PASTOR’S MEANDERINGS 8 – 9 DECEMBER 2018 SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (C)

SUNDAY REFLECTION All of us carry in ourselves a repugnance for injustice, and we are distressed when we personally witness or suffer divisions that wound. We long for justice where it is denied, and union of hearts and minds where there is painful division. The longing is deep. It is a holy desire. What makes it holy is that, for us, the longing pertains not just to ourselves but to all who suffer injustice and division. This puts us in global solidarity with one another and God, who desires justice and unity for all, and who sends us His Son to bring this about. In today’s Gospel Luke introduces John the Baptist with direct reference to those who perpetrated injustice and division on the Jewish people of his time.

Tiberius Caesar was the Roman Emperor, Pontius Pilate his delegate for Judea, and under him was Herod the Tetrarch who ruled Galilee. The imposition of Roman law on the Jewish people under their governance was brutal.

The High Priest Caiaphas, presiding over the Sanhedrin, was the chief religious authority of the land. Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas and his predecessor as High Priest, still had great influence. Together with the Pharisees referred to in the gospels, they demanded literal interpretation of the laws in scripture and strict adherence to them, thus imposing a great and oppressive burden on the Jewish people.

These were the political and religious circumstances when John the Baptist began his mission at the River Jordon. To those who came to hear him he preached a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” The ones who came were from among those suffering the brunt of the oppression imposed by Rome, Jewish leadership, and the Pharisees. John was telling them that the ultimate relief from the oppression required their own personal renewal (ritualized in the

baptism John gave), repentance (sorrow for past sins and a total and radical change of outlook in our relationship with God and others), and forgiveness (anticipated in the Kingdom of God who alone can forgive sins, a Kingdom now “at hand” with the advent of Jesus Christ the Messiah). The redemptive events which began with John in a remote corner of Judea were, by God's design, the beginning of the fulfillment of God's concern for the salvation of "all flesh" – which includes us and excludes no one. Luke underscores this theme repeatedly. His concern for all continually pushes us to break down the barriers of injustice and division that deaden our world, just as it did the world faced by John the Baptist. The story that began with John and took hold with the ministry of Jesus and the spread of the early Church in his Acts of the Apostles, is now our story. We are called to confront and deal with the injustice and divisions in our world and, joined in the Mystical Body of Christ, to replace them with the Kingdom of God. To do this we need to renew our own “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,” just as John’s disciples did. That is the purpose of Advent. The Church gives us today’s gospel, then, to remind us that we have the grace to acknowledge our sins and the sins of the world, to repent and change, to enjoy God’s unconditional forgiveness, and to join in the wisdom and work of our Lord. Doing that, we fulfill what John the Baptist prophesied when he quoted Isaiah in today’s gospel: “Make straight his paths, and every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. STEWARDSHIP: Good stewards believe that God, who has begun this good work in them, will carry it through to completion. In words and deeds, they can sing with the psalmist, “The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy!” Evelyn Underhill “This is the secret of joy. We shall no longer strive for our own way; but commit ourselves, easily and simply, to God’s way, acquiesce in His will and in so doing find our peace.” READINGS THIRD SUNDAY ADVENT 16 DEC. ‘18 Zep. 3:14-18: Confident that God has a better future in store for His oppressed people (on that day…) the prophet invites them now to lift their spirits and leave their fear behind. Phil. 4:4-7: Paul reminds his community that far from being a terrifying or alarming experience the coming of the Lord brings them joy, freedom from anxiety and divine peace. Lk. 3:10-18: John the Baptist orientates the people on the ‘how’ of repentance. They must let their daily lives be guided by the highest values in order to receive into their hearts the power of the Spirit and the presence of Jesus ‘who is coming.’ Pope St. Gregory “Be not anxious about what you have, but about what you are.” DOGMA OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Continued:

