2019년 12월 1일 대림 제1주일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
이사야서. 2,1-5
1 아모츠의 아들 이사야가 유다와 예루살렘에 관하여 환시로 받은 말씀이다.
2 세월이 흐른 뒤에 이러한 일이 이루어지리라. 주님의 집이 서 있는 산은 모든 산들 위에 굳게 세워지고, 언덕들보다 높이 솟아오르리라. 모든 민족들이 그리로 밀려들고, 3 수많은 백성들이 모여 오면서 말하리라.
“자, 주님의 산으로 올라가자. 야곱의 하느님 집으로! 그러면 그분께서 당신의 길을 우리에게 가르치시어, 우리가 그분의 길을 걷게 되리라.” 이는 시온에서 가르침이 나오고, 예루살렘에서 주님의 말씀이 나오기 때문이다. 4 그분께서 민족들 사이에 재판관이 되시고, 수많은 백성들 사이에 심판관이 되시리라. 그러면 그들은 칼을 쳐서 보습을 만들고, 창을 쳐서 낫을 만들리라. 한 민족이 다른 민족을 거슬러 칼을 쳐들지도 않고, 다시는 전쟁을 배워 익히지도 않으리라.
5 야곱 집안아, 자, 주님의 빛 속에 걸어가자!
제2독서
로마서.13,11-14ㄱ
복음
마태오. 24,37-44
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
37 “노아 때처럼 사람의 아들의 재림도 그러할 것이다. 38 홍수 이전 시대에 사람들은 노아가 방주에 들어가는 날까지 먹고 마시고, 장가들고 시집가고 하면서, 39 홍수가 닥쳐 모두 휩쓸어 갈 때까지 아무것도 모르고 있었다. 사람의 아들의 재림도 그러할 것이다. 40 그때에 두 사람이 들에 있으면, 하나는 데려가고, 하나는 버려둘 것이다. 41 두 여자가 맷돌질을 하고 있으면, 하나는 데려가고, 하나는 버려둘 것이다.
42 그러니 깨어 있어라. 너희의 주인이 어느 날에 올지 너희가 모르기 때문이다. 43 이것을 명심하여라. 도둑이 밤 몇 시에 올지 집주인이 알면, 깨어 있으면서, 도둑이 자기 집을 뚫고 들어오도록 내버려 두지 않을 것이다. 44 그러니 너희도 준비하고 있어라. 너희가 생각하지도 않은 때에 사람의 아들이 올 것이기 때문이다.”
December 1, 2019
First Sunday of Advent
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
the mountain of the LORD’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
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.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord!
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my brothers and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
You know the time;
it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.
For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed;
the night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light;
let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day,
not in orgies and drunkenness,
not in promiscuity and lust,
not in rivalry and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
«Stay awake, then, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come»
Mons. José Ignacio ALEMANY Grau, Emeritus Bishop of Chachapoyas
(Chachapoyas, Peru)
Today, «just as it was in the time of Noah», people eats, drinks, marry and give in marriage, with the aggravating factor that man takes man, and woman takes woman (cf. Mt 24:37-38). But there are also, as in patriarch Noah’s day, saints in the same office and in the same place than the others. And one of them will be taken and the other left, because the Just Judge will come.
We must be awake for «only those who are alert are not taken by surprise» (Benedict XVI). We must be prepared with our love enkindled in our heart, as the torch of the wise virgins. This is precisely what it is all about: there will come the time when we will hear: «Behold, the Bridegroom is here!» (Mt 25:6), Jesus Christ!
His arrival is always causing joy to those who carry the torch fastened in their heart. His coming is something like the parent who lives in a faraway country and writes his family: —when you less expect it, I will be there. From that day on, all is joy in that home: Our Dad is coming! Our model, the Saints, lived like this, “waiting for the Lord to come”.
The Advent is meant to learn to await with peace and love, the Lord who is coming. Nothing of the despair and eagerness typifying the nowadays man. Saint Augustine gives us a good recipe to await: «live your life as you would like your death to be». If we await with love, God will satiate our heart and our hopes.
