Homily: 4th Sunday of Advent

 

With the calendar only providing us 3 full weeks of Advent, how have you been spending your time? What, perhaps have you been seeing…or feeling or doing differently? For Advent calls us to be conscious, awake, alert.  Advent calls us to be open to how Christ comes to us every day.  Advent calls for our participation by opening our eyes to our own brokenness and that of humanity.  For Christ is there…just waiting and wanting our active participation. This week’s Gospel provides us three points which may lead us to a better understanding of what we are called to do moving from this briefest 4^th week of Advent into Christmas and the New Year.  What are they? Check it out….

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Homily: 2nd Sunday of Advent

As we each walk through this season of Advent, we may just find ourselves in some form of wilderness, thirsting for peace, reconciliation and healing – and thus it’s a time we need to be alert, awake, watchful and vigilant to God’s presence. So, perhaps we take the lead from Isaiah where we spend time seeking how we can better “Prepare the way of the Lord”…of how we can look at the valleys, at the crookedness, and the rough places not just in the outside world, but also in our own hearts. What does that look like?  Check it out…

 

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Third Sunday of Advent

 

This weekend we hear in Matthew’s Gospel of John the Baptist sitting in a jail cell and wondering if he placed his bets on the wrong guy…questioning if the Lord is anywhere near to him. Then again, when we are faced with adversity, doubt, and loss how often have we questioned “Where is God?” and “Is the Lord anywhere near?” See how a street corner in Louisville and the wisdom of Thomas Merton may just open our eyes to see in a new way so that we can join in the chorus of Gaudete! Rejoice! on this 3rd Sunday of Advent.

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Homily: 4th Sunday of Advent

Over the past three weeks of Advent we have called to stay awake, to be alert, all the while listening and waiting and making straight our paths.  So, what has your Advent been like during these times of the pandemic?  Outside of marking the time by lighting the Advent candles each week, what, perhaps have you been seeing, feeling or doing differently this year?

Faced with all the challenges that have been brought upon us this past year, today’s Gospel gives us three points which may lead us to a better understanding of what we are called to do in our final days of Advent…and beyond.

Check it out…

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Homily: First Sunday of Advent

 

This weekend we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent and the beginning of a new liturgical year. Once again, we hear from Mark’s Gospel and the need to be awake, alert and always watching?  But what are we watching for…and whatever it is, could it be where we least expect to find it? And how can the story of two boys who run Cross Country Track – one of who is blind, help us to see in a new way?

Check it out…

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Homily: 4th Sunday of Advent

As we light our fourth Advent candle, this season of waiting and hoping and preparation comes quickly to close with Christmas just a few days away.  All Advent we have sung Maranatha – which is Aramaic for – Our Lord has come. So how does living a life woven in the fabric of this season allow us to be aware of the Christ who in our lives right now?  Perhaps John the Baptist, Joseph of Nazareth and Greta Thunberg can shed light on that answer.  See what I mean…

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Homily: 4th Sunday of Advent 2018

In just two days we will celebrate the birth of Mary’s child – Jesus, the Son of God, the son of Mary – born fully human and fully divine.  And our finest Christmas present is something that we already have, independent of who we are, what we have done or what we have failed to do.  What is it?  Check it out.

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Homily: 4th Sunday of Advent

Advent quickly comes to a close tonight, but do not allow the Christmas celebration to overshadow the message given to us in this Sunday’s Gospel.  For it is Mary’s ‘yes’ which allows the incarnation to take place...but how should that change the way we live?  Perhaps a story from Fr. Greg Boyle about a former gang member coming back from visiting the White House just may open our eyes to how kinship is more important than kingship.  A message that just may allow your soul to feel its worth! 

 

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Homily: 3rd Sunday of Advent

During Advent we are called to celebrate that the Kingdom of God is here and now and at the same time still to come - that the Lord is truly near. But often we do not feel that way. Instead we can be more like John the Baptist, in today’s Gospel, wondering where God is in our lives. But there is reason to Rejoice! on this Gaudete Sunday – and for Thomas Merton the reason was found on the corner of 4th and Walnut in Louisville, Kentucky.

