25 November 2007

Advent, 2nd Sunday, Year A (2004)

01/12/07 19:30

Advent 2-A (2004)

Advent, Christmas – magical time, especially for children: school’s out, Christmas presents, Santa Claus.
But also busy and stressful time, especially for parents – rush, shop, cook, long lines, traffic.
For some, a depressing time.

Story of guy coming out of Wal Mart, saw policeman writing tickets in parking lot. Got mad. “What kind of Christmas scrooge are you?” he asked. Policeman wrote second ticket. Man got more incensed. “Are you some stupid oaf?” Third ticket. “You’re just a no-good SOB.” Fourth ticket. Eventually, after so much verbal abuse, policeman wrote 10 tickets altogether. Then man said, “Got to go now – my car is on the other side of the parking lot!”

On your handout – Restoring Our Broken Relationships.

The world as it is; the world as it should be.

Video 1: World as it should be. [Clip from Jungle Book]

Read together Isaiah.

Video 2: World as it is. [Clip from “A Day Without a Mexican”]

Game: Look at image on screen and say, “World as it is” or “as it should be.” [Show images]

The world is full of broken relationships, people who are hurting and in pain. War, senseless violence, injustice, poverty. Divorce, family strife, conflicts between spouses or between parents and their kids. How do we restore our broken relationships? How do we find healing?

Chinese tell us: If you want to save the world, you first must save your community, If you want to save your community, you first must save your family. If you want to save your family, you first must save yourself.

Three words of advice from Isaiah:

1. We need God. Impossible with God’s help in our lives. Under our own steam, bound to fail and feel frustrated. Isaiah says we need a savior, the root from the stump of Jesse. Notice how often Isaiah talks about the Spirit.

2. Need faithfulness. To our core values. To our core beliefs and convictions. To our relationships. Faithfulness is in short supply in our world today!

3. Need to appreciate. That’s the problem with the Gringo’s in the movie “One Day Without a Mexican.” But it often is also a problem with our kids, in our marriages. We have been richly blessed, if only we would have eyes to see.

John the Baptist: Repent. Change. Turn back. But lots of hypocrites or unwilling to confront their issues.

Five things that destroy relationships – and the antidote for each thing, the antidote that heals and restores.

1. Enemy 1: Selfishness. All of us are selfish at times. Five stages of a marriage cold.

• Antidote: Generosity. Give and we receive back.

2. Enemy 2: Pride. Stubborness, Macho. Won’t get help.

• Antidote: Humility.

i. Admit if you need help. We all need help – from God and from others.

ii. Story from Mini-Retreat 101 of woman in flood, police send boat, helicopter.

1. Men: won’t stop, ask directions!

3. Enemy 3: Insecurity.

• Antitdote: Love

i. Why living together is not a good idea – no commitment, insecurity, no intimacy

ii. Children need security, too.

4. Enemy 4: Resentment.

• Antidote: Forgiveness

i. This is one of most difficult – letting go, letting God.

1. Parishioner: 3 years fighting with another woman.

2. Some people like wallowing in their tears.

3. In marriage, in families: forgiveness is essential.

a. Couple: would not talk to one another for 3 months!

b. Anger is OK but not resentment: Frozen anger.

c. Couples: Opposites attract but also: opposites attack!

5. Enemy 5: Hurry.

• Especially this time of year.

• Antidote: slow down. Pray. Enjoy life. Rest.

Right relationships. Restored relationships. The world as it should be, not just as it is.
That’s the task of us who are Christians.

Everyone: Onward! Missionaries of the Good News of Jesus to all corners of our community and Valley!

RELACIONES RECTAS Y RESTAURADAS

El mundo como es;
El mundo como debe ser

El lobo habitará con el cordero, el puma se acostará junto al cabrito, el ternero comerá al lado de león y un niño chiquito los cuidará. La vaca y el oso pastarán en compañía, y sus crías reposarán juntas, pues el león también comerá pasto, igual que el buey. El niño de pecho pisará el hoyo de la víbora, y sobre la cueva de la culebra el pequeñuelo colocará su mano. – Isaías 11:6-9

¿Cómo curamos nuestras relaciones?