Stay awake, for you do not know on what day our Lord will come (cf. Mt 24:42). Clean home, pure heart, thoughts and sentiments in Jesus’ style. Benedict XVI explains: «To watch means to follow the Lord, to choose what He has chosen, to love what He has loved, to conform one's own life to His». Then the Son of Man will come… and the Father will embrace us for resembling his Son.
«In those days before the Flood, people were eating and drinking (...). Stay awake, be alert»
Fr. Antoni CAROL i Hostench
(Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain)
Today, in this Sunday, when we are just entering the time of Advent, we are also starting a new liturgical year. We can use this status as an invitation to refurbish some aspects of our life (spiritual, family, etc.).
In fact, we need to live our life, day by day, with a new rhythm and hopes. Thus, we can move the danger of routine and boredom further away. This feeling of permanent renewal is the best way to be alert. Yes, we must be on the alert! It is one of our Lord's messages that He transmits in the words of today's Gospel.
In the first place, we need to be alert because the reason of our mortal life is the preparation for eternal life. This time of preparation is a gift and a grace from God: He does not want to impose upon us neither his love nor heaven; He wants us free (which is the only way to love). A preparation that we do not know when will it end: «We announce Christ's advent, and not only one, but also another one, the second one (...), because this present world must eventually terminate» (St. Cyril of Jerusalem). We must, therefore, struggle to keep a hopeful attitude of renewal.
In the second place, we must be alert because routine and adjustment are not really congenial with love. In today's Gospel the Lord reminds us how in the time of Noah «people were eating and drinking» and «Yet they did not know what would happen until the flood came and swept them away» (Mt 24:38-39). They were “busy in other things” and —we have already said it— our time here must be a time of “betrothal” for our freedom to ripen: the gift that has been granted to us not to get rid of the others, but for our deliverance to the others.
«As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man» (Mt 24:37). The coming of God is the great event. Let us prepare to welcome him with devotion: «Lord Jesus, Come!».
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
As I reflect on today’s readings, I hear an invitation to be awake, to embrace the Light that comes after the darkness of night. I hear the invitation to recognize the dawn of a new day, the resurrection after death. I hear many, many questions for reflection.
Today, on this first Sunday of Advent, we celebrate a new day, new season, a new liturgical year. As with all things new, it is a good time to look back and reflect on the year past, the joys and the struggles. The readings today call us to maybe consider how we have awakened this past year. How have we seen the Lord in a new way? How have we grown in our relationship with Jesus, the Christ? New days, seasons and years also invite to look ahead. So we can ask, How are we being invited to wake again, or maybe for the first time? What is old, tired, dark that needs the Spark of Christ to make it new?
Lastly, there is a reminder to stay awake in the night, the times of darkness. How do we do that? I started to write about the discipline of prayer and practice of meditation. I was thinking about how strength of relationship with God would help. Then I stopped. I recognized that I was falling into the trap of thinking that I can do it. I can stay awake in the darkness. Now, I am not saying that prayer, meditation and relationship with God are not important but I was quickly reminded that the invitation is to remember that Christ is always and everywhere present. To lean into, rely on and trust in that presence. Christ is the Light in the midst of darkness, if we can only choose to open our eyes, turn our face, choose the perspective that shows us that, Christ will keep us awake.
Christ Be Our Light!
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
Watch and be ready - the day of the Lord's coming draws near
Why did Jesus compare "the coming of the Son of Man" with the "days of Noah" (Matthew 24:37)? Scripture describes both events as a day of judgment and the separation of the just from the unjust. It is a time when the Lord of heaven and earth gathers to himself those who are his own. Separation is an inevitable consequence of the fundamental choices people have made - whether for God or against God. The fundamental choices we make can either lead us towards God and his will for us or they can lead us in a direction that is opposed to God or contrary to his wisdom and plan for our lives and well-being.
The days of Noah
The Book of Genesis describes why God chose to separate Noah and his family who were faithful to God from those who had utterly rejected God and corrupted the earth with violence and evil:
"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5), "with corruption and violence spreading everywhere" (Genesis 6:11-12).
Why did so many perish when the day of judgment came? They were caught completely unaware and unprepared for the disaster that swept them away. The Lord Jesus warned his disciples and he issues the same warning to us today - be alert and be prepared to meet the Lord today and every day - and when he comes again to judge the living and the dead.