What did he realize that day? And how can his insight change the way you look at your life? How can his epiphany give you reason to Rejoice?

Check it out…

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O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, The anointed for the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God.

As Christmas Day draws ever closer and we explore this last O Antiphon: Emmanuel – God with us, I am contemplating the one present I think everyone may want. A clue would be that one size fits all and it is quite inexpensive.  That gift is affirmation from those we love and those who love us. What everyone truly wants and needs is recognition of who they are, and to be seen for the good that is inside each of us. The delightful news is that this is the very Gift that God longs to give us.

Like many little boys, our youngest son, Jake had days when he was very difficult to be with – a day at school which did not go well or when he was sick with his frequent sinus problems. Those would be the days when he would be on a rampage, alternately slapping at his brothers then begging to play with them.  The antidote often was to take him on a walk to one of the local nature trails.  He was, and still is, very adept at spotting hidden wildlife and seeing something beautiful in nature.  What Jake desperately needed at those times was for me to recognize his strength. Those were the days when he needed the most love. I would say "so glad I brought along my wonderful Nature Observer.”


What is the talent that God sees in you even on your worst day?  As the O Antiphons conclude today, we can look back at the seven different names given to God in these prayers. But when God looks at you and says “O” with great delight, what praise name do you think God bestows upon you?

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Rex Gentium

O King of all the nations, and their desire, the cornerstone uniting all people: Come and save us all, whom you formed out of clay. 

There is a street named Desire in New Orleans - a city that perhaps characterizes the “sad divisions” of urban centers today, made particularly poignant, painful and obvious after Hurricane Katrina. During Christmas 2005, when our son Peter was home from college, we decided to go there to help with the cleanup. We did simple tasks like weeding at a church, mowing lawns, and helping a busy nonprofit put up their Christmas tree.

We had an extra day at the end of the week and asked the volunteer coordinator what else we could do.  She invited us to simply be a visitor in her city and listen to the stories being told. So we signed ourselves up for a city art tour, visited the zoo and finally our journey brought us to the street named – Desire.

But what we remember most of all are the stories that the people told us.  Stories of where they were, all that transpired and how they survived the ‘cornerstones’ of their lives being washed out from under them…and how they have since weathered all that Katrina unleashed upon the city.   It occurred to me, listening to each of their tales, that it was very difficult to feel separation from someone after they shared their story.

We each have our own stories.  And many of us have had to face ‘sad divisions’ in rebuilding what we once thought were cornerstones holding up our lives. So as we near the end of the O Antiphons, perhaps one of the ways to welcome the King of Peace is to sit with someone with whom you feel separated and listen to their story…and they may just listen to yours.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Oriens

O Radiant Dawn, splendor of light everlasting: 

Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Every year when I pray the O Antiphons I can't help but notice that the Antiphon focuses on the 'splendor of light everlasting' falls on the shortest and darkest day of the year (for those of us in the northern hemisphere). It is a time when the "winter's cold ambush descends on us...Darkness arrives; all is anonymous, the sun has gone and the fading year dies."*

For all of us, the arrival of 'darkness' can take on different meanings.  Just this past weekend Teresa and I were back in her hometown to celebrate her Dad's 89th birthday.  But when the cake came out, although he smiled at all who gathered, he was unaware of what to do with the burning candles. Meanwhile, just the other day, I received a call from my step-mom, repeating the conversation we had the day before, and asking me if she had given birth to any children of her own that she needs to remember this Christmas.  For them, and for so many others, darkness has arrived and much of life is anonymous.

So where is the darkness in your life? How often have you felt 'ambushed'?

But we have reason to 'come and cheer' the spirit of Advent…for the waiting and hoping is near an end.  For while, on this winter equinox, we celebrate that the sun equally illuminates both the northern and southern hemispheres...we hold to the fact that tomorrow will be brighter than today.

