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THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Advent, the Church’s world-wide retreat in preparation for Christmas, now begins its second week. Whilst advent continues for the next number of weeks we have to remember that we are also in the year of Faith and in faith and because of faith we continue our advent journey. Advent is a quiet time, it is the great contrast with our culture’s consumer-bonanza. Consumerism-as a-way-of-life is a blessing in many ways for so many people, but it also shields our eyes against what needs to be prayed for rather than what we might want. This week we hear about the coming “Day of Christ”, and meet the character of John the Baptist. Just as once before he “prepared the way” for the coming of Christ, so today he does the same for us in our time and place. Our hearts should be open to his voice, as he calls us to repentance, and asks us to make the way straight for the coming of our Lord. The imagery of this Sunday is particularly rich: the dominant image is of a vast population moving together – the return from exile in the first reading, the going and coming of the sowers in the psalm, the community of the Church preparing together in Paul’s letter. We prepare for the coming of the Lord as His people – a community who cooperate to make the “processional way” of the Holy One – flattening the hills of opposition and ridicule, filling in the valleys of doubt and despair, so that “all mankind shall see the salvation of God.”

Advent then  is a time of joyful anticipation for all of us young and old  and all the in-betweens . The prophet Baruch tells us, “It is time, to take off your robe of mourning and misery,” for God is leading his people “with his mercy and justice for company.” God’s people “that is you and i are wrapped in the cloak of justice from God. As Christians, our lifestyle is meant to be different from those around us who are not Christian. If John the Baptist worked alongside us, would he, for example, hear us swearing or see us being uncharitable? And if he did, would he turn a deaf ear or a blind eye I don’t for a moment think his eye would be blind or his ears deaf to our shortcomings.  Many of us are reluctant to speak about our faith and share it with others. The challenge of the Good News is to become humble disciples, always permitting the name and power of Jesus Christ to take precedence over our own name and fame.  We are looking forward to Christmas: the Christ we seek to welcome calls us to look forward in the way we live and move  and have our being and he calls us to look forward to his own coming in glory. Let us look forward in faith and hope to Christmas so when Christmas comes we will be able to get the greatest possible spiritual benefits of this particular season of the year.

THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING

CHRIST THE KING

Every time we complete the cycle of the liturgical year, there is a seamless blending from the old year into the new year: so, just as this week we hear of the King who is to come, next week, we begin a New Year and the Season of Advent by more medita­tion on the end of time, and the One who is to come again, as he once came among us. This feast affirms that Christ is King, that he is Judge, that he is Ruler of the kings of the earth. By his own words we know that this is true, as he stands before Pilate and says, “Yes, I am a king.” But his kingship is different: it is not of the same kind as earthly kings, whose empires fade and pass away. His kingship is eternal, and holy lasting until the end of time. Through his love for us, we share in this sovereignty – this holiness – as priests and kings who “serve his God and Father”. We end our year in simple, awe filled praise of the One who is, who was, and who is to come ‑ the Almighty.

The theme of the kingship of Christ should not be misunderstood. Jesus is not king in an earthly sense. The acclamations of the crowds on Palm Sunday and the enthusiastic endorsement of the disciples that Jesus is the Messiah might mislead us. Jesus is king; Jesus is Messiah, because he is the anointed one of God, who comes to do the will of God.

 For the evangelist John, Christ’s kingship is revealed above all on the cross. In the dialogue with Pilate in the Fourth Gospel Jesus points Pilate in the right direction: his kingdom is not an earthly one. He came ‘to bear witness to the truth’. Those who seek the truth are members of his kingdom, which our liturgy today describes in the Preface as ‘a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness. We remember that The Kingdom of God exists in every home where parents and children love each other. It exists in every region and country that cares for its weak and vulnerable. It exists in every parish that reaches out to the needy. The Kingdom of God   happens whenever someone feeds a hungry person, or shelters a homeless person, or shows care to a neglected person. It happens whenever we overturn an unjust law, or correct an injustice, or avert a war.

