Catholic Caucus: Advent Reflections for All -- 2003

December 13, 2003, Saturday, Second Week of Advent

The Prophet Elijah

To understand the biblical meaning of “prophet”, one has to distinguish it from the popular notion that a prophet predicts the future. A person who claims to do that is more along the lines of an “oracle" -- someone who is asked a question, consults the divinity, and gives a response.

The word “prophet” comes from a Greek word that means “one who speaks on behalf of another.” In the Judaeo-Christian tradition, the “another” is God. Thus, prophets are those who speak on behalf of God. They have the gift of seeing things from God’s perspective and their primary focus is on the present. Insofar as they talk about the consequences of the present course of action, they also look to the future. It would be best to say: “Prophets forewarn; they don’t foretell.

The prophet Elijah (mentioned in the Gospel passage in the next post) was one of the greatest prophets in Israel, even though he left no written works. He was a solitary figure, and lived in caves.

Elijah was noted for his emphasis on Yahweh as the one and only God. When King Ahab married Jezebel (a pagan), she introduced rituals to the god Baal. Elijah strongly objected, and he had to flee for his life.

***

In the three-year cycle of Sunday scripture readings during Advent, the first reading always describes the words and/or actions of one of the prophets.

As they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking about John the Baptist. (Mt 17:10-13)

The 2nd Book of Kings describes Elijah, in his final days, talking with the prophet Elisha when…”a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” Thus it was believed that he did not taste death.

Some 300 years later in the books of Malachi, God says “Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes.” Jewish theologians took this to mean that Elijah would return before the Messiah came.

So the disciples ask: If Elijah hasn’t returned, how could Jesus be the Messiah? Jesus gives the answer: John the Baptist is the Elijah figure prophesied by Malachi.

The Gospel writers do not give us a biography of Jesus, but answer the question: Who is Jesus?

All four Gospels answer: He is the Messiah. He is the Son of God. He has come to begin the final preparation for the kingdom of God.

Picture Jesus saying to you (as he once said to the disciples): Who do you say that I am?

Give your answer – not in the abstract, but to him

Spend some quiet time with the Lord.

December 14, 2003, Sunday, Third Week of Advent

Why Am I Doing This?

She lived alone, as so many do. And she felt it especially at Christmas, as so many do

Decorating her Christmas tree, she began to argue with herself, an argument she’d had several times before in these days before Christmas. “Why am I doing this? No one will see it, and I don’t need it.”

Then she heard herself say, “You have to do this. Not so that others will see it, but to remind yourself that the hope is real – not just words or a dream. It’s real. Jesus really did come. And so you really have a tree, and you decorate it, and you buy real gifts, and you go to Midnight Mass, and you have a real Christmas dinner. This is how you keep the hope alive and real.

***

The Parents of John the Baptist

Zechariah was one of approximately 18,000 Jewish priests in Palestine at the time of Jesus.

They were divided in 24 groups of 750 each. Twice a year, each group came to the Temple in Jerusalem to serve for a week. Their roles during this week of service were chosen by lot. Some of them, in a given week, weren’t chosen to do anything.

Each morning four lots were cast to decide who would carry out the four tasks at the altar. Then in the afternoon a fifth lot was cast to determine who would enter the Holy Place to offer the evening incense. This extraordinary privilege usually came only once in a lifetime.

In Luke’s account, when the afternoon lot was cast, Zechariah was chosen to enter the Holy Place and offer the evening incense. It was there that the angel appeared to him to announce the birth of John

***

The name “Elizabeth” was not a common name in Jewish culture. The Hebrew word, “El”, means “God”. The name Elizabeth means “God is the fullness.”

Since she was a descendant of Aaron, Elizabeth was of priestly stock. This meant that any of her sons would be eligible to serve as a priest in the Temple.

Elizabeth, childless for many year, conceived and gave birth to the child about whom Jesus would one day say, “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist."

Spend some quiet time with the Lord.

December 15, 2003, Monday, Third Week of Advent

’Gone with the Wind’

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1900, Margaret Mitchell was the daughter of an attorney father and a devoutly Irish Catholic mother.

Margaret was always interested in her city’s history. At one time she wrote feature articles on Atlanta’s historical roots for the Atlanta Journal’s Sunday magazine.

In 1926 she left this job to become a full-time housewife, doing some free-lance writing on the side. When one day, she broke her ankle and was confined to her small apartment, she voraciously read the countless library books her husband would bring home to her. Jokingly, he told her that if she was going to have anything left to read, she’d have to write a book herself.