It was Mary’s closeness to Christ that made her receive God’s “fullness of grace” to be sinless. Without God’s grace, it would have been impossible for Mary to be sinless, and she too would be like the rest of humanity. However, because of her decision to say, “yes” in giving birth to Christ, she was given a special privilege by having no sin touch her. Catholics believe that God wanted a perfectly pure woman to carry His Son, the God of the universe, for nothing else short of perfection would do. The Immaculate Conception of Mary continues to be a major disagreement point by other Christian denominations towards the Catholic faith. Many people say that the Immaculate Conception somehow takes away from Christ’s glory and message. Some will say that this belief in Mary is not found in the Bible, or that it blatantly contradicts the Bible’s words. There are also thousands of people who mistakenly believe what the Catholic Church teaches about the Immaculate Conception, which unfortunately has led to many misguided opinions. What evidence do Catholics have to defend their belief in Mary’s Immaculate Conception? Evidence from Scripture: “And the angel came in unto her, and said, hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” Lk. 1;28 It is the term “full of grace” that is emphasized by the Church when dealing with Mary’s Immaculate Conception. The title “full of grace” comes from the Greek word kecharitomene, which describes a “perfection” and “abundance” of grace. In other words, Mary was proclaimed by the angel to be with a perfection of grace, which was a very powerful statement. How can Mary be completely and perfectly with God’s grace, yet still have sin left in her? Christians eventually came to recognize that it was extremely possible for Mary to be without sin, especially if she was completely filled with God’s grace. Lk. 1:28 happens to be the only place in the Bible where anyone is addressed with the important title of “full of grace.” “The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.” Lk. 1:35 Luke 1:35 shows Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant. According to the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was the pure and holy vessel that held the Ten Commandments. The Ark was so holy in fact, that if anyone were to touch it they could actually die! It was housed in the Holy of Holies, which was a perfectly clean place where the Jewish high priests could enter only once a year according to their law (Lev. 16.:2-4). So how are Mary and the Ark related? The same language that describes God’s “dwelling” place for the Old Ark is used again for Mary’s overshadowing by the Holy Spirit. Put another way, the Old Ark held God’s Ten Commandments and could not be touched by human hands because of its holiness. Mary, the New Ark, holds the New Covenant in her womb, which is Jesus Christ. How much holier is Christ than the Ten Commandments? It only makes sense that for Mary to hold God in her womb, she too would be completely pure and without any sin. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your see and hers; He (she) will crush your head while you strike at His (her) heel.” (Gen. 3:15) What does the book of Genesis have to do with Mary’s Immaculate Conception? Genesis 3:15 is the first passage in the Bible that refers to Jesus defeating Satan on the cross. It is also the first verse that shows us how Mary would become the New Eve. The seed of the woman, who

would crush the serpent’s head, is Jesus. The woman at enmity, or hostility with the serpent, is Mary. it was God who put this hostility between Mary and Satan (the serpent), and it is believed to be in the same likeness as Christ’s hostility for the seed of the serpent. What exactly does all this mean? For Mary to be like Christ in His hostility for Satan forever, it is very possible to say that this passage implies Mary’s lack of sin. What better way is there to be in total hostility with Satan than to be in God’s constant grace? As the New Eve, Mary undid the “no” of the Old Testament Eve by saying, “yes” to carry Jesus. Evidence from History: Pope Pius IX officially defined the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in the year 1854. He did so with the understanding that this belief would help the Catholic faithful grow spiritually towards Christ. The belief that Mary was without sin was not “invented” as numerous people mistakenly think. Many are still under the false impression that the Immaculate Conception was not believed until the year 1854 when it was defined. What they fail to realize is that the belief itself has extremely strong roots in Church writings going well back into the 4th century. “Every personal sin must be excluded from the Blessed Virgin Mary for the sake of the honor of God.” (St. Augustine, 390 A.D.) “Mary, a virgin not only undefiled but a virgin whom grace has made inviolate, free from every stain.” (St. Ambrose of Milan, 340-370 A.D.) “You, and Your Mother are alone in this. You are wholly beautiful in every respect. There is in You, Lord, no stain, now any spot in Your Mother.” (St. Ephraem, 350 A.D.) In fact, there are literally dozens of cases where early Church fathers have mentioned Mary as being without sin, using such words as “All-Holy One,” “All-Sinless One,” and “Immaculate.” It proves that the idea of Mary’s sinlessness was not uncommon in the first few centuries of the Church. As time passed, the Eastern Church began to show its strong love for the Immaculate Conception with its own feast day beginning in the 8th to 9th century. By the 12th century, the Western Church w as celebrating the feast of the Immaculate Conception all over Europe, and by the end of the 15th century, it was universally recognized and defended as true Christian doctrine. Common Objections and Questions I thought that the Immaculate Conception meant that Mary conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit! Could you please explain? This happens to be a popular misconception by many people. What you are referring to is the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, and not the Immaculate Conception. The Incarnation is the belief that Jesus came into the world as fully man and fully God. The Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary was conceived into the world without sin to carry Christ. But doesn’t the Bible say in Romans 3:23 that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” At first glance this “all have sinned” may appear to contradict a Catholic’s belief in Mary’s Immaculate Conception. However, on further examination, it is not an impossible verse to overcome. For Catholics, Mary is seen as an exception to this passage, as are children under the age of reason, and mentally disabled people. With both of these examples, these groups are unable to sin because of their lack of reasoning. For example, a child who does not understand what sin is cannot sin, because the child is unaware of what is right and wrong.