1. NECESITAMOS DIOS

“En aquel día una rama saldrá del tronco de Jesé, un brote surgirá de sus raíces. Sobre él reposará el Espíritu del Señor, espíritu de sabiduría e inteligencia, espíritu de prudencia y valentía, espíritu para conocer al Señor, y para respetarlo, y para gobernar conforme a sus preceptos. – Isaías 11:1-2

2. NECESITAMOS LA FIDELIDAD

Tendrá como cinturón la justicia, y la lealtad será el ceñidor de sus caderas. – Isaías 11:5

3. NECESITAMOS APRECIAR EN VEZ DE JUZGAR Y CRITICAR

No juzgará por las apariencias ni se decidirá por lo que se dice, sino que hará justicia a los débiles y dictará sentencias justas a favor de la gente pobre. – Isaías 11:3-4

Lo que Destruye Relaciones y Lo que Construye Relaciones

1. El Egoísmo

Antídoto: Generosidad

Ninguno busque únicamente su propio bien, sino también el bien de los otros. – Filipenses 2:4

2. El Orgullo

Antídoto: Humildad

No hagan nada por rivalidad o por orgullo, sino con humildad, y que cada uno considere a los demás como mejores que él mismo – Filipenses 2:3

3. La Inseguridad

Antídoto: Amor

Donde hay amor no hay miedo. Al contrario, el amor perfecto echa fuera el miedo, pues el miedo supone el castigo. Por eso, si alguien tiene miedo, es que no ha llegado a amar perfectamente. - 1 Juan 4:18

4. El Resentimiento

Antídoto: Perdón

Porque el enojo mata al insensato, y la ira da muerte al necio. — Job 5:2

Sopórtense unos a otros, y perdónense si alguno tiene una queja contra otro. Así como el Señor los perdonó, perdonen también ustedes. – Colosenses 3:13

5. La Prisa

Antídoto: Despacio

El séptimo día terminó Dios lo que había hecho, y descansó. – Génesis 2:2

Advent, 1st Sunday, Year A (2007)

01/12/07 12:11

1st Sunday of Advent, Year A
(December 2, 2007)

What Time Is It?

Two stories to help us reflect on the meaning of Advent:

First story, about a little boy who couldn’t wait to see his baby sister come home from the hospital. Couldn’t wait to be near her, to talk to her. But his parents didn’t want him to be left alone with her. He was only 4. They wanted to supervise his visits. He kept begging to be alone with her. So one night, his parents finally relented. The boy tip toed into her room, next to his sister’s crib, and whispered, “Tell me about God – I’m starting to forget.”

Story two, told by William Willimon, about a funeral he attended when he was serving as pastor in a small congregation in rural Georgia. One of his members' relatives died, so Willimon and his wife attended the funeral held in an off-brand, country Baptist church. He writes: "I had never seen anything like it. The preacher began to preach. He shouted; he flailed his arms. 'It's too late for Joe. He's dead. But it ain't too late for you. People drop dead every day. Why wait? Now is the day for decision. Give your life to Jesus.' " Willimon fumed and fussed at his wife Patsy, complaining that the preacher had done the worst thing possible for a grieving family - manipulating them with guilt and shame. Patsy agreed. But then she said: "Of course the worst part of it all is that what he said is true."

Now a question: What time is it? There are two kinds of time – kronos, chronological time, it is 9:20 a.m.; and kairos, spiritual time. So … what time is it, spiritually? And the answer, from our two stories – first, time to remember, to not forget about God and about what Christmas is all about; and a time to wake up, before it’s too late!

I love Advent, these four weeks that we prepare spiritually for the celebration of the birth of our savior. It’s a wonderful opportunity to wake up spiritually, before it is too late. It’s a wonderful opportunity to reconnect to God before we start to forget. It’s a season of simplicity and great beauty that reminds us to slow down, even in the midst of the hectic Christmas shopping season, amidst all the Christmas parties – slow down. It’s about a journey, the light of Christ starting to shine a little brighter in our hearts and in our lives as we journey through each of the four weeks of Advent. It’s one light, one candle at a time – but slowly, gradually, as the light grows brighter, the darkness shrinks and recedes away.

