Friars Corner: Getting closer to Jesus
Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122:1-9; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44
I pray that you all had a safe and good Thanksgiving, our greatest national holiday. Whatever our faith tradition, as a nation, we stop to give God thanks for all the blessings he has showered on our country. Amen. Most of us know that we need to pray a lot for God’s mercy on our country and especially its leadership. Let us beg Jesus for more of his love, mercy and wisdom.
The main part of Christian (Catholic) Church life floats around Easter as we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead. The Church considers each Sunday as a “little Easter.” Our Sunday Masses are the most powerful channel of God’s power in our life.
After the various persecutions by the Roman empire, which tried to wipe out all the followers of Jesus, the Church leaders began to look more at the life of Jesus on earth from the beginning. In 315 Emperor Constantine, whose mother was a Christian, gave freedom of worship to the Christians. He realized that group would bring goodness and not evil to the empire. Easter followed the Jewish calendar in late spring. The appearance of the star to the wise men and some mystics of the church place the birth of Jesus in mid-spring, during Lent. That was too close to Easter and needed to be placed some distance from Easter. December 25th in Rome and January 6 in Alexandria, Egypt were chosen. These dates replace pagan celebrations.
The coming of Advent
Our liturgical life then “floats” around those the great feasts of Christmas and Easter. Eventually, France and Spain began preparation times for these feasts along with the Christians around Jerusalem only in the 5th century. Advent had two points to joyfully prepare to celebrate the first coming of Jesus and second, spiritual expectation of his return in judgment at the end of time.
The penitential aspect and fasting came to France in the 6th century from the Irish missionaries to France. They focused more on the second coming of Christ for judgment (see Matthew 25) and the need to do penance. They removed the Mass Gloria and alleluia verse before the gospel at Sunday Masses and added purple vestments. As these ideas moved to Rome, the penitential character of Advent was not accepted and they kept the joyful Alleluia. Rome did postpone the Gloria so it could be joyfully sung with the angels greeting at the Christmas Eve Mass.
Two periods of Advent
Today Advent is divided into two periods. The first two weeks remember the prophecies of Isaiah pointing to the work of the future Messiah or savior. The last two weeks introduce the preaching of St. John the Baptist who was the last of the Old Testament prophets and the first of the New Testament. John, the cousin of Jesus, called the Jews to repentance and the immediate arrival of the Messiah with water baptism in the Jordan River. These weeks will take us to December 17, which begins the seven-day}} novena directly preparing for Christmas.
With the Liturgical Reform in 1968, after Vatican Council II, Sunday readings are arranged in a three-year cycle and the weekdays are in a two-year cycle. This year we move to cycle A and number 1 for weekdays. This Sunday, Isaiah 2 tells us: “In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: ‘Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house of God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.’” Psalm 122 says: “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.”
Winter cleaning
In the second reading from Romans 13, St Paul tells us, “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Every day of our life is nearer to our personal judgment at the end of our life on earth. Advent gives us time to adjust our life schedule. It is “winter cleaning” not spring cleaning which is for Lent. In Matthew 24 we find similar words, in the days of Noah before the flood, we hear, “They (the people of Nineveh) did not know until the flood came and carried them all away…So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
So my brothers and sisters, hopefully, we will meet one day in heaven. This Advent let us look at our daily schedule of events and find a little more time to get closer to Jesus. He will bring you more joy and other wonderful gifts. Every day in prayer has its own gifts. Try it. You’ll like it. Have a beautiful week with more of Jesus’ love and joy filling you.
Peace,
(© 2019 Father Bob Hilz, TOR)
