Faith

A little voice, a big speech – Thursday, 4th Week in Advent – Luke 1: 46-56

It is a human tendency to make much of things that are insignificant often even placing them on the high altar of ‘the best in the whole world.’ Depending on our age and status in life it can range from ‘the best coffee in the whole world’ to ‘the best burger in the whole world.’ When we finally stumble on something that meets what we have been either craving to have, or that which matches our tastebuds, or that someone we want to spend our life with, or whatever that longing for may be; we tend to magnify what we have to the status of the ‘best in the whole world.’ We then talk about it, tweet and Instagram it, recommend it, battle its critics and stand by it to the bitter end. We make everything bigger than it is.

Mary, was told that she was to be the mother of the saviour. Between being terrified and even dumbstruck, she managed to find a little voice that said a very big yes to God’s plan. Now her thoughts are driven to her cousin who was in the sixth month of pregnancy. She comes not to boast of her new found status and rank but to be of service.

Elizabeth had no clue what had happened to Mary; perhaps she could barely wrap her head around what had happened to her and Zechariah. Her days of girlhood being long past, she was now to be the mother of a child whose name was given by the angel; he was to be called John.

Yet, the babe leapt in her womb only when Mary greeted her and Elizabeth “was filled with the Holy Spirit.” This was THE MOMENT that the mystery of God’s plan of salvation was revealed to Elizabeth who declared Mary and the babe in her womb blessed.

Mary knew at once that this singular grace bestowed on her came from one hand only; God. It is to him that all glory belongs. She did what we would do today with the people and things we fall in love with; she magnified her God in a song of praise that has been sung through the ages. Every aspect of God’s grace in her life is now shouted for the world to hear. Every act of God is now proclaimed.

Magnifying God is what we are called to do; for he too has looked on us, his lowly servants, with favour.

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Faith

Your presence is more important than your presents – Wednesday,4th Week in Advent – Luke 1:39-45

On the face of things this seems like a meeting of two women, yet there were four persons that day in that little town of Ein Karim, high up in the mountains. The forerunner, John the Baptist and the Messiah are physically present, each in the womb of his mother. Here, a young Galilean carries within her womb the one ‘who is and who was and who is to come’. At this remarkable point in time and space the new covenant of God with his people is beginning.

The journey from Nazareth to Ein Karim was long and uncomfortable. Mary, carries the secret; she is the womb of God but that secret is let out of the bag or should I say out of the womb when John the Baptist leapt on hearing the voice of the Mary. This isn’t just a cute “I felt the baby kick” moment. It’s God’s Spirit at work. Zechariah had been told something about her child, “ he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” – Luke 1:15. This visitation could best be described as a Eucharistic moment. The light of Christ comes to Elizabeth through Mary.

But this text rightly focuses on Elizabeth too. The scriptures record very little about Elizabeth, but she was a remarkable woman. She believed Gabriel when her husband did not. Mary was a young woman and she was an old woman, but Mary needed the encouragement that Elizabeth gave her. She assured her that all those things that had been told to her, by the angel, would happen.

What a wonderful encounter: two women, bound by kinship, both bearing sons, both blest by the Lord. How affirming to Mary that the revelation made to her, is understood by her kinswoman. Like Mary, when we share our faith story with someone we proclaim the greatness of God in our life. Think how blest we are each time we have the opportunity to ‘magnify the Lord’ through our faith narrative. We all have someone with whom we can share what God is doing in my life.

So what is our take away from this Gospel? Let me share three of them with you.

The first; John leapt for joy in the presence of his Lord. Earlier David ‘danced before the Lord with all his might’. The Psalmist tells us to ‘shout for joy’. Saint Paul urges us to ‘sing and make melody to the Lord with all our heart’. It is the child in us that can truly be open to God’s constant invitation to be born again, to be part of the creation which is itself constantly being recreated. Do I celebrate this life God has given me?

The second; the child leapt for joy.’ In Luke’s Gospel, joy emerges wherever Jesus is. Angels and shepherds rejoice at his birth. His disciples cannot fast and mourn while he is around. Zacchaeus rejoices when Jesus comes to his house. The disciples at Emmaus were overcome when they recognised Jesus as their companion, and the Gospel ends with the disciples returning to Jerusalem with great joy. I ask that I may also be full of joy because Jesus is near.