Now granted, a child who does not understand sin is not entirely like Mary, but it does show that there are exceptions to the “all have sinned” rule. Ok, but what about original sin? Adam and Eve passed sin down to us when they ate of the forbidden fruit. This is true, but even original sin has its exceptions. Both Adam and Eve were originally created without sin, as were God’s multitude of angels. This simply shows that it is not impossible for God to create living beings without the stain of original sin! Still, the passage reads that, “all have sinned,” so both Adam and Eve and the rest of humanity must have sinned during their existence! What the Catholic wants to show is that there are exceptions to the rule. We understand that “all have sinned,” but believe that Mary – and Jesus – are not included in this verse. The “all” in Romans 3:23 was translated from the Greek word pas. Like the usage of the word “all” today, it does not necessarily mean each and every person with no exceptions. For instance, in the same letter to the Romans 11:26), St. Paul says that “all Israel will be saved,” and in Matthew 2:3 it says “al of Jerusalem” were troubled. Yet, were all of Israel going to be saved, or was each and every person in Jerusalem troubled? There are plenty of other examples like these found all throughout the Bible. The main point is that the word “all” had many different meanings in the Greek language, and that it does not rule out the possibility of exceptions in Romans 3:23. The fact remains that the words “Mary was without sin” are not found in the Bible. Why do Catholics continue to believe in it? True, the words “Mary was without sin” cannot be found in the Bible. However, one will not find the direct wording of “Mary was with sin” either. As shown above, Catholics believe that the Immaculate Conception has implied evidence for it within scripture. Add this to the large amount of early Church writings on the topic, and it is no wonder why Catholics continue to believe in it. But if Mary didn’t sin, doesn’t that mean she didn’t need Christ as her savior? No, it does not mean that Mary did not need Jesus as her Savior. This is one of the most common misunderstandings with other Christian denominations. Think of it this way if Jesus did not make Mary perfectly sinless, she too would have sinned like everyone else! As was the case with Mary, we too will one day be without sin when we are in heaven. Mary was preserved without sin before she was born, in order that she may hold Christ in her womb. So, Mary fits the “all have sinned” in an indirect way. If God did not intervene with His grace, Mary would be with sin. She needed Christ as her Savior to keep her from sin in the first place, just as Christ’s death on the cross will keep us from sin in heaven. Doesn’t Mary’s lack of sin take away from Jesus Christ? Why would it? To Catholics, the belief in the Immaculate Conception is as much about Christ as it is about Mary! Jesus was so holy, so awesome, and so divine, that He made a woman perfectly pure just so He could enter the world through her. How does that take away from Christ? The Immaculate Conception simply reinforces how powerful and perfect Jesus Christ truly is! Why did it take so long for the belief in the Immaculate Conception to come about? Why was I not defined right after Jesus’ death? 1854 is a long time after Jesus! Yes, 1854 is considered by most to be a long time after Jesus. However, most Christian beliefs, including the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the New Testament Books, took centuries before

