Thursday Reflection: December 20, 2007

The two readings for Thursday are genuine message-bearers for all of us in our times. In the seventh chapter of Isaiah we come upon an effort by God to turn the heart of one of the Old Testament's more sinful characters, Ahaz. In the gospel we are presented the words of the Annunciation according to Evangelist Luke.

Perhaps Godly Intervention might be considered the theme of these readings. It is clear that everyday life is challenged. We are meeting a disruptive God, even in the angel Gabriel's visit to the young virgin girl, Mary.

Godly interruptions usually are frightful moments for most people ... they have not been planned for nor scheduled. And are you so free that you can accept God moving into your life at a moment's notice? Most, I believe, would find it hard to honestly reply in the affirmative.

Of course we can say that Ahaz and Mary are confronted with a challenge to their "faith." And what is that "faith"? In OT times the understanding of faith had not become as technical as it is today. The prophets' call to faith is an invitation to share in an attitude of confidence based upon God's choice of Israel. This same God has the power to save his people. "Faith" meant an unconditional trust in God. Later on Isaiah writes (28:16) "The believer shall not stumble." The believer places all his/her reliance upon Yahweh.

How many times have you celebrated Christmas? Now a serious question: Has any single reflections on the writings of Isaiah and the Evangelists presented to us during the many Advents you may have been "preparing" to recount the birth of Jesus Christ impacted your life so much that you can remember that moment? I ask that question because in the verse just before the selected verses of the first reading there are these words: "If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all." This is what happened to Ahaz. He challenged Ahaz. He failed. His life was such a disgrace even though God had tried to save him. His reputation was so bad that he was not buried with the royalty of the House of David. He was buried in what we might call the Potters' Field. Mary, on the other hand, experienced a challenge to her faith when the angel told her that God wanted her to be the mother of his son. Despite her fears that must have filled her heart, she uttered her "fiat" ... let it be done.

We might ask or reply: I have never felt God moving me to anything special at this time of the year. There is hardly any time to think about God. Who can hear him with all the excitement of Christmas shopping, parties, family visits and so on? Nonetheless, God is calling you and me each day to listen to him. We must like most of the prophets develop a keen sense of listening. To do that we must take time to listen. Thomas Carlyle wrote these words that might give us pause: "Under all speech that is good for anything there lies a silence that is better. Silence is deep as Eternity; speech is shallow as Time."

Let us pray each day ... just start with five minutes ... alone ... perhaps with a line or two from the Bible, from Isaiah ... from the daily reading. There you will find God. There, with practice, you will find the voice of God speaking to you and inviting you to greater understandings about himself and you. It is a dare that many find difficult. But no great people came forth from living an easy life.

Wednesday Reflection: December 19, 2007

The two readings of today's liturgy may well be summed up in the word to your left. For Manoah and his (unnamed) wife and for Zechariah and Elizabeth, the visit by a heavenly person bearing news of the imminent birth of a son could only be expressed by the words SURPRISE.

These stories bring back to my mind a letter I received from my parents when I had not loo long before celebrated my 22nd birthday. The surprise was the my mother was pregnant. Not that the new child would be the 2nd child. This new child would be the sixth in the family. But Mom and Dad were in their early 40s! Surprise.

I am sure that my parents had the feeling that the birthing of any additional children was beyond them. At this time in their lives, I am sure that both of them felt that they were finally in charge of their lives. But, God, as they learned, has much more control in our lives than any of us might think.

At this time in our spiritual journey, as we prepare to recelebrate the birth of Jesus, there is the opportunity for us to reflect on God's presence in our lives. We may be making many decisions at this moment: how many gifts to buy, what price level, how many Christmas card, who will be on invitation lists for parties and dinners. on and on. We are in charge. No doubt Manoah and Zechariah must have felt they were in charge of their lives.

God puts surprises in our lives so many times ... especially when we are not expecting any particular action in our lives. On October 19th I returned from five days away. During that time I accumulated some 40 miles walking each day without any pains or breathing problems. On Sunday the 21st I went for a walk and was forced to stop not even a quarter of a mile beyond the priests' residence. I could not breathe properly. Indigestion had me, I thought. Rolaids to the rescue. The next morning, walking to the barbershop just two blocks and the same sensation. Immediately to my internist. One week later I was lying on a table in an operating room for a procedure ... that made clear a full blown heart operation was needed asap ... the next morning. SURPRISE. SURPRISE. What was going on?

God puts signs along our spiritual route. Sometimes they are whispered. Other times they are sledge hammers that hit us from nowhere. God calls us through these surprises to examine ourselves.

Now some six weeks since the day of surgery, I realize that God gave me this SURPRISE to remind me who is really in charge of my life. As many have said, this was a wake up call. When these SURPRISES come to us, it is time to delve, delve , delve deeply into our lives to find the message from God.

Each of us can enumerate SURPRISES in our lives. Each of us, if the SURPRISE is to have significance in our lives, must take time to listen to the message God is giving in the SURPRISE.

I know my parents were surprised with the news that a sixth child was on the way. Personally, I know I was surprised with the surgeon told me open heart surgery asap. Now, like my parents, like Menoah and Zechariah, it is my turn to listen to the call of the Lord.

