Wishy Washy.

Tomorrow's readings for daily mass contain a hard message, a challenging message. During Advent it is important that we get those challenges to the way we are walking our faith.  All to often, when we are honest with ourselves, we are failing to walk the walk and talk the talk.  We get tied up with the minutia of life.  Christmas shopping needs to be finished. Gifts need to be wrapped.  Company Christmas parties to attend.  Last minute cooking and cleaning before guests and family arrive.  Travel plans to be made.  So many things going on.   It's easy to get tied up in all that.  To not be able to see the forest for the trees.  Advent reminds us to slow down.  That all of these things can be good, but they aren't the focus, they aren't the reason for the season. 

Jesus calls out the head honchos in the Gospel passage.  He gives them a parable with two sons in it.  One son says he'll do it and doesn't.  Another says he won't, but later does.    He wants to know which one of those sons did what the father wanted him to do.  The one who did what he asked of him, even though he said he wouldn't.    John the Baptist had come to them preaching repentance, a way of life.  They didn't listen to him.  Even when the people that most Jews of the time thought were least likely to hear the voice of God began changing their lives, began following Jesus, the chief priests and elders kept on in their obstinacy.  They who had given an oath to God, they who had studied the law to see what God asked of them, they who knew the Scripture in and out... had said "Yes we will do" and then did not.   Those who had sinned, had fallen away from God... had initially said No to religious life... turned their hearts to God and were being saved.

How many times have you and I turned our back on our promise to God?  We have given an oath, a promise to God.  Some of us have done so at Baptism.  Others at confirmation.  Some have received an Altar call in some church or another.. some of you might have simply prayed a sinner's prayer.. all of these are a promise.. to try and live the Gospel.  To us Catholics, it's a promise to live the Gospel of the Apostles.. as handed on through their disciples to the Church.    That's a serious oath.  A serious promise.  How many times have we failed to live it?  How many times have we said "yes" only to then not do. It's not too late... to be the one who initially said no, the one who wasn't doing.. and then turned and did it anyway.

The first reading and the Psalm remind me of Saint Francis and his way.  My wife and kids kind of roll their eyes at me when I begin talking about Saint Francis.  I'm passionate for his message, for the way he lived the Gospel.  I get excited when I speak of him.  I feel the urge every day to be more like him, because I feel that Saint Francis truly lived the Gospel the way Jesus challenges us to do so.  In being more like him, I feel I will be more like Christ.  That's a lofty goal.  One I am likely not worthy of.

In the reading from Zephaniah we see the prophecy of the day when Jesus was to be born, and an image of the day when Jesus will come again.  God tells his people that on that day they will not need to be ashamed of their sins, their failures... their initial no... He says:

For then will I remove from your midst
the proud braggarts,
And you shall no longer exalt yourself
on my holy mountain.
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths
a deceitful tongue


He says that the people of God will be humble and lowly.  That's a hard calling.  Society tells us to be the opposite.  To be proud.  To build ourselves up.  Rich. Wealthy. Powerful.   They shall be humble.  Lowly.  Honest.   That is our goal.   That was how Saint Francis lived his life.  More over, that is how Jesus Christ lived his earthly ministry as well.   Then the Church in her wisdom ties this message to the responsorial Psalm,

When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

During this time of Advent it is time to look back on our lives.  When we are going out to have lavish dinners, filled with presents and gifts, drinking and reveling... remember all of this can be good and lovely.   We cannot forget though the poor, the downtrodden, the lonely.  That brings me to a story I read last night about Saint Francis.  (Rolling your eyes and huffing yet?)    His monks had set up a feast for them around a holiday.  They had obtained (borrowed?) fine dishes, a table cloth, lots of food.   They had spent time organizing this meal.  It was full of small excesses, things you and I wouldn't even thing were fancy.  To those who lived the lives of Saint Francis friar's minor... they were extravagant.   Saint Francis came into the room where they had set a place for him at the head of the table, and he walked to the fire place.   He took out a spoon that had been dropped in the ashes, a beaten and poor spoon... he took the hat of a beggar and placed it on his head and sat down in the dirt and grime of the floor.  He ate his dinner as the poor.. as the ones who were being forgotten.. as the poor Christ might have done. 

It's so easy to forget them isn't it?  Even those monks who lived a life of the poor forgot the poor for a moment.  They were ready to sit and eat at their fancy table.  Francis did not want to forget, so he made a tangible reminder.  He embraced poverty in a radical way that challenged us.  As you prepare for your own celebrations, don't forget them.  We still have people starving in our own streets.  We have men and women in nursing homes that have been forgotten.  That have no visitors.   We have poor families that will have no gifts for their kids.. fighting to keep their homes, fighting to keep their lives.   We have refugees from other countries.  How many of those are forgotten already?  How many have dismissed them completely?  They have been made out as terrorists.. as them... they.. the enemy.  Sure some of them might be bad people.. some of them are widows.. orphans. 

