Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 12-07-03

Reading I
Bar 5:1-9

Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery;
put on the splendor of glory from God forever:
wrapped in the cloak of justice from God,
bear on your head the mitre
that displays the glory of the eternal name.
For God will show all the earth your splendor:
you will be named by God forever
the peace of justice, the glory of God's worship.

Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights;
look to the east and see your children
gathered from the east and the west
at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing that they are remembered by God.
Led away on foot by their enemies they left you:
but God will bring them back to you
borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones.
For God has commanded
that every lofty mountain be made low,
and that the age-old depths and gorges
be filled to level ground,
that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God.
The forests and every fragrant kind of tree
have overshadowed Israel at God's command;
for God is leading Israel in joy
by the light of his glory,
with his mercy and justice for company.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Ten they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Reading II
Phil 1:4-6, 8-11

Brothers and sisters:
I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
because of your partnership for the gospel
from the first day until now.
I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work in you
will continue to complete it
until the day of Christ Jesus.
God is my witness,
how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.

Gospel
Lk 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
"Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

From: Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11

Thanksgiving and Prayer

([3] I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,) [4] always in every
prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, [5] thankful for
your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. [6] And I
am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion
at the day of Jesus Christ. [8] For God is my witness, how I yearn for
you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. [9] And it is my prayer that
your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
[10] so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and
blameless for the day of Christ, [11] filled with the fruits of
righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise
of God.

Commentary:

3-5. "Your partnership": in the original this reads "your communion". In
the New Testament this term has a wide meaning, mainly denoting closeness
of thought, action and lifestyle. It is sometimes used in connection with
collections made in favor of the needy (cf. Rom 15:26; 2 Cor 9:13).

Despite the fact that the faithful at Philippi were in general people of
modest means and were themselves experiencing hardship (cf. 2 Cor 8:2),
they never spared any effort when others were in need, and always did
what they could to help the spread of the Church, by both almsgiving (cf.
2 Cor 8:3-4) and personal commitment (cf. 2 Cor 8:5), prayer and help to
the ministers of the Gospel, as the Apostle knew from personal experience
(cf. Phil 4:14-16).

St Paul recognizes their difficulties are due to their generous response
to the demands of the faith--a gift from God (cf. v. 29); that is why he
continually prays that they may always have the grace they need.

4. "With joy": the Apostle's joy is one of the outstanding features of
this epistle; the good spirit of the Philippians makes him particularly
happy: the very thought of them brings him joy. Further on, in 3:1, he
tells them to rejoice in the Lord; and in 4:4 he twice repeats this
exhortation to a joy that comes from closeness to the Lord (cf. notes on
Phil 4:4; 4:5-7).

The same exhortation to true joy is very often to be found in early
Christian writings: "Clothe yourself with cheerfulness, which always
finds favor with God and is acceptable to him. Take all your delight in
this, for every cheerful man does good, has good thoughts, and despises
melancholy" ("The Pastor of Hermas", X, 3, 1).

Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22) and a virtue intimately
connected with supernatural charity, from which it derives (cf. "Summa
Theologiae", II-II, q. 23, a. 4). It is a gift a soul in grace
experiences, irrespective of its personal situation or circumstances. It
comes from union with God and recognition of his loving Providence
towards all creation and especially towards his children. Joy gives the
Christian peace and objectivity in everything he does.

6. The Old Testament teaches that God is "merciful and gracious, slow to
anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Ex 34:6; Ps
119:137). His faithfulness means that he always is true to his word,
always keeps the promises he makes to his people (cf. Deut 34:4);
therefore man can abandon himself into God's hand without fear, for there
he will find a safe refuge (cf. Ps 31:5-6). God, who initiated the work
of salvation by giving Christians the gift of faith and filling them with
sanctifying grace, will continue to enrich them with his grace until they
at last encounter Christ in heaven (cf. 1 Cor 1:4-9).

On the basis of this verse of Scripture, the Church's Magisterium, in
reaction to the Pelagian heresy, taught that the beginnings of faith, as
also increase of faith and the act of faith whereby we believe, are all
the result of grace and man's free response to that gift (cf. Second
Council of Orange, can. 5). Centuries later, the Council of Trent
repeated this teaching: just as God began this good work, he will bring
it to completion, if we for our part cooperate (cf. "De Iustificatione",
chap. 13).