they were made official Christian beliefs. This does not mean that they were not true, but that they took time to define properly. The same goes for the Immaculate Conception. There were many early Church fathers who believed that Mary was sinless, but it was not the most important issue that needed to be addressed in the early years of the Church. For example, it was more important to discuss Jesus and His divinity than Mary’s complete lack of sin. How could the Church teach about Mary’s lack of sin if they had not yet come to certain conclusions about Jesus’ divinity? Didn’t St. Thomas Aquinas, the gr eat Church philosopher, disagree with the Immaculate Conception? I thought he was a very significant Church father! Yes, St. Thomas Aquinas did disagree with the Immaculate Conception, but he did not disagree with the belief that Mary was without sin! The debate arose over if Mary was conceived in her mother’s womb without sin, and if this affected her need for Christ as a savior. Of course, this philosophical debate was finally settled by Duns Scotus in the 13th century whose writings cleared up all complaints over Mary’s need for Christ. With his help, the belief in the Immaculate Conception became standard teaching within the Churches and Universities of Europe. This debate over when – and not if – Mary was made sinless is one of the reasons why the Church did not officially define the doctrine until 1854. It just goes to show how the Church does its research and evaluation on topics before making them official teachings. Origen, St. Basil, and St. Chrysostom were early Church fathers! Doesn’t that prove that Mary was believed to have sin? No, it does not. Although these early Church fathers believed Mary to have sinned, there are just as many – if not more - who believed that she did not. Some examples of those who called Mary as the “New Eve” include Irenaeus, Justin, Tetullian, Cyril of Jerusalem, and Sedulius. Further examples of Mary’s absolute purity include Fathers Maximum of Turin, Ambrose, Augustine, Theodorus of Jerusalem, and John Damascene. The list of names and examples continues to go on and on throughout history. Even Martin Luther, the German theologian who helped to create the Protestant Reformation, believed in Mary’s complete lack of sin! Catholics are perfectly justified to say that there have been many writings about Mary’s sinlessness in all periods of Church history. You bring up some convincing evidence, but I am still not sure about the belief. That is ok! It is not always an easy belief to grasp for non-Catholics! However, one should remember that it was by Jesus and for Jesus that Mary was created sinless. Without His grace, it would be impossible for such a thing to happen. Finally, it is important to say that Mary is not equal to Jesus in any way simply because she is without sin! Sometimes it comes off like that to people who do not understand the Catholic view of Mary. Jesus is without sin because He is God; Mary is without sin because Jesus made her so. Therefore, when we see the Immaculate Conception, we actually see Christ’s perfection, His love and His divine greatness.

ADVENT SIGNS AND SYMBOLS Just as certain types of clothes are worn during certain times of the year (i.e. summer and winter), the vestments worn by the priest at Mass and the draperies on the altar and ambo signifies meaning associated with the various seasons of the liturgical calendar. Have you ever

been at Mass and wondered why a certain color vestment is being worn? Or why the altar is decorated in green, white, red, or purple? This is not a random choice but is a uniform system to create uniformity, structure, and movement through the liturgical calendar. Liturgies celebrated during the different seasons of the liturgical year have distinctive music and specific readings, prayers, and rituals that express the meaning underlying the season or the particular Mass or liturgy being celebrated helping to express the character of the mysteries being celebrated. These colors may also be used in linens and cloths which adorn the altar and ambo. Color communicates emotional and spiritual realities to the worshipping community. Liturgical color is more than simply decorative; rather it helps to express the changing seasonal moods which symbolize the shifting mood of the assembly gathered together to worship. Liturgical color helps to symbolize the deeper realities we celebrate and help us to worship in the spirit of the season. The traditions of Advent include the color of dark “royal” purple or Sarum blue (from the Medieval Sarum rite). Both symbolize preparation, penitence and royalty to welcome the new King. The purple of Advent is also the color of suffering used during Lent and Holy Week. Purple is the color of the Advent season. It represents a period of waiting or preparation in Church history. Priests wear violet chasubles during Advent, a period of between 21 and 28 days before Christmas when Catholics worldwide await the birth of Jes us. Another time of waiting in the Catholic Church occurs during the season of Lent where Roman Catholics prepare and make themselves worthy for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross as the ultimate penance for the sins of humanity. During Lent, Catholics all over the world fast, sacrifice and pray. This points to an important connection between Jesus’ birth and death. The nativity, the Incarnation, cannot be separated from the crucifixion. The purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world, of the “Word made flesh” and dwelling among us, is to reveal God and His grace to the world through Jesus’ life and teaching, but also through His suffering, death, and resurrection. To reflect this emphasis, originally Advent was a time of penitence and fasting, much as the Season of Lent and so shared the color of Lent. Priests put on stoles--not chasubles--of violet when administering the Sacrament of Penance when a person receives forgiveness from his or her sins after confessing them privately to a priest. During the Sacrament of Extreme Unction--also called Last Rites--the priest again dons his violet stole while he spiritually prepares a dying person for the afterlife. Gaudette Sunday

