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2 Sam 7:4-16; Rom 16:25-27; Lk 1:26-38
We celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent and the focus turns to the final time of waiting for the Messiah to come. A thousand years before Jesus was born, God promised that through David’s lineage, he would establish an eternal throne. This promise is recorded in our first reading today. Since then the Jews waited for the Messiah to come. They waited for centuries, always hoping that he would come soon. Finally as we read in the gospel, God sent the angel to Mary to announce that she would be the mother of this Messiah who would be called Jesus. She, too, had waited with her ancestors for this moment and now she was asked to give her consent so that this event could take place. Because she is waiting and praying, because she is ready for the movement of God, she offers herself in whatever way God needs to make this miracle of birth happen. Today’s readings invite us to reflect on the gift of waiting. What does it say to us when someone waits for us? What does it express when someone "lets the light on" for us or checks to see if we are well? God waits for us every day because he loves us and wants us to know that he cares. He radiates love through the sunlight. God proclaims his nearness through the beauty of nature. Jesus speaks love through the Eucharist, his forgiveness and his healing presence. He waits for us to respond as Mary did and give him permission to fill us and use us for the glory of the Father. Even when we do not respond, he waits for another chance, always ready to offer us the Peace of his presence. He waits with a deep love for us, hoping that we will stop a moment and receive his love. Today’s words invite us to wait for God every day and connect with him. They invite us to wait for others, ready to offer the love of God to those is need. We wait this week to experience a rebirth of Jesus’ presence in our lives.
Have a great week and a very blessed Christmas filled with the Peace that only Jesus can give.
December 11, 2005 - Advent 3
Is 65:17-25; 1 Thess 5:12-28; Jn 1:6-28
Today’s scripture readings reflect a theme of joy. They speak not of the happiness of having everything we would want, but rather of the deep joy of knowing who we are and begin connected to our Creator.
In the first reading we hear about the joy which
the Jews experienced when they came back to their home land and were
reconnected to God in worship. They
had gone through hard times but their joy came from making the journey
back home. This reading
offers us occasion to ponder the choices we make and the joy of coming
back to God. We may have
had times when we thought we could find joy in this world only to discover
the emptiness of worldly things. When we choose to go back home to the one who created us, we
discover a joy that is eternal. In
the gospel we hear about the joy of John the Baptist who lived a hard
life but found great joy in introducing Jesus to the community. His deep joy comes from knowing who he is, his true identity. He was willing to "decrease" because his joy was in seeing
Jesus "increase." If
our significance in life is based on giving glory to Jesus, we will
experience a deep lasting joy which is more intense than any happiness
we might feel from anything in this world. Everything here is temporary, but what we do and who we are for
Jesus gives meaning and importance to our lives which lasts forever. Having God’s purpose for our lives at the center of our minds
and hearts brings us a joy that no worldly thing can match and nothing
in this world can take away. In
the second reading
Today is Pentecost. Pentecost is a time for fire. It is a time that the first disciples received the fire of Jesus’ love with such intensity that they moved out of the upper room and began being church. Faith is caught not taught, and this is the feast for catching on fire with the power of the Holy Spirit. I had been in seminary seven and a half years when on a special retreat I experienced the fire of God’s love in a personal way. I have been on fire for God ever since, seeking to proclaim the power of God to bring wholeness and purpose to our lives. It happened on retreat when I listened to God’s voice in a very intentional way and submitted my gifts to his will. In the second reading today we hear how the Holy Spirit "activates" our talents and forms them into "gifts of the Holy Spirit to build up God’s Church. This activating process begins inside each one of us. We take time to let the fire of God’s love penetrate our heart and submit our wills to that fire. Each of us is invited by Jesus to feel that fire again today. He says to each of us as he once said to the disciples, "Receive the Holy Spirit." God needs each one of us to build his Church in our time. He needs our talents submitted to him so that he can activate those talents into means of growing his Kingdom. He wants to give us gifts like he gave the church members of long ago, but he needs our consent. He wants to inspire us with words of wisdom and knowledge for talking to unchurched people. He wants to infuse us with power to minister healing to the broken and infirmed. He wants to enrich us with the gifts of tongues and prophecy to praise his name. This is a profound day and a great occasion to let go and let God have his way with us. Feel the excitement of being a part of his Dream Team to build his church for this century. Allow him to melt away your fears and purify your hearts to become part of this great mission. St. John’s provides the atmosphere for all the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be manifest. Recommit to God again today and let the fire of the Holy Spirit fill your life.