Advent through Christmas -- 2007

You are asked to give four to six of those 1,440 minutes each day to read this thread. Thus, giving you an opportunity to pray every day during Advent and Christmas

People who pray regularly will tell you that it works best if you do it at a set time every day. The main thing is to make it part of your schedule, not something you try to squeeze in whenever. It can vary at times, but you need a basic pattern. You can’t simply say, “I’ll do it when I get a chance.

The first posts for each day will vary in topics. The second post for each day will ask you to reflect on a passage from Scripture.

Friday, December 14, Second Week in Advent

Jesus said. “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ’We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Matthew 11:16-19

The homespun parable of the little children playing in the marketplace describes two groups of youngsters who can’t agree on whether to “play wedding’ or “play funeral.”

For centuries, scholars have tried to clarify its exact meaning and application, but parables are sometimes hard to nail down that way.

Many would apply it in this way: The groups of children inviting the others to play wedding or funeral represent John and Jesus. The group of children who pout and refuse to join in represent the people who wouldn’t accept either John’s ascetic style or Jesus’ joyful style. These people refuse to be satisfied with either style because they’ve made up their mind not to accept John or Jesus.

Being part of a group requires a certain amount of flexibility, adaptability. The bond among parishioners is not ultimately ethnicity, political preference, economic status, or like-mindedness.

It is the Lord.

Spend some quiet time with the Lord.

Advent through Christmas -- 2007

Saturday, December 15, Second Week in 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 consequencesof the present course of action, they also look to the future. It would be best to say “Prophets forewarn; they do not 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 words. 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 into the court. 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.

Advent through Christmas -- 2007

Saturday, December 15, Second Week in Advent

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. Matthew 17:9, -10-13

The Second 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 500 years later in the book 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 prophesized 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.

Advent through Christmas -- 2007

Sunday, December 16, Third Week in 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.”

* * * * * *

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.

Today is traditionally called “Gaudete Sunday.” The Latin word “gaudete” means “rejoice.”

Advent through Christmas -- 2007

Sunday, December 16, Third Sunday in Advent

God’s Big Dream

John the Baptist did what God wanted him to do – he prepared the way for Jesus.

But John never lived to see the results. It wasn’t long after the incident in today’s Gospel that John was killed.

Now here’s a thought.

Am I willing to be part of something, invest myself in something that I’ll never live to see fully accomplished?

Some of those great cathedrals in Europe took over 100 years to build. People could work on one all their lives, knowing they’d never live to see it finished.

Well, God's plans for this world are far greater than our minds can grasp. God’s dream is a big dream. It includes all creation.

There will come a time when there is peace, and wholeness, and truth, and love. But I doubt any of us will live to see it.

So, do I throw up my hands and give up? Do I just try to get out of life what I can in the few years I’ve got?

That’s the question.

Am I willing to invest myself in a great work – God’s work – that I’ll never live to see finished?

Spend some quiet time with the Lord.

Advent through Christmas -- 2007

Monday, December 17, Third Week in 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 for weekdays from December 17-24. The Gospels on those 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)

* * * * * *

When reading the Scripture passages in the second post for each day, read slowly. Let the Lord speak to you through these words.

Advent through Christmas -- 2007

Monday, December 17, Fourth Week in Advent

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…Matthew 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 them perfect by any means. Jesus’ family had some skeletons in the closet. Probably your family is no different. They’re still your family.

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

Spend some quiet time with the Lord.

Advent through Christmas – 2007-2008

Tuesday, December 18, Fourth Week in Advent

Angels

Angels play a significant role in the Christmas story of both Matthew and Luke

Belief in angels is rooted in Jewish tradition, which regarded angels as manifestations of God’s presence.

Jewish belief in angels went beyond the Scriptures and spoke of choirs (i.e. groups) of angels (a concept not found in Scripture) and names of angels. In Scripture only three names are given – Michael, Gabriel, Raphael.

The Christian tradition has retained a strong belief in angels. The New Testament has more than twice as many references to angels as the Old Testament. However, in the Gospels, angels appear and speak only in the Infancy Narrative and at the empty tomb.

The Church has made few pronouncements about angels. It teaches that angels are created beings (not mini-gods)…that they are personal (not simply “forces”)…and that they do not have a material body (though when necessary they can appear in a human form.)

* * * * * *

The word “angel” is a Greek translation of a Hebrew word meaning “messenger.”

Advent through Christmas – 2007-2008

Tuesday, December 18, Third Week in Advent

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 the people from their sins.…Matthew 1: -18-25

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 played an important part in the life of another Joseph centuries earlier. 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.

Advent through Christmas – 2007-2008

Wednesday, December 19, Third Week in Advent

The Father of John the Baptist

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

They were divided into 24 groups of 750 each. Twice a year each group came to the Temple in Jerusalem to serve for a week. Their roles during the 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 of 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.

Advent through Christmas – 2007-2008

Wednesday, December 19, Third Week in Advent

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.”.…Luke 1: -5-25

The angel tells Zechariah that his prayer has been heard.

In the 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.

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.

Advent through Christmas – 2007-2008

Thursday, December 20, Third Week in Advent

Morning Star

“Morning star” refers to the last star near the eastern horizon that is visible to the naked eye before the sun rises and the star becomes invisible. (Usually the morning “star” is Venus which of course, is not a star but a planet.)

The title “Morning Star” is given to Mary. She is the last star visible in the sky before Jesus, the Light of the World, enters the human race.

* * * * * *

It is an ancient practice in many different cultures to pray each morning. In pagan cultures, the prayer was often directed to the new light coming over the horizon.

* * * * * *

One of the morning Prayers familiar to Catholics of the past several generations (and often pasted on bathroom mirrors) is the following:
“O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the intentions of all our associates, and in particular for the intention recommended this month by the Holy Father.”

Take your time with the brief Scripture passage in the next post. These words are the graced words of God.

Advent through Christmas – 2007-2008

Thursday, December 20, Third Week in Advent

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.”…Luke 1: 26-38

If I were 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 is saying to you: “Do not be afraid.”

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.

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