Pastor's Letter 20221211 - 11 December 2022- Joyful in Hope

Father Michael · December 11, 2022

December 11^th, 2022

A Message from Father ^_†Michael

Today’s Theme:

“Joyful in Hope”

Reflections on Today’s Scripture

(Isaiah 35:1-10) When our hearts are open to God’s surprises, and when we are eager to discover His ideas, there is great joy. If only humanity would learn to harmonize its aspirations with God’s graces, our very natures would reap the benefit.

The tone of our First Reading is one of unbridled exuberance within the theme of restoration. Its setting places it during the period near the end of the Babylonian exile (ca. 6^th century B.C.) It is an idealized and lyrical song, coming from a people filled with hope upon returning home. Their route was replete with flowing oases and rich foliage that reflected their joy as a redeemed people. God’s saving power is seen in Isaiah’s vision of miraculous healing of their maladies, along the way, and the cessation of all predation among the creatures of the earth. Many of these phenomena were later chronicled in the actions of Our Blessed Lord among the people, during His ministry.

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(James 5:7-10) Only those who are willing to wait patiently for God will know the happiness of finding Him; and the joy of being fulfilled by Him. Waiting for circumstances to change is like waiting for seeds to grow. Suddenly, without our control, something happens, seeds take root and flower, and our former anxiety is transformed into joy.

Addressed to the 12 tribes of the diaspora, ^†James’ letter was intended as a response to problems of the new Church, at large—in a manner resembling Old Testament works, like Proverbs. Turning his attention to the poor, who thought themselves forgotten by God, ^†James chides them to “…be patient…;” “…steady your hearts…;” “…don’t’ grumble.” He urges believers to wait with courage for the appearance of the Lord, their Vindicator. ^†James offers as examples, the prophets, who were not discouraged by human failures and who recognized the impatience of human interpretation of the slowness of God’s actions; and urges the people to trust fully in His power to save them. In modern “instantaneous society,” everyone is well-advised to seek patience, to avoid disillusion. Such is the fruit of a loving faith.

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(Matthew 11:2-11) When myriad preconceptions cloud our vision of the future, rendering us incapable of recognizing God’s ways in our world, disappointment results. Those who focus their vision on the heights to only look for greatness may miss the wonderful, everyday things happening all around them.

For all his greatness and importance, ^†John the Baptist and his mission were merely preparatory to Jesus’ own. Our Blessed Lord’s era of messianic deeds and presence began a new standard that would be judged—not by human criteria—but by God alone. Learning this “new way” did not develop through the Old Law, or historical achievements, but in the person of God’s own Son! For this reason, Jesus proclaimed that even the “least born into the Kingdom of God is greater than ^†John.” He constantly had to demonstrate that his mission of a loving Messiah was superior to one of power and judgment, as had been expected from reading the ancient prophecies.

“Gaudete”—Rejoice

“Rejoice, the Lord is nigh!” As Christmas draws near, the Church emphasizes the joy, which should be in our hearts, in full realization of what the birth of our Savior means for us. During daily liturgies of this coming week, we will be reminded of the Gospel accounts of the Annunciation, and the Visitation—extremely “joyful” mysteries.

^†Paul bases Christian joy on the assurance of the salvation brought to us by Christ. He desires it to be so firmly established in the soul that no reason, human anxiety or sadness can ever overcome it, since the great peace of God hereafter must predominate over every other feeling. Yet, we must remember that, for ^†Paul, the “coming of the Lord” was not His birth at Bethlehem, but His Second Coming. The great joy of Christmas for us is to look forward, and see the day drawing near when the Lord will come again in His glory, to lead His people into the Kingdom. The often-repeated, “veni,” meaning “come,” (from the old Latin Liturgy of Advent,) is an echo not only of the prophets, but also of the last words of the New Testament: “Come Lord Jesus.

Dying in Darkness

The great astronomer, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642,) made extraordinary astronomical findings, using only a rudimentary telescopes and simple machines (i.e inclined planes.) A number of his observations confirmed those of Nikolas Copernicus (1543,) namely, that the earth revolves around the sun (heliocentrism,) and not vice-versa. (For many years, thereafter, the Church, with the majority of educated people of the time, accepted the Aristotelian/Old Testament-based “geocentric,” or earth-centered models.) Galileo’s discovery greatly enlarged our knowledge of the universe, yet he spent his last years in darkness, blind, and under house arrest for promulgating what the Church deemed “heresy.” (On October 13, 1992, Galileo was finally “exonerated” by Pope John Paul II. He has been called the “father of modern science” by such luminaries as Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.)

When summoned before the Inquisition, he wrote:

“Alas, poor Galileo, your devoted servant, has been for a month totally and incurably blind; so that this heaven, this earth, this universe, which by my observations and demonstrations, I have enlarged a thousand-fold beyond their previous limits, are now shriveled for me into such a narrow compass as is filled by my own bodily sensations.”

Galileo can be likened to ^†John the Baptist—who ushered in a new age…the age of Jesus—and also died in darkness. ^†John was the greatest and last of a long line of prophets, who prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah. He was one of the selfless and courageous people who kept hope alive during the “long night” of expectation, when it seemed, for many, that the dawn would never come.

And Jesus paid tribute to him, saying that ^†John was “no reed, swaying in the wind.” He was “his own man,” with a strong personality; a man of principle, who wasn’t easily influenced by prevailing trends and opinions. Rather, he devoted himself to an ascetic life, living only for his mission of preparing “the way” for Jesus. When that task was complete, he moved aside. His lifestyle, as well as his personal integrity, lent credence to his words—making him a living example of what he preached—to whom people flocked.

Yet as great as ^†John was, Jesus points out that he missed the greatest thing of all: the coming of the Kingdom of God, and was banished to a dark, narrow dungeon, to await an ignominious death.

This is where we encounter ^†John, in today’s Gospel—in doubt, wondering if Jesus truly was the Messiah. When the answer came back to him from Jesus, that “…the blind see…” and “…the lame walk…” he took that evidence as a great comfort—his life hadn’t been in vain.

We all have our own struggles. Life can become very dark, at times. In spite of our best efforts, our lives can “turn-out” very badly—so, we, too, have our doubts from time to time. This is why we need to remember Jesus’ comforting words: “Blessed is the one who does not lose faith in Me.”

We should draw inspiration from ^†John—a wonderful example of unselfish love. Our hope lies in Jesus—the One Who gives meaning to all our work, our suffering, our living and our dying. He, alone, can fulfill our deepest longings.

Blessed are we if we do not lose faith in Jesus. And “twice blessed” are we, if we show forth our faith in deeds of love and mercy.

May God Richly Bless You!