (10)] Here Isaiah looks forward to a new Davidide who will realize the ancient ideals (see Ps 72). The oracle does not seem to have a particular historical person in mind. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 11, n.d.)

Psalm 72 is a prayer for Guidance and Support for the King.

* [Psalm 72] A royal Psalm in which the Israelite king, as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice (Ps 72:1–4, 12–14) and blessing (Ps 72:5–7, 15–17) for the whole world. The king is human, giving only what he has received from God. Hence intercession must be made for him. The extravagant language is typical of oriental royal courts. (Psalms, PSALM 72, n.d.)

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans declares the Gospel for Jews and Gentiles alike.

* [15:5] Think in harmony: a Greco-Roman ideal. Not rigid uniformity of thought and expression but thoughtful consideration of other people’s views finds expression here.

* [15:7–13] True oneness of mind is found in pondering the ultimate mission of the church: to bring it about that God’s name be glorified throughout the world and that Jesus Christ be universally recognized as God’s gift to all humanity. Paul here prepares his addressees for the climactic appeal he is about to make. (Romans, CHAPTER 15, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew describes the Proclamation of John the Baptist.

* [3:11] Baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire: the water baptism of John will be followed by an “immersion” of the repentant in the cleansing power of the Spirit of God, and of the unrepentant in the destroying power of God’s judgment. However, some see the holy Spirit and fire as synonymous, and the effect of this “baptism” as either purification or destruction. See note on Lk 3:16.

* [3:12] The discrimination between the good and the bad is compared to the procedure by which a farmer separates wheat and chaff. The winnowing fan was a forklike shovel with which the threshed wheat was thrown into the air. The kernels fell to the ground; the light chaff, blown off by the wind, was gathered and burned up. (Matthew, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)

Vivian Amu comments that sometimes we forget to stay in the moment of Advent a bit longer and more intentionally, even though it might seem easier to just look ahead.

So, today I am quite drawn to the prompt of John the Baptist to prepare in a deeper way to experience God and to do God’s work, to repent, forgive, and bear good fruit.  As we prepare our hearts, we prepare a way for God to enliven and transform us.  Preparing a way for God, preparing a welcoming place for Jesus in my heart, demands that I live a life that shows a spirit of understanding, wisdom, endurance, courage, harmony, truthfulness, authenticity, and reconciliation.  Preparing a way for the Lord and making the way straight also means listening to God intentionally and removing the blockages and obstacles which prevent God from coming close to me.  Advent might also be a good time for me to intentionally look into the parts of my life that need straightening out and then maybe in the process even find the courage to stay a little while longer in the discomfort of waiting and preparation which could sometimes fill the Advent space. (Amu, 2022)

Don Schwager quotes “The voice of the one crying in the wilderness,” by Theodoret of Cyr 393-466 A.D.

"The true consolation, the genuine comfort and the real deliverance from the iniquities of humankind is the incarnation of our God and Savior. Now the first who acted as herald of this event was the inspired John the Baptist. Accordingly, the prophetic text proclaims the realities that relate to him in advance, for that is what the three blessed Evangelists have taught us and that the most divine Mark has even made the prologue of his work. As for the inspired John, whom the Pharisees asked whether he himself was the Christ, he declared on his part: 'I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord' as the prophet Isaiah said (John 1:23; Isaiah 40:30); I am not God the Word but a voice, for it is as a herald that I am announcing God the Word, who is incarnate. Moreover, he refers to the Gentiles as the 'untrodden [land]' because they have not yet received the prophetic stamp." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 12.40.3) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 3:1-12 comments that God wants to give us a new way of thinking and acting. He wants to replace our foolishness with his wisdom. He wants to give us insights into his love and all that he can do in our hearts. And he wants to give us strength to obey his commands. But we have to come to him and confess our need.

At Mass today, you will be invited to cry out, “Lord, have mercy.” But you will also ask Jesus, “Only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.” Jesus loves to forgive your sins, but he longs to heal your soul—your “roots”—even more. So welcome him in. Ask his Spirit to keep making you into a new creation.