And you? What have the SURPRISE messages meant to you in your life? Have you taken the time to sift out a meaning?

Tuesday Reflectioin: December 18, 2007

Sorry to be a little late in posting this reflection. I let myself get busy about other things ... a sign of the days.

Joseph is the star in today's gospel. He is the one who had to set aside some time to respond to the will of God that came in the silence of his dreaming. This calls to mind a silence quote from Kahil Gibran: "Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights."

As a priest friend has remarked, "If Joseph had his mind set on what he wanted today, imagine the mess of the first Christmas."

We are especially distracted during the final days before Christmas. How much time do we give to responding t0 the spiritual shopping that we might find helpful to our celebration of the feast day? Surely we give enough to the material shopping. The pressures of the season weigh heavily at this time especially if there are youngsters in the house ... maybe even oldsters!!! Perhaps we might ask ourselves just how much time we set aside for our spiritual preparation for Christmas? Honest answers to that question might be painful ... the truth usually is. Down deep, we might search: How important are spiritual realities in our lives for this spiritual feast? Only you can answer that question, you and your God!

Let Joseph be something of a model for us. With some personal discipline we can find the time not only for ourselves but for those with whom we live and celebrate these holidays.

Monday Reflection: December 17, 2007

Today we draw ever closer to a recelebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Today perhaps the readings will help you realize that God is always working behind the scenes. The Genesis reading has these words: "Until he come to whom it belongs, to whom the people shall render obedience" (also translated as hope). These words speak of the very beginning, the creation of the world. The earliest suggestions that there would be one to come, a Messiah. God working behind the scenes. Look at the length of time, the history that preceded the birth of Jesus. This is a reminder that trust in God is a challenge to us in our contemporary culture. We have become accustomed to immediate solutions, immediate answers. What Advent and a review of biblical history should teach you and me is that our lives will never be that way.

To say that I truly believe my life, my destiny is in the hands of God requires at least trust and great patience. I have to remind myself each day that God is watching over me, that my life is in his hands.

From the very moment each of us becomes a reality in the mind of God, he has been planning my destiny. But how often I have tied his hands by trying to run my life as thought I didn't place any trust, even recognition, that my life, my destiny, my being was and continues to be in his hands.

During these final (usually hectic) days before Christmas, take a few moments each morning to renew ... or perhaps to reawaken ... that specific trust in God: "God, all that I am, all that I can become, is in your hands. Grace fill me wit this trust in what you are doing with me. Amen."

Gaudete Sunday Reflection: December 16, 2007

Today first reading is an Isaian poem about the return from the pains and other trials of the time the Jewish faithful were in exile. Read it slowly, read it carefully: it offers hope. For the wandering Jews, Isaiah offered the hope of reversal, bringing them out of Exile insult and humiliation. His words said that God was coming to help them. Soon they will see, the will experience "the glory of Yahweh, the splendor of our God."

After so many years away from Jerusalem, it would be easy to reject the words God was speaking to the Jews. Yet, he does not back down. "Courage. Do not be afraid." Isaiah had to say these words to them for Yahweh. He had to renew their hope. As we modern technologists, still waiting for the instant computer, realize waiting can be tedious, can be trying. Yet, if we look within, the ever-present become usual. It looses it speciality. We realize in our times that God is truly present in long, consuming waiting just as he is present in the change and its unexpected results. "Look, your God is coming ... to save you." "The eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf shall be unsealed."

We can look back over centuries and hear words that are spoken to our own generation. As we find ourselves drawing ever closer to the birth of Jesus ... the true reason for our celebrating Christmas ... the words of Matthew may well have significance of you and me.

Contemporary men and women are overwhelmed by work, by personal problems, by family challenges ... perhaps even by disagreements with one's Church as well as financial burdens, by sickness etc. etc. etc. I might ask you: Do you really believe the words of Isaiah ... the same words Jesus used: "Courage! Do not be afraid." Do you accept these words as having meaning for yourself?

Do you truly believe that the birth of Jesus is the assertion that "your God is coming ... he is coming to save you?"

Are we strong enough to entrust everything in our lives to the hands of God? Are we sometimes fearful because we do believe that Jesus comes and speaks the truth? Are we afraid of surprises because genuine surprises require of most people some time to grow accustomed to? Perhaps genuine surprises are more challenging, require more time to feel comfortable than our accepting the message of Advent: Jesus is soon to be born.

Gaudete Sunday! Rejoice! Rejoice that we have been given this opportunity to partake of the Lord's blessings to us. Rejoice the we can learn from the early Jewish community and Isaiah's promise to them: God is coming in the person of Jesus Christ.

Saturday Reflection: December 15, 2007

The readings today are a reminder that one part of the preparation for the annual celebration of the birth of Jesus is repentance and healing. The Book of Sirach (also titled Ecclesiasticus) reading focuses upon Elijah. In this part of the book, the author directs our attention to the "illustrious men, our ancestors in their successive generations (44:1) .... Their bodies have been buried in pace ... the people will proclaim their wisdom, the assembly will celebrate their praises (44:13-15)."

