Carry the gospel with you

Gospel reading of the day:

Matthew 4:18-22

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.

Reflection on the gospel reading: The Church celebrates today St. Andrew the Apostle. The gospel gives us a portrait of how Jesus called his disciples. They were people enmeshed in a set of circumstances. They had family members and jobs. But they also must have been people who could feel the stirring of their hearts and people who were able to respond generously to their hearts’ impulses, because when Jesus called them, they left what they were doing and responded to his invitation. Our hearts also experience movements. We need to create space in them so that we can hear the Lord’s voice and do the things the Lord calls us to.

Saint of the day: Andrew was St. Peter’s brother, and was called with him. “As [Jesus] was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is now called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-20).

John the Evangelist presents Andrew as a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus walked by one day, John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus. “Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day” (John 1:38-39a).

Little else is said about Andrew in the Gospels. Before the multiplication of the loaves, it was Andrew who spoke up about the boy who had the barley loaves and fishes (see John 6:8-9). When the Gentiles went to see Jesus, they came to Philip, but Philip then had recourse to Andrew (see John 12:20-22).

Legend has it that Andrew preached the Good News in what is now modern Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras.

Spiritual reading:

Light of lights! All gloom dispelling,
Thou didst come to make thy dwelling
Here within our world of sight.
Lord, in pity and in power,
Thou didst in our darkest hour
Rend the clouds and show thy light.
Praise to thee in earth and heaven
Now and evermore be given,
Christ, who art our sun and shield.
Lord, for us thy life thou gavest,
Those who trust in thee thou savest,
All thy mercy stands revealed.
(St. Thomas Aquinas)

Fr. Ron’s Homily for the Second Sunday in Advent, Year C

Last week we began our year long journey through the Gospel of St. Luke. Because we did not begin at the beginning last week, nor do we exactly this week, I wanted to say a few things about Luke to place the Gospel into a context for you. Luke is the first Gospel author who was not Jewish. He had access to the Gospel of Mark, and for whatever reasons, used Mark a great deal, but chose to tell Mark’s story in a different way and add to it. Perhaps he felt it was not complete enough, perhaps the early theology of the Church had expanded enough that he wanted to stress different things than Mark or Matthew, or perhaps there were particular problems that he wanted to address to his community. The entire Gospel, is in fact, addressed to Theophilus, probably a Roman official who helped to pay for its publication. This Gospel is structured in such a way that it is the most straight forward of the four Gospels – what Luke calls an “orderly account” beginning with the announcement of his birth to Jesus ‘ Ascension. Luke even wrote a sequel to his Gospel which we call the Acts of the Apostles, and which continues the story from the Ascension to the martyrdoms of Peter and Paul.

The main themes of this Gospel deal with salvation – salvation for the Jewish people first and then salvation for all nations. Luke places particular emphasis on the salvation of the poor and lowly, and treats minorities very effectively, especially women, and in particular Jesus ‘ mother Mary.

Because the church in the Sunday readings is quite thematic in its choice of readings, we do not follow Luke in the order which he presented, but we jump around a lot to reflect the particular Sunday themes. Last week, you remember, we jumped to the apocalyptic passages at the end of the Gospel for our first reading of Luke.

Today we do the same. We jump to the third chapter, skipping the beautifully written introduction, the announcement of Jesus’ and John the Baptist’s births, and the Presentation. But we will get back to these readings in the next few weeks. What we stress thematically today comes with John the Baptist, now grown, who is proclaiming the coming Messiah. This is done in the context of both political and religious history of the period – so we have the lengthy introduction placing it in the context of Roman and Jewish history, naming the main players at that time.

John was said to be preaching a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” This statement shows a growth theologically in this Gospel, especially if it compared to Mark’s earlier Gospel. John is seen here as a prophet – he uses the words of past prophets, in this case Isaiah, and he quotes Isaiah in length. The words of Isaiah speak of a voice, a prophetic voice, who will announce the restoration of Israel, but, even more, ends, unlike Mark and Matthew, with “all flesh shall see the salvation of our God”. Even this early in the Gospel we are being prepared for the salvation of the Gentiles. In quoting these particular verses, Luke summons up all of Isaiah’s prophecies and sets us up to see the Savior, the Messiah, as someone who will do many things – heal the sick, cure the blind and lame, forgive sins, restore Israel and bring salvation. His readers were familiar with all these themes in Isaiah. John now becomes the last in a series of prophets proclaiming the coming Messiah. With John it is complete.