This fifth day of the O Antiphons reminds us that Christ is the Light that will 'disperse the gloomy clouds' and put an end to 'death's dark shadows'...the Light that will make the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk...the Light that will enfold all of the dark nights of our life.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

* taken from: Sonnet for the Winter Solstice, Robert Rose

O Rex Jesse

O Root of Jesse, who stands for an ensign before the people, before whom kings are mute and to whom the gentiles shall seek: Come quickly to deliver us.

It was some years ago, on one of his visits to my home that my father walked in the door and in his usual gruff way said, "Here, the creek gave her to me. You can have her." And abruptly he handed me a small sapling he brought from the home where I grew up in Pennsylvania. Since then it has grown into a flourishing dogwood that graces our backyard with flowers in the spring and orangey fall color.

I am not alone as a recipient of my father's trees. My sister has a cherry tree that yields enough for pies and jam every year and another sister has grape vines that yield an abundance of fruit. My father's gait is now slow and unsteady which prevents him from walking along that creek among his beloved trees and the quality of his memory matches the morning fog that often collects in the valley.  But my father's life and lineage is deeply rooted in our home - exhibited in my children and memorialized in that gifted tree I see outside my window.

Today's O Antiphon reminds us that the lineage of Jesus comes from the root of Jesse. I wonder what characteristics he inherited. What gestures? How about his eyes, his hair color and his manner of speaking?  But even more so, God created all of us in God's image.  So what has God passed on to you?  What traits?  What characteristics? Do you spend more time making God to be in your image, versus recognizing the God who has crafted you, planted you, nurtured you and loves you?

The orange leaves have fallen off the dogwood in my backyard but its deep roots will nurture it through the winter. Where are your roots firmly planted?

 O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Adonai

O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai Mountain; Come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

Today we invoke the primordial praise name of Adonai - the plural of Adon which is used in order to indicate the total fullness of divine sway and pointing to God as the Lord of lords. 

Fifteenth century usage of 'lord' and 'laird' seem to come from the same derivative as the one who was the ‘keeper of the loaves,’ someone who was responsible for the care and protection of his people.

Likewise, today's Antiphon points to a God who sets us free through a covenantal relationship (appearing to Moses) but also one who gave the laws (given on Sinai). 

The challenge we face is that we spend so much time with the image of the angry God who doles out the laws and subsequent retribution, we focus all our energies on trying to ‘please’ God by always doing it right.  But in actuality, it is when we do it wrong that we come face to face with the ever merciful God who desires to be in relationship with all of us.  Matter of fact that desire is so deep, God became incarnate to walk with us...to show us what it means to be human and to be in relationship with each other and God. 

So on this second day of the O Antiphons we remember the name: Adonai - the Lord, who deeply desires to be in our lives. Can you feel that presence today?    

 O come, O come, great Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height

In ancient times once gave the law

In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Sapienta

O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong, yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.

Today we begin the O Antiphons, or what may be called the ‘primordial praise names’¹ for Christ that herald the last days before Christmas.  We begin by invoking the name ‘Wisdom’ – a wisdom “who orders all things mightily, giving us the path of knowledge, and guiding creation with power and love.”

Nature’s order is perhaps best found in the reoccurrence of the Fibonacci number.  You see this in a spiraling seashell or the unfurling of a new leaf.  This numbering sequence is often called ‘God’s fingerprint’ for occurs everywhere and is applicable to the growth of every living thing – from a grain a wheat, to our own DNA.

As captivating as these incredible sequences are to ponder mathematically, what is striking is the ethereal beauty of the pine cone or whirled flower.  That is the space where I gasp “O” and stand in awe at the handiwork of God in beauty, function, order…of how God's dwelling place is right here, right now, among you and me. Emmanuel!