By reflecting on this truth, St. Francis de Sales tells us, we shall come
to realize how much we ought to trust in God: "Our Lord is ever watchful
of the actions of his children; he gets them to walk ahead of him and
gives them a helping hand if they meet up with difficulty. He said as
much through Isaiah: 'For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it
is I who say to you, Fear not, I will help you" (Is 41:13). So, in
addition to having good morale, we should put all our trust in God and
in his help, for, provided we don't lose the state of grace, he will
complete in us the good work of our salvation which he has already begun"
("Treatise on the Love of God", 3. 4).

To this trust in divine help must be added a personal effort to respond
to grace, for, in the words of St. Augustine, "God who created you
without your cooperation will not save you without your cooperation"
("Sermon 169", 13).

"The day of Christ Jesus": see the note on 1 Cor 1:8-9.

8. "With all the affection of Christ Jesus": St Paul is so identified
with our Lord that he can say that he has the same sentiments towards
them as Christ has. This supernatural love is quite compatible with
human affection, but it raises it on to a higher level. This entire
epistle is an excellent proof of how the two kinds of love--human and
divine--interweave. Charity "joins closely to God those in whom it
reigns", Leo XIII teaches, "and causes them to receive from God the life
of the soul and to live with him and for him. Love of neighbor has to go
hand in hand with charity and love of God, for (we must recognize that)
all mankind share in God's infinite goodness and are made in his image
and likeness" ("Sapientiae Christianae", 51-52).

Helping others is the surest sign of true love, for, writes St Teresa of
Avila, "we cannot be sure if we are loving God, although we may have good
reasons for believing that we are, but we can know quite well if we are
loving our neighbor. And be certain that, the farther advanced you find
you are in this, the greater the love you will have for God; for so
dearly does His Majesty love us that He will reward our love for our
neighbor by increasing the love which we bear to himself, and that in a
thousand ways" ("Interior Castle", 5, 3, 8).

This love is the basis of apostolic effectiveness: "A sign of love will
be the concern to give the truth and to bring people into unity. Another
sign of love will be a devotion to the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
without reservation or turning back" (Paul VI, "Evangelii Nuntiandi",
79).

9-11. "Discernment": a deeply Christian view of things, which enables one
to see the events of everyday life in a supernatural light and therefore
understand them properly--very much the same idea as conveyed by the
"wisdom" so often referred to in the Old Testament.

Up to this point St Paul's prayers and exhortations have had to do with
steady growth in charity. Since charity is a supernatural virtue, "one
needs to ask God to increase it, since God alone can bring that about in
us" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on Phil, ad loc."). Growth in charity
means our attaining greater "knowledge" of God. "The lover", St Thomas
says, "is not satisfied with superficial knowledge of the beloved, but
strives to gain an intimate knowledge of everything pertaining to him, so
as to penetrate his very soul" ("Summa Theologiae", I-II, q. 28, a. 2).
Eagerness to know God brings one closer and closer to Jesus Christ, in an
effort to absorb his teachings and put into practice the saving truths
they contain--to act "with discernment", knowing what is the best thing
to do in every situation.

A personal relationship with God through prayer, identification with
Christ by frequent reception of the sacraments, and the action of the
Holy Spirit indwelling in the soul in grace, give the Christian a special
insight that enables him to distinguish good from evil in the concrete
situations that arise. The gift of wisdom "allows us to know God and
rejoice in his presence; it enables us to judge accurately the situations
and events of this life [...].

"Not that the Christian should neglect to see all that is good in
humanity, appreciate its healthy joys or participate in its enthusiasm
and ideals. On the contrary, a true Christian will vibrate in unison with
all the good he finds in the world. And he will live in the midst of it
with a special concern, since he knows, better than anyone, the depth and
the richness of the human spirit.

"A Christian's faith does not diminish his spirit or limit the noble
impulses of his soul: rather it makes them grow with the realization of
their true and authentic meaning" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By",
133).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Luke 3:1-6

The Preaching of John the Baptist

[1] In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate
being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his
brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis and
Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, [2] in the high-priesthood of Annas and
Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the
wilderness; [3] and he went into all the region about the Jordan,
preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [4] As it
is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of
one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths
straight. [5] Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill
shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the
rough ways shall be made smooth; [6] and all flesh shall see the
salvation of God."