In order to prepare for the Messiah, John preaches a baptism of repentance. Baptism, the submerging in the water, is for John a symbol only. It is not like our Baptism which is a Baptism of remission of sin. John preaches that in order to be ready to receive the Savior and his message, they have to wash themselves as a symbol of being sorry for their sins, washing off the sin’s dirt. This being sorry, or repentance, is the core message of John the Baptist. It literally means in the Greek a changing of one’s mind, the taking of a new direction, or possibly a conversion. John wanted his followers to turn aways from sin and turn toward God. In this way, they will be forgiven their sins and be ready for what is to come. If we forgive our debts, God will forgive ours – similar to what we say in the Lord’s prayer each week.

The first reading today is from the prophet Baruch which is not considered by the Hebrews to be part of their Bible but is seen as apocryphal literature. It is a beautiful reading and a beautiful choice to be read with our Gospel today thematically. It picks up the themes of Isaiah and was directed at Jews who were living outside their homeland. Since Luke’s Gospel is is about spreading the Gospel outside of the Jewish nations, this is a good reading to connect. The reading expresses great hope and expectation of a Savior who will come from the east like the dawn. When things are bad in our lives, when we feel down because of the economy, because of the political situation, because of the daily grind, we can take off our clothing of misery, Baruch says, and realize that turning to God, turning to the East, will help us rejoice that we are remembered by God, that God will conquer all these things and that in his coming we will see the light of his glory, his mercy and his justice. The same message that John the Baptist was bringing to his followers.

What is it that we today must do to prepare ourselves for Jesus coming? How can we apply what the Baptist was doing to our lives today?

Advent is the time to get ready. That is particularly why these readings were picked today. And how do we get ready? We turn away from our sins, from the distracting things of our material lives, and turn toward God, asking His pardon and forgiveness in so far as we pardon and forgive others in our life. Can we spend the time this Advent preparing for letting go of feelings that we have been wronged by someone, find forgiveness and let it go. Find a way to make peace with the things in our life that are holding us back – a relative we haven’t spoken to, a neighbor we are angry with, a co-worker that has slighted us or driven us crazy. Let us turn to God and prepare our hearts to receive him again at Christmas, with peace inside of us, leaving the sadness that is stopping us from really living, leveling the mountains and valleys of our lives and in that way, we will be ready for the coming of the little child who will be born in you again this year.

And this is the Good News I present you today.

Carry the gospel with you

Gospel reading of the day:

Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Jesus said to his disciples: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Reflection on the gospel reading: We enter a new liturgical year today on this first Sunday of Advent as we move into weeks of expectancy and hope before our celebration of the birth of the Lord. In ancient eastern Christianity, the Epiphany was many holidays rolled into one: yes, certainly, the visit of the Magi, but the Church also celebrated at the Epiphany the birth of the Lord, his baptism, the wedding feast at Cana, and the Transfiguration. The Church celebrated on a single and very textured day all the ways the Lord surprises us and manifests his glory. In many churches of the East, catechumens received their baptism on the Feast of the Epiphany because of its connection to the Lord’s own baptism. During the weeks prior to their baptism, catechumens would pray, reflect, and fast in anticipation of their entry into the body of believers. It would seem then that what we begin today in Advent is the remnant of that practice. The Church prays, reflects, and fasts in these days because catechumens once did so before their baptism, but with the passage of time, the practice of baptizing on Epiphany withered away while the Church remembered the prayer, reflection, and fasting at this time of year and began to connect it to Christmas. But it’s no deep concern where the practice arose, because what the Church asks us to do in these weeks is to remember who we are as baptized persons and to renew in ourselves our baptismal promises. In other words, it is entirely appropriate that a season which probably began as a time of baptismal preparation should continue as a time of baptismal renewal.

The gospel passage today talks about the nature of our lives as baptized persons. It tells us to stand erect, that is, be people of integrity. It tells us to raise our heads, that is, be people of dignity and hope. It tells us to be vigilant, that is, be people who persevere. It tells us to pray, that is, be spiritual people who spend time talking with God each day. And it tells us to ask God that we may be strong, that is, it calls on us to rely on God’s own power.