Finally, this Gospel also helps us to focus on what the upcoming season of Christmas is all about; the giving of one self. God so loved us that he gave his only son to save us from our sin. Mary gives of herself and her time. She herself, who is with child, chooses to make a long and arduous journey to Ein Karim to be of service to her cousin who is herself expecting a child. The gifts we give this Christmas is not so much an ‘exchange’ in anticipation of receiving but a giving that comes from a heart that has received much. Give of yourself this Christmas. Your presence is more important than your presents.

For another reflection based on this text please click on this link
https://www.pottypadre.com/why-us-why-now-why-4th-sunday-in-advent-luke-139-45/

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Faith

No consultation just communication – Tuesday, 4th Week of Advent – Isaiah 7:10-14/Luke 1:26-38

“And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you will name him Jesus.”

We live in a world where any communication, even remotely sensed as dictatorial or authoritative is frowned upon. Nations that are run by military juntas, communism or even those that are pseudo democratic are approached with caution; for consultation is nonexistent and a demand is made to fall in line. The world is sensitive to the way we communicate with each other. Language has become more inclusive, less judgmental and stereotypical and extremely gender sensitive. Communication, especially in social environment demands sensitivity and politeness; you could lose your job over one callous misplaced comment.

Weigh all of this with a communication that happened 2000 years ago. It lacked all the social niceties of the modern world. The privacy of a young virgin was breached. There is no evidence that a door was knocked on or a polite request was made to enter and not even an appointment taken. What followed next was shocking by modern demands of a courteous communication; a message was communicated and consultation was not even a consideration. There was no negotiation nor was time given to weigh the pros and cons. There was no attempt to bring all parties on board and no wider consultation with Mary’s betrothed; who it almost seems had no choice in the matter. Mary’s perplexities were not addressed by a committee of human resource personnel. There was but a brief communique; a statement of intent, if you may.

Yes, Mary was told she need not be afraid but nothing after that sounded very reassuring; on the contrary very demanding with a to-do list attached. “And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son.” Mary had just two lines in terms of a response. The first was a clarification, “how can this be since I am a virgin?” The second was a statement of acceptance, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord, let it be with me according to your word.”

While the ‘fiat’ or the ‘yes’ of Mary is made much of, as if it was the obvious answer to the worlds best job offer, the reality was quite different. Yet in a world that weighs its options and chooses what is best for us, here was a simple fourteen or sixteen odd year-old girl who took no offence of how she was asked or by whom she was asked. She never asked for a contract or demanded to see the fine print. There was a ‘demand’ made by God and she accepted it blindly, trusting in the one who made the request rather than getting lost in myriad details of the plan that would eventually unfold.

The problem with many faith believers is that we treat faith-based activity like we approach a job prospect. We want to see the offer at hand, check the fine print, run over possibilities, weigh options, get feelers from the market and so on. The call of God cannot be analyzed under a microscope. It demands a faith in him knowing that the plan comes from him and he has the blueprint carved it the palm of his hand.

Fr Warner D’souza

If you wish to read another article on this topic that I wrote some time ago you may click on this link
https://www.pottypadre.com/to-a-girl-named-mary-an-angel-came-monday-4th-week-in-advent-luke-126-38/

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Faith

Drawing consolation not questions – Monday, 4th Week in Advent – Jgs13:2-7,24-25a/Luke 1:5-25

Sometime ago I wrote an article based on today’s Gospel. I entitled it ‘A man in silence a woman in seclusion- and all this is good news! ‘ You can read the same by clicking on this link https://www.pottypadre.com/a-man-in-silence-a-woman-in-seclusion-and-all-this-is-good-news-saturday-3rd-week-in-advent-luke-15-25/

Today, I want to share three reflections that flow from this Gospel.

1. Why do bad things happen to good people?
This is an eternal question that has come to haunt us. It’s not a sporadic question but for those who are faithful it seems that this question pops up ever so often in our head. The Gospel presents us with Zacharias and Elizabeth; both we are told, “were righteous before God, living blameless according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord” but and here is the big BUT, they were barren. To be barren was a social stigma at that time; an unbearable shame. So why them?