Commentary:

1. The Gospel identifies very precisely the time and place of the public
appearance of John the Baptist, the Precursor of Christ, "Tiberius
Caesar" was the second emperor of Rome, and the fifteenth year of his
reign corresponds to A.D. 27 or 29, depending on which of the two
possible calculations is correct.

"Pontius Pilate" was governor or "praefectus" of Judea from A.D. 26 to
36. His jurisdiction also extended to Samaria and Idumea.

The "Herod" referred to here is Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great,
who succeeded to part of his father's territory with the title of
tetrarch, not king. "Tetrarch" indicated that he exercised his power in
subordination to Roman authority. It was Herod Antipas, who died in A.D.
39, who had St John the Baptist beheaded. On the identity of the four
Herods in the New Testament, see the note on Mt 2:1.

"Philip", another son of Herod the Great and stepbrother of Herod
Antipas, was tetrarch in the territory mentioned here up to the year
34 B.C. He married Herodias, who is spoken about in Mk 6:17-19.

2. The high priest at the time was "Caiaphas", who held the position from
A.D. 18 to 36. Annas, his father-in-law, was still so influential that he
was considered as the "de facto" head of Jewish religious and political
life. That is why, when Christ was arrested, he was first interrogated
before Annas (Jn 18:12-24). St Luke therefore is perfectly justified in
calling him the high priest.

2-3. Here St Luke formally introduces St John the Baptist, who appears in
his gospel a number of times. When Christ praises the Baptist (cf. Mt 11:
7-9) he refers particularly to his strength of will and his commitment to
his God-given mission. Humility, austerity, courage and a spirit of
prayer figure strongly in John's personality. So faithful was he to his
mission of preparing the way for the Messiah that Christ praises him in a
unique way: he is the greatest of those born of woman (cf. Mt 11:11), "a
burning and shining lamp" (Jn 5:35). He burned with love, and shone by
the witness he bore. Christ "was the light" (Jn 1:9); the Baptist "came
for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe
through him" (Jn 1:7).

John the Baptist appears on the scene preaching the need for repentance.
He prepares "the way of the Lord". He is the herald of salvation: but his
mission does not go beyond that; he simply announces that salvation is
coming. "Among you stands one...who comes after me, the thong of whose
sandal I am not worth to untie" (Jn 1:27). He points Christ out: "Behold,
the Lamb of God" (Jn 1:29, 36), behold "the Son of God" (Jn 1:34); and he
rejoices to see his own disciples leave him to follow Christ (Jn 1:37):
"He must increase, but I must decrease" (Jn 3:30).

4-6. In the second part of the Book of Isaiah (chaps. 40-55), which is
called the "Book of the Consolation of Israel", the Jewish people are
told that they will once again suffer exile and a new exodus in which
their guide will be, not Moses, but God himself; once again they will
make their way through the desert to reach a new promised land. St Luke
sees the preaching of the Baptist, who announces the arrival of the
Messiah, as fulfilling this prophecy.

Because the Lord is imminent, people must prepare themselves spiritually,
by doing penance for their sins, to receive the special divine grace the
Messiah is bringing. This is what he means by levelling the mountains and
making the Lord's path straight.

Every year in its Advent liturgy the Church proclaims the coming of Jesus
Christ, our Savior, exhorting every Christian to purify his or her soul
by a new interior conversion.

The Word Among Us

Sunday, December 07, 2003

Meditation
Luke 3:1-6

Near the beginning of his novel, Les Misérables, Victor Hugo writes that he believes that there is no such thing as “little facts” when it comes to humanity. That statement is hardly surprising, since this unforgettable tale owes a large part of its success to Hugo’s mastery of detail. Within the story of the convict Jean Valjean, Hugo weaves an immense amount of information about French history and society. Without these details, the story would lack the richness that has brought it to life for so many readers.

In a similar way, St. Luke is also concerned with making his story as compelling and credible as possible, and that is in part why he surrounds his narrative with historical detail. Tiberias, Pontius Pilate, Herod, Philip: These are all names that a first-century reader would have recognized. Some commentators suggest that Luke may be using historical detail because he is writing to someone outside the church who won’t accept the gospel on faith alone but needs outside facts to back it up.

