Author: Rosemary

Readings:  Isaiah 40, 1-11, Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God; Psalm 85, Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation;  2 Peter 3, 8-14, The Lord does not delay his promise;  Mark 1, 1-8, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way.

Mass for Second Sunday of Advent, 12-4-11, John Cade Celebrating

 Opening Prayer   Let us pray: O God, we gather together in this season when we celebrate and experience anew your coming in the Christmas mystery. We acknowledge that you are not far away, but with us wherever we are, calling us to live in unity and love. We ask for increased sensitivity to your presence with us and we give you thanks both now and forever and ever…   Amen.   

A few words about the readings today, from the prophet Isaiah, the second letter of Peter, and the Gospel of Mark.

     The first reading is from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Ch 40:1-5, 9-11. The fact that this reading is from Chapter 40 tells us that the prophet is now turning from chiding the people for their failings to prophesying better times to come and giving words of comfort.

    The words we hear from Isaiah today probably relate to the journey home from captivity in Babylon. Isaiah appears to use this passage symbolically to describe a moral cleansing and renewal by the Jewish people prior to their returning to Jerusalem.

     Georg Freideric Handel is one of the most famous composers in the Baroque period. He was born in Germany, but spent most of his adult life in England and is best known as the composer of the Messiah in 1741. In place of reading the passage from Isaiah, we will listen to the words put to music in Part I of the Messiah. You may wish to sing or hum along. Or you may just want to soak in the power of Isaiah’s words.

     The second reading is from the Second Letter of Peter, Ch 3 (8-14).  This reading also refers to a coming of Jesus, not at Christmas, but at the end of time. It repeats the theme of last week’s reading from Mark to “Be watchful.”  And in the Gospel reading, the author of Mark has John the Baptist introduce Jesus as the Messiah to the people of Mark’s time.

 Gospel of Mark, Chapter 1 (1-8).            

     The beginning   of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

     People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

     John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs on his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.       

  HOMILY:

     All three readings today refer to the coming of Jesus. First, the prophecy of Isaiah is interpreted by the author of Mark as referring to the Messiah to come. Second, Peter’s reference to the final coming of Jesus at the end of time. And third, Mark’s use of John the Baptist to introduce Jesus as the real thing coming after John.

     In Isaiah Ch 40, and in the first words of Mark’s Gospel, there are pronouncements that something big is happening. Like: “Get ready!”, “Come see!”, “He is coming!”, “Here He is!”

     Well, if you don’t yet know, Lambrini and I are totally enthralled with our grandsons, Leo and Freddie. Recently we have noticed how Leo (almost 3) greets us when we go to his home or he comes to ours. His greeting is some sort of pronouncement, like: “Come see what I did! I did it!!” (pointing to Xmas tree,hands out gesture), -or- “Come see!! I have stuff to show you!!” –or- “YiaYia! Look!! YiaYia’s here!!” – or, last time he came to our home for a visit, “I’m back!”  

     What enthusiasm he expresses for life as it comes to him day by day. What sensitivity to people and events of every day, that we grownups take for granted, or have little wonder or excitement about.

     It seems to me that the use of the pronouncements by Isaiah, and Peter, and Mark, and John the Baptist are intended to evoke in us wonder and awe in the here and now, for what is always coming into our lives, the wonder and excitement children express naturally. ‘Out of the mouths of babes’ we are instructed in how to welcome the Good News that Christmas is coming, Jesus is coming, and that Christmas and Jesus are always coming.

     If you don’t have a 3 or 4 year old in your life, to experience their dramatic pronouncements about daily events and about people, think back to when you did, or a family member did, or a friend or a neighbor did. Listen with your ears and with your heart for the wonder and the enthusiasm they express about all that is new for them every day.

     The question I leave you with is: how do you respond to your everyday Christmas events? How are you preparing for the coming of God who is always here with us?

Picture 1:    Mass Begins

Picture 2:    Candle Ritual, Diane & Jenny

Picture 3:    Jenny lighting the candles

Picture 4:    Bethany & Shonda

Picture 5:    Leo & Rosemary

Picture 6:    John's daughter Joey with Freddie

Picture 7:    Freddie with his granddad  

Readings:  Isaiah 63, 16-19, 64, 2-7, We are the clay, you the potter; Psalm 80, Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved; 1 Corinthians 1, 3-9, I give thanks to my God always on your account; Mark 13, 33-37, Be alert, you do not know when the time will come.