Draw consolation not a question from this text. We who love the Lord with all our heart stand in line with the saints who also had great challenges thrown at them. Heartache, suffering and challenges are not a sign of God’s disapproval nor is winning a lottery a sign of God’s love. God is not to be turned into the image of Santa who sees if you have been bad or good and then chucks a goody down your chimney as a reward. God is good and calls our every response to every challenge to also be good, thereby bringing goodness to the world. Zechariah still went to the temple, his love for worship was not conditional to the gifts he thought he deserved.

2. In his time – an acclamation of faith
For many, “In his time” is merely a hymn we sing in Church. Yet, this hymn is not some a ‘restoril’ for a troubled heart with the power to numb you in troubled times. On the contrary, this hymn is a loud and vociferous acclamation of faith that we proclaim. When we sing this hymn, it is our way of affirming that God in the past has delivered for us and that he will do the same. He did it for Zechariah and Elizabeth at a time when they were well past child bearing years. He sent us a saviour in his time and when Christ will come again, it will be in his time.

3. Do not be afraid – the message of Christmas
Fear grips all of us and to be afraid is natural. If you encounter a tiger in a forest, please be afraid enough to run for your life; counting his teeth will only find you examining the inside of his stomach. The problem with fear is when it takes control of us constantly; that damages us. The Christmas story resonated with people who at first were afraid; in fact, three of the four were heavyweights of the Christmas narrative. Zechariahs was afraid (1:12), Mary was afraid (1:30), Joseph was afraid to take Mary home to be his wife, the shepherds were afraid 2:10). Yet the Christmas story is also filled with reassurance. Four times you will find that words expressing fear and apprehension are met with the message of assurance from no less than the angels; each time the message is the same, “do not be afraid.” The Christmas story is our story too for we too experience a world of fear but we too experience the comfort of God.

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Uncategorized

A Christmas Hosanna – Friday, 3rd Week in Advent – Isaiah 56:1-3,6-8/John 5:33-36

The curtain falls today on the first part of our advent preparation. From tomorrow the readings step right into the run up to the Christmas narrative. But for today, we take one more glance at our calling to prepare for the second coming of Christ.

The Gospel taken from St John forms part of a larger text that we read in the fourth week of Lent. So, what’s a Lenten reading doing in Advent? The focus of the reading in Advent is very different from that of the one in Lent. In Lent, Jesus is in the dock, accused by the religious establishment of his time. In Chapter five Jesus gives his keynote speech and then presents us with his testimony and credentials. These credentials and testimony are seen in the season of Advent as a ratification of the fact that Jesus is the Messiah as announced by John the Baptist.

In response to the Jews who want to know how he could make a claim that he was indeed the Son of God, Jesus calls on his second witness, John the Baptist. It was John whom the Jewish authorities sent delegates to (verse 33), inquiring about Jesus. Jesus acknowledges the testimony of John, not that he needed it or accepted any human testimony (as he says in verse 34).

Interestingly, Jesus refers to John as the, “burning and shining lamp.” This should be the focus of today’s reading. Notice, Jesus calls John ‘the lamp’, for He (Jesus) is ‘the light’. Jesus does not fight shy in proclaiming the truth of his divinity. He does this not to stand under a spotlight but as he says in today’s text, “that you may be saved.”(verse 34)

The Gospel of today, in presenting the truth of Christ makes one last ditch appeal before we change the focus of the liturgy tomorrow; that the world may accept the truth of the divinity of Christ and the reason for the season. He is the light in which we need to bask in. Jesus declares this truth in one of this “I am statements” when he said, “I am the light of the world.” He made this claim in the very temple of Jerusalem for all to hear so that all would be saved.

Jesus does not proclaim the truth of faith in some dark deserted corner but does so in the most visible places so that his truth may be heard boldly and loudly. There are voices today that want to shut down the truth that Jesus came to proclaim; “ I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the father except through me.”

The birth of Christ cannot be reduced to a statement of festivity and merriment (that’s why I don’t like the words merry Christmas but prefer HAPPY Christmas). The birth of Christ is a pivotal moment in human and salvation history. It is a moment of tremendous grace when God in his goodness sent a saviour to save us from our sin. This and only this is the reason for the season. Rejoicing and merriment stems not from a beautiful tree or a well decorated Church, the joy of Christmas comes primarily from the truth that a saviour born and a son that is given to save us.

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading