First Sunday of Advent

Dear All,

Today is the beginning of a new Liturgical Year.  We are starting a new cycle, Year B as it is designated in the Roman Lectionary.  Throughout the year we will be reading from the shortest of the three Synoptic Gospels, according to Mark.  This Gospel is only about twenty five pages long.  We may want to consider during the Advent Season to take an hour, sit down and read it from end to end.  It won’t take any longer and it will give you an overview of most from which we will be reading and reflecting upon throughout this liturgical year.

We begin this new Liturgical Year with the season of Advent, a time of anticipation, time of preparation, getting ready.  During the First Advent Sunday we light the candle of hope on the advent wreath.  Advent comes from the Latin Adventus, meaning arrival.  We remember and commemorate the arrival of Christ two millennia ago, as well as preparing ourselves for the eschatological (see the November 23, 2008 article) theme of Christ’s second coming at the end of times. Last Sunday we heard about the final judgment.  In this season of Advent we learn how to prepare ourselves for it and in today’s liturgy we express our longing for the Kingdom to come. Isaiah, in our First Reading, looking at the situation of his day expressed vividly: Return Lord, so we can see your presence at work in us.  The Prophet’s words of the 8^th century BC are still valid today.  The “Thy kingdom come” petition of the Our Father is of special significance.

In Mark’s Gospel Jesus tells us to be on our guard and to be ready for the day of final judgment because we do not know when it will come. All we do know is that the Master will certainly come and that we must prepare ourselves to be ready to greet him.  Because 2000 years have gone by since the time of Christ we tend to think that we will not see the Last Day in our earthly life.  However, one thing that we can be absolutely certain about is that we will die.  We hope with all our hearts that when we meet God and experience judgment, Christ will find us worthy on that great day of days.  Only hoping could be in vain.  Therefore we should consider doing something about it.  Jesus tells his disciples, and us, to be alert and get ready.  In other words, sorting ourselves out is not something that we should leave till tomorrow.  Our moral weaknesses, like tendencies towards failures in our relationships, telling untruths, dishonesty, correcting other people’s mistakes, etc., etc. should all be dealt with rather sooner than later.  We know that sin is like a bad stain on our clothes, the longer we leave it untreated the harder it is to remove.  It contaminates and pollutes our lives.  It is not only a question of being on our guard against new sins, but also to repent and make amends for all those old ones.  We are, however, especially blessed because we live in a Christian community where all are striving for holiness.  We are all aiming in the same direction and there is strength in numbers, making it far easier for us to grow in holiness together rather than alone and isolated.

If we’re thinking to be too old to renew yourself, consider these statistics: George Burns won an Oscar at 80; Golda Meir became Prime Minister of Israel at 71; Michelangelo was 71 when he painted the Sistine chapel; Albert Schweitzer was performing surgery at 89.  Do we still think we're too old?  

Yesterday we are told is a memory… tomorrow but a dream. Today is a gift, the only time on which eternity depends, that is why we call it present.  Which brings us to the third meaning of Jesus’ coming… in our everyday life.  Either by relating to (feeding, clothing, welcoming, treating, visiting, etc.) the least of his brethren, like he told us in last Sunday’s Gospel (of the sheep and goats) or by being the least one to others for them to encounter Jesus in us.

The Readings for the First Advent speak about:

The Prophet Isaiah says in the First Reading that without God our natural inclination would be to drift away from him and become proud and independent.

The apostle Paul, who expected to experience Christ’s second coming during his lifetime, in his letter to the Corinthians, invites them to be thankful for so many teachers that are actively witnessing to their faith in Christ.  His prayer for the Corinthians and also for us is that God will keep us steady and faithful until the last day.

Mark’s Gospel today encourages us to live in expectation of good things, as they will come - for we will create them and to watch for the signs for the reign of God which we will see – for we will be a sign of that reign.

A complete text of the readings at:  http://www.usccb.org/nab/113008.shtml

With God’s Love and Blessings,

Rainer

Happy Thanksgiving to all !!!