We've made a promise.  We have an option this Christmas.  We can say yes, and mean it.  We can say no.. and change our mind and do it.  Or we can say yes, and do it.  I vote yes.. do it.  As Shia Labeouf would say, "Go ahead. Just do it!"  Consider ways that you can keep Christ in Christmas.  Not just the word.  Not just the tree and gifts.  Not just the nativity scene, though all of these are good things.  Keep the entire Christ in Christmas.. in each of the people out there in need.  Remember, whatever you do for the least of these.. you do for Him.  Find a way that you can give a gift to someone in need.   Invite someone to Church that hasn't gone in a long time.  Tell someone you are on the way to a communal penance service, and if they want to go they can ride with you.  Find someone you haven't checked on... reach out to them.  Look in on the elderly, the home bound, the bid ridden.  Invite someone to Christmas dinner that doesn't have a family anymore.  Give a hug.  Feed someone. 

Remember this list? 

The Corporal Works of Mercy

To feed the hungry;

To give drink to the thirsty;

To clothe the naked;

To harbour the harbourless;

To visit the sick;

To ransom the captive;

To bury the dead.

That's a real good place to start.    It's the year of Mercy.  It's Advent.  Let's get started! The Blessed Virgin Mary gave an unconditional yes to God.. no buts.. not ifs... Is your Yes unconditional?  If not, like the Son in the story.. we've said No... but it's not too late to change our mind, and go do what the Father has asked of us.

His servant and yours,

Brian

Mary Did You Know?

Tomorrow is the feast of the Immaculate Conception.  Many mistake that for the day that Jesus was conceived.  It's not. It is rather the date we celebrate the conception of Mary, the Virgin who became the mother of God.  We celebrate the conception of Jesus 9 months before Christmas.. imagine that ;)

While taking a look at the first reading I'm reminded of little kids.  Often you'll find some disaster has befallen your home while you were mowing the yard, working on the car, or doing what the kids say you do all the time... taking a nap.  So you come in and demand, who did this!?  At which point a lot of finger pointing goes on.  Even once you find the culprit, they'll often blame it one of the others in the room, he made me do it! 

We see that with Adam and Eve in the garden.  God comes to be with Adam and Adam has moved.  He's not where he is supposed to be.  God hasn't moved, but Adam has.  So God asks Adam where he has hidden.  God doesn't need to ask.  He asks so that Adam has a chance to do what he was created to do, be in communion with God.  All Adam has to do is realize his sin, and ask for forgiveness.  Instead he does like our little kids do.  He blames the woman.  He blames God.  "the woman that you put here gave me the fruit."  It's all your fault God.  He doesn't notice his blessings.  He blames God for giving him the gift of a spouse.  It's all your fault man!  If you hadn't put her here, if you hadn't made her so pretty, if you hadn't given us free will, all of this could have been stopped.  Then Eve blamed the serpent, the devil. 

How often we do that eh?  During a break up.   When someone dies.   When something is taken away from us.  Why God?  I wish you'd never had us meet.   I wish you'd never have given me that car.  I wish you... you.. you...   It's easy to point fingers.  You created me this way, so if I sin it's your fault.  We are so happy with a blessing when we get it.  We are so angry when it's taken away.  We give our yes freely to the blessings, but to the no, to the loss.. that we aren't so quick to accept.

That is why we Catholics look up to the blessed Mother so much.  Where Eve said yes to the fallen angel, Mary said yes to the Angel of the Lord.  Mary declared "may it be done to me according to your word."   She wasn't ignorant of what that would entail.  She knew she was engaged.  She knew how this would look to the world.  It was likely that Joseph would divorce her.  It was even likely that she would be stoned for showing up pregnant before their marriage.  This very young girl was about to have her life turned upside down.  It wasn't just going to be blessing after blessing... it was going to be a long road... a road of a poor person trying to raise a child.  She said yes to it, all of it. Over the years she pondered all of these things in her heart.. and still, every moment, said yes to all of it.  Even when it was prophesied that "a sword will pierce your heart," Mary still responded yes.  At the foot of the cross, with her heart breaking, watching her son be brutally beaten, ridiculed and crucified... watching as his mortal life ended... all the fear, the tears, the sorrow... she said yes. 

When you hear that popular song, "Mary did you know?"... realize that she would respond, Yes.  I knew.   I knew and accepted.  I knew and loved him.  I knew and gave my life to God as an instrument.  I allowed God to be born into the world through me, knowing that I would have to suffer as well.  I knew.  I still said yes.  

What about you?  We are in Advent, travelling the road towards the Birth of Christ,  Christmas.  Are you ready?   Do you give your yes?  Not just to the good, but the unpleasant?  Are you ready to be like the Blessed Mother and give over your very heart, soul and body to God that He may use you to bring Christ into the world?  Are you ready to say "May it be done unto me according to your word?"  It's time to search the inner recesses of our hearts and find out.  It is time for us, like Mary, to keep all of these things in our heart and ponder what they may mean. 

His servant and yours,
Brian