Elijah called the people to repentance and healing. Especially the royalty of the time. Likewise he was known for the punishments he levied on some. He did all of this to "allay God's wrath before the fury breaks ... and to restore the tribes of Jacob 44: 9-10)."

So, what does this reading have for us today? Perhaps the usual question we hear at this time of the year: "How prepared am I to celebrate again the gift of God the Father to me in the birth of Jesus, the beginning of my redemption?"

Again, as said in several recent postings of this blog, we should rejoice and be happy because our God has gifted us with the forgiveness of our sins. For us who are Catholics, we have this gift made real and available in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is there for us to bring into our lives during these last two weeks before Christmas.

Friday Reflection: December 14, 2007

Today's Isaiah reading brought me to thinking about GPS devices and our contemporary "felt need" for the device.

In today's words, once again the great prophet offers encouragement to his readers and hearers, sharing God's message: "I teach you for your own good ... (It is I) who leads you where you should go."

Commercials for the GPS devices fill pages of every weekend's newspapers. The ads are address to drivers of every age ... even encouraging parents of college-bound students to purchase the wonder map! I don't own one (yet) but have been in cars equipped with the modern day compass. More fascinating than the technology is trying to understand why modern-day men and women, auto drivers, truckers, bikers, even walkers have to have the GPS. Our contemporary need to be at our destination asap speaks much about our own insecurities. These devices and the need we have reflect the current searching that is a major part of many lives ... whether recognized as such or not. How many times to we hear of new books or talk show guests who are asking the same question: "Where am I going?" Some even have been heard to say, "What has God lined up for me in the future?"

Throughout the Book of Isaiah, the prophet reminds us that we have a moral compass deep within our very being. We don't have to purchase it. It came with as as a part of the birth package that arrived on this earth one day perhaps some years ago. We were born with a God-given GPS ... our own internal G(0d)PS! Over and again, God, through the prophets, Jesus, the Commandments, and the teachings of our Church, have given us directions to achieve the goal we seek ... reaching the kingdom God has prepared for us. Ours is to listen to the voice that speaks within our hearts. It is the voice of the Lord: "It is I who leads you where you should go." What more do we need?

Thursday Reflection: December 13, 2007

Let's look at Isaiah's words today. These words offer us concrete imagery as well as a message the repeats that God can make changes for the best. He is, through the prophet, making sure we know he will be there for us in whatever changes we make to grow closer to him and to live our lives in accord with his commandments.

In verse 13, right up front: "I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; .... Do not fear, I will help you." Later on (verses 15 and 16) he tells us how he will use us to make changes. Those expressions about the water speak of a new Exodus more wonderful and awesome than the first Exodus where God gave the wondering Jews water for their desert journeys. Isaiah, in preparing us for the new Messiah, makes the wilderness like the new Eden. He writes so beautifully about change to something new.

The wonder of this for us is a simple question: "do I really believe this can happen in my own life? Am I faith-filled enough to trust that God can create something new in and through me?

Surely these verses of Isaiah are an example for me to recall how God has blessed me. These words God has given Isaiah are presented to me to assure me that I am truly called by name.

"In the wilderness, I will put cedar trees (pictured above) ...." What may have been emptiness or loneliness changes. Trees, signs of God's presence, will abound. In the deserts of our lives, the dryness, the heat, God will put trees and water ... good things in our lives.

Please remember in your prayers, Shirley Zahner, who died Wednesday, early in the morning. A life-long nurse, Shirley dedicated her life to her patients and her husband. Today, no doubt, she has confronted the biggest change in her life ... she begins a new life filled with all the wonder of this Isaiah reading. Shirley lived with her husband, Fred, in Huntingtown. Also remember Fred and their daughter who will experience a great emptiness in their new change.

Wednesday Reflection: Guadalupe

Most know the story. Who cannot but admire the man, Juan. To me it is a story about the ordinary. Mary, as happened so often in her appearances, comes to the humble.

For us today, we might consider again, the touchy issue of immigration. Mary came with a message of compassion. She spoke of solidarity with the poor, the needy.

Today, as we know, the reaction to the issue of immigration has already created great divisions among God's people. Unfortunately those who are legally in this country are put into a corner because of those have illegally come to this country, seeking a better life, filling employment opportunities that exist, that are in most instances not being filled by our own.

In the gospel for today's Mass, we hear or read the account of Mary's Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. Mary traveled a distance ... not for a vacation ... rather to bring comfort to another person. Perhaps this gospel can be an encouragement for all of us to look at how we might be a comfort to those caught in the immigration battle. First and foremost, we have to realize that others have problems that we might be able to ease because we believe that we are called by God to be missionaries, to be healers, to be supports.

In your prayer today, listen. Listen to what God is saying to you ... just as Juan Diego listened to the voice to the beautiful lady.

Tuesday Reflection: December 11, 2007

Sorry ... no reflection today. Several appointments with doctors that have taken up most of the day for me.

Will resume tomorrow. Good reports from those doctors I visited today. Another one on Friday. Great improvement.