Do you hear what I hear?

December 5, 2017

Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

Lectionary: 176

Reading 1: IS 11:1-10

Responsorial Psalm: PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17

Gospel: LK 10:21-24

In this beautiful section of the prophecies of Isaiah, we see a glimpse of the end of time, when creation will be made new and death itself shall be subjected to Him(1 Corinthians 15:26).   The lion and the lamb, the bear and the cow, the child and the snake.   All predators listed directly beside their prey.   Yet, no blood is spilled on the Holy Mountain of God.  The Scriptures remind us that all of creation is groaning for the redemption of the world(Romans 8:22), and this beautiful pericope itself gives us a glimpse into what that can look like.   It reminds us of the necessity of taking on our new nature, the nature that Christ instills in all of us when we are reborn through our baptism.  In a world that is still full of predators that roam about seeking the ruin of souls (1 Peter 5:8), we must be on our feet in order to be prepared to defend our lives and be ready for the birth of Christ into our souls.

672 Before his Ascension Christ affirmed that the hour had not yet come for the glorious establishment of the messianic kingdom awaited by Israel which, according to the prophets, was to bring all men the definitive order of justice, love and peace. According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still marked by "distress" and the trial of evil which does not spare the Church and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a time of waiting and watching.

Birth is difficult.  Anyone who has watched someone be born knows that.   Those who have experienced it first hand can probably give you much better details than I can.  What I do remember is when my nephew was being born, his mother went through one of the hardest labors I had ever seen.   Her hands became cramped, her face was lax as if she had a stroke, and she was screaming in pain.  I remember being in the chapel of that little hospital praying earnestly for deliverance and a safe birth.  Thank God there are doctors, nurses, and midwives who know how to help when things get to this point.   That is what we who are preparing for the birth of Christ anew in our lives must keep in mind.  The Church is that midwife, that doctor.   It gives us the grace we need to be able to see with new sight, hear with new ears.  Isaiah says our delight will be the fear of the Lord(Isaiah 11:3).   The fear of the Lord has  fallen out of favor in many Christian denominations these years.  They want the therapeutic loving Jesus without the judge of mankind coming at the end of time.  They want the new spirit born in them, without the travails of mastering their own passions and desires with mortification, fasting, and prayer.

1299 In the Roman Rite the bishop extends his hands over the whole group of the confirmands. Since the time of the apostles this gesture has signified the gift of the Spirit. The bishop invokes the outpouring of the Spirit in these words: All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by water and the Holy Spirit you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life. Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide. Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

What then are we to make of this beautiful image in the old testament?  I think the key to understanding it is in that interesting list of attributes for him who the Spirit of the Lord rests upon.  If you look closely they are the gifts of the Holy Spirit as the Church teaches we receive in the Sacrament of Confirmation.  It is through the use of these gifts and helps that the Church helps us to deliver Jesus into our world.  If we use them Jesus will not just be in us but will be active in the world, recreating Creation as it were in every thought, word, and action we perform.   That’s what it means to pray at all times without ceasing.   To be the hands and feet of Jesus in a world full of predators, full of lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!  We are called to be not of this world, but to see with the eyes of Jesus.  With eyes of mercy, love, and redemption.  Then Jesus will say to us as He says to the Apostles in today’s Gospel: “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.”(Luke 10:23)   That is eyes that see Jesus Christ alive and well in the world, the Kingdom of God active right before our very eyes, in the least of these, our brethren.