In the four weeks of Advent the third Sunday came to be a time of rejoicing that the

fasting was almost over. Gaudette Sunday (“Rejoice,)” from an ancient antiphon based

on Philippians 4:4) has an especially joyous emphasis, so often rose, as a symbol of joy,

is seen to replace the purple. The shift for this Sunday reflects this lessening emphasis on

penitence as attention is turned more to celebration of the season.

BAMBINELLI SUNDAY:

The Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudette Sunday) which will be next week December 15-16, marks John Paul II’s beloved tradition of ‘Bambinelli Sunday.’ St. John Paul II began a tradition early on in his papacy where he invited the children of Rome to assemble in St. Peter’s Square on the Third Sunday of Advent during his Angelus address. He asked them to bring their little statue of the baby Jesus that would be placed in the family Nativity set at home. John Paul II blessed the figurines of those present and told them to assemble before the manger scene with their family in a spirit of prayer. “As I bless your little statues, beloved children, I think with serene hope of you, of the immense good that you can do, precisely because you are little, within your family, the school, the Associations, and society itself. Not for nothing did Jesus Himself choose you as models for those who wish to have a part in His Kingdom (Mt. 18:4; Mk. 10:15). Take home, with great care, the little statue of the Infant Jesus, also as a sign of the Pope’s love for you and your families. Put it in your Crib with intense faith, with that faith wherewith the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God, laid the new- born Jesus in the manger (Lk. 2:7). Invite your father, your mother, your brothers and sisters, the whole of your family, to gather round the Crib in these days of the Christmas Novena, to recite together the prayers learned on your mother’s lap, to sing the sweet carols, so charged with human and Christian sentiment. May the Infant Jesus, present in the Crib of your home, be the concrete sign of a limpid and sincere faith, which will enlighten, guide and direct your life and that of your dear ones.” This tradition has been continued in each of the succeeding papacys and was picked up a number of years ago here at St. Stephen, Martyr and will be continued this year.

All children are invited to bring the infant Jesus figures from their Nativity sets at home to each of the Masses next weekend where you will be called up to the altar to have them blessed. This can be a beautiful Advent tradition, one that sanctifies the home with the baby Jesus and makes His arrival in the manger scene an even more joyous event.

ADVENT REFLECTIONS FOR THE SECOND WEEK Monday 10 Dec. Is. 35:1-10 Lk. 5:17-26 Healing is promised to God’s people. It is a healing so deep that all our physical environment will be affected by it. Every person’s weakness, every person’s limitation, will be made into wholeness, and all will march, singing, into everlasting joy. What kind of healing could possibly be as marvelous as this? Jesus offers it to the paralyzed man. It is not the healing of his body; it is the healing of his life, his very soul, by the forgiveness of the Lord. The physical healing is only a sign of the great wholeness that Jesus’ unconditional forgiveness has created within this man. So also with us. Only by accepting the constantly offered forgiveness of the Lord can our deepest being be healed. When it is, our world of experience becomes as majestic as Isaiah’s wholly saved world. Have you noticed that, so far, most of our Advent readings have been about the marvelous experiences arising out of Jesus’ action in our deepest hearts? Ponder it... Tuesday 11 Dec. Is. 40:1-11 Mt. 18:12-14 When the unknown prophet we call Second Isaiah wrote today’s words of profound comfort to Israelites in exile, he was no more heeded than earlier doom-and-gloom prophets had been. Does that strike you as strange? Consider Jesus’ assurance that every one of us is precious to God – not a single one should ever “come to grief” in God’s real plan. Why then do we experience so much grief and trouble? The answer is not pleasant, but it can be empowering. In a very real sense we ourselves cling to our misery because it is more familiar than the blazing joy and tender comfort God wants us to experience. We are afraid to let go of our usual attitudes and inner habits enough for God to replace them with His wonderful, happy plan for us. Today’s readings are not for a distant time. They reveal to us a possible experience amid our daily duties and pleasures. We can be the stray sheep over which the Good Shepherd rejoices. We too can accept the tender comfort of the Lord. Ultimately, the question we must answer is: Shall we? Wednesday 12 Dec. Is. 40:25-31 Mt. 11:28-30 We are busy these days. Preparing for Christmas may have added to the burdens we already feel. Too much to do; too little time; too little nurturing. Frantic and fatigued people like ourselves are precisely addressed in today’s readings. If we rely on the Lord, our strength will be renewed. We will fly! - fly through our tasks on wings of confidence and joy. If, on the other hand, we rely only on ourselves…well, what do you think? Jesus calls to all of us who work too hard, feel burdened by our over-filled days and our short nights. “Team up with Me,” He invites us. Then our days will be light and easy, moving just as quickly but without strain. And our nights will be deeply restful. The Lord’s invitations to us are always concrete, never theory alone. Do we want an easier life? We don’t have to change our circumstances to have it easier. We need only learn Jesus’ ways and become gentle and humble in our hearts. Then we can walk easily through every season.

