Knock Knock (2)

Advent is almost over.

Just five more days ‘til Christmas (Vigil).

And on this Last Sunday of Advent,

There’s a very noticeable theme in our liturgy.

The classic advent theme – the coming.

And the preparation for our role in the coming – the receiving.

Our scriptural readings and liturgical prayers speak of coming.

We sang Savior of the Nations Come as our entrance hymn.

We’ll sing O Come O Come Emanuel as our recessional hymn.

We ask Jesus—God—to come to us.

But do we really expect Him to come?

Why should He?

Who are we?  Are we so special, that he should come to us?

That’s the gist of Elizabeth’s thoughts when she sees Mary approaching.

So, how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord

Should come to me?

Her words show that Elizabeth is a humble woman.

And not with just a casual or insincere sense of humility.

She recognizes an undeserved honor when she sees one.

And, from Elizabeth’s perspective, it is surprising.

She’s just an old woman in a remote hill country.

Someone accustomed to being in the background.

Yet Mary came.

Because she sensed the need and because she too was humble.

Not thinking of herself as someone too important to pitch in and help her elder cousin.

No doubt, Mary also wanted to see the sign that the angel had given her.

And indeed, just as Gabriel had said, she found old Elizabeth nearing time to give birth.

Mary had already believed the angel and had already consented to her role.

But she must have felt some added confidence when she saw Elizabeth.

And she must have been pleased that Elizabeth immediately knew about Jesus.

Seeing that knowledge just come to Elizabeth upon her arrival.

And seeing it just come to John upon his somehow sensing that Jesus was near.

More signs from the Spirit assuring Mary that God was still with her.

Some scholars speculate that Joseph accompanied Mary on the journey.

Elizabeth’s condition and her greeting would greatly reinforce his faith too.

But to a great extent this coming, this Visitation, this little advent,

Is about Mary recognizing Elizabeth’s need,

And coming to help her.

And about Jesus coming with her, because he knew our needs.

Advent is all about Jesus’ coming.

Humbly coming to our world, and coming to each of us.

Just as he came to Mary.

And to Elizabeth.

And to John.

So as we celebrate his coming to our world 2000 years ago.

We also ask him to come to us individually.

Come to save us from whatever is causing us great distress.

Come to free us from whatever has a hold on us

Come to help us through the storms of life.

And there are plenty of storms in the world around us today.

Not to mention our personal inner storms.

So we ask, though we may not fully expect him to come.

We’re not sure he’ll listen to us.

But like Elizabeth, we are more special than we realize.

He thinks we’re special

We’re special to him.

And he knows our needs.

And so he did come.

And he does come.

And he will come again.

The question isn’t, Will he come?

It’s, Will we be ready?  Will we hear him when he comes?

We’re all another year older than we were last Advent.

A lot has happened since then.

We’re not exactly the same people as we were a year ago.

So in these final days of Advent we can prepare to receive him anew.

And to give him a better reception than ever before.

Jesus is always ready to come to us again.

He’s always offering to come closer.

To be part of us in new and deeper ways.

But we don’t always receive him.

He’s not always obvious; he’s not pushy.

It’s a lot like the Bethlehem scene here in the mural behind our St Joseph’s altar.

There’s knocking at the door, and Jesus is out there, but no one answers.

In our final preparation, let’s listen for him.

Let’s take to heart those simple but powerful words of Paul.

Not St Paul. 

Sir Paul …  McCartney.

Someone's knockin' at the door
Somebody's ringin' the bell.
Do me a favor,
Open the door, let 'em in.

4th Sunday of Advent

Lk 1:39-45    Read this Scripture @usccb.org

You Turn

Sometimes you give the right answer and it gets you into trouble.

Back in high school we took some standardized national tests.

And I had most of the right answers—I scored really well.

But instead of congratulating me, the principal called my parents in for a meeting.

He wanted to know,

If you can do so well on this test, why aren’t you at the top in your classwork?

The priests and the elders in today’s Gospel didn’t get congratulated either.

Jesus asks them which of two sons does their father’s will.

The one who defiantly says he won’t do it, but later changes his mind and does it.

Or the one who agreeably says he will do it, but doesn’t follow through.

The priests and elders answer correctly.

And their reward?  A scolding.

Jesus tells them, 

Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult question.

But their correct answer highlighted the fact that

They understood human behavior.

