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Friday, 20 December 2024

Fourth Sunday of Advent - 2024



 It is Luke's gospel that gives us the details of the birth of Jesus. It is from his account that all the beautiful images Christ's nativity have been created. One of Luke's details informs us that it was in the night that Jesus was born, for we read, "And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.…" Lk. 2:8. In our Christmas hymns we sing, O Holy Night. 

In scripture, "night" has a much deeper meaning than just the time of day. Day and night, light and darkness, are images used to describe the spiritual conditions in which the souls of people find themselves. Perhaps one of the most dramatic uses of the word "night" is found in John's account of the Last Supper and Judas leaving the table to go and betray Jesus: "As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was NIGHT."

During this Advent time I have been exploring what we mean by the Three Comings of Christ; the First being the Incarnation, the Second End times and the Day of Judgement, and the Third being Now, each new day as people encounter Christ and are born anew into a life of faith.

But this Third Coming has a characteristic different than the First and Second. The Third Coming is real but unseen, hidden as it where from mere human viewing. It is as if we are in the dark, unable to see - that is with natural eyes. To see the Jesus of the Third coming you need the "eyes of faith".

It is John in his gospel account that the image of light and darkness is used as the instrument to teach us about the true spiritual life. In John Chapter 13, verses 35 & 36 gives us an intriguing insight into Jesus the light with them, vs. 35 and then Jesus the light hidden from them, vs. 36 

Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of light.” 

After Jesus had spoken these things, He went away and was hidden from them. John 13:35-36

It is this hidden presence that John of the Cross takes hold of for his teachings on the mystical life. He describes how one first enters the Night of the Senses and then ever deeper into the Night of the Soul. In the night of the Senses one detaches their heart from the things of the material world. Then in the Dark Night of the Soul even our constructed beliefs about God must be set aside, imperfect as they are compared to what God will now teach us about who He really is - the God of Love.

The early Church Fathers understood the necessity of this hidden condition Jesus requires of us but they quite openly confessed the suffering their longing to see caused them. Quoting from an earlier post St. Anselm says it so well;

  • Enter into your mind's inner chamber. Shut out everything but God and whatever helps you to seek him; and when you have shut the door, look for him. Speak now to God and say with your whole heart. 
  • I seek your face; your face, Lord, I desire. Lord most high, what shall this exile do, so far from you? What shall your servant do, tormented by love of you and cast so far from your face? He yearns to see you, and your face is too far from him. 
  • Teach me to seek you, and when I seek you show yourself to me, for I cannot seek you unless you teach me, nor can I find you unless you show yourself to me. Let me seek you in desiring you and desire you in seeking you, find you in loving you.
St. Ignatius in his Exercises gives us the example of three different responses  to the invitation to seek for Jesus here and now. 
  1. There are persons who are quite aware of the value of forming a spiritual approach to their life, a true seeking to have a real, personal relationship with Jesus. But they are much too busy with making a success of their secular life and do little more than decorate their homes at Christmas.
  2. Then there are persons who do get involved in certain religious practices, but only those that do not interfere with their otherwise busy secular lives. Religion when convenient.
  3. Finally there are those who truly set out in search of Him. They will not let anything interfere with their pursuit. No thing, no person, no attachment they may have in this life can compete with that union with Jesus they desire.
These days of Advent 2024, as all  Advents do, have led us to reflect on the First Coming of Jesus. We have come to understand that these are not simply days of sentimental remembering before we pack up the Christmas decorations for another year. Rather this is a time for us to grasp the fact that he who came is NOW COMING, standing before us, inviting us to leave all behind and go with him into a new and hidden future with only his word as a guarantee. If we are willing to risk everything he will lead us into a glory beyond all imagining.

Are you with him?   

































































































Saturday, 14 December 2024

Third Sunday of Avent - 2024




The Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally referred to as “Gaudete Sunday”. The name comes from the first word spoken in the liturgy for this day, in the Entrance Antiphon: (Gaudete in Latin): Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I say rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.

There is a similar theme that recurs in Lent, in the fourth Sunday of Lent, traditionally called “Laetare Sunday” again taken from the first word of the entrance antiphon: (Laetare in Latin) Rejoice, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation.

The first words of the Third Sunday of Advent are the words of St. Paul found in the fourth chapter of the Letter to the Philippians, vs. 4-5.

So why Gaudete, why Rejoice? The answer is found in the words of the prophet Isaiah.


The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will REJOICE and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers, and REJOICE with joyful song.


The glory of Lebanon will be given to them, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened: 

Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.

Isaiah 35:


Israel has been conquered and its people have been living in exile for many years. But now the prophets are telling the people that soon their exile will come to an end, and they will be returning to their homeland. They believed that God was punishing them for their sins by letting their enemies conquer and enslave them. But now, what is this they hear?

Believers of every generation, at various times, have found their hearts and hope shattered; believing they have been abandoned by God, left alone with no hope. So, the Church returns each year in Advent, to address this ancient problem, the Problem of Evil, to gather all who are wounded, to hear once again these words of truth and healing and restoration: “Rejoice, the Lord is near”!