Let us embrace our baptism today and all the days of Advent. Let us renew ourselves and prepare ourselves. Let us be open to the God of Surprises who will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves if only we open ourselves to it.

Spiritual reading: Every year we celebrate the holy season of Advent, O God. Every year we pray those beautiful prayers of longing and waiting, and sing those lovely songs of hope and promise. Every year we roll up all our needs and yearnings and faithful expectation into one word: “Come!” (The Divine Dawning, Karl Rahner, S.J.)

Carry the gospel with you

Gospel reading of the day:

Luke 21:34-36

Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Reflection on the gospel reading: Today’s reading is the very last of the liturgical year; by a coincidence of the liturgical calendar, it is also a part of the gospel reading upon which we will reflect tomorrow, on the first Sunday of the new liturgical year. The passage cautions us not to give ourselves over to lives of self-indulgence and anxieties. Instead, Jesus invites us to remain vigilant in prayer that we may withstand the tribulations we face as we make our ways. We are called to a gathering greatness. Let us pray that we may be open to the mysterious ways that God calls us to stand before the Son of Man.

Saint of the day: Joseph Pignatelli, S.J. was born in Saragossa, Spain, 1737. Born of a Spanish mother and a princely Italian father, Joseph, a Spanish grandee, was educated in Saragossa. He joined the Jesuits at Tarragona when he was 16, made his vows in 1755, was ordained in 1763, and was assigned to Saragossa. In addition to teaching young boys, Father Joseph had a special ministry to those condemned to execution. After his profession, he taught at Manresa, Bilboa, and Saragossa.

When Charles III banished the Jesuits from Spain in 1767, Father Pignatelli and his fellow Jesuits went to Corsica, where they were forced to leave when the French, who had also banished the Jesuits, occupied the island.

They then settled in Ferrara, Italy, where Joseph was placed in charge of young recruits. When Pope Clement XIV, under pressure from the Bourbons, suppressed the Jesuits in 1773 as an administrative measure without condemning any of the Society’s actions. Joseph and the 23,000 members of the Society of Jesus were secularized.

He lived for the next 20 years at Bologna, Italy, contributing to the temporal support of his less fortunate fellow Jesuit exiles and strengthening their courage with brotherly advice. At the same time he worked hard for the restoration of his beloved institute and studied its history.

Meanwhile, Empress Catherine had refused to allow the bull of suppression to be published in Russia, and the Society of Jesus continued in existence there. In 1792, the duke of Parma invited three Italian Jesuits in Russia to establish themselves in his realm, and after receiving permission from Pius VI, Father Pignatelli made his profession again in 1797 and became superior, thus bringing the Jesuits back to Italy.

He began a quasi-novitiate at Colorno in 1799 and saw Pope Pius VII give formal approval to the Jesuit province in Russia in 1801. Father Pignatelli worked to revive the Jesuits, and in 1804 the Society was re-established in the Kingdom of Naples, with him as provincial–”the link between the old and the new Society.” The province was dispersed when the French invaded Naples later that same year, whereupon he went to Rome and was named provincial for Italy. Many Jesuits came back to Rome, where Pius VII offered them their former college and S. Pantaleon’s near the Colosseum. Thus, he restored the Society in Sardinia and helped conserve it when the French occupied Rome.

The Society of Jesus was not fully restored until 1814, three years after the death in 1811 of Joseph in Rome on November 11.

Spiritual reading: Our task now is to learn that if we can voyage to the ends of the earth and find ourselves in the aborigine who most differs from ourselves, we will have made a fruitful pilgrimage. That is why pilgrimage is necessary, in some shape or other. Mere sitting at home and meditating on the divine presence is not enough for our time. We have to come to the end of a long journey and see that the stranger we meet there is no other than ourselves – which is the same as saying we find Christ in him. (Mystics and Zen Masters by Fr. Thomas Merton)

Carry the gospel with you

Gospel reading of the day:

Luke 21:29-33

Jesus told his disciples a parable. “Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

Reflection on the gospel reading: Jesus’ ministry, passion, death, and resurrection inaugurates the inbreaking of the kingdom of God into human history. What God gives us through Jesus is for keeps. God is not fickle: God keeps God’s promises. We can count on God to remain faithful even if we turn away.