So she did. It would take her 10 years to finish it, but Margaret Mitchell sat down and began to write “Gone with the Wind.”

***

The movie “Gone with the Wind” starring Vivian Leigh as the Irish Catholic Scarlett O’Hara premiered on this date in 1939.

***

“I wrote about people who had gumption and people who didn’t.” (Margaret Mitchell)

When Jesus had come into the Temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority? Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” (Mt 21:23-27)

If Matthew’s Gospel were being performed as a drama, this is the point where the orchestra would suddenly strike an ominous chord. Something bad is about to happen.

Up north in Galilee, Jesus had been confronted at times by Pharisees and scribes. But how he is in the big city, and in the Temple area. Suddenly, for the first time, the chief priest and the elders appear on the scene.

These people have power. These people are the most threatened by what Jesus has just been doing – entering the city like a messiah, predicting the destruction of the Temple, driving the sellers and buyers from the Temple area.

These are the people who will succeed in having Jesus executed. And now, here they are looking him in the eye.

Why do we have a Gospel like this – which seems like it belongs in Lent – when we’re 10 days away from Christmas?!

Because we’re preparing to celebrate the birth of the child whose death will make our death a birth.

Spend some quiet time with the Lord.

December 16, 2003, Tuesday, Third Week of Advent

The Boar’s Head

Over time, the wild boar became a symbol of evil. Killing, roasting and eating the boar was the celebration of the victory of good over evil. This came to be associated with Christmas because the birth of Christ was the turning point in the great struggle between good and evil.

Henry VIII made wild boar the official Christmas dish in England. Eventually the wild boar was hunted to extinction in England, and was replaced at Christmas by pig, turkey, or goose.

The Wassail Bowl

The word “wassail” comes from Old Norse “vas heil” – a toast meaning “good health.”

The wassail bowl was a wooden bowl into which people dipped their cups for a beverage in preparation for a toast on ceremonial occasions.

At Christmas, the poor in England would “go wassailing,” which meant dancing and singing in the neighborhood streets, hoping that householders would give them a warm drink from their wassail bowl.

Jesus said, “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, “Son go out and work in the vineyard today.” He said in reply, “I will not,” but afterward he changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, “Yes, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?”(Mt 21:28-32)

Our first thought on this passage might be: Actions speak louder than words. But let’s take it a little deeper.

Most of us were baptized as infants, and somebody else said the “yes” for us. At some point we implicitly said the “yes” – insofar as we chose to continue as members of the Church. But we need to make our “yes” explicit.

Even after we do that, it’s not over. Our decision is a living commitment. It has a life. We can’t simply store it in a safety deposit box.

When the decision becomes my own, there is initial contentment. This may continue for a long time. But I can expect some crises/temptations along the way. I deal with those, and each time it becomes a new decision to be a disciple of the Lord.

During the Advent season, we think about Mary’s ultimate “yes” to God. There is certain exhilaration in making a decision like that, being aware of it along the way, and consciously renewing it from time to time.

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

Spend some quiet time with the Lord.

December 17, 2003, Wednesday, Third Week of Advent

How Long is Advent?

Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before December 25. It always has four Sundays, but the total number of days can vary.

For example, if Christmas falls on a Monday, then Advent lasts three weeks and a day.

If Christmas falls on a Sunday, Advent lasts four full weeks.

***

Regardless of when Advent begins, every year the same Scripture readings are used from December 17 – 24. The Gospels on these days describe events leading up to the birth of Christ:

December 17: The genealogy of Jesus (Matthew)
December 18: The annunciation to Joseph (Matthew)
December 19: The annunciation to Zechariah (Luke)
December 20: The annunciation to Mary (Luke)
December 21: Mary’s visit to Elizabeth (Luke)
December 22: Mary’s “Magnificat” (Luke)
December 23: The birth of John the Baptist (Luke)
December 24: The “Benedictus” of Zechariah (Luke)

Don’t skim the Scripture passages in these postings. Read slowly. Let the Lord speak to you through these words.

"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham, Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac, the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers…"(Mt 1:1-17)

These are the opening words of Matthew’s Gospel. He begins with the basics – the genealogy of Jesus. It will be a long list of 48 names stretching across 2,000 years.

Matthew wants to emphasize that Jesus is the Messiah, the long-awaited “Son of David” who would fulfill Old Testament prophecies. That’s why he works downward from Abraham through David, to Jesus. (Luke, in his genealogy, starts with Jesus and works upward to Adam. He wants to emphasize that Jesus is the Son of God.)