As we journey through these four weeks of Advent, we are reminded that God is with us, Emmanuel. And we are reminded that Christmas is not just the celebration of an event in history 2,000 years ago. Rather, it is a celebration of Jesus being born and reborn in us, here and now, today and each and every new day.

Last week, a friend of mine sent me the following message via e-mail:

‘Twas the month before Christmas when all through our land, not a Christian was praying or taking a stand.
The children were told by their schools not to sing about shepherds & wise men and angels and things.
It might hurt peoples’ feelings, the teachers would say – we must say Dec. 25 is now just a “holiday.”
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit, pushing folks down to the floor just to get it.
CDs from Madonna, Ramadan and Kwanzaa, an X-Box, an I-Pod,
but the word “Christmas” nowhere to be found.
At the top of the Senate, there rose such a clatter, to eliminated Jesus in all public matters.
And we spoke not a word as they took away our faith, forbidden to speak of salvation and grace.
The true gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded, the reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So choose your words carefully, choose what you say: Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday. Jesus: He’s the reason for the wonderful season. Merry CHRISTmas to all, and to all a good night.

So… what time is it? Time to wake up! Time not to forget the true meaning of Christmas. Now, let’s look a bit deeper, about what each of our readings tells us about this Advent Season.

First, we have Isaiah, the prophet, who tells us this is a time for hope, not despair: This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 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 the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths." … They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD! -- Isaiah 2:1-5 (NAB)

Isaiah offers us a wonderful, hopeful challenge. We are to walk in the light of the Lord. We are to allow the Lord to teach and instruct and guide us, so that we can walk in His paths. We are to be peacemakers, beating swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. All nations are invited to the Lord’s Temple, not just a few – Iraqis, Canadians, Afghanis, Mexicans, Africans, Asians, Europeans, Australians and, yes, even Americans. “Many” will accept the Lord’s invitation – not all, though! And we are invited to be the messengers of God’s good news to others, so that they, too, might choose to join us in our grand march toward heaven.

This is an election year. Private faith is not enough. Christians are to live out their faith publicly. We need to listen carefully to the presidential debates, read the newspapers and listen to the candidates on TV and radio, so that we can vote according to Christian principles and values. A few weeks ago, the U.S. Catholic bishops met and issued guidelines to help Christians vote. They affirmed that we as Christians must be peacemakers in a world torn asunder by war and violence – in Iraq, but also, elsewhere: Afghanistan, Israel, the Sudan. If we are a people who walk in the light, we must be a people who promote a culture of life, not death – but life in a holistic sense. The bishops clearly spoke out against the evil of abortion – an “intrinsic evil,” they said, which Catholics must oppose – but they also urged us to vote for candidates who promote life in other ways, also – for example, who oppose war, who oppose the death penalty, who support programs for health care for children and support for the elderly. Dwight Eisenhower, an American general in World War II who later became president of the U.S., said this in a speech in 1952: : “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in a final sense, a theft from those who are hungry and not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.”

Sometimes, we become apathetic. What difference can one person or one vote make? But have you heard the story of William Wilberforce? Last year, they made a movie about his life, entitled “Amazing Grace.” He lived in England and, in 1787, experienced a profound spiritual conversion. He dedicated the next 20 years of his life to abolishing slavery in the British Empire. And in the year 1807 – exactly 200 years ago – he was successful. One person, with great faith, great commitment, great dedication, and with God on their side, can make a tremendous difference.

So: Now to our second reading, Paul’s Letter to the Romans. What time is it? A time for light, not darkness. Paul writes: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness (and) put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day… Put on the Lord Jesus Christ… – Romans 13:11-14 (NAB)

We need to clothe ourselves, spiritually, with the armor of God, so that darkness cannot defeat us. We need to feed ourselves spiritually on a steady diet of prayer, Scripture, the Eucharist, and a connection in community to other Christians who will support, encourage and help us. I often use the image of a light bulb. [Pull out a light bulb] Is it working? Why not? Because it is disconnected to the electricity, the power source! Spiritually, if we are disconnected from God, from the power source, we cannot walk in the light of the Lord. But connected to God, nothing is impossible and nothing