“Come, Lord, teach me to bear fruit in keeping with my repentance.” (Meditation on Matthew 3:1-12, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler describes the change of focus of Isaiah from hope in the next king to a conviction that God would choose a Messiah in the line of David who would be associated with the gifts of the Spirit upon Israel. Our destruction of some of our bonds with Nature will be restored and Paul understands that the separation of Jews and Gentiles will cease as we become one community. Friar Jude notes the time that John the Baptist spent with the Essenes is reflected in the warning to accept the Word of God or pay the price.

Brian McLaren shares how Father Richard Rohr, OFM, writes of how we grow in faith by letting go of our need for certainty. Some would think that is the whole meaning of Christianity: to be able to decide who’s going to heaven and who isn’t, who is holy and who is unholy. This is much more a search for control than it is a search for truth, love, or God. It has to do with ego, which needs to pigeonhole everything to give itself that sense of “I know” and “I am in control.” God knew that religion would take this direction. So, God said, “Don’t do it. Don’t eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God is trying to keep us from a lust for certitude, an undue need for explanation, resolution, and answers. Frankly, these things make biblical faith impossible.

It seems that God is asking humanity to live inside of a cosmic humility. In that holding pattern, instead of insisting on dividing reality into the good and the bad, we bear the ambiguity, the inconsistencies, and the brokenness of all things. It is our ultimate act of solidarity with humanity and with the world.

When we are allowed to name certain individuals as “bad,” persecution, scapegoating, and violence almost always follow. When we too easily presume that we are one of the “good” people, we largely live in illusion and prejudice. I say this as a religious person, but religion has been the justification of much of the violence in human history. God wanted to undercut that very violence at the beginning. (McLaren, 2022)

We are urged to prepare in Advent for change in our journey that resonates with the transformation of the world through Jesus Incarnation.

References

Amu, V. (2022, December 4). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/120422.html 

Isaiah, CHAPTER 11. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/11?1 

Matthew, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/3?1 

McLaren, B. (2022, December 4). We Don't Need to Know — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/we-dont-need-to-know-2022-12-04/ 

Meditation on Matthew 3:1-12. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/12/04/548141/ 

Psalms, PSALM 72. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/72?1 

Romans, CHAPTER 15. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/15?4 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). John Points to the Coming of Christ and His Kingdom. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=dec4 

Equality and Blessing

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today celebrate our unity as brothers and sisters of Christ that transcends distinctions of race, culture, and gender.

Faith and Unity

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians declares what Faith has brought in there is no longer Jew or Greek.

* [3:23–29] Paul adds a further argument in support of righteousness or justification by faith and through God’s promise rather than by works of the law (Gal 2:16; 3:22): as children of God, baptized into Christ, the Galatians are all Abraham’s descendant and heirs of the promise to Abraham (Gal 3:8, 14, 16–18, 29). The teaching in Gal 3:23–25, that since faith (Christianity) has come, we are no longer under the law, could be taken with the previous paragraph on the role of the Mosaic law, but it also fits here as a contrast between the situation before faith (Gal 3:23) and the results after faith has come (Gal 3:25–29). (Galatians, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)

Psalm 105 praises God’s Faithfulness to Israel.

* [Psalm 105] A hymn to God who promised the land of Canaan to the holy people, cf. Ps 78; 106; 136. Israel is invited to praise and seek the presence of God (Ps 105:1–6), who is faithful to the promise of land to the ancestors (Ps 105:7–11). In every phase of the national story—the ancestors in the land of Canaan (Ps 105:12–15), Joseph in Egypt (Ps 105:16–22), Israel in Egypt (Ps 105:23–38), Israel in the desert on the way to Canaan (Ps 105:39–45)—God remained faithful, reiterating the promise of the land to successive servants. (Psalms, PSALM 105, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches about true Blessedness.