Thursday 13 Dec. Is. 41:13-20 Mt. 11:11-15 The portion of Isaiah’s prophecy that we hear today vividly sketches the stark contrast between God and the people of Israel. Isaiah, speaking the word of the Lord, refers to Israel as a “worm” and a “maggot.” By contrast, here as throughout Isaiah, God is continually referred to as the “Holy One of Israel.” These titles are meant to depict in the strongest terms possible, the gulf that separates God from Israel. God, the Holy One, absolutely separated from evil on the one hand, and, on the other, Israel, taken captive into the misery of exile on account of its infidelity. In the face of that stark contrast, the unthinkable is announced: this all-holy God is also the Redeemer, one who reaches down to that tiny creature, made miserable by sin, to rescue, to save, to redeem: “I am the Lord, your God, who grasp your right hand.” The mercy of God closes that wide gulf, revealing in dramatic fashion the very nature of God: “The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.” We who believe in Jesus move quickly to recognize our Jesus as the human face of this divine Redeemer, now not only reaching down, but also joining us in our sinful condition to rescue, to save, to redeem. However, it is not likely that hearing again the news of this God who comes to us in the Christmas mystery will move us very greatly unless we ourselves realize in a renewed way that this saving hand reaches across a great gap: the incredible goodness of God which gives us a totally undeserved gift. Pope Francis continually reminds us that to truly “encounter” the Lord, we must meet Him in mercy: “I dare to say that the privileged locus of the encounter [with the Lord] is the caress of the mercy of Jesus Christ on my sin.” We pray today for the grace to realize our often tepid response to the fathomless goodness and mercy of God in Jesus, grasping us and drawing us close. Friday 14 Dec. Is. 48:17-19 Mt. 11:16-19 Do you want to be prosperous? Do you want your life to be abundant with everything wonderful? Or do you really prefer only a trickle of goodness now and then? The choice is always ours. The Lord said to Isaiah (for us) that if we want prosperity “like a river,” we need only do as God asks. It is so simple, but many of us don’t take to it easily. We may be like those people Jesus complains about in today’s gospel. When things are miserable, we complain; when things are wonderful, we don’t participate. We too readily stand aside from full involvement with the Lord. It we want the happiest of all lives, we only have to lay our life devotedly at the feet of the Lord and let Him take care of it. We too easily give the Lord a piece of ourselves and hang on to the rest. Then we wonder why things get so tough! Maybe this Advent is the best time – or Christmas at the latest – to finally follow the way of God so we can receive the river of prosperity. Advent is a time of waiting, yes – but maybe we shouldn’t wait any longer for this. Saturday 15 Dec. Sir. 48:1-4, 9-11 Mt. 17:10-13 Both of today’s readings seem to highlight the prophet Elijah – the first emphasizing his miraculous deeds, and the second (in the person of John the Baptist), his murder by the powers