Dear All,

The tradition of Thanksgiving in the United States commemorates the celebration held in 1621 after the first harvest by the Plymouth Colony. The Pilgrims who traveled from England on the Mayflower landed on December 21, 1620. The harsh winter claimed about half their number. The local Wampanoag Indians, who were friendly to the newcomers, furnished seeds and taught them how to plant corn. The corn and the crops grown from the seeds they had brought with them produced a bountiful harvest. Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day to celebrate the harvest. The celebration brought together the colonists and the Indians, who were led by their chief Massasoit. The colonists provided wild turkey and fish. The Indians contributed deer to the feast.

The custom of observing a day of Thanksgiving spread throughout the colonies, but was celebrated on different dates. America celebrated a first nationwide day of Thanksgiving in 1777 with the victory in Saratoga.  In 1789 President George Washington proclaimed a National Thanksgiving Day in honor of the new United States Constitution.

In 1846 Sarah Josepha Hale, author of “Mary had a little lamb” and America’s first female magazine editor of a magazine called Godey’s Lady’s Book, began a campaign to have a national Thanksgiving Day for all Americans to give thanks on the same day, writing letters to the Nation’s Presidents.  When the country became divided by Civil War she appealed to President Abraham Lincoln to finally establish a National Day of Thanksgiving.  Understanding the potential to help heal the nation’s wounds, in 1863 he proclaimed Thanksgiving Day holiday on the last Thursday in November.

During the Twentieth Century Thanksgiving evolved into becoming the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season.  This month long shopping extravaganza became crucial to American businesses and economy.  So much so that in 1939 President Franklin Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving up by a week to extend the shopping season and boost the country’s languishing economy.  Some states implemented the so called “Franksgiving” while others refused to change Lincoln’s original date.  Congress settled this dispute in 1941 declaring the official Thanksgiving holiday to be the fourth Thursday in November, which is not always the last Thursday in November.

Ever since Thanksgiving has been a favorite American tradition, a time for family and friends to come together to count our blessings by sharing an elaborate meal including turkey and pumpkin pie, to watch parades and football games and to get ready to begin the Christmas shopping.

Today in the US we celebrate Thanksgiving Mass where we read Luke’s Gospel about Jesus healing ten lepers at the entrance of a village travelling through Samaria and Galilee on his way to Jerusalem.  One of the ten, a foreigner, came back in Thanksgiving, glorifying God.  Jesus wonders out loud, “where are the other nine?”  For us today this causes to reflect upon going with the majority not necessarily being the right thing to do.

A complete text of the readings at: http://www.usccb.org/nab/112708b.shtml

The First Reading from the Book of Sirach from the third century Before the Christian Era in the Second Temple period of Israel is a prayer of thanksgiving and praise to the God of all who had done wondrous things on earth and wishes for peace to abide among you.

In the Second Reading Paul gives thanks to God on account of the Corinthians for the grace bestowed on them, and on us.

With God’s Love and Blessings,

Rainer

Feast of Christ the King

Dear All,

The end of the Liturgical Year has arrived and today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, a relatively new institution from 1925 (by Pope Pius XI) when compared to the two thousand years of Church history.  After today we won’t read from Mathews’ Gospel again until Cycle A returns in two years.

In the last account by Matthew of Jesus’ teaching his disciples, before the Passion story, after the last parable (which we heard last Sunday), Christ talks about his second coming (Parusia) at the end of times (Eschatology - from the Greek Eschatos meaning last and logy meaning the study of).  Sitting upon his throne he will separate from the assembled nations, the righteous from the unjust like a shepherd separates sheep from goats.  The sheep (economically more valuable in rural Palestine than the goats) on his right, representing those who have been found worthy of final victory and reward, because when Christ was hungry they fed him, when thirsty gave him to drink, clothed when naked, welcomed when stranger, cared when ill and visited in prison.  The righteous will ask, when it was that they saw Christ hungry, thirsty, naked, ill, estranged or in prison.  And the startling answer is: ‘Whatever you did to the least brothers of mine, you actually did it for me’, giving us the not too surprising information that Jesus has chosen to identify himself with the powerless ones, so that our attitude toward them will reveal how we really feel about Jesus also. It was recorded in excruciating detail so that the followers would have no doubt what it meant.  To us today the meaning remains unchanged, being the central point of the story the criterion that will be used for determining who will be judged worthy and who will be rejected. We are told that the decisive factor in rendering judgment will be an account of how well we have cared for the less fortunate people among us. They are enumerated four times in the gospel story so that there is unquestionable clarity about their identity: they are the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, strangers and prisoners.