Details such as these are important to us as Christians, because they emphasize that our faith is not theoretical but rooted in actual historical events. Like Luke’s original readers, we need to see the “evidence” of Jesus’ birth—the who, what, when, where, and how of his first coming. This is true not only at Advent but at all times. We may be dealing with sickness, unemployment, or relationship problems. Or we may be doing fine on the outside, but feel spiritually empty inside. We may have even heard the gospel over and over again, but may need it to enter more deeply into our spirits: The Son of God came into the world as one of us.

If we embrace the amazing reality of the Incarnation, our lives can change. If we accept that Jesus came as a specific person at a specific time and in a specific place, maybe we can become a little more expectant that he can come into the historical “now” of our lives as well. Jesus is the “author and finisher” of a masterpiece—our faith—and like any great author, he is concerned with the smallest details of our existence. That’s how much he loves us!

“Jesus, I know you are the Lord of all history, and I give you my entire life. Make me a part of your plan.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Sunday, December 7, 2003 >>

Second Sunday of Advent

Baruch 5:1-9
Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11

Psalm 126
Luke 3:1-6

View Readings

COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

“God will bring them back.” —Baruch 5:6

Imagine your children being “led away on foot” by your enemies (Bar 5:6). Imagine your son handcuffed and led off to prison. What if your children were exiled in a foreign land and you would probably never see them again? This is similar to what the Jewish people went through at the Babylonian exile. About forty years later, Yahweh did one of His greatest miracles. He freed the Jewish exiles, and they returned home.

The Church brings this to our attention because this Christmas the Lord wants to bring our children home to Him. He wants those imprisoned and exiled to repent of their sins and to come to Him this Christmas.

At this moment, some people are probably going into hell. They smell a rancid, putrid odor. They hear shrieks and howls. They are attacked and beaten by demons. They live in unimaginable pain and terror.

At this moment, some people are probably going into heaven. They are “borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones” (Bar 5:6). They are indescribably joyful (see 1 Pt 1:8) and radiant. They are being embraced by Jesus and by their family and friends who have died in Christ. They are perfectly happy forever.

Come home to Jesus for Christmas. It makes all the difference in the world — and beyond the world.

Prayer: Father, may I have an everlasting Christmas party in heaven with no one missing.

Promise: “All mankind shall see the salvation of God.” —Lk 3:6

Praise: Praise Jesus, Emmanuel, “God-with-us” (see Mt 1:23), risen Lord, Savior, and God!

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Time to Come in from the Cold and the Dark
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Sunday, December 7, 2003

Lk 3:1-6

Two little Martians landed on a country road on earth in the middle of a cold, dark night. "Where are we?" asked the one.

"I think we're in a cemetery," said the other. "There's a marker over here. It says....this man lived to be 108!"

"Wow! What was his name?"

The other Martian leaned closer and squinted, "Miles from Omaha."

+ + + +

At times we all feel like those Martians, far away from home, in a cold, dark place, with no familiar landmarks.

Sometimes the dark, unfamiliar place is the inside of our head. And we have the terrible experience of feeling cut off from our own self, a stranger to our self. It's a very lonely feeling.

Sometimes the cold, dark place is all around us as we find ourselves on the outside of love and friendship, wanting to get in but not knowing how. It's a sad and lonely place to be.

Our hearts know how life is supposed to be. There is something inside us, something God put there, that tells us that cold and darkness and being an outsider are not what we were made for.

There is something powerful inside us that tells us we are made to be family, the whole lot of us. Family, where everybody knows our name, where there are no strangers, where every face brightens when they hear the familiar sound of our step, and where we can feel the presence of our Father.

Family. It's what we long for and what we're made for. So why do we get so little of it? Why do we spend so much of our life as outsiders, cut off, in exile in the cold and the dark?

The answer is in Sunday's scripture: within us and between us there are places that are wounded and broken. There are gaping holes and lofty barriers in us and between us, and they keep us in exile, keep us from finding our way home.

So what are we to do? Sunday's scripture, which was written while the Jews were in exile in a distant land, gives the answer: name those sorry, wounded places within us and between us, and don't hold onto them. Name them and give them to the Lord, for he has commanded "that every lofty mountain be made low, that the age-old depths and gorges be filled in, that the crooked places in us be made straight and the rough places in us be made smooth," that we may see the salvation of God, that we may, at last, find our way home. We simply must give all those sorry, wounded places to him, all the dark and empty places. Give them all to him and he will bring us home. He will bring us home!

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