that run the world. This might seem a strange emphasis just 10 days shy of Christmas, so it’s helpful to recognize that, like Elijah, Jesus was a prophet – in fact the last and the greatest of the prophets. We’ve called Him many things, “Savior”, “teacher”, “Son-of-man”, “Messiah”, but St. Luke, particularly, stresses that Jesus was first and foremost a prophet, the last in a line of individual prophets. In popular understanding a prophet is one who foretells the future, but in the biblical sense, that ability to look ahead was mainly a matter of comparing the prophets’ understanding of how God wanted human affairs to be ordered and how we had chosen to do it instead. The consequences were inevitable and hence foreseeable. Actually the principal function of a prophet was to tell the powers that be (secular as well as religious) that they had gotten off the track, and to remind them of how God wanted them to run the world that God had entrusted to them – to tell them not only by preaching and teaching, but by symbolic action and by the way the prophets lived their lives – a way that exemplified the prophets’ words. Scripture scholar, Luke Timothy Johnson, in his book “Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church”, lists the behaviors that exemplify prophets and prophetic activity – all of which reach their highest expression in Jesus’ words and life. These behaviors expressly reverse human values and standards. They are manifested by poverty and sharing, by freely going and doing what the Spirit inspires, by prayer, and by servant leadership. We know, for example, that Jesus’ mission embraced those marginalized by His world. Johnson writes: “The conventional standards of ancient culture – indeed of virtually every culture then and now – privilege the male over the female, the free over the slave, the rich over the poor, the powerful over the weak, the healthy over the sick. Indeed, societies can and do marginalize and even exclude those whose weakness, illness, and poverty stand in too great a contrast to the standards of acceptability . . .” All power structures, sacred and profane, do these things. The prophet speaks to them all – speaks with his/her life as well as with words. That’s all very interesting perhaps, but what does it have to do with me? What perhaps we fail to grasp sufficiently is the fact that it is the job of the Church – our job – to extend that prophetic witness and embodiment into our world. We are called not so much to be docile or devout, but to be a prophetic people – we individually – and we collectively, the people of God, the Church. Happily, components of the Christian Church do act in ways that typify a prophet. But ultimately the question comes down to me, individually, do I think of myself as a prophet? Does my life exhibit what I prophesy? And particularly, do I – do

PRAYERS

The Angelus The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. Hail Mary… And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. Hail Mary… Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, my by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen

UP-COMING SCHEDULE Saturday 81 Dec Mass 8:30 a.m. Feast of the Immaculate Conception Confessions 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Vigil Mass for 2nd Sunday of Advent 5:00 p.m.

Sunday 9 Dec Masses 7:00 a.m., 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. Monday 10 Dec Day Off 6:30 a.m. Mass 7:00 – 8:30 a.m. Confession

8:30 a.m. Mass 10:00 Funeral Mass Clifford Wheeler 7:00 p.m. - Brig

Tuesday 11 Dec 6:30 a.m. Mass 7:00 – 8:30 a.m. Confession 8:30 a.m. Mass 5:30 p.m. St. Brides Correctional Facility Wednesday 12 Dec 6:30 a.m. Mass 7:00 – 8:30 a.m. Confessions 8:30 a.m. Mas 10:00 a.m. PCRS Mass time at school 5 :30 p.m. Mass Indian Creek Correctional Facility Thursday 13 Dec 6:30 a.m. Mass 7:00 – 8:30 a.m. Confessions 8:30 a.m. Mass 5:00 p.m. Confessions 6:30 p.m. Mass Friday 14 Dec 6:30 a.m. Mass 7:00 – 8:30 a.m. Confessions 8:30 a.m. Mass

ADVENT RETREAT 7:00 P.M. Saturday 15 Dec 8:30 a.m. Mass

CONTINUATION OF ADVENT RETREAT Confessions 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Vigil Mass Third Sunday of Advent 5:00 p.m.

BAMBINELLI SUNDAY ALL MASSES Sunday 16 Dec Third SUNDAY OF ADVENT Masses 7:00 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. Brig

Las Posadas 4:00 p.m. Tuesday 18 Dec Christmas Music Concert Monday 24 Dec Christmas Eve Children’s Mass 3:30 p.m. Masses 6:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 12 Midnight Tuesday 25 Dec Dawn Mass 7:30 a.m. Mass of the Day 10:00 a.m. Christmas week Wednesday – Saturday 26-29 Dec Mass 8:30 a.m.

Just couldn’t resist this one or Since there is/was snow in the forecast