Furthermore these can be seen as examples of a more general category of the powerless and needy ones.  Some of the neediest among us are those who are living in the bondage of low self-esteem. This kind of bondage often hides behind a facade of feigned self-sufficiency or even joviality. The loving, sensitive person will know how to penetrate such defenses and to bring a degree of freedom to such unhappy ones.  I once heard a homilist say that perhaps the only question that will be asked of us at the last judgment will be taken from the story of the Exodus: Did you let my people go? Our strong inclination is to hoard our precious freedom and to use it only to protect ourselves against the needs of others.  The thought of a final judgment is often a source of fear and anxiety. However, it will be a wonderful experience for all who have helped to free others from the bondage of paralyzing fear and guilt and low self-esteem. In this way, we will have become one with Jesus, who came into our world for that very purpose.

The Readings for the Feast of Christ the King speak about:

First Reading of the great apocalyptic writer Ezekiel helps us deal with our own losses of direction from time to time, given that God assumes the role of the shepherd that seeks out the lost, brings back the strayed, binds ups the injured, heals the sick.

Two verses of today’s Second Reading from the letter of Paul to the Corinthians were put to music by George Frideric Handel in 1741, while residing in London.  I sang the Messiah with the Florida Philharmonic in several venues from West Palm Beach to Miami in the early nineties, and could not resist to share those two minutes of masterful sound inhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xVcvCJhxZ8.

Matthews’ Gospel today is the Judgment of the Nations story.

A complete text of the readings at: http://www.usccb.org/nab/112308.shtml

A worthwhile ten minutes is to read the Gospel Mt 25:31-46 and in case we feel more ‘goat like’ about our recent attitudes, take on Reading 1 Ez 34:11-12, 15-17 from the above listed link and be assured that God will bring us back.

With God’s Love and Blessings,

Rainer

Parable of Talents - Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear All,

Today we celebrate the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time and this year the Parable of the Talents Jesus told his disciples, can definitely not be interpreted literally.  Not after the financial market events of the last three months.  Regarding the question about what it means for us today, we will have to go beyond the surface of the story to extract useful meaning from the chronicle about the three servants entrusted with the possessions while the owner went on a journey.  In today’s financial markets reality, the third and most fearful servant would have scored by far the best compared to his more experienced and less fearful colleagues.  Yet, even today, the story does have meaning for us.  If we take the entrusted possession as the abilities and capacities God gives us, putting them to work meaning, using them will bear fruits to His Kingdom.  Interesting that the currency on the story is talent and that today talents are aptitudes and capabilities.  There is some duress in the story, for the fearful servant who does not put his gifts to work.  Not only is there nothing to be shared, but punishment from an angry master is foretold.  Sharing in the joy of the Master is the recompense for the dutiful servants that have put the talents to work. 

The twelve disciples learned that Jesus had a sophisticated knowledge of finance. He was aware of the often more profitable field of financial markets of his time.  We should remember (or just learn) that a talent  at the time when Jesus walked the Earth in Palestine was not a coin, it was a weight in gold or silver of about 85 pounds, so it was a very considerable treasure that this man was trusting to his servants. One talent was probably equivalent to a whole lifetime’s wages for such a servant—he had entrusted them with something precious beyond their wildest dreams

His followers then received a valuable insight into the forever unfolding mosaic that is Christ. He was continually displaying fresh facets of His personality, which He continues to do to this day. That unfolding plays a vital part of His ongoing charm for a billion and a half people. It is the reason that of all people who ever lived, Jesus has been written about the most. 

Interesting to note, this is the last parable Jesus tells in the Gospel before going to Jerusalem for his passion and death on the cross.  The Synoptic authors (this year Mathew, also Luke and Mark tell stories about journeying noblemen) seem to have left the last for best.