It happens whenever people join in the struggle to overcome poverty, to erase ignorance, to pass on the faith. The Kingdom of God is in the past (in the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth); it is in the present (in the work of the Church and in the efforts of many others to create a world of goodness and justice); it is in the future (reaching its completion in the age to come). May we build the kingdom of God where we are called to be in the here and now of our lives and living. We don’t know how many people witnessed the death of Jesus in Jerusalem. We know that some of those who did were delighted to have him out of the way at last. Others were heartbroken at the death of a truly good man and the shattering into pieces of a dream for something better, a new world order in which love and service would triumph over oppression and hatred. The majority probably just went about their business and reflected that really it is wiser just to keep your head down and say nothing. We can be sure that nobody there on Good Friday  thought they were witnessing the death of Christ the Universal King. His kind of kingship has to be learned and not in palaces nor in schools of diplomacy but among the poor and needy and those whom the world has forgotten. For our king is the servant of the poor and we only belong to his court when we do likewise become servants of the poor.

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

This Sunday in our Gospel reading we read about the Widows mite, that is the widow who gave the temple authorities her last coins. God does not have favourites”, Saint Paul tells us, but God always makes a special place for the poor, and those whom society would push into second place. In the traditions of Israel God invited the people to have special care for the “widows and orphans” – so the story we hear in today’s Gospel would have a particular resonance. The paradox of Christian faith is this: in giving, we receive. Christ gave everything, sacrificing his very life, and in return received a new and unending life. The widow in the first reading gave her last food to the prophet Elijah, and in return received an endless supply. Today’s readings provide a contrast: the self-assured scribes parading their virtue, and the humble widow offering all she had to live on in terms of food and money.

Jesus attacks the HYPOCRISY of those religious people who make an outward show of virtue, but whose hearts are full of GREED. His words against such behaviour are harsh: they will receive a severe sentence. Such texts as this are sometimes used as a pretext for a general denigration of all the teachers of Judaism. We must bear in mind that the gospels also tell us of good and virtuous scribes and Pharisees of which there were many.

Jesus observes the generosity of the poor widow. Unlike the scribes he has previously criticized, she does not trumpet her virtue and in that same vain neither should we. Almost unnoticed, she gives all she can for the upkeep of the temple of God. The widow in Mark’s gospel represented the truly poor, those who can neither speak for themselves nor fend for themselves. She shared what we had for the good of others and the glory of God. We are called to do as much.

The Church identifies itself with the poor.   Jesus himself proclaimed the Kingdom as the home of the poor. Throughout the centuries, many faithful people have served the less fortunate. Today, we, as Christians, are called to share our time, talent, and treasure with those who cannot speak for themselves.

Mission Sunday

This Sunday we celebrate Mission Sunday It is very appropriate that we celebrate Mission Sunday this the first Sunday on the Year of Faith. Over the years many people have taken up the call of the Lord to be workers in his vineyard and set out all over the world to open the door of  faith in the far corners of the world. In our own parish here there have been so many people who have joined the various missionary congregations. The orders that come to mind are the Columban Fathers, Holy Ghost Fathers, St. Patricks Kilteegan. There are so many other missionary congregations throughout the world and we pay tribute to all of them on this day

The idea of going as a missionary to people who might have a religious faith is not too fashionable in our world of today. But that’s what Saint Augustine did, that’s what Saint Patrick did for us here in Ireland and the reason we are here today is that ultimately someone took the trouble to bring the Gospel with all its richness to us. The challenge for us is to afford the same opportunity to others.

To take up the Lord’s command to make disciples of all the nations and bring the truth of the Gospel to the far ends of the earth.