Isaiah: One of the big 3 Prophets, mostly because of the size of the book.  At least 3 writers put this book together and this is number 3.

Thanksgiving History: Everyone knows about the first Thanksgiving in 1602 with the Pilgrims and the Indians eating together, the Mayflower, and Plymouth Rock.   Here are 5 facts that people do not hear about usually.

1.  When did Thanksgiving begin?  Our ancestors have celebrated end of harvest feasts of gratitude for centuries.  Lincoln first focused on a national feast; FDR established the national holiday in 1941.

2.  The pilgrims did not know they were pilgrims.  They called themselves saints, and strangers were called non-saints.  The word pilgrim came along in the 18 hundreds, 2 centuries later.  They were not even Puritans, but separatists.  They split off from the Church of England, old Henry VIII's church, and the Puritans did not split off.

3.  The Separatists did not come to establish religious freedom.  They came for religious freedom for their religion and only their religion. 

4.  The Mayflower returned to England, was torn apart, and its beams were used to build a barn in Buckinghamshire (just north of London & east of Oxford).

5.  How did the Indians & Separatists communicate?   The Indians were Algonquians & one of them, Squanto had actually lived in England some years.  He returned to his tribe and taught his friend, Samoset English.  It was Samoset who communicated with the Separatists, & the Indians taught them to raise corn, to fish, and to hunt.  In the first winter half of the 100 Separatists died before the Indians taught them how to survive. 

How Prepare for a Marvelous Christmas

    When I returned to the States in the late 80's and began to work full time as a spiritual director & psychotherapist, I was struck every fall by a tension that I found in some people.  They were nervous about the coming Christmas season. 

    I remember people bringing this up as early as the beginning of the school year in September.  Certainly by October and most certainly by Halloween.  People were tense and anxious because of memories of bad Christmas seasons. 

    Because of this and because we are just beginning the season of Advent, the season of preparation for Christmas, I would like to review some ways to prepare ourselves for a marvelous Christmas.  I have 5 observations.

    1.  First, beware of fear and depression.  I read Mark's story about the man traveling abroad and I can  get spooked into thinking God is going to grab me when I'm not looking.  Nonsense.

    Depression seems to surface more during the Christmas season, because of at least one reason.  Expectations.  We expect more out of the Christmas season, peace, love, warm relationships, gifts.  When the reality comes in below the expectation I have, I get disappointed and maybe depressed.  Memories of disappointing Christmases can also depress me. 

    2.  Unlike Mark's warning about sleeping, I would propose that we need more rest at this darker time of the year.  Our ancestors used to sleep when it went dark.  Today we force ourselves to stay awake and lights keep us awake.  Doctors are saying we need more sleep in the dark days of winter and are recommending, get this, 9 hours.  Maybe try an extra hour.  Try a siesta.

    3.  Along with more sleep, try a little more exercise.  My internist tells me that he wants me to exercise every day.  I do.  Walk through the neighborhood.  Ride a bike.  Along the way look at the colors of the red oaks and Bradford Pear trees. 

    4.  Have you got anything special you do every year for Christmas, during Advent?  Something to get you into a Christmas spirit?  If not, what about finding something?  Two things I have got to do every year: take in a performance of Handel's Messiah and take in the Dallas Symphony Christmas concert.  I may get in an extra one or two of these, but I find this so touches my spirit.

    I know a few families who tour Christmas lights.  Here in Plano is Deer Park.  One of the best is Highland Park, Beverly Drive and Armstrong Parkway, both east and west of Preston.   In Deer Park, you may walk around.  In Highland Park there are horse drawn carriages. 

    5.  Finally, in line with Mark's gospel, watch, watch for the daily miracles and blessings.  Review your year for the biggest blessings, like I mentioned before Thanksgiving.  

    I hope you are not anxious about or nervous about the coming of Christmas.  If you are, even more relevent is my question, 'What are you doing to make  Christmas this year a beauty?'