God encourages us to jump into life and run the risk of growing.   Mere avoidance of serious sin does not make for good Christians. We must use all the gifts God gave us. If we are not moving forward, chances are, we march full speed backwards. The Nazarene does not want us to hide in church but move out into the street telling us, "You are never more wonderful than when you are taking big chances.”  Some of us have received short straws in some sense but perhaps gifts in other areas.  There is a wonderful story about Ludwig van Beethoven in this regard.  The famous composer was well aware that he had few social skills.  He found talking to people not just burdensome, but beyond his abilities.  He just couldn’t do it.  The story tells about a dear friend of his that suddenly lost his son. Beethoven rushed over to his friend’s house, but he just couldn’t find the words to express his grief to the dead boy’s father.  So he used the gifts he had been given.  Beethoven went to the piano and for a full thirty minutes he played a beautiful and consoling elegy.  It is believed that he composed it on the spot. He used his talent to console the grieving.

Despite how strong or weak we believe our gifts and talents are, we are supposed to give life a first class run with these gifts. The ultimate aim in life is to say before the undertaker nails down our coffin. "I have given life my best shot."   Let us avoid the melancholy line in a John Denver folk song, "I am sorry for the things I didn't say and didn't do."   Mark Twain puts is bluntly when saying, "The safe thing is to run risks; the risky thing is to play it safe."

The Readings for this 33^rd Sunday in Ordinary time speak about:

First Reading from the last chapter (31) from Book of Proverbs attributed to Lemuel, King of Massa in Arabia, talks about teachings that his mother taught him, like give a worthy wife rewards for her labor and praise her.  Chapters 1-29 of Proverbs are from Salomon, son of David, King of Israel.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians (in the Second Reading), in 50 AD, while in Athens when Timothy brought back the good news of their faith, despite persecution.

Matthews’ Gospel today is about the Parable of the Talents, commented at the beginning of this column.

A complete text of the readings at: http://www.usccb.org/nab/111608.shtml

With God’s Love and Blessings,

Rainer

Feast of All Souls

Dear All,

This weekend is a very interesting one, as it started on Friday with Halloween, which means “Hallow’s” eve.  Hallows are Saints, therefore the evening of the Feast of All Saints, on Saturday.  Halloween is special in our family, as we celebrate the birthday of both of our sons, Christian and Alex.  Happy Birthday boys!!!!

And then on Sunday we celebrate the Feast All Souls.  Rooted in ancient Christian tradition, as witnessed by Tertullian in the 2nd century A.D., St. Odilo of Cluny established a memorial of all the faithful departed in 988.  We commemorate on this day all those who died… family, relatives, friends, close or distant.  We pray for their eternal peace. The practice of prayer for the dead is already mentioned in The Old Testament Book of the Maccabees, from the 2nd century B.C, when Judas Maccabeus “made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin”.  From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers for them, so that they may join the banquet with God.

No matter how well we try to keep ourselves up, no matter how many times a week we walk, run, play tennis, go to health clubs, etc., our bodies are eventually going to give out on us.  Death is certainly not a popular subject, particularly in many Western societies where we make believe that people will live forever.  However, the Early Christians knew that death was part of life, a reality that people knew was always there for them.  They lived preparing for the end of the world or the ends of their own worlds.  Their lives were motivated by such a deep faith in God that they saw death as getting in total union with Him.  That is a fitting Christian attitude:  We believe that there is far more to reality than physical certainty.  We believe in God and in his promise of eternal life.

The Readings for the Feast of All Souls speak about:

First Reading from the Book of Wisdom tells about the passing away of our loved ones being painful for us (“thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction”), yet they will be in peace.

Saint Paul writes to the Romans in the Second Reading, that Hope does not disappoint and that through Christ we will be saved.

John tells us in today’s Gospel that the will of God the Father is, that everyone who believes in the Son may have eternal life.

A complete text of the readings at: http://www.usccb.org/nab/110208.shtml

With God’s Love and Blessings,

Rainer