Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
Peter and Andrew are probably like most fishermen. They love the sea not only as the source of food for the table but also for the freedom it brings. But the call of Jesus is more powerful than the attraction of the sea. They tarry not a minute but respond to the call at once. More than any kind of curiosity on their part, such witness indicates Jesus' charisma that he will fulfill their deepest longings.
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
(Isaiah 63: 16-17,19,64: 2-7; I Corinthians 1: 3-9; Mark 13:
33-37)
Can't it be said that the world is now waiting for its
savior? Today everyone yearns for salvation in the form of a vaccine for Covid.
We are tired of covering our faces, confining ourselves to the house, and
suspecting every stranger as a carrier of the virus. However, the vaccine will
be a false messiah. Even if it saves us from Covid, it will only return us to
the same selfishness and greed that have prevailed in our time.
First, let us recognize how the pandemic has revealed some
flaws in our lifestyles. With confinement, families have spent more time
together with the result that adolescents feel less anxiety. The many
activities of each member of the family had produced a sense of facing the
challenges of life alone. Also, by taking classes with Zoom, children have not
had to get up early in the morning. More sleep has reduced stress. This is not
to say that the pandemic is a good thing and that the vaccine will not be
helpful. But we must recognize that the
vaccine will not deliver us from our most serious problems.
The first reading today is from the third part of the book
of the prophet Isaiah. It was penned 2,500 years ago, but it sounds like it
could have been typed last year. People have turned away from God's
commandments. Where God has said, "You shall not kill," abortion is
increasingly acceptable. Where He has said, "You will keep he Lord's day
holy," mass attendance continues to decline. It is not necessary to
comment on the violations against the sixth and ninth commandments in our time.
The reading has its finger on the pulse of our time when it asks the Lord:
"Why ... do you let our hearts harden to the point of not being afraid of
you?" For this reason, it asks God to come down from heaven though it
means tearing open the skies and shaking the mountains.
We believe that God heeded the prophet's cry. In the second
reading, Saint Paul tells how Jesus Christ died and rose again to give his
followers a “spiritual gift.” We have the grace of the Holy Spirit to live for
God even more than for ourselves.
Before his death Jesus said that he was going to return to
lead his disciples to eternal life. In anticipation of this event, he tells us
in the gospel today to “watch” and “be alert.” This does not mean that we leave
our jobs to watch like a sailor in a crow's nest. Rather, Jesus wants us to
watch for him as students awaiting the visit of the school principal. That is, he
wants us to spend our time advancing in truth, love, and goodness.
There is a story that helps us understand the purpose of
Jesus here. Once a legislature was in session when a storm arosein the heavens. The clouds were so
dark and the wind so strong that some legislators said the end of the world had
come. A group moved that they end the session to return to their homes. But the
president of the legislature spoke up.
He said, “If it is not the end, we are going to appear ridiculous leaving
our work unfinished. And if it is the end, it would be better if the Lord sees
us accomplishing our tasks. I say: 'bring in the candles.'" Thus we want
to prepare for the coming of the Lord by doing his will.
Advent always has two goals. At the beginning of the season
we want to remember the promise of Jesus to come again. He came once in the
flesh to save us from sin. At the end of time he will come in glory to lead his
disciples to eternal life. The second objective is to prepare for Christmas.
The mystery of the Incarnation overwhelms our imagination. God, the Creator and
Sovereign, wanted to humble himself to show us the extent of his love! It is
worth a month of lockdown to prepare ourselves for this great event.
Friday
of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(Revelation 20:1-4.11-21.2; Luke 21:29-33)
A few months ago Christopher Nolan’s new
film Tenet was released. It is
action sci-fi that challenges the mind as it awes the emotions. The opening scene takes place in the
future. It may or may not really happen
depending upon the hero’s ability to control the plot. Casual viewers will likely find the movie
bizarre. But Christopher Nolan fans will
grope assiduously for its meaning. The
Book of Revelation presents a similar challenge although it should never be
casually dismissed.
Revelation was written to shore up the hope
of persecuted Christians. Its narration
of the future cannot be taken literally.
The thousand years which today’s passage references has long passed
without the promised culmination of goodness.
This does not mean that the book is mistaken. Rather the author only speculated when and
what kind of events would the triumph of goodness be. He is right in assuring that it will take
place.
We can be sure that God’s love will ultimately conquer evil because of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. We have seen other evidence as well like, for example, the Church surviving two thousand years despite many attempts to dismantle it and its own folly. For now we want to redouble our efforts to live righteous lives. We want to become partakers of the new reality the reading promises.
Thanksgiving Day
(Sirach 50:22-24; I Corinthians 1:3-9; Luke
17:11-19)
In one episode of “The Simpsons” brash Bart
leads the family in grace before dinner. He speaks up, “Dear God, we paid for all this
stuff ourselves, so thanks for nothing!”
Perhaps some feel a similar unwillingness to thank God today. It is not that they feel that they earned
everything which they have. No, people
have difficulty giving thanks today because it has been a difficult year. Covid-19 confined most everyone to their
homes for a substantial time. Most, as
well, have lost an elderly relative or friend who has succumbed during the pandemic.
There
is also a failure to give thanks in today’s gospel. Nine of the ten men cured
of leprosy do not return to thank Jesus for their cure. Their failure stems from the errant thought that
it is not worth the effort to find Jesus.
After all, they have lived in isolation for so long that they need to
get on with life. The cured leper, on
the other hand, recognizes something more important than enjoying good
health. He sees the moral urgency to
thank his benefactor. Before he goes to
rejoice with family and friends, he gives Jesus the thanks that is due.
The
year has been hard in many respects, but we – like the healed leper – should be
grateful. There have been
blessings. One man says that the time to
himself has enabled him to read thirty books.
A psychologist explains how adolescents have profited by being with
their parents more. We remain indebted
to God for our lives here and now and for the promise of eternal life. We do well to give Him thanks every day but
especially this day designated for thanksgiving.
Wednesday
of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(Revelation 15:1-4; Luke 21:12-19)
However, we must be very cautious in using human attributes to describe God.
He (forgive this gender reference, but this is Scripture’s predilection) is
beyond human emotion since he is pure Spirit. Indeed, God is beyond our
ability to describe Him. Yet a few qualities stand out because Jesus uses
them in speaking of his Father. God is just, for example. Indeed,
justice is what Revelation is trying to intimate when it speaks of God’s wrath.
For human sin, justice seems to require the imposition of severe punishments.
But God’s justice is not a tit for tat.
Its aim is to make humans just.
Although it sometimes punishes, its primary tool is mercy. Both the Old and the New Testaments
constantly show God acting mercifully.
He wants His people to consider imitating His ways.
We cannot imitate God by becoming angry. Although anger is not necessarily sinful, neither is it an attribute of God. We do imitate God when we show mercy, but not mercy as permissiveness. No, care for others requires a willingness to pardon their transgressions. However, unless it holds them accountable to improvement, it fails to testify to God’s love.