 You will notice that all the serious Christmas stories that we read all have this same theme running through them. In the darkest night, when all seems lost, hope is restored.

Now the true spirit of Advent has a penitential character to it, where we examine our lives to root out our own causes for our downfalls and miseries. Then, the candle of the Advent Wreath, lighted on this day, the Third Sunday of Advent, rose colored, with the name “Joy”, raises up our spirits at the prospect of the new coming of mercy into our lives.

In many ways, our popular culture, with its commercializing of Christmas has interfered with the real spirit of Advent with its rich and beautiful spirituality.

So where does this Gaudete Sunday find you? Are you one who is carrying heavy burdens – be they burdens brought on by your own faults and failures, or has human frailty and the faults of others beset you? If so, the grace offered on this Sunday is meant for you. 

The Grace of Gaudete Sunday is the grace of a clear sense of Presence. I am not alone, the Lord is here, with me now. The Lord comes bearing gifts, the gift is the Gift of Hope. What ever the details of my deliverance are to be, will be revealed in the days to come. But first, a broken heart must be healed and given the eyes of hopefulness with which to see - to begin to see how the Lord's plan is to unfold. For me, now, it is to turn my face eastward, to look forward in hope for His coming.

Hear again these words of the prophet:

"Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; 
with divine recompense he comes to save you."





































































Saturday, 7 December 2024

Second Sunday of Advent - 2024





Today we light the second Advent Wreath candle. Tradition has named each one. 1. Hope; 2. Peace; 3. Joy; 4. Love. Our First Reading for this Second Sunday of Advent is from the prophet Baruch. He is prophesying to the Jewish exiles who are scattered off into foreign lands. But now the days of exile are numbered, freedom is about to come upon God’s people
 Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height; look toward the east, and see your children gathered from west and east at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that God has remembered them. For they went out from you on foot, led away by their enemies; but God will bring them back to you, carried in glory, as on a royal throne.
These words of consolation from the mouth of the prophet long ago still have deep meaning for us, God’s people today. We too can be exiles but our exile is not a political one but rather a spiritual one. Our enemy, the Great Deceiver, invades the citadel of our life of faith and captures us with the weapons of sin – disarming us of our shield of faith and right living. For some today, their faith is lost completely – they are now under the rule of this deception, this secular age of unbelief.
In today’s gospel the dramatic figure of John the Baptist appears with a call to come back – back to a life of right living, back to faith in God.
 He went into all the region around the Jordan proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins …
The culture around us is already heavily into Christmas celebrating. But we should not let that overshadow these beautiful and important days of Advent. We should have a two-directional view in Advent, one inward, the other outward. First we look inward, into our own personal life. In what ways has the Deceiver gained influence in my personal life? Think of St. Paul’s beautiful prayer in today's Second Reading; let it be heard as a personal prayer, directed now to us;
For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless,
Our outward view should be to those around us who are now exiled from their faith. Let us desire to share in the spirit of John the Baptist – to be signs of faith and hope to our brothers and sisters, separated from this life-giving communion with God. Let us fill all the valleys of darkness with the light of faith and good works.

Let us move the mountains of doubt and confusion blocking people from seeing God and his love for them.
Let us straighten the crocked ways of the world with right and just lives lived with courage and integrity.
Let us help others get over the rough times in their lives that make believing near impossible for them.


These things should be our tasks in these Advent days so that: “. . . all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
























































Saturday, 30 November 2024

First Sunday of Advent - 2024



Time is something we take for granted, ours to use at our discretion. But therein lies the problem. We do not create time; we are only the managers of time. Each day’s time is a gift given by God, for a purpose that has been determined by His divine will. (Psalm 139)

As servants of the landowner, a portion of the “garden of time” is assigned to us, wherein to plant the works of holiness and reap an abundant harvest, as best we can.

The gospels are rich in this imagery, given by Jesus in his parables, to help us to learn and understand the purpose of our existence in time. So, what kind of servant am I, how am I using my allotted time ?

MISGUIDED: – increasingly, the shroud of secularism is spreading over the mind of this generation. With man now at the centre, time is exclusively ours to do with as we please. There is no other to whom we must account. My will, my way.

NEGLIGENT: – those who have been informed with a conscience that teaches us of our responsibility for what happens in our time. Yet tomorrow seems to be the time of choice. (Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry! . . . Lk 12:19)

SELFISH: – " ... my  will be done ...".

WISE: – to see every day as my last day. At what good works will I be diligently engaged when He comes to call me to account?

The First Sunday of Advent begins a new year of grace in the Church; a new year to study the gospels of wisdom and truth; a new year to learn how to be a true disciple/servant; a new year to  take up anew the works of holiness and charity; a new year to value as a treasure this new gift of time.

What lies ahead is hidden. Only one thing is certain - we will be asked for an accounting of this time spent.

This time of year all attention is focused on preparing for Christmas and the many holiday celebrations. As we sit down to make our list of all our holiday plans, let us not forget that the most important list we need to work on is how we will use this new gift of TIME in the service of God's will. 


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