Advent Reflections III

I'm pretending this isn't over a week late... or pretending that some deeper significance about waiting can be drawn out of a very belated reflection...

The readings for the Third Sunday of Advent can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121111.cfm.  This third Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin word meaning "rejoice."  In the midst of this penitential season of Advent we take this day to rejoice that our hope is near - it is almost Christmas, but also as we await the second coming of our Lord we rejoice that He is ever present with us in the Eucharist.

The first reading for this Sunday is another thrilling reading from Isaiah.  It is also one of the easiest Old Testament prophecies for which to pinpoint a fulfillment in the New Testament: in Luke 4:16-30 Jesus reads this passage from Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth and tells us point blank, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21 RSV).  This passage proclaims a Jubilee year - the time legislated in Leviticus 25 to be celebrated ever fiftieth year to remind the Israelites of the freedom granted them in the Exodus and to prevent them from being reduced to the kind of slavery they experienced in Egypt.  The failure to observe the Jubilee year was one of the reasons the kingdom of Judah suffered the Exile (cf. Jer 34:8-22), and so this prophecy from Isaiah about the coming messiah (anointed one) who would proclaim the Jubilee year (year of the Lord's favor) offered much-needed hope.  Jesus initiates the ultimate Jubilee, freeing us from the bondage of sin and death.

In the second reading St. Paul talks gives the Thessalonians - and us - some much-needed advice for waiting. The Thessalonians excelled in the virtues of faith and love (cf. 2 Thess 1:4), but they needed some counseling in the area of hope.  In this passage St. Paul tells them how they are to conduct themselves in waiting and hoping for the return of Christ.  As we rejoice in the presence of Christ with us, prepare to celebrate his birth, and continue to wait and hope for his second coming, this counsel guides our behavior as well.  We are living in the messianic jubilee, but that is an exhortation to vigilance rather than a free pass to do what we will.  We too must continue to pray, give thanks, discern the good, and avoid evil.  All of this is accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

The gospel sounds like an echo of the previous week's gospel as we hear John's account of the ministry of John the Baptist.  This passage gives a beautiful picture of the Baptist's humility as he is questioned concerning his identity but shifts the focus from himself to "the one who is coming after me" (John 1:27).  However, one of his answers can be a little confusing.  The priests and Levites ask John if he is Elijah because the last prophecy they received was a promise from the Lord that he would send Elijah before the coming of the messiah (Malachi 4:5).  So when John the Baptist appears at the Jordan River - the last place where Elijah was seen before being taken up to heaven - dressed in the same type of clothing as Elijah, eating the same type of food as Elijah, proclaiming the same type of message of repentance as Elijah - the Jews have good reason for thinking that Malachi's prophecy may be fulfilled, and the arrival of the messiah may be imminent.  Jesus himself says that John was Elijah (Matt 11:14, 17:12-13).  Why then does John deny that he is Elijah when he is asked?  A clue may be found in Luke's gospel.  The archangel Gabriel tells Zechariah that his son John will "go before [the Lord] in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17).  Clearly John is being associated with Elijah in fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy, but he is also clearly not Elijah in a literal sense.  John may be responding to an assumption of his questioners that Elijah himself will literally return, therefore he answers that he is not Elijah.

This third Sunday of Advent is also an opportunity to remember an important liturgical fact: real men wear rose :)

Advent Reflections II

Better late than never :)  Readings for the second Sunday of Advent: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120411.cfm

One of my favorite things about Advent is all of the readings from Isaiah - and this Sunday's readings include one of my favorite passages.  I love the opening words of this Sunday's first reading from Isaiah: "Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God" (40:1).  I get a thrill every time I hear this verse.  This is truly one of those "life verses" that jumps right out of the Bible and speaks directly to me - a reminder that the Bible is indeed God's love letter to me.  But even more important than the moral sense of my own comfort are the literal and allegorical senses of this passage.  Isaiah has just spent the past 39 chapters informing the kingdom of Judah of their impending exile as a consequence of their sin and lack of repentance; this first section is often called the Book of Woes, as it is full of Judah's unfaithfulness to God.  But chapter 40 takes a new tone and offers comfort (giving chapters 40-66 the name of the Book of Consolations): God will not abandon Judah, even though they have broken the covenant.  God will remember his promise to his people and send them a savior - Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who will feed his flock and gather and lead us with care.

The second reading, from the second letter of St. Peter, is an elaboration on this comfort promised by Isaiah: "The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard 'delay," but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (3:9).  So many times in my life it has seemed like God was indeed delaying his promise.  But just as God did not delay his fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy of salvation but rather waited for the fullness of time in which to deliver his people, so also in my life God's blessings come in his perfect time, not mine.  Surely Israel would have been thrilled to receive the messiah when they returned from exile in Babylon instead of waiting another five centuries, but although that would have been a good, it would not have been God's best.  The messiah was to come not only to save and lead Israel but to gather all the nations into the worship of the one true God.  And so in the fullness of time Jesus came and founded his Church, in the midst of an empire that would facilitate the spread of the gospel and an intellectual tradition that had reached as high as the human mind could on its own.

This reading includes a slightly confusing statement: "conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God" (3:12).  Wait... we can make Jesus return sooner?  In a certain sense... yes!  St. Peter gives the reasoning behind this in the verse quoted above: "he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (3:9b).  Conducting ourselves in "holiness and devotion" hastens the "coming of the day of God" because God desires that "all should come to repentance."  While it can be easy to look at how broken our world is and to think that the end has to be near (how much worse will God let things get before He returns?!), this passage from 2 Peter instead indicates a different way of looking at it: the sooner we allow God's grace to transform our own lives and invite our family and friends to allow Him to transform their lives, the sooner Christ will return.