Saint of the day: Born in Lucera (southeast Italy), Francesco Antonio Fasani entered the Conventual Franciscans in 1695. After his ordination 10 years later, he taught philosophy to younger friars, served as guardian of his friary and later became provincial. When his term of office ended, Francesco became master of novices and finally pastor in his hometown.

In his various ministries, he was loving, devout and penitential. He was a sought-after confessor and preacher. One witness at the canonical hearings regarding Francesco’s holiness testified, “In his preaching he spoke in a familiar way, filled as he was with the love of God and neighbor; fired by the Spirit, he made use of the words and deed of Holy Scripture, stirring his listeners and moving them to do penance.” Francesco showed himself a loyal friend of the poor, never hesitating to seek from benefactors what was needed.

At his death in Lucera, children ran through the streets and cried out, “The saint is dead! The saint is dead!” Francesco was canonized in 1986.

Spiritual reading: Where selfless love occurs in daily life; where people die devoutly, patiently, and hopeful of an absolute meaning despite of all the absurdities of existence; where people do the simplest tasks of their daily life without an egotistical turning in on themselves . . . this is what sainthood means. (Karl Rahner, S.J.)

Carry the gospel with you

Gospel reading of the day:

Luke 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

Reflection on the gospel reading: The gospel passage that the Church gives us to consider on this Thanksgiving Day is a narrative that we encountered recently. Even so, it bears repeating. In the passage, ten lepers are healed, but only one, the one who is a foreigner, the one who stands outside the community, understands his own obligation of gratitude to the God who has made him whole. In many ways throughout the course of the year, God has made us complete and entire. Today as every day, let us model ourselves on the pattern of that outsider who stopped, reflected, understood what God has done, and fell on his knees to the Giver of All Gifts full of thanks.

Saint of the day: John Berchmans (1599-1621) personifies the ideal that ordinary deeds done extraordinarily well lead to great holiness. He died very young, only five years after entering the novitiate, but his great desire to be a priest inspired him to live religious life fully. He was born to a very religious family in Diest, Belgium, and started studies that would lead to the priesthood early in his life. He lived in the rectory of Notre Dame parish while he studied, but after three years his father told him he would have to leave school and learn a practical trade to help his family’s poor finances. The pastor of the Diest Béguinage offered to pay for Berchmans’ education in return for his service as a servant; in 1612 the young man took the same arrangement in Mechlin at the household of Canon Froymont. In Mechlin, though, Berchmans met the Jesuits and decided to join them rather than become a diocesan priest. His father was disappointed because a diocesan priest could contribute to the family while a Jesuit could not, but he gave his son permission to pursue his goal.

Berchmans entered the Jesuits in 1616 and performed all the novice duties with joy and exacting fidelity. He also sought to control himself through penances. A few months after he entered the Jesuits, his mother died; then his father gave up his shoemaking shop and entered the diocesan seminary. He was ordained a priest in April 1618. Later that year, on Sept. 25, John pronounced the three vows of religious life and went to Antwerp to study philosophy. After only three weeks he was informed that he would move to Rome for studies. Before he could return to Mechlin to say goodbye to his father, the latter died suddenly.

The young Jesuit arrived in Rome on Dec. 31 and joined the community at the Roman College, where he was as faithful to his studies and religious life as he had been in the novitiate. He excelled in his studies and at the end of his third year he was selected to defend the entire course of philosophy in a public disputation. His health had suffered from the effort he had put into studying for his final exam, and he became steadily weaker as he prepared for the public disputation, held on July 8. He hoped to rest when it was over, but he was also selected to represent the Roman College at another disputation to be held in August at the Greek College. The two events took too much out of his weakened condition.

On August 7 he suffered an attack of dysentery, and then a fever set in. When the superior saw how pale and weak Berchmans was, he sent him to the infirmary. The young Jesuit grew more ill day by day as his lungs became inflamed and he grew weaker and weaker. He spoke of Paradise as if he would soon be there when other scholastics came to visit. The brother infirmarian suggested that he should receive Communion the next day, even though it was not a Sunday. The Jesuit community came in procession bringing Viaticum to the their dying brother. He asked for his crucifix, rosary and rule book and received a steady stream of visitors, including Father General. He spent his final night in prayer and died on August 13 in the morning.

