Advent through Christmas -- 2007
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.
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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.