The gospel reading from Mark gives us a picture of just what kind of messiah God has sent for our comfort and salvation.  After a lengthy description (for the concise St. Mark) of John the Baptist identifying him as the new Elijah (promised in Malachi 4:5, the last prophetic word in the Old Testament), John states that "One mightier than I is coming after me.  I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals" (Mark 1:7).  This statement gives us insight into the humility of the Baptist and the dignity of Christ, but it also goes further.  The Greek word which both the NAB and RSV translate as "worthy" is hikanos - which more specifically means "sufficient."  To quote my Greek professor, the rugged John the Baptist, dressed in camel hair and eating locust (something even the toughest men I know would probably rather avoid), is saying "I am not man enough to even untie the sandal of the messiah."  What does this tell us about Jesus?  Well, basically that The Passion of the Christ is a better depiction than Jesus Christ Superstar - but you don't need to know Greek to figure that out!

Come, Lord Jesus!

Not in line with John the Baptist's statement...
or much of anything Scriptural... catchy tunes, though!
(credit: http://www.religionfacts.com/jesus/images/jesus-christ-superstar.jpg)

Advent Reflections I

Happy New Year!  As the first Sunday of Advent, today is the first day in the new liturgical year.  The readings for today (which can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/112711.cfm) set the tone of watching and waiting for the rest of this holy season.

I love how Isaiah's lament over Judah's sinfulness in the first reading is answered by Paul's assurance that Christ will keep us firm to the end in the second reading.  This juxtaposition illustrates the relationship between Law and Grace; as St. Augustine said, "The law was therefore given, in order that grace might be sought; grace was given, in order that the law might be fulfilled" (Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter, 34).  Israel failed to remain faithful to the law, but Christ perfectly fulfilled the law - and we are offered the grace to join our lives to his and participate in his perfect obedience.  This requires us to watch vigilantly for the coming of our Lord, as He instructs in the Gospel.  This year there is another application for the command to be vigilant: with the new translation of the Mass beginning today we must all be extra vigilant during Mass in order to not be caught unawares with an "And also with you" instead of an "And with your spirit"! :)

In this season of Advent we meditate on and prepare for the coming of our Lord in three different ways.  The most familiar preparation during Advent is our preparation for Christmas, when we remember and celebrate Christ coming to us in history.  Advent is also a time to take a close look at how we recognize the presence of our Lord as He comes to us each and every Mass in the Eucharist.  Am I truly prepared to receive him?  He is really present - but do I take his presence for granted?  Finally, we begin the new liturgical year with a focus on the end: am I prepared to meet our Lord when He comes again in glory (or when I meet him at death)?

In the midst of all the holiday preparations - and all the end-of-semester business for both Alex and myself - it seems nearly impossible to find time to really prepare to celebrate the joyous mystery of Christmas.  But I am determined that this year (unlike every other year where I say the same thing) I will truly appreciate Advent; on Christmas Eve I will not find myself saying "Christmas?  But I'm not ready!"  Hopefully the fact that we completed most of our Christmas shopping yesterday is a good sign of spiritual preparations to be completed in a timely manner as well :)

Many or all?

I LOVE the new translation of the Roman Missal (although I am less than enthusiastic about some of the musical settings for the new Mass parts, but modern music and the Mass are a diatribe for a different day).  I look forward to everyone becoming more comfortable with the changes so that once again there will be a unified response during Mass, instead of a hesitant mumbling which comes across as "Andalsowithyourspirityou."

As a good friend pointed out today, one of the more drastic and potentially confusing changes seems to be during the Words of Institution.  During the consecration of the chalice the priest now says, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.  Do this in memory of me.”  In the old translation the priest said “It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven.”  This change from “for all” to “for many” more literally translates the original Latin, but it may be rather shocking to many Catholics.  Is the Church saying that Christ only died for some?

As St. Paul would say, me genoito! (By no means! or No indeed!)  The Catholic Church teaches, as the Bible clearly states, that Christ died for all (see, for example, 1 Tim 2:6, “[Christ Jesus] gave himself as a ransom for all…” RSV).  However, we must each accept this gift so that Christ’s blood is not simply poured out but is poured out for “the forgiveness of [our] sins.”  He died for all, but not all choose to benefit from his death.  The original Latin of the Mass and this new translation both point to this reality.

The Latin in the Mass refers to Matthew 26:28, "For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (emphasis mine).  The Greek is polloi, literally “the many.”  In this verse Jesus is associating himself with the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.  The Septuagint uses polloi three times in Isaiah 53:11-12 (only two of which are translated in the RSV): “He shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities.  Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great (literally he will be given many), and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”  The repetition of many here highlights the contrast between the one righteous servant of God and the many who benefit from his sacrifice; the wording in the Mass preserves this juxtaposition.  We are reminded of the gift we have been given to be numbered among the many.

For more information on Scripture in the Mass, as well as a better understanding of the new translation, I highly recommend Dr. Edward Sri’s A Biblical Walk Through the Mass (http://guidetothemass.com/information/new-translation/3/study-program-bible-biblical-faith).

Playtime!

It's hard to believe our little one is over 10 months old now!  Here's a video of Michael enjoying two of his favorite things: blocks and books.