Spiritual reading:

All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son, and Holy Ghost,
supreme in highest heaven,
the one eternal God,
whom earth and heaven adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.

(Martin Rinkart, 1636)

The Presiding Bishop’s Greeting as We Prepare for Advent

November 25, 2009

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Advent and Christmas are for many people the most joyous time of year, a special opportunity for celebration, sharing, and family gatherings but sometimes, during all the activities associated with the Christmas season, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that Christmas is so much more than crowded malls, credit card bills, and wrapping paper. More importantly, however, Advent is the season of preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, and Christmas is the celebration of his Incarnation, the union of true God and true man in the Christ Child.

At the heart of Christmas is the “good news of a great joy” spoken of by the angels in Luke 2. “For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord.” Christmas is so sacred because it observes the birth of the Savior who is the Lord God Himself! God has visited his people to save them. The little babe in the feeding trough is Immanuel (God with us).

It is a time for prayer and personal renewal. It is a time to clear your mind and cleanse your soul in preparation for the Lord’s birth. Do something special this year during the season of Advent that will help you and your family to appreciate the great event of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem at Christmas: use this time as an opportunity to develop a better understanding of Jesus’ love and celebrate his life, death, and Resurrection. Use this Advent, this time of preparation, to discover the connection between Jesus’ coming at Christmas and his coming to you and to me in the holy Eucharist. Make a plan now for Advent. Resolve to perhaps go to Mass an extra day during the week. Read the Bible a half hour each day during Advent. Pray the Rosary every day of Advent.

Take the time to do this and you will find the joy and peace of Christmas, not in the rush to buy gifts and join in commercial celebration, but in the stillness and peace of that stable. “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel, which means, God with us.” “We rejoice in the knowledge that the God who came to Earth that night in Bethlehem is with us still, and will remain with us forever.”

Jesus came as a witness to the love of God in the world – a love that we desperately need in our own lives and in the lives of our community. May you and your families know that love in your hearts, this Christmas.

Sincerely yours, your Brother in Christ,
Anthony Santore
Presiding Bishop, CACINA

Carry the gospel with you

Gospel reading of the day:

Luke 21:12-19

Jesus said to the crowd: “They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

Reflection on the gospel reading: We know at this dawn of the third millennium that Jesus’ words about the cost of faith in Jesus have proven true. Real fidelity to the gospel can be very costly indeed. No matter the price that we pay for our faith in Jesus, however, Jesus promises to remain with us until the end, giving us wisdom to refute lies and promising that no one will be able to injure our most essential self.

Saint of the day: Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini were married in Rome on November 25, 1884. Typically, we celebrate a memorial on the day of a saint’s death, but because this couple, who were beatified together, died on two different days, the church celebrates their memorial on the anniversary of the day of their marriage. Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi was born in Catania, Italy in January1880, and Maria Corsini was born in Florence, Italy in June 1884. Together, they lived a life of holiness and devotion which they instilled in their marriage. As their children were born, Maria and Luigi shared with their family attendance each day at Mass, Holy Communion, the rosary, and consecration to Jesus’ Heart. They raised four children. Between 1924 and 1927, their firstborn son Phillipo began to pursue the priesthood, their son Cesare left home to become a trappist monk, and their daughter Stephania entered the Benedictine Cloister to become a nun. They lived the social gospel: during World War II, for example, they opened their homes to shelter refugees. Luigi suffered a heart attack and died on November 9, 1951. Maria died in her daughter Enirchetta’s arms at their house in the mountains in August 1965. They were beatified jointly in October 2001.

Spiritual reading: The Church is a prayer; the Church is a song; the Church is the tears of all mankind; the Church is the smile of a child; the Church picks up the last look of the dying man or woman. All these things are in the bosom of the Church, because all these things are in God, and God brought forth the Church. To leave the Church is to become lonely, so lonely.

