Jump to content

Pastor's Letter 20201129 - 29 November 2020 Stay Awake


Recommended Posts

1807776329_MastheadUSA-New-cropped.thumb.jpg.7ed13948638f984ec26440144bb5a188.jpg

November 29th, 2020

1st Sunday in Advent

Today’s Theme:  “Stay Awake”

1994118665_1stAdventPix.jpg.1c8bdc2d98efcf2f6464d661ebcc9f3e.jpg

A Message from Father †Michael

Scripture Note

Advent prepares us for Christmas.  In order to understand the Christmas message, we must start with the history of salvation.  In essence, the Church is preparing us to celebrate the birth of Him Who came to “snatch” our souls from sin, in order to transform them into the likeness of His own.   It invokes the start of the mission of salvation for which He came to earth to perform.  

Our Advent Liturgy opens with a poem (written by one who has returned from exile,) entreating God with the simple plea, “Come!” to save His people (Isaiah 63: 16 to 64:8.)  It recalls God’s past goodness, and candidly acknowledges the ingratitude and sinfulness of His people.   This is the great, yearning cry of the prophets of Israel to the long awaited Messiah and Redeemer.  As such, it relives the history of Israel—viewing it through the eyes of our Christian faith.  God was not deaf to His people’s cry!  Fulfilling the promise of salvation made to our first parents at their fall, He sent His Son into the world.  The history of The Church occupies the period between these two great events.  It does so by pointing and leading us towards Jesus—the long-awaited Messiah—in fulfillment of all the ancient prophecies.   The application the redemption to all generations of mankind, through which the “Son of God made Man” obtained by His passion, continues though our own day, until the end of time.  In our Mass, today, the whole work of redemption is set before us, from its preparation in Israel’s expectancy and its effect on our present lives, down to its final fulfillment.

The Second Reading (1 Corinthians 1:3-9,) and the Gospel (Mark 13:33-37,) talk about the final coming of Christ, which the early Christians believed was imminent.  This passage follows on the heels of Jesus’ reference to the “End Times,” when the “Tribulation” will be upon the earth.  He cautions that we will neither the day nor the hour of its occurrence.   Therefore, we enter the Advent season with a triple call—“to watch, to wait, to work.”  They are of importance for us and very appropriate for the beginning of our new liturgical year.  

Watching can be hard. Waiting can cause disillusionment. Work can be difficult. Still, Jesus’ disciples are called to actively wait, with anticipation. We may not know what is to come, but we know Who is to come. For the faithful, the Lord’s coming is not something to fear.  We are urged to live in such a way as to always be ready to meet the Lord—for each of us, this will occur at the moment of our death.  

The “Role” of Habits

Having traveled an amazing distance during their winter migration, swallows will return to the exact same nest, every spring.  (The famous birds at the mission at San Juan Capistrano, in Orange County, CA, readily come to mind….)  Their behavior illustrates that swallows (and many other migratory fowl,) are creatures of habit.

For humans, except for the very young, habit plays a big part in our lives.  It is said that we live the second half of our lives according to the habits we learn in the first half.  (That may be comforting to those who have cultivated good habits, but disturbing for those with bad habits.)   Habits have a positive side, in that repetition is necessary to function in ordinary life.   Learning new skills may be a “hard grind,” and require tough discipline, but it can “bear fruit.”  Athletes and musicians will attest that repetitive practice produces wanted results.   Only by careful repetition can one master a particular skill, after which their execution will have become “second nature,” and effortless. Daily habits and routines can be life giving and sustaining through “bad times,” when sometimes even the smallest daily habits become meaningful.  Reflecting on his time in prison, Nelson Mandela wrote: “To survive in prison, one must develop ways to take satisfaction in one’s daily life.  One can feel fulfilled by washing one’s clothes, by sweeping a corridor….”

But we know there are negative sides to habits, as well.  If we learn to do something the wrong way, and continue for an extended period, it is difficult to change, when the errors are disclosed.  Also, upon reflection, everyone will admit that life is a series of repeated activities, especially concerning our work.  But, as a result of doing the same things day in and day out, we may find ourselves getting into a “rut,” doing them, merely “out of habit.”  As a consequence, our actions may be done absent-mindedly, in a casual, or unthinking manner, without “real heart” or feeling in them.  Then they can become sad and “soul-destroying.”  In this way, habits can become a great “deadener,” dulling senses, especially our seeing and hearing.  So much so that they can even “put us to sleep.”  By then, we are not so much living, as merely functioning.  

Furthermore, habits can be selfish.  We know most habits are quite difficult to “break,” especially bad habits. (Think: smoking, drugs or drinking….)  People can become accustomed to anything—even prison walls:   At first you might hate them; then you become accustomed to them; and finally, you depend upon them.  

It’s been observed that if you place a frog in a pot of hot water, it will immediately try to jump out.  But if you place it in cold water and slowly bring it to a boil, it will just stay there.   Its nervous system is so primitive, that it needs a sudden “jolt” to realize it is in danger of being boiled alive.   The Advent season gives us a “jolt”—a “wake-up call”—and provides us another chance to start again.  In some cases,  some of us may have become “Christians by habit,” merely “going through the motions”—taking part in rituals that have lost their freshness and meaning.  In such a state, we are incapable of “hearing” the Gospel messages any longer.  Advent calls us, to “become alert,” and “shake off” the dust of routine and habit; and let Christ “come alive” for us, once again.

Our faith teaches us that at the end of time the Lord will return to the world.  Christian theology affirms the presence of Christ through the Word and the Holy Sacrament of the Mass; and in the fellowship of other believers (Matthew 18:20; 28:20.)  Many Christians may think, “Since the time of Jesus’ final coming cannot be known, we need not think much about it.” Or, “The End Times could be hundred, or thousands, or millions of years in the future.”  Jesus’ response should be understood as: “Since the timing is unknown, My coming could be today—this evening, at midnight, or when dawn breaks—for any one of you.”  

There is much to celebrate in this wonderful world, but the days in which we live are described as “a time for fasting as well as feasting;”  a time in which we will often be acutely aware of the absence of our Lord and Savior (Mark 2:20; 14:7.)  But the point remains: Christ is not with us as He once was, and He is not with us as He will be!   For some, whose life in this world is not very pleasant,  and even for those fortunate enough to have a joyful and blessed life, we should not be satisfied to the point of complacency. There will be more! There will be better!  

The season of Advent invites us to wait patiently for the fulfillment of our hope; of our longing to “know God as fully as we have been known;’ “to see no longer through a dark pane, but face to face;” “to love as we have been loved;” and “to experience Jesus Christ as He is, and in so doing, to become like Him” (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2.) Irrespective of our lacking comprehension of the day and the hour, we know that we must live in constant preparedness.  Any time is the wrong time for an unfaithful servant.   Whereas, any time is the right time for a faithful one.  Faithful people don’t fear the Lord’s coming—they welcome it.  So, let us strive to be alive, alert and responsible servants of the Lord, and of one another.  

May God Richly Bless You

“God doesn’t want something from us; HE SIMPLY WANTS US!” ~~C S Lewis~~ 

To view a live stream of today's Holy Mass, click here:  https://youtu.be/P1k--s55okw

Recollection of Joy.docx

Recollection of Joy.mp3

Edited by Father Michael
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...