Blessed Pope John Paul II said ‘The Church proposes; she imposes nothing. It respects individuals and cultures, and she honours the sanctuary of conscience’ (Redemptoris Missio 39). Faith in God is first and foremost a mystery and a gift. We can witness to the Gospel through charitable works, and that is mostly what missionaries do. ‘Faith without witness bears no fruit, while charity without faith would be a sentiment constantly at the mercy of doubt. Faith and charity require each other’ (Benedict XVI, Porta Fidei). Missionaries provide education and healthcare, run hospitals and provide aid. These good works are motivated solely by their faith in God. Faith truly changes everything and the way we look at our world.

In today Gospel reading  James and John ask that when Jesus enters his glory he would grant them positions of honour and power. Jesus responds that they do not understand the cost of what they are asking. When the ten hear about the ambitious request, they become indignant. Jesus then summons the twelve and reveals the meaning of the divine mission for the kingdom that he has come to fulfil. Those who are rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them and make their authority felt. Among his disciples, however, whoever wishes to be great will become a servant, and whoever wishes to be first will be the slave of all. Then follows perhaps the most radical and most revealing saying of Jesus about himself and about discipleship in the entire gospel: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Today we celebrate the missionary work of the church in our world  and we thank God for all those missionaries  men and women religious and Lay  who took up the Lord’s command to make disciples of all the nations and bring the truth of the Gospel to one and all in past generations.  We also pray that many more will take up the vocation to be missionaries bringing the gospel to those who have never heard it opening the door of faith for those who want to hear the  Gospel with all its riches.

28TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

Today in our readings we hear all about riches that is the riches that we get when we follow the way of God. Not the riches that we may find as a result of our human endeavours. When I think of the various things in my life  I often think that to have a bit more money or whatever would be great the truth is that if we have food  on the table and enough money to pay our way that is enough . But then I also have family, friends and faith and these are treasure indeed. Why does Jesus call his disciples to “sell all” for the treasure of his kingdom? Treasure has a special connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of will and focus. There is a lovely saying that where your heart is your treasure should be. The Lord himself is the greatest treasure we can have.  Selling all that we have could mean many different things – letting go of attachments, friendships, influences, jobs, entertainments, styles of life – really anything that might stand in the way of our loving God first and foremost in our lives and giving him the best we can with our time, resources, gifts, and service. Those who are generous towards God and towards their neighbour find that they cannot out give God in his generosity towards us.

God blesses us with the priceless treasures of his kingdom – freedom from fear and the griping power of sin, selfishness and pride which block his love and grace in our lives; freedom from loneliness, isolation and rejection which keep his children from living together in love, peace, and unity; and freedom from hopelessness, despair, and disillusionment which blind our vision of God’s power to heal every hurt, bind every wound, and remove every blemish which mar the image of God within us.

God offers us treasure which money cannot buy. He alone can truly satisfy the deepest longing and desires of our hearts.  In this the Year of Faith which began last Thursday we are called to renewal 50 years after the second Vatican council. The council, which began in October 1962, was under the guidance of Pope John 23^rd and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The council spoke of letting the light into the Church. As a result of this council many things were renewed within the Church and its structures and today we thank God for being where we are. But the renewal that was begun 50 years ago continues in this present age as the Church is called to renew herself in each and every generation, as she reminds the generations that the faith that we have is handed down to us from Jesus through the apostles is ever old but always new. 

 So then  let us continue on our pilgrim journey of faith  as we seek the priceless treasures of his kingdom of god in the months ahead as the year of faith as its opportunities for renewal unfold before us.

A REFLECTION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR OF FAITH

On Thursday 11^th October we begin the Year of Faith. This year was called by Pope Benedict to remember the second Vatican council during this the 50^th anniversary year. The council, which began in October 1962, was under the guidance of Pope John and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The council spoke of letting the light into the Church. As a result of this council many things were renewed within the Church and its structures and today we thank God for being where we are. But the renewal that was begun 50 years ago continues in this present age as the Church is called to renew herself in each and every generation, as she reminds the generations that the faith that we have is handed down to us from Jesus through the apostles is ever old but always new.  We remember that Jesus did not make anyone follow him. He simply invited his followers ‘follow me’. He then left the way open for them to follow him. So it is for us today, he asks us to follow him in   faith and he leaves the choice up to us, to make up our own minds.