Now, we who speak of prayer, of love, of many things that console others, we should really become a prayer for those who leave the Church. Not because they’re doing anything heretical. At the present moment people don’t even know how to spell “heretical” let alone understand it! It’s not that. It’s the tragic situation of a woman or man opening a door, closing it, going down a few steps, and entering into a loneliness for which there aren’t any words. For man without God is the loneliest person in the world. (The Servant of God Catherine Doherty)

Carry the gospel with you

Gospel reading of the day:

Luke 21:5-11

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here–the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

Reflection on the gospel reading: Jesus calls us in this passage to be careful and prudent when we read the signs of the times. It is easy to be deceived and to err in our estimations of events. Many Christians read cataclysmic portents into the events of our day, but it is for God to know when time concludes: our task is to be available to the present moment and address what need God sets before us as we make our way.

Saint of the day: Persecution strengthened Catholicism in Vietnam. French missionaries in particular introduced Catholicism among the Vietnamese from the early 17th century onward. Conversions were abundant in the 18th century and up till 1819. But when the profligate Emperor Minh-mang ruled (1820-1841), he initiated a brutal persecution of Catholics. In an edict of January 6, 1833, he ordered all Christians to renounce their faith, and as a sign of that renunciation, to tread on a crucifix. This command was followed by the destruction of Catholic churches and religious houses, and the death penalty for all priests. Thousands died in the prolonged massacre, among them not only numerous missionary clergy and religious, but myriads of native Christians, priests, religious and laity, cruelly tortured and executed.

The death of Minh-mang marked a slackening of the murders, but under his successors, new legislation eventually renewed the attack against Christianity. Only in 1862 did the anti-Christian movement begin to give way but only because of French influence; the French justified their occupation of Vietnam in 1883 because of the incomplete implementation of religious liberty. Vietnam remained a French protectorate until it threw off French control in 1954. In the 1960s the country had a population of 31 million and a well-organized Catholic population of 2.25 million, a population that native bishops governed.

Few nations have had to pay so dearly for their Catholicism. As many as 100,000 had died for the faith by 1800. In the 19th century, the number of victims increased, with from 100,000 to 300,000 executed. It would have been impossible to name all these martyrs. The 117 saints that the Church has identified include eight missionary bishops, several missionary priests, and a large number of native victims: priests, religious, and lay people.

Spiritual reading: “I, Paul, in chains for the name of Christ, wish to relate to you the trials besetting me daily . . . the prison here is a true image of everlasting hell; to cruel tortures of every kind–shackles, iron chairs, manacles–are added hatred, vengeance, calumnies, obscene speech, quarrels, evil acts, swearing, curses, as well as anguish and grief. But the God who once freed the three children from the fiery furnace is with me always; He has delivered me from these tribulations and made them sweet, ‘for His mercy is forever.’ In the midst of these torments, which usually terrify others, I am, by the grace of God, full of joy and gladness, because I am not alone–Christ is with me. Our Master bears the whole weight of the cross, leaving me only the tiniest, last bit . . . Come to me with the aid of your prayers, that I may have the strength to fight . . . We may not again see each other in this life. But we will have the happiness of seeing each other again in the world to come, when, standing at the throne of the spotless Lamb, we will together join in singing His praises and exult forever in the joy of our triumph. Amen.” (“Letter from Death Row to the Seminarian of Ke-Vinh” by St. Paul Le-Bao-Tinh, 1843)

Fr. Ron’s Homily for the First Sunday of Advent, Year C

For many people the anticipation of something is better than the real thing. Not only that, there is often a wonderful feeling attached to anticipation. I just can’t wait for…. this movie. I am so excited about this … upcoming wedding! Often the real thing never actually lives up to the person’s anticipation. If people have anticipated too much, there is sometimes a depression that sets in afterward, especially if the event doesn’t meet their expectations. They say that Christmas often leaves people in a depressed state.

Because of this feeling of anticipation, marketers have pushed the anticipatory periods further and further back. I was rather shocked to walk into Denny’s two weeks ago and see all the Christmas paraphernalia already up and ready. I was greeted by a tree with presents under it right at the door. Stores have been playing carols for weeks…and it was still two weeks from Thanksgiving!

Our religion has always used this anticipation period as well. Even in the Old Testament we are told constantly by the prophets that we are waiting for something. That ‘something’ was many different things – especially the return from exile, or the birth of a messiah. In the New Testament period, as we began to develop a liturgical year and celebrate events in the life of Jesus, advent became the anticipatory season – 4 weeks of preparing and waiting for one of the great Christian feasts – celebrating the Incarnation of our God.