Picture 1:    1st Sunday of Advent begins

Picture 2:    Mary & Nikki

Picture 3:    Advent candle lighting

Picture 4:    Barb & Ron after their 40th

Picture 5:    Norm

Picture 6:    Leo on the move

Readings:   Ezekiel, 34, 11-17,  I will look after and tend my sheep; Psalm 23, The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want; 1 Corinthians 15, 20-28, Christ has been raised from the dead; Matthew 25, 31-46, The last judgement, He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Ezekiel:  I've mentioned how Ezekiel is one of the Big 3 Prophets, #3 after Isaiah & Jeremiah.  I also mentioned e how he lived smack dab in the middle of one of the two or three biggest tragedies of the Jewish people, the Babylonian captivity, from say 600 to 550 BCE.  He was there.

In American history we can look back and identify special presidential leaders, Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt.  They came forward in crisis times. 

Ezekiel was this type of leader in Jewish history.  He saw what had happened to other Jews of the the northern province of Israel (Jerusalem is in the southern province of Judah) after they had been carted off as slaves after a defeat by the Assyrians.  They intermarried and simply disappeared in the DNA of the middle east.

Ezekiel is in Babylon and is determined that his community would not lose its identity.  He did three things to help maintain the spirit of the community: he emphasized  1. observance of the Sabbath, 2. kosher diet, and 3. circumcision.

Eventually after ca. 50 years the community still was a cohesive unit and it returned to rebuild Jerusalem, at least most of them.  The Jews are one of the few peoples to be defeated and scattered, and still return to their original homeland.  They remained there until the Romans defeated them in 70 C.E., returning when?  1948, after the Holocaust.

Today's reading comes to us from an Ezekiel captive in Babylon, and has Ezekiel promising the people a return, a brighter day after the captivity.  He uses the figure of speach, I will.  But I is Yahweh. 

Giving Thanks & Giving Back

Occasionally we have a story that is so good it deserves to be repeated, like the Christmas story.  This event took place 2 or 3 years ago.  Some of you will remember it, but it is a lesson worth remembering.

It happened like this. 

The community had adopted a family for Advent, a mother with 3 little kids and a baby on the way.  Beth Robinson had coordinated our adoption of the family and we were collecting clothing, food, and money.  It was our response to Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as our response to how blessed we are and have been this year.  

After the Mass everyone was standing around having coffee and pastries.  Beth was there when a young boy, 6 or 7 years old,  came up and said he would like to help the family.  All he had was a dollar and he would like to give it to the family.  Beth accepted it graciously.

The boy is one of ours.  You know who it is?  Dillon.  The son of Bobbi Whitley, and Tony & Jo’s grandson.  The brother of Hunter & Audrey.   He is not with us this morning because he is a Boy Scout on a weekend camping trip.  He will be back & he knows I am telling the story. 

Dillon is a model for me and he exemplifies the two themes I would like to touch this morning, what we have to be thankful for and how we respond to the Matthew story about feeding the hungry and giving drink to the thirsty.   

My belief is that the greatest prayer is gratitude.  I am grateful that living in our country we have this feast, my favorite.  It pulls me back over the past year and gets me questioning, ‘What is my greatest blessing or joy or gift?’  Rosemary & I even make a list.

Our response is easy, try to give back.  This is why we renovated Rita’s house a week ago.  It is why we have put together for the community a simple plan for Advent, call it A Gift a Sunday.  I will explain the idea at the end of Mass and welcome any helpful ideas.

Two observations about our gospel about the sheep & goats.  Actually, lefties like myself & goats don't do well here.

    1.  Beware of either/or spirituality.  We are both.  The temptation, of course: I am a goat & lost.  We are all goats.

    2.  Beware of letting fear enter your spirit and trying to do it all, feed, give drink, clothe, visit the imprisoned, and on & on.  Try moderation seasoned with gratitude.

What is your blessing of the year?  How are you giving back? 

Picture 1:    Mass begins

Picture 2:    John working out with Ray & Jon 

Picture 3:   Froebes, Richard & Morgan & Monica  

Picture 4:    Butterlies, Jim & Denise, Kara & James III   

Picture 5:    Buddy with his dad, Randolph 

Picture 6:    Brooklyn thanks everyone for welcoming her and accepts her baptism tree