Faith is something that is within each and every one of us from the beginning of our lives but that wee mustard seed needs nourishment to help it grow and mature. I remember always the family going together to Mass on Sundays and then the daily family rosary. Throughout our lives we need to come back many times to the fountain for that spiritual water that we receive when we attend Mass and the Sacraments

” Faith is the assurance of things hope for born from the conviction of things not seen”.(Hebrews: 11,1). We must be prepared to witness to things unseen, things of faith as an important part of life but of course it is difficult to be such a witness, precisely because they are things unseen, And how can they believe in him if they have never heard of him? And how will they hear of him unless there is a preacher for them? and how will there be a preacher for them if one is not sent? So faith comes from hearing and what is  heard comes from the preaching of Christ. (Romans:10,14-17.17)>

Our duty as Christians in today’s world is to be like the preachers mentioned in that text. But what does this mean in practice?  In the 1930s there was an association in England called the Catholic Evidence Guild. Its members were well trained in apologetics and public peaking, but the difficulty was to find them an audience.

The local group of the Catholic Evidence Guild decided to take Scripture literally and to send a preacher to the nearby town of Bury St Edmunds. On market day, a kitchen table was placed in the square; Fr Gilbey stood on it and spoke eloquently, but no one stopped to listen to him. People just looked at him in an awkward  way and went past to buy their meat and veg from the market  as usual.  The preacher was speaking to nobody apart from himself. Perhaps in certain cultures and at certain periods in time such a method might have been successful but it was not successful in the 1930’s and I do not think it would be successful  for us in the world of today where so few have so much and so many have very little especially in the present world..

 A better starting point for proclaiming the faith for me is found in the comment in St Peter’s first letter: ‘Always have your answer ready for people who ask you for the reason for the hope that is in you, but give it with courtesy and respect. (Peter: 3, 15).   “Have your answer ready” is good starting point because it means if someone asks you about the faith you have your answer to hand and this is an opportunity that must not be missed to give that answer in sincerity and respect. The spiritual life of faith cannot be lived only in a pew, in church because the hard bench will sooner or later become a soft bed.  It takes imagination to get out and do something and  to come in to that pew for solace and spiritual rejuvenation.

Every Sunday and on   many other occasions that arise there are opportunities for us to come together in prayer. The life of St. Therese of Lisieux on the surface seems serene and tranquil, but it took hard work of imagination to live the little way. It took imagination to see a daily chore as a new challenge, a new way of transforming an ordinary event into an act of love in God. All practice of life in God, requires some imagination.

When I think about faith I also have to stop for a moment and think about the scandals within our faith community, It would be so very easy to ignore the scandalous events that have happened but we if we are true to the faith we must face the scandals head on remembering that Jesus said. “Scandal will come, but woe to those by whom it comes,”. Christians scandalize others by claiming to be Christian while, for example, profaning the Lord’s Day, a grave obligation, by omitting to attend Mass for a less than grave reason. “Scandal is an attitude or behaviour which leads to evil. The person who gives scandal   damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offence ” (CCC 2284) “Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it I think in particular of the abuse of minors by   the Clergy and members of religious orders In Ireland and so many other countries throughout the world.

Scandal is grave when given by those who by the nature of their office are obliged to teach and educate others in matters of faith and morals.  With faith all of us can move forward and so many people who were injured by the actions of a small minority of clergy and religious have been inspirational in their determination to move forward.