In our marketing culture, we all know that many things have overshadowed this pivotal event. We can celebrate Christmas now with nary a mention of Jesus – Santa or Rudolph have become the icons for this new age. Values get a bit twisted, too. I saw the preview of an ultra-violent action movie the other day that they proclaimed was the perfect Thanksgiving Day entertainment! As this fighting character was slashing bodies with his sword! Similarly, all sorts of things are pushed as Christmas events which do not reflect the original source of the event.

But we already know this. Every Christmas there is an attempt to put Christ back into Christmas. To try to bring back the feeling of anticipation that the Jews felt as they patiently waited for a Messiah, to feel the anticipation that John the Baptist was preaching about, the coming of someone who would bring about a new kingdom, a new peace, a new world order.

As Catholics, we need to use the liturgies of these four weeks and allow the readings and the traditions, like the Advent candles or Advent calendars, instill in us a longing and an excitement that this great event is to be celebrated again. That God has so loved us that he takes on our body, our mortality, and humbles himself to arrive as a small helpless baby. Much of the mythology around the nativity stories, while it didn’t happen historically in the ways described, is an attempt by the evangelists to relate the Christ Child to the tradition of Hebrew history and to create stories which point out truthful information to help us direct our own lives.

Think of George Washington and the cherry tree. Most young people have heard that story, and yet we know it didn’t really happen – it wasn’t literal, but an imaginative retelling of the childhood of a great man. It brought out the important qualities in the man – that he always told the truth. He was an honest man, even from childhood. In much the same way, the nativity stories of Jesus are wonderful imaginative oral stories that bring out some important truths. We need to search for these truths, and anticipate His coming, but in a way that will not be a letdown, will not lead to depression, but will inspire our thanks and our longing for Christ to come again.

This first Sunday in Advent is a mixed bag for us. We just celebrated Thanksgiving, so for those of us who were not able to go to Mass on Thanksgiving, there will still be a real sense of all the the things for which we need to give thanks. We are also celebrating the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, the patron of our parish. We are also celebrating two baptisms, births into the kingdom of God today, and finally, and maybe most important in the long run, we are celebrating the beginning of the Advent season.

The Gospel today begins our year long reading of St. Luke’s Gospel, but oddly and somewhat appropriately it begins not at the beginning but near the end. As we have been dealing the last two weeks with apocalyptic visions, we start Advent with Luke’s apocalyptic vision. But unlike Mark’s the purpose of Luke is to let his readers know that the church is here to stay. And because it is here to stay we have to beware of letting ourselves go. We always have to be on guard for that second coming. We need to prepare ourselves. We need to avoid dissipation, drunkenness and the material cares of life. If we as Christians remain firm amid the disorder of the world and avoid temptations, we will be prepared for his coming. Remember Jesus has already come, but he is coming again, and so we use Advent to help us keep our minds on the whole idea of the ‘coming’. We must keep awake to that idea. So we establish predominate themes of advent here – anticipation, coming, being awake and looking forward.

Fr. Kavanaugh of St. Louis University summarizes this Gospel in a very beautiful way:

“Darkening skies, longer nights announce the winter of life. But the child in us looks for the sign of love in the sky, the rainbows of fall, the snows that brighten the earth, the arms that reach down to lift us up. We love to light the candle that dispels the dark. We can’t wait to open the next window on the Advent calendar.”

Jesus promises us a return. We need to focus on that – which gives us the Advent hope.

Lastly today I want to say a few words about the Baptisms we will celebrate in a few moments. Jesus tells us that we have to be like little children. The children today that are brought to God’s fountain to receive the sacrament of initiation are also our hope. Much as we await the hope of the world as a little child in Bethlehem, these two children represent our Christian hopes and remind us that we need to be vulnerable in a difficult world, full of trust, hope and love. All children have these qualities, and this Advent we need to develop them in ourselves as well.

So as we await the birth of our God as a little child, let these children help to remind us of that birth, and let the Gospel today remind us that despite the fears that the world creates us in us, we need to stay awake and keep our eye on the prize – Jesus himself.

And this is the Good News we anticipate today!