That they knew they had the option to change their minds—change their hearts.

That they knew a change of mind could be the right thing to do, a good thing to do.

Getting the right answer wasn’t difficult for them.

It showed it was easily within their powers of observation and awareness analysis.

And yet, they hadn’t used those powers to make this most critical decision—

Their assessment of John the Baptist and Jesus himself.

They had made up their minds against John and Jesus.

And even when they saw many others embracing John and Jesus, 

They wouldn’t reconsider.

They weren’t open to changing their minds or their hearts.

Like the first son, they defiantly refused.

Even though God was asking them to change their minds.

Quite directly and quite literally—Jesus, God Himself, was calling them.

But they resisted and wouldn’t recognize his voice.

And unlike the first son, they would not change.

If we listen, we can all hear things that God is calling us to do—

Things big and small.

But we resist, through either defiance or inattention.

We question whether that voice is actually God calling.

In effect, we’ve decided not to do it.

This Advent, let’s listen carefully and let’s change our minds wherever necessary.

Or we can just hop in line with the priests and elders.

Way back there behind the tax collectors and prostitutes.

Tuesday, 3rd Week of Advent

Mt 21:28-32     Read this Scripture @usccb.org 

The Most Powerful Woman

It’s been over 40 years now.

But a football play from December 23, 1972 

Is still often ranked as the greatest ever.

It was the NFL playoff game, in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers were trailing the Raiders by one point with only 30 seconds left.

In what could be the last play of the game,

Steeler quarterback Terry Bradshaw was under heavy pressure 
And scrambled around.

He finally fired a desperate pass to a receiver in the middle of the field.

But it struck an oncoming Raider defender and rocketed 

Back toward the line of scrimmage.

A quick handed rookie named Franco Harris grabbed it before it hit the ground.

And he ran it all the way in for a touchdown.

And a Steeler victory.

The crowd went wild, and the TV announcer called it the Christmas Miracle.

Later that evening a Pittsburgh sports reporter 

Coined the now-famous name for that play.

The Immaculate Reception.

His clever pun on the name of Feast we celebrate today

Introduced an indirect Marian reference into our popular culture.

And a few years later Roger Staubach added the Hail Mary pass.

Who knows, maybe there’s a little evangelistic benefit there.

Maybe now and then a fan stops to think about the source of those phrases.

This month Mary picked up a little more attention in our secular culture.

National Geographic Magazine put her on the cover.

With the title, Mary, the Most Powerful Woman in the World.

(And National Geographic will air a show about her on December 13^th.)

The Catholic Church has always held Mary in the highest esteem.

So do Muslims.

Although they don’t recognize her as the Mother of God, as we do.

This Feast we celebrate today, The Immaculate Conception, 

Dates back only to 1854.

When Pope Pius IX officially declared 

What the Church had held from the earliest days.

That, from her very conception, Mary has always been without sin.

That she never sinned in her life, and that she was born free of original sin.

At the instant of her conception in the womb of her mother, St Anne,

God intervened and prevented her from inheriting the stain of Original Sin.

The Bible doesn’t state this explicitly, but it does support it.

And the belief and the teaching go all the way back 

To the early Fathers of the Church.

Over the centuries, different feasts have been celebrated 

In different parts of the world.

All recognizing Mary’s sinless perfection.
Pius IX merely confirmed the belief as dogma, and gave the feast a new name.

God planned to send His perfect Son into the world.

A Son never to be touched by sin.

And God knew that He would send him through Mary.

Mary had a choice, as we heard in our Annunciation Gospel today.

But back when Mary was conceived by Anne, 
God already knew  that she would say Yes.

And so, He exempted her from sin as well.

So that his Son, who would be human in every way except for sin,

Would have that perfect, sinless host to receive him.

The Immaculate Conception prepared Mary for her later reception of Jesus.

And her Yes at the Annunciation completed that reception.

So the football punsters were not far off target in coining their term.

If we were to give a new formal name to that Annunciation Yes,

We might call it the true Immaculate Reception.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Lk 1:26-38     Read this Scripture @usccb.org 

One People #2

<Opening Presentation to Interfaith Thanksgiving Service>

As we gather to give thanks in this Interfaith Service, 

It’s clear from the very name

That we’ve made our spiritual homes in different faith communities. 

