THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
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Sunday BibleTalk: December 9th, 2018
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ANNUNCIATION
The virgin's lamp burned bright.
In the dark room
of her womb,
God planted a Son
and the kingdom thrived
like the mustard seed.
A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse--
cypress will grow instead of thorns,
myrtle instead of briars
.
The woman grew big with child.
Dreams and angelic visions
proclaimed the greatness of the Lord and the handmaid sang:
"Sing, sing to Yahweh,
sing in praise of God's Name.
I dance on the crescent of the moon, decked in the sun,
crowned with twelve stars,
waiting for the fruit
of my womb."
A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse--
cypress will grow instead of thorns,
myrtle instead of briars
.
From "Advent Pastiche,"
EAS, 1985
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Greetings, SBT Readers:
As we move into the second week of Advent, Mary takes center stage because of two great feasts --
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception
which we celebrate on December 8th and then the
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
on December 12th. The first, contrary to what many Catholics tend to believe, has nothing to do with the Virgin Birth, but, rather, with Mary's freedom from all taint of sin from the moment of her conception onwards. The belief in the
Immaculate Conception of Mary
has a long history extending to the Church Fathers; however, it was not until 1854 that Pope Pius IX declared this a dogma to be held by all Catholics.
Mary's sanctity inspires Christians everywhere not only to acknowledge her as being "full of grace," but also to pursue their own calling to delight God. She is a role model of radical trust, absolute goodness and perfect surrender -- characteristics appropriate for the one whose Son would crush the Serpent's head. Just as Mary was a fitting "tabernacle" for the Holy Child, so we, too, are called to be worthy Christ-bearers. For Pius IX, this dogma was the answer to modernity and its lack of spiritual values; it was a call to Christians everywhere to embrace lives of holiness and to look to Mary as the perfect intercessor.
The
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
celebrates Mary as the
Patroness of the Americas
and as the
Patron Saint of Mexico
. The story itself is both inspiring and moving (
The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe),
but rather than re-telling the story myself, I would like to focus on some key elements. In the first place, by appearing to Juan Diego as an indigenous woman, Mary demonstrated God's love for those conquered by the conquistadors. Garbed in Aztec symbols and appearing at Tepayac, a site sacred to Tonantzin, the pre-Hispanic Mother Goddess, she also provided a bridge between Aztec religion and Christianity. (
Symbolism and Our Lady of Guadalupe and
Aztec Mother Goddess)
To this day, she represents God's "preferential option for the poor," and is a symbol of justice in the face of oppression. The story itself shows her standing with the poor, not the rich; with the powerless. not the elite; with simple peasants, not arrogant bishops. She calls Christians everywhere to stand with her whenever individuals, institutions and governments place vested interests over the sanctity of human life, or whenever there is discrimination based on race, ethnicity, beliefs, culture and language. And, no, Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke neither Spanish nor English; her language of choice was
Nahuatl.
Advent Blessings!
Elizabeth
PS
Please note that my weekly video reflection,
Sunday Chat
(see below),
is an imperfect production, entirely unscripted and therefore prone to some "rough spots" in terms of clarity, content and expression! Sadly, there's no time for "re-takes"!
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SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
John journeyed across the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth,"
Spirituality is a two way street.
On the one hand, God approaches humanity not only in the definitive moment of Incarnation, but in every moment of our lives. If we only had eyes to see and ears to hear, we would notice that God is constantly removing obstacles in our path that we might draw nearer to the Divine Mystery. If we were only awake and aware, we would experience epiphanies on a regular basis: God's Revelation can be found in every created thing, in the inter-connectedness of all living beings, as well as in the rhythms of the universe. God comes to us not just as the Holy Child but in every moment of grace, in every experience of love, in every occasion of forgiveness. God is present in every new opportunity, in every new beginning, in every lesson learned, in every step we take towards living happier and more productive lives, in every act of generosity or self-giving. As surely as the Bridegroom springs across mountains and leaps over hills to meet his Bride in the
Song of Songs
(2.8), so God approaches us; as surely as the father in the
Parable of the Prodigal Son
runs to meet the returning prodigal, and then embraces and kisses him, so God runs towards us (Lk 15:20). The question is, are we available or do we miss the moment?
Spirituality is a two-way street.
God knocks on our door but do we open? One of my favorite quotations is from the Book of Revelation:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any hear my voice and open the door, then I will enter their house and dine with them and they with me"
(3:20). Sometimes we are too distracted to even hear the knock, no matter how loudly or persistently God tries to get our attention. It could be that we are overwhelmed by life's circumstances, or that we have taken a "detour" from the spiritual path, or that we don't feel the need for God, or that we are angry with God for one reason or another, or that we afraid that God won't forgive us for something we have done or failed to do. Sometimes, we hear selectively, when it is convenient --especially when we are going through hard times: we might open the door ajar or at least speak through the intercom to the Holy One on the other side, before slamming the door shut again. God gets left outside in the cold but our own home gets colder still, as cold as the morgue....
Advent is a time for being "woke" (my favorite millennial word!) If we are "woke," then we will notice how God has filled in the valleys and leveled the mountains to reach out to us; if we are "woke," then we will not only hear God's Voice and hear the knock on the door, but we will open that door as wide as we possibly can, inviting the Holy One to sit at our table and dine with us. Then we will feast without end.....
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
- Can you recall any moments when God approached you and you actually noticed?
- Can you recall any moments when you wished God had approached you? Is it possible that you simply didn't notice God's Presence?
- Have you ever ignored God's knock on your door?
- How might you open your door to Christ this Advent?
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CHRISTMAS GIFT SUGGESTION FOR TEACHERS & PREACHERS
In light of the newly-released government report on Climate Change, my book on the spiritual implications of a green agenda might make a useful gift for people of influence -- namely, teachers and preachers!
Preaching and Teaching Laudato Si'
is not a synopsis of Pope Francis' Encyclical on the Environment, but a simply written primer for those who wish to preach, teach or reflect on the spiritual implications of a green agenda; it is a resource for those of any faith who wish to respond to the Pope's plea for ecological conversion. Though the book is primarily intended for preachers and teachers, it offers basic principles for anyone who wishes to learn more about sustainable living. This little book is not a scholarly work, but a series of reflections meant for every day people who happen to preach, teach or think!
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