Our lives in this world take on the character of a journey in very many ways, but none more so than the way of salvation. In our pilgrimage of faith to our heavenly destination we sometimes fall or turn away in discouragement and sin. At times the steps necessary for our walk back to the Father may seem too many and too arduous for us and we hesitate even to make the first move. Perhaps it is only when we see, like the Prodigal Son, the misery that our sins have wrought, that we are then willing to rouse ourselves to sorrow and to take the path of conversion that leads to the merciful embrace of our heavenly Father, so rich in mercy. When we make even the slightest effort in sorrow, with God’s grace, it is then we see the Father waiting with love to embrace us and welcome us home. Rejection of the love and presence of his father, in the communion of live and love as a family, was a terrible choice for the prodigal son.  He desired things over people, his share of the inheritance in preference to a life in communion with the father who gave him life and loved him. He wanted the father to be as if dead to him.

“Becoming a disciple of Jesus means accepting the invitation to belong to God’s family, to live in conformity with His way of life: For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother. Parents should welcome and respect with joy and thanksgiving the Lord’s call to one of their children to follow him for the sake of the Kingdom. Many are quick to praise Christ.  Few possess the generosity and self-sacrifice to follow him closely by giving up mother, father, wife and children for his sake. It is a higher calling to anticipate the kingdom of heaven by embracing the will of Christ through the priesthood and religious life. From the very beginning of the Church there have been men and women who have renounced the great good of marriage to follow the Lamb wherever he goes, to be intent on the things of the Lord, to seek to please him, and to go out to meet the Bridegroom who is coming. (Cf. Rev 14:4; 1 Cor 7:32; Mt 25:6.)  Proper celebration of the faith and life of the Church should unfailingly lead to serenity and hope despite the vicissitudes of life.

Faith must have as its foundation an ongoing investigation and acceptance of the truths the Church teaches. When sacramental celebration and prayer flow from this firm foundation, the faithful are able to reap the benefits of our Catholic Faith.

I stated at the beginning of this reflection that Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to mankind. We can lose this priceless gift, as St. Paul indicated to Timothy: ‘Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.  By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith.’ (1 Tim 1:18-19.) To live, grow, and persevere in the faith until the end we must nourish it with the word of God; we must beg the Lord to increase our faith;(Cf. Mk 9:24; Lk 17:5;22:32.) it must be ‘working through charity,’ abounding in hope, and rooted in the faith of the Church.(Gal 5:6; Rom 15:13; cf. Jas 2:14-26.)” (CCC 162)

Following   Jesus Christ in faith is a serious business.  It is not just a matter of being a member of a particular faith community.  It is not just a matter of observing various rules and regulations though we need all of these to keep good order within our faith.   Christ is calling us to more than this He is calling us to put our faith in God our father in heaven.  That means being mocked because we take our faith seriously.

That means being hurt because we refuse to join a crowd that is more pagan than Christian.  That means being spat on, and hit in the face, and even dying for the sake of Jesus Christ let us remember the betrayal of Judas, Good Friday and the Cross .

The pope put it very well when he stated that The Year of Faith is a summons and a call for all of us to come to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one Saviour of the world. By faith, centuries across the world, men and women of all ages, have confessed the beauty of following the Lord Jesus wherever they were called to bear witness to the fact that they were Christian: in the family, in the workplace, in public life, in the exercise of the charisms and ministries to which they were called.  By faith, we too live: by the living recognition of the Lord Jesus, present in our lives and in our history, in our time and place.

In faith all of us are challenged, to understand that God’s love is for everyone, and that we are agents of that love. To be agents of God’s love does not mean that we develop halos and a saintly patience; it means to remember the Faith that we profess and act accordingly. So let us also receive, with faith, Jesus in the Eucharist! Let us ask Mary to help us to believe and have faith as she has always believed in God! May she prepare our hearts to worthily receive this most great sacrament, mystery of faith and love!

Following Jesus is always going to have a cost no matter what way you look at it.  That is because good is always going to be opposed by evil and good always triumphs over evil and the evil that is within the world will never win. May we not be afraid of being what we are and that is people who are called by Jesus to follow him in faith. There will always be people who will decide not to follow Christ and it is their free choice. Having said all of this let us continue on our pilgrim journey of faith and in faith as we answer the call of Jesus to follow him in the months ahead as the year of faith and its opportunities unfold before us.