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

¹Tessa Bielecki   Season of Glad Songs

Siri and Advent

Every so often I am blessed to have my wife, Teresa, give me some of her writings for my blog.  Recently she has been expanding her use of Siri on her new IPhone and shared with me the following:

Recently I discovered the microphone feature on my IPhone and realized that Siri can schedule appointments, find addresses and help you send a text message. However, she does not recognize the word “Advent”!  I was dictating Siri an email to a friend and ending it with the greeting “Advent Blessings” but instead what I got back was many different versions of those words including “add vent,” “and in,” and “and then.”       The one that really made me pause was “and thin.” Advent is indeed one of the "thin" places of our spiritual lives. Places where we encounter God, perhaps in great sorrow or maybe in one those wild wonderful places in Ireland where there is no barrier between you and God. Places where the veil becomes transparent. Our own interior wild landscapes during Advent can be the memories of those that have left us, the growing darkness of winter, or of the quiet comfort of Advent music. In that moment when I realized that Siri did not understand the nuances of Advent waiting, I smiled, put on a quiet Christmas CD and asked Siri to set my timer for 20 minutes and quietly spent some time with God in the dark womb of Advent.

So as we near the end of Advent time join Teresa and me over the next seven days as we blog the O Antiphons! The origin of these short prayers are unknown but appear in writings dating back to the 5th century. By the 8th and 9th centuries they were being chanted by monks in Rome. All seven prayers follow a unique literary structure. All begin with an invocation of the expected Messiah followed by praise using a particular title. All end with a plea to "Come" followed by a petition tying back to that particular title. 

You may know these prayers as the root lyrics to O Come, O Come Emmanuel, a favorite carol this time of year.  So join us on a week long journey of short meditations that may just bring you a contemporary perspective to these ancient prayers…and some quiet space to spend time in the dark womb of Advent. 

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Homily: 4th Sunday of Advent

Here in the metro New York area we woke this morning to find that two NYPD officers were executed last night by a crazed man who, before he killed himself, made statements on social media suggesting that he planned to kill police officers and was angered about the Eric Garner and Michael Brown cases.

This Advent has been filled with stories of school shootings, racial unrest, the violation of women on our campuses and the jarring details of our country’s treatment of prisoners of war.  Many are quick to measure the situation with who is right and who is wrong, which is neither my place nor intent.  But the Gospel story calls us to name the names and begin dialogue…as painful as that may be.

For Luke’s telling of a pregnant, unwed, teenager named Mary who will give birth to the Son of God actually sheds light on how we can better live in Advent amidst all that is happening.  For during this season of watching and waiting….it is really God who is doing the waiting for us.  And what is God waiting for?  Well, click and see what my thoughts are….

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Homily: 4th Sunday of Advent

As we light our fourth Advent candle, this season of waiting and hoping and preparation comes quickly to close with Christmas just a few days away. Or does it?

All Advent we have sung Emmanuel - God is with us.  So how does living a life woven in the fabric of this season allow us to see Christ in our daily lives? And how does John the Baptist, St. Joseph and Nelson Mandela show us the way?
 
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Homily: Fourth Sunday of Advent

We gather this week, maybe holding onto our children a bit tighter than usual and praying for each other and our families as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ.  But as the events of these past ten days fall into the background of the season, many find themselves still holding onto the key question:

What can we do?

We know we can’t wave a magic wand and make guns go away.  We can’t snap our fingers and eliminate violence and evil. We can’t keep thinking that this stuff only happens someplace else, to other people in other places.

What can we do? 

So on this fourth Sunday of Advent, days before Christmas, we find ourselves praying for a town and its people that are steeped in deep darkness as they look to regain a spark of that same light. And we gather around the light of four Advent candles seeking the answer to the same question:

What can we do?

And maybe, just maybe this Sunday’s gospel sheds some needed light on that nagging question.

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O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, The anointed for the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God.

With the O Antiphons concluding today, those playful 8^th century Christian monks added a twist to the prayers by having the first letters of the Latin words spell out (in reverse order) the acrostic ero cras, which translates: "tomorrow I will be," thus heralding the birth of the one who is to be called Jesus.

"Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel." (Isa 7:14)

Emmanuel: God with Us. Jesus the Christ is present, here and now, dwelling within us, always present to us.  Thus the greatest present you have and the one that you can give time and time again – is the presence of the God who dwells within you, the God who loves you, the God who is Emmanuel.

 

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.