For many of us the choice was made for us, by our birth into a particular family. 

For all of us, we firmly believe that our own particular faith is the right faith,

Or we would have moved on. 

But we also believe in religious tolerance,

And we believe in loving our brothers and sisters regardless of their religious beliefs

—and even if they have no religious beliefs. 

What I’d like to read for you are excerpts

from a Catholic document regarding different groups within the People of God.

It came out of a worldwide meeting of bishops in 1964—the Second Vatican Council. 

So it is, of course, written from the Catholic perspective.                                                                                                                       

But I think if you reorder the groups according to your own perspective,

You’ll see it’s a good expression of an interfaith spirit

and a hope for a common spiritual home that we can all share.

The document is called Lumen Gentium, Latin for The Light of the Nations.

Its official title is the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church.

And the section I’m quoting from is titled The People of God:

It says:

At all times and in every race

God has given welcome to whosoever [respects] Him 

and does what is right.

God, however, does not make men holy and save them 

merely as individuals,

without bond or link between one another.

Rather has it pleased Him to bring men together as one people,

a people which acknowledges Him in truth 

and serves Him in holiness.

Though there are many nations there is but one people of God,

which takes its citizens from every race,

making them citizens of a kingdom

which is of a heavenly rather than of an earthly nature.   

And there belong to or are related to it in various ways,

the Catholic faithful,

all who believe in Christ,

and indeed the whole of mankind,

for all men are called by the grace of God to salvation.

They are fully incorporated in the society of the Church who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept her entire system 

and all the means of salvation given to her. 

The Church recognizes that in many ways 

she is linked with those who,

being baptized, are honored with the name of Christian,

though they do not profess the faith in its entirety

or do not preserve unity with the [Church of Rome].

They share with us in prayer and other spiritual benefits.

We can say that in some real way 

they are joined with us in the Holy Spirit,

for to them too He gives His gifts and graces.

Finally, those who have not yet received the Gospel

are related in various ways to the people of God.

In the first place we must recall the [Jewish] people

to whom the testament and the promises were given

and from whom Christ was born according to the flesh.

[This] people remains most dear to God,

for God does not repent of the gifts He makes 

nor of the calls He issues.

But the plan of salvation also includes 

those who acknowledge the Creator.

In the first place amongst these there are the Mohamedans,

who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham,

along with us adore the one and merciful God.

Nor is God far distant from those who in shadows and images

seek the unknown God,

for it is He who gives to all men life and breath and all things,

and as Savior wills that all men be saved.

Those also can attain to salvation who 

through no fault of their own

do not know the Gospel of Christ...,

yet sincerely seek God

and ... strive by their deeds to do His will

as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.

Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, 

have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God 

[yet] strive to live a good life. 

One People #1

<Homily on Lk  10:21-24>

As we enter this Advent season we might each ask ourselves—

How much do I really know about God?

Where did I get what I do know?

Today’s Gospel passage draws my mind to those who don’t know the truth.

And then I recall a favorite document that gives great hope regarding those people.

Lumen Gentium (The Light of the Nations), a Vatican II document from 1964.

Officially titled The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church.

Written, of course, from the perspective of the Catholic Church,

And adopted by her bishops throughout the world.

Excerpts from the chapter on The People of God state:

At all times and in every race

God has given welcome to whosoever [respects] Him and does what is right.

Though there are many nations there is but one people of God,

which takes its citizens from every race,

making them citizens of a [heavenly] kingdom.  

And there belong to or are related to [that kingdom] in various ways,

the Catholic faithful—

all who believe in Christ—

and indeed the whole of mankind—

for all men are called by the grace of God to salvation.

They are fully incorporated in the society of the Church who,

possessing the Spirit of Christ,

accept her entire system and all the means of salvation given to her. 

The Church recognizes that in many ways she is linked with those who,

being baptized, are honored with the name of Christian,

We can say that in some real way they are joined with us in the Holy Spirit.

[Also], those who have not yet received the Gospel

are related in various ways to the people of God.

In the first place we must recall the [Jewish] people

to whom the testament and the promises were given

and from whom Christ was born according to the flesh.

[This] people remains most dear to God.

But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator.

In the first place amongst these there are the Mohamedans,

who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham,

along with us adore the one and merciful God.

Nor is God far distant from those who in shadows and images

seek the unknown God,

for it is He who gives to all men life and breath and all things,

and as Savior wills that all men be saved.

Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own

do not know the Gospel of Christ...,

yet sincerely seek God

and ... strive by their deeds to do His will

as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.

Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who,

without blame on their part,

have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God [yet] strive to live a good life.

Today’s Gospel passage tells us how fortunate, how blessed, we really are.

We could have easily been among those seeking in shadows for an unknown God.

Or those who haven’t yet arrived at any explicit knowledge that God exists.

Clearly, there’s a lot we don’t know—

We’re still searching for many answers.

But we do know who God is.

The Son has revealed Him to us.

He’s revealed a God we can call Our Father.

He’s revealed the Trinity.

He’s revealed the plan for salvation and the gift of eternal life.

We’d know very little about God without that revelation.

Without the Scripture, especially Jesus’ own words.

And without what we’ve since learned through the Holy Spirit and our Church.

Where would we be without that gift of knowledge?

We are truly blessed.

We see and hear what others can only long for.

Tuesday, 1st Week of Advent

Lk 10:21-24     Read this Scripture @usccb.org 

We Can't Stand Pat

In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened,                    
and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from the sky.

Scary Stuff.

This is the year’s last Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Next week is the Feast of Christ the King.

That’s the last Sunday of the liturgical year.

And then we move into Advent, a new year, a time of new beginnings.

But today, our focus is on the end times.

All of our Scripture readings speak of those end times and the life beyond.

Especially our first reading from the Book of Wisdom,

And our Gospel excerpt from Mark.

They tell us to be vigilant, to be always ready.

Our Gospel warns of the Great Tribulation—the end times.

Followed by the glorious, triumphant, second coming of Jesus.

That end-time is coming. 

But probably not now.

We might wonder, with the wars and bombings and terrorist attacks.

And other injustices and miseries throughout the world.

These are dark times, but the world has seen worse.

Christians have been watching for the Second Coming for 2000 years now.

So odds are slim that it will happen to come in our lifetime.

But our own individual time is indeed short.

For many of us, that end will almost certainly come within the next few decades.

For any of us, it could come tomorrow.

And yet, in the mean time we plod along with our daily routines.

We don’t often stop to think about how we’re spending our limited remaining days.

Until we’re personally struck by some tragedy or loss that grabs our full attention.

Or unless some message, like today’s Scriptures, gets through to us.

I sometimes pray:

God help me to be mindful,

But do it without giving me a dramatic wake-up call.

Today should have been one of those chances,

To simply take a more gentle reminder from Scripture.

But now we have the added emphasis of that massacre in Paris.

Still somewhat distant, but too close for comfort.

So let’s take this opportunity to step back and look at where we’re headed.

How we’re spending the days of our lives.

Are we preparing for our end times?

What adjustments should we be making?

These are the kinds of questions we need to revisit often.

The Church repeatedly calls our attention to them.

Especially during Lent and during this end-of-year time.

Today we have the added encouragement and example of our RCIA group.

(Those pursuing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.)

They’ve each stepped back and decided to make a significant change in their lives.

To become new, active members of the Catholic Church.

Theirs may seem a rather big step, a rather big course adjustment for their lives.

But many of us may also be ripe for a comparably big adjustment.

Maybe a move to much greater action.

Or a move to devoting much more time to talking with God and listening to him.

Or maybe just some fine-tuning.

As we think about change and as we approach this election year,

I remember a six-time presidential candidate—deadpan comedian Pat Paulsen.

He used the Smothers Brothers TV show as his forum.

And announced his platform for great change.

He had a large poster with his smiling face and, at the top, his name:

PAT PAULSEN.

And at the bottom, his catchy slogan for change—

WE CAN’T STAND PAT

That was certainly (and intentionally) an unfortunate slogan for a candidate named Pat.

But it is a general truth.

We can’t stand pat.

If we’re not moving forward, we’re falling back.

So, motivated by warnings of the end times, by the terrors of the day,

And by the example of our new members,

Let’s step back and try to take in the big picture.

Let’s ask God’s guidance for how to spend the remainder of our lives.

And then let’s listen for the answer promised in our Psalms today:

[He] will show me the path to life,

Fullness of joys in [His] presence,

The delights at [His] right hand—forever.

33rd Sunday Ordinary Time

Mk 13:24-32     Read this Scripture @usccb.org