Both Matthew and Luke drew upon popular traditions (rather than written records), and both adapted the data. They are trying to establish Jesus’ theological identity, not his DNA.

The list of names in Jesus’ genealogy includes a wide variety of people, not all of the perfect by any means. Jesus’ family had some skeletons in the closet. Probably your family is no different. They’re still your family.

We’re about a week away from Christmas. This would be a good time to mend some family ties.

Spend some quiet time with the Lord.

December 18, 2003, Thursday, Third Week of Advent

”Do You Hear What I Hear?”

The popular Christmas song “Do You Hear What I Hear? Was actually written as a prayer for peace.

In October of 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union seemed on the brink of nuclear war because of the Cuban missile crisis. Composer Noel Regney was walking home in New York, having just met with his producer who “was listening to the radio to see if we had been obliterated.”

While walking, he recalled, “I saw two mothers with their babies in strollers. The babies were looking at each other and smiling…and all of a sudden my mood was extraordinary.”

When he got home, Regney (a French Resistance fighter during World War II) began to write the lyrics to a song about peace. He thought about the green fields of his native France, the innocence of newly born lambs, and the peacefulness of the first Christmas.

“Do You Hear What I Hear?” (His wife wrote the music.) was slated to be the “B” side for another song that was expected to be a hit. When plans for that record were cancelled, another record company picked up Regney’s song.

Released at the end of November in 1962, it sold out all 250 thousand copies within a week.

***

Noel Regney died almost 40 years to the day after his record was released. He was buried from St. Mary Catholic Church in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”(Mt 1:18-24)

Dreams play an important part in Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus. There are five of them – four to Joseph and one to the Magi. In Joseph’s first dream, the angel gives him some astounding news: His wife, Mary, has conceived a child by the power of God!

Dreams play an important part in the life of another Joseph centuries earlier (“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”). When he told his brothers about his dreams, they became jealous. Eventually they sold him to a caravan headed for Egypt. Joseph ended up as a servant of the Pharaoh. Later he won great favor by interpreting the Pharaoh’s dreams.

The story of these two Josephs is the story of God working through human beings. God still does that, and I am one of the human beings through whom God accomplishes his plans.

As routine and plain as my life may seem, God acts through me to accomplish great things. They may seem small, but in the eons of God’s plan, they’re like the mustard seed “which when full-grown is the largest of plants and puts forth large branches.”

How did God work through me yesterday?

Spend some quiet time with the Lord.

December 19, 2003, Friday, Third Week of Advent

Christmas Cards

The custom of sending Christmas cards began in England in 1843 when Sir Henry Cole sent some cards to friends at Christmastime. These were not like today’s cards with Christmas or winter scenes. They depicted good deeds such as giving food and clothing to those in need.

***

The first American cards, were made in 1875 by Louis Prang, a German-born painter. These were more along the lines of the kind in use today. He helped popularize cards by holding contests each year for the best designs.

***

Which is more important – the picture on the card, or the text? According to Hallmark, it isn’t even a close call. It’s the text by a mile.

***

Speaking of miles, in the United States, over 2 billion Christmas cards are sent each year. To put that in perspective…if average-sized cards were placed side by side, they would stretch around the world six times.

“The angel Gabriel said to Zechariah, “Do not be afraid, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. And you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord…He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.”(Lk 1:5-25)

The angel tells Zechariah that his prayer had been heard.

To this story leading up to this point, Luke hadn’t told us what Zechariah was praying for . Now we know. He had been praying for Israel, of course, as a Jewish priest would do. But he and Elizabeth, unrealistic though it may have seemed because of their advanced years, had also been praying for a child.

Three times in Luke we hear angels say, “Do not be afraid” – to Zechariah here, to Mary at the Annunciation and to the shepherds in the filed. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus will also say those same words five times during his public life.

Anything in particular you’d really like to pray for?

Anything going on in your life that has you scared?

Listen.

God is saying to you: “Do not be afraid.”

Spend some quiet time with the Lord.

December 20, 2003, Saturday, Third Week of Advent

Hanukkah

The eight-day Jewish feast of Hanukkah begins today. Each day one of the candles of the Menorah is lit.

Because Hanukkah falls in November-December, it is mistakenly associated with Christmas. Actually, it celebrated the cleansing of the Temple from pagan desecration in 164 B.C.