The ark of refuge
Just as God provided a safe haven and place of refuge for Noah and his family in the ark which spared them from destruction (Genesis 7), the Lord provides for us today a place of refuge in the ark of his people - the body of Christ - who listen to his word and obey his voice. God made a covenant of peace with Noah and his descendants (Genesis 9:8-17). Noah's ark was a prophetic sign and beacon of hope which prefigured the new covenant of everlasting peace which the Lord Jesus would accomplish through his atoning death on the cross, resurrection, and outpouring of the Holy Spirit on his disciples.
Jesus came to fulfill all the promises of God, including the covenant of peace which God made with Noah. Jesus' first coming was a rescue mission to set us free from sin and condemnation and to give us new life in his Holy Spirit. Jesus died for our sins, rose to everlasting life, and is now seated in glory at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He now reigns over the heavens and the earth as the exalted Lord of creation. The Lord Jesus promised that he would return again in glory to complete the work of redemption which he began at his first coming.
Our merciful Savior is also our Judge and Vindicator
God fulfills all his promises to us in Jesus, our merciful Savior, who will come again as our Judge and Vindicator. Jesus told his disciples that the Father has given him all authority to execute judgments on the earth "because he is the Son of man" (John 5:27). The "Son of man" is a Messianic title for God's anointed one who will overthrow God's enemies and establish an everlasting kingdom of righteousness and peace. The "Son of man" is described in the Book of Daniel as the one who is given supreme authority to judge and execute justice on the earth (Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus came the first time to lay down his life as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world. He promises to return again at the "end of the age" to complete the work of restoration and final judgment. While we do not know the time of his return, we will not mistake it when it happens. It will be apparent to all, both to the followers of the Lord Jesus and to every inhabitant on the earth as well.
One is taken away and the other is left
How are we to live our lives now in light of Jesus' promise to return again as our Lord and Judge on the final day of judgment? Jesus gives two striking images to illustrate the urgency of the need to not be caught off guard and unprepared when we are suddenly summoned to appear before the Lord on the day of judgment (Matthew 24:40-41). The first image Jesus used is a description of two men working together in the field - very likely close family members or close co-workers. one is suddenly taken away and the other is left. The image of two women who are working closely together repeats the theme of the sudden rupture and separation
Hilary of Poitiers (315-367) an early church father, Scripture scholar and writer, explains the meaning of this short parable.
"Christ shows that a judgment is coming, since between two people in a field, one is taken up and one left behind. Between two grinding at the mill, one is chosen and one rejected. Between two lying in bed, one departs and one remains. This teaching means that the separation of the faithful from the unfaithful will consist in one being accepted and the other abandoned. For, like the prophet says, when the wrath of God rises, the saints will be hidden in God’s chambers but the faithless will be left exposed to celestial fire. The two in the field therefore represent the faithful and the unfaithful, both of whom will be surprised by the day of the Lord in the midst of the world, in the course of their life’s work. They will be separated, one taken and the other left. It will be the same for the two grinding at the mill, which represents the work of the law. For only some of the Jews, like Elijah, believed through the apostles that they must be justified by faith. one group will be taken up through the faith that produces good works, and the other group will be abandoned in the fruitless works of the law, grinding in vain at a mill that will never produce heavenly food. (commentary on MATTHEW 26.5)
What is striking about Jesus' parable is the sudden and unexpected turn of events - a summons to appear before the Judge to hear his verdict on the day of reckoning when he acts to separate the just from the unjust. All who had faith in Jesus Christ receive the just reward of everlasting joy and friendship in his kingdom of righteousness and peace.
The thief in the night
Jesus' second story of the thief in the night (Matthew 24:43-44) brings home the necessity for constant watchfulness and being on guard to avert the danger of plunder and destruction, especially under the cover of darkness and secrecy! While no thief would announce his intention in advance, nor the time when he would strike, lack of vigilance would nonetheless invite disaster for those who do not keep a watchful eye and guard against the thief who would try to break in and steal. Satan tries to rob us of our faith in Jesus Christ and the treasure of the kingdom which Christ has won for us.