* [11:27–28] The beatitude in Lk 11:28 should not be interpreted as a rebuke of the mother of Jesus; see note on Lk 8:21. Rather, it emphasizes (like Lk 2:35) that attentiveness to God’s word is more important than biological relationship to Jesus. (Luke, CHAPTER 11, n.d.)

Nicky Santos, S.J. comments that for the disciple, biological relationship to Jesus is not as important as believing in Jesus and his message and living it out (hear the word of God and observe it).

Ironically however, Jesus’ central message is that we are already his family, we are all God’s children, loved and cherished by God. And we are invited to love one another with that same unconditional love. But, as we know from experience and from the realities that surround us, this is not easy. We struggle with relating to all others as also God’s children, as our own brothers and sisters. Even within our own biological families we might have difficulty relating to others who don’t share our ideological or political viewpoint.

Let us pray for God’s grace this day that our hearts might be transformed, that we might indeed hear the word of God and observe it in our thoughts and actions. (Santos, 2022)

Don Schwager quotes “Blessings for hearing and keeping the Word,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Mary was more blessed in accepting the faith of Christ than in conceiving the flesh of Christ. To someone who said, 'Blessed is the womb that bore you,' he replied, 'Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.' Finally, for his brothers, his relatives according to the flesh who did not believe in him, of what advantage was that relationship? Even her maternal relationship would have done Mary no good unless she had borne Christ more happily in her heart than in her flesh." (excerpt from HOLY VIRGINITY 3.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Galatians 3:22-29 comments that Paul is not suggesting that Christians become robots who always smile and never have a disagreement. That would leave out Paul himself, a man who had more than his share of disputes! And he had years of experience in building up churches, so he learned firsthand that the body of Christ is made up of very different people, each with unique temperaments and gifts. What Paul is emphasizing here is not a unity based on everyone being the same but a unity founded on the love of God and the presence of the Spirit.

So reflect for a moment on how you can bring the peace of the Lord into your family or among the people closest to you. You could make a point of gathering and praying a decade of the Rosary together. Parents and grandparents could call one of their adult children or grandchildren to pray with them. You could read Scripture together and pick one verse to think about throughout the day. And of course, whether you live with your family or not, you can pray for them—and yourself—to grow in love and respect for one another. The Holy Spirit himself wants to guide us, so let’s invite him in!

“Holy Spirit, come alive in my family! Make us one.” (Meditation on Galatians 3:22-29, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Paul is explaining how the Law served as a guide to keep us out of trouble and Faith unites us in Christ. The beatitude expressed in Luke is not against Mary who trusted that The Incarnate Word was born from her womb. Friar Jude reminds us that our unity is in faith and not biology.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that the word “respect” means “to look at a second time”: Re-speculate. Re-spect. Our first gaze at anything is always utilitarian, and it almost totally takes over after a while. We tend to think, “What’s in it for me? What can I get out of it? How can I make money from it? Does this make me look good? Will this give me pleasure?” If we don’t recognize the narrowness and the emptiness of that gaze, it will keep us forever at the center of a very small world.

Mystics like Francis see an equivalence between the seer and the seen. They grant respect to all that is outside of themselves. They allow it to speak. At one of our conferences, we sent some of the attendees down to the Rio Grande. We said, “We want you to find one particular object, not the whole landscape, but one leaf, one twig, one lizard, and grant it respect. Talk to it.” And then, even more daringly, in that state of respect, we asked them to let it talk back. I’m sure that was difficult for educated people. They were probably afraid someone would see them or hear them. (Rohr, n.d.)

We can strive for the unity made possible in Christ as we attend to the Spirit speaking in the Word.

References

Galatians, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 8, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/galatians/3?22 

Luke, CHAPTER 11. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 8, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11?27 

Meditation on Galatians 3:22-29. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 8, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/10/08/507541/ 

Psalms, PSALM 105. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 8, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/105?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 8, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/franciscan-mysticism-2022-10-08/ 

Santos, N. (2022, October 7). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved October 8, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/100822.html 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Hear the Word of God and Keep It. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 8, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=oct8