***

The five major feasts in the Jewish calendar are:
**Passover (March – April), which celebrated the Israelites’ escape from slavery in Egypt.
**Pentecost (May-June) a harvest festival 50 days after Passover.
**Sukkot (September-October), which celebrates the New Year. The shofar (ram’s horn) is sounded, beginning 10 days of penitence.
**Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, is the last of the 10 days of Rosh Hashana. In earlier days, it was the only time when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to incense the Ark of the Covenant and sprinkle it with the blood of sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people. This is no longer possible because the Temple was destroyed in 70 A. D.

Mary said to the angel Gabriel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God…Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”(Lk 1:26:38)

If I was told by an angel what God planned to accomplish through me in the weeks and years ahead, I’d probably ask, as Mary did, “How can this be?”

In fact, I’d probably have a whole list of questions for the angel

“How can this be…given my lack of power and influence…or my weaknesses…or my health problems…or my sinfulness?”

Get ready for this. The angel’s answer would be the same as the answer to Mary: It will happen through the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that came upon Mary comes upon me.

It is God who accomplishes through me whatever good I do, just as it was God who accomplished the Incarnation through Mary. And Mary’s answer is best: “God, whatever you want.”

God wants to accomplish something through me? Really? To whom should I speak about this?

Why, God, of course.

Spend some quiet time with the Lord.

December 21, 2003, Sunday, Fourth Week of Advent

Pilgrims’ Landing at Plymouth

It was on this date in 1620 that the Mayflower landed at Plymouth. Referred to as “pilgrims,” the passengers were actually Puritans or, more basically, Anglicans.

Puritanism was a reform movement withinthe Church of England that sought to purify the church from Roman Catholic practices and influences. It began in the latter 16th century, and by the end of the 17th century was no longer significant.

The Puritans frowned upon the celebration of Christmas because of all the externals – Christmas trees, crib scenes, decorations, and gift-giving. Thus, in some of the early colonies under the control of the Puritans, the celebration Christmas was outlawed.

***

The efforts of the Puritans to enforce discipline upon the whole community resulted in the “blue laws,” many of which had to do with the observance of the Sabbath. They received this name because some of the laws were bound in blue paper.

***

The Mayflower initially reached land at Provincetown on Saturday, November 11. Only a few men went ashore to gather woods and look around. On Sunday they all prayed and rested on the ship. On Monday…after 66 days at sea with 102 people on board the women went ashore to do laundry. That’s how Monday became known as “wash day.” Covenant and sprinkle it with the blood of sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people. This is no longer possible because the Temple was destroyed in 70 A. D.

The Holy Innocents

Herod’s murder of the youngsters in Bethlehem is one of the saddest parts of Matthew’s Infancy Narrative. Matthew spares us a description of the slaughter and simply uses a text from the prophet Jeremiah to recall the sobbing that surely took place:

“A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.”

Bethlehem was a small town and the estimated number of boy’s two years old and under would have been about 20. Herold’s massacre is not recorded in historical documents, but the relatively small number makes the story all the more plausible.

Mary and Joseph would have known the families of these children. One can only guess at their feelings when they later heard about this.

The feast of the Holy Innocents is celebrated on December 28. The words of the Prayer After Communion are well written:

Lord, by a wordless profession of faith in your Son,
the innocents were crowned with life at his birth.”

Spend some quiet time with the Lord.

Midnight Mass

At the very beginnings of the Church, the Eucharist was normally celebrated on Saturday evening after sunset. The members of the early Church were almost entirely Jewish, and still practiced the Jewish religion. They still observed the Sabbath, which included going to the synagogue service.

The rules governing how far a person could walk on the Sabbath made it difficult to travel to the synagogue, and then walk to another place where Christians gathered for the Eucharist

The Sabbath began at sunset on Friday, and ended at sunset on Saturday. That is when the Eucharist was ordinarily celebrated in those earliest years – late Saturday evening. The Sabbath was over and there was no restriction on travel. And Sunday was a regular work day.

As time went on and fewer Christians were Jewish, it became more common to make Sunday the special day each week, in honor of the day the Lord rose from the dead. Thus the Eucharist was commonly celebrated on Sunday mornings.

Christmas, however, was different. Very early there developed the practice of celebrating a Mass at midnight, based on the tradition that Christ was born at midnight.

No one really knows the time of Jesus’ birth, but the origins of this tradition may lie in a passage from the Book of Wisdom: ”For when peaceful stillness compassed everything and the night in its swift course was half spent, your all-powerful word leaped from heaven…(18:14-15)

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.