Advent people - watching with expectant faith and yearning for Christ's coming
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the Day when the Lord would judge between the nations and establish peace over the earth. In that day the righteous - all peoples who believed in him and who listened to his teaching and instruction - would come to his holy mountain and house to worship him and dwell with him in everlasting peace (Isaiah 2:3-5). The Advent season reminds us that we are living in the time between the first coming and second coming of the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus calls us to be alert and watchful for his coming. He comes to us each and every day and he knocks on the door of our heart and home. Do you listen for his voice and welcome him into your life? Let his word in the Scriptures and the work of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you draw you to a deeper faith, hope, and yearning for his kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. Those who wait upon the Lord today and listen to his word will not be disappointed. The Lord will come and bring you to his banquet table to feast with him.
"Lord Jesus, you have captured my heart for you. Make me strong in faith, steadfast in hope, and generous in love that I may seek to please you in all things and bring you glory and praise. Keep me ever watchful for the coming of your kingdom today and every day of my life."
Psalm 122:1-9
1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem, built as a city which is bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! "May they prosper who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers!"
8 For my brethren and companions' sake I will say, "Peace be within you!"
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Finding the pearl of great price, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"All who listen to the depths of the gospel and live it so completely that none of it remains veiled from them care very little about whether the end of the world will come suddenly and all at once or gradually and little by little. Instead, they bear in mind only that each individual’s end or death will arrive on a day and hour unknown to him and that upon each one of us 'the day of the Lord will come like a thief' (1 Thessalonians 5:2). It is important therefore to be vigilant, whether in the evening (that is, in one's youth) or in the middle of the night (that is, at human life's darkest hour) or when the cock crows (at full maturity) or in the morning (when one is well advanced in old age).
"When God the Word comes and brings an end to the progress of this life, he will gather up the one who gave 'no sleep to his eyes nor slumber to his eyelids' (Psalm 132:4) and kept the commandment of the one who said, 'Be vigilant at all times' (Luke 21:36). ...But I know another kind of end for the righteous person who is able to say along with the apostle, 'Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me and I to the world' (Galatians 6:14). In a certain sense, the end of the world has already come for the person to whom the world is crucified. And to one who is dead to worldly things the day of the Lord has already arrived, for the Son of man comes to the soul of the one who no longer lives for sin or for the world." (excerpt Commentary on Matthew 56)
http://www.homilies.net/
1 Advent
First Sunday of Sunday Advent - Cycle A - Matthew 24:37-44
Two men talked about salvation over drinks. "I'm making my Confession on my death bed like the Good Thief." His buddy replied, "There were two thieves on the cross. one guy didn't make it to confession. What makes you think you're not going to be that second guy?" The other fellow put down his Budweiser.
Student devils were being dispatched to the earth to finish their training. Satan interviewed them. To the first: "How will you operate?" Said he: "I will instruct people God does not exist." The Devil shook his head: "Most know our Enemy exists." The next said: "I will argue Hell does not exist." Satan was annoyed: "After millions of abortions, people know Hell exists." The last said: "I will tell all they have plenty of time." Satan beamed: "Good woman. Do that and you'll bring people down here by the billions. Why can't these male devils be as clever as you.?" (CS Lewis)
Most delight in telling ourselves that we have time to set the record straight with God. Yet, if you want to hear God laugh, tell Him about your plans for tomorrow. The most dangerous words in any language is the word "tomorrow." Write your plans then in pencil. Give God the eraser. (Unknown) If we put off a rapprochement with God, we have bought the advice of the third apprentice devil. Some of us might not see Christmas day. It is four weeks away.
on September 11, 2001, 3000 people intended to return to their homes from the World Trade Center in New York City. None of them made it.
The Great Wall of China was built to keep the enemy out. They got in. How? They bribed the gatekeepers. Piece of cake. So much for the best laid plans of mice and men. God writes the last word.
In 2007, 560 people lost their lives in an earthquake that came without warning in Peru.
Jesus warns us six times in the Gospels that we do not know what day or hour He is coming for us.
St. Paul advises us: "Realize what time it is. It is high time to be awakened from sleep. Your salvation is nearer than when you believed."
Like many illustrious people who followed him, St Paul was alarmed by intimations of mortality. A 17th century poet spoke of "time's winged chariot hurrying near." The genius John Keats guessed his life would close before his pen had gleaned his teeming brain. He was correct. He died at 26. Robert Louis Stevenson trembled "lest I hear the sunset gun too soon." He too was prescient. He died at 44. (William Barclay)
The prophet Isaiah invites us "to go up to the mountains of the Lord...that He may teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths." Each of us should make this line the leitmotif of our respective Advents this fresh liturgical year.
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is but a promissory note. Today is the only reality. Live then as though each day is your last and someday you'll be right. You learn how to die if you learn how to live. (Mitch Albon)
Remember Mohandas Gandhi's advice. He practiced what he preached. "You don't have to be an angel to be a saint. Our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world as being able to remake ourselves."
Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. (George Bernard Shaw)
But is not all of this too ominous a note to begin what is a magic time of year? Might not the Church have chosen more benign readings to cheer us on to the snowflake splendors of Christmas? Negative!
The Gospel for the first Sunday of Advent would have us get our affairs, especially our spiritual ones, in order. We should give as much attention to this detail as we give to getting prepared for Christmas. We are advised by the Church to move along our preparations for the Christmas that will never end. Plan then as if Jesus' return were years away but live as if it were this afternoon. (Unknown)
If you are wondering what areas of your life you should improve, check it out with St Paul. He ticks off such pastimes as heavy drinking, sexual misconduct, arguing, and jealousy for openers. You can take it from there. The Apostle to the Gentiles obviously spent many long Saturday afternoons in the confessional box in Rome. As we go to Confession in our parish, we might carry with us advice that salvation is not measured by perspiration but by readiness. (Leonard Foley)
This might be your last Confession.
Frjoeshomilies.net
1 Advent
Msgr. Joseph A. Pellegrino
First Sunday of Advent: Commit to the Kingdom!
This is the first Sunday of the new liturgical year, the First Sunday of Advent. This year we return to the A cycle of readings, with the gospel focus mostly on the Gospel of Matthew. For those who read the daily readings, they are now from Year 1.
They will beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks. This is from the first reading of Advent, the second chapter of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.
At the end of World War II, the nations of the world decided that an international organization could best prevent war, and the United Nations was established. Since that time, the United States has fought in Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, just to mention the main conflicts. War has continued in the East between Israel and the various Moslem leaders and continues in various areas of Africa and South America. In the area of preventing war, the United Nations has not been very successful.
This is because we have fallen into the misconception that our world is capable of finding lasting peace on its own. That is not possible. The time of peace, justice and love cannot take place apart from the King of justice, peace and love, Jesus Christ. The angels proclaimed that this kingdom has begun with Jesus’ first coming in Bethlehem, "Glory to God on the highest and peace to his people on earth." But it will not be complete until His Second Coming at the end of time.
We need to be prepared for the Second Coming of the Lord. "Wake from sleep," Paul tells the Romans. "Stay awake," Jesus says in the apocalyptical section of Matthew. We must be prepared for the Day of the Lord.
Jesus gives the example of the people of Noah’s day. Many of these people weren't ready in the days immediately before the flood. They were too busy with their lives to be concerned about God's will and his Way. The gospel reading does not say that the people of Noah's day prior to the flood were evil, it just says that they were unconcerned.
It is fashionable, politically correct in a religious sense, to speak about people who do not worship as being unchurched. Well, in most of the United States, people who do not worship are not just unchurched; they are unconcerned. They just don't care about the existence of God or their obligation to reverence him not just in a Church but in their lives. During Advent we pray for these people. We pray that many of them will be touched by the grace of Christmas and come and join us on Christmas Day. If we are blessed with their presence, we need to welcome them. We need to let all our visitors, be they just coming down to see grandchildren or grandparents, or be they people who come to Church once or twice a year, we need to let all our visitors know that we treasure their presence. They need to know that the people they are sitting next to, you folks, want them to be members of our parish family. That is doing the work of the Kingdom.
"Don’t get caught napping," the Gospel says. The Lord will come to complete his restoration of creation to God’s original plan. How will he find us? What will he find me doing when I least expect his arrival? What will he find you doing?
Hopefully, he will find us spreading his Kingdom.
Allow me to be mystical here. Every act of kindness and love, every sacrifice of self for another, is a small step in the transformation of the world into the Kingdom of God. Conversely, every act of hatred, every act of selfishness, strengthens the power of evil that is destroying our world. The Battle for the Lord is not something that will take place many years from now. It is a battle that we are engaged in right now and right here. We need to be part of this. We need to commit.
We are not Christians because we say we are Christians. We are not Christians because we have been baptized and receive the sacraments. We are Christians because we have put on Jesus Christ and work hard to make his ways, our ways. We are Christians because we are open to the transformation the Lord wishes to make in our lives. We are Christians because we are determined to be the reflection of God’s love that he created us to be.
We need to commit. If we are committed to Christianity, then Christmas will be a reflection of the Lord’s presence in our lives. If we use the Christmas holidays as an opportunity to bury the hatchet and reconcile with those who have hurt us, if we look for ways to be more loving to others, especially those within our homes, then we will be engaged in the Lord’s battle against evil.
We need to commit. There are times that preachers call people to the altar to establish a personal relationship with the Lord. This is a good thing. But the commitment to the Lord has deeper implications than that which is personal. The commitment to the Lord has a mystical element of being part of the transformation of the world Jesus initiated at his birth.
Christianity is not just a faith. It is the lifestyle of transformation. We have been called to take our part in the transformation of the world from the terrors that exist right now to that ideal of Isaiah’s prophecy: the mountain of the Lord, the time of peace.
only Jesus Christ is the solution to the difficulties of the world. He is the Prince of Peace. And his time is now.
"So," we are told, "Stay awake, be prepared," for the Son of Man is coming.
We are called to participate in the ultimate victory of Christ the King.
May we have the courage to be Christian
Stmaryvalleybloom.org
* Available in Spanish - see Spanish Homilies
1 Advent
Bottom line: Mary shows us how to climb the Lord's mountain and walk in God's paths.
I begin by thanking you for your support for the Called to Serve as Christ campaign. We wrapped up the campaign last Sunday. I am touched by your care for elderly priests and religious sisters. I'm not beginning a new campaign but I do want to also thank you for your ongoing support of parish Stewardship. Your weekly contributions enable us to carry forward our parish mission. Rather than fill out commitment cards I am going to assume you will continue your current level of support. We do, however, have cards if you wish to increase your commitment or if you need to reduce your level of giving. I am grateful for every gift. If you make an identified donation (check or envelope) I will send you a quarterly letter acknowledging those gifts. The next letter will come at the end of January and will include the entire year 2019.
We are making a new beginning with this First Sunday of Advent. Generosity and gratitude are a key part of that fresh start. We bring to Jesus all we have and all we are.
In our first reading we have a beautiful image of renewal. Jerusalem - Mount Zion - becomes the highest mountain and people stream toward it:
"In days to come, the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it..."
Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles has a nice suggestion for picturing this mountain. He says the best image is right here in Washington state: Mount Rainier. With only small mountains and hills nearby, Mt. Rainier rises up majestically. Imagine people streaming from all sides to somehow reach that summit. Isaiah says on that mountain nations will make a new beginning:
"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."
Instruments of violence will become implements of productivity and peace. How will this happen? Isaiah tells us:
"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths."
The "house of the God of Jacob" of course is the Temple - the place of worship. When we together worship God, our relationships begin to sort themselves out. We have one God. We worship him because he created us, he has forgiven and redeemed us in Jesus, he is the goal of our existence. He shows us the way we should walk.
Jesus wants to show us his ways. How will he do that? This Advent I encourage you to find a time of quiet. At the start of the day, get a cup of coffee (if you need it), go to a place where you have candle, a crucifix or a sacred image. Maybe take the Word Among Us to find the day's readings or say a decade of the rosary or simply spend time in gratitude and petition. And if you want to find God's way, above all, do what you are doing now - weekly participation in Bethlehem, that is, the Mass.
We have example of Mary. In our parish logo you see her holding Jesus. Below we have the saying, "centered on Jesus, serving others". During Advent we have the Gospel of Mary with Jesus conceived by the Holy Spirit. What does she do? She journeys to the hill country of Judea to help her kinswoman Elizabeth - six months pregnant with John the Baptist.
Like Mary we want to live centered on Jesus, serving others. She shows us how to climb the Lord's mountain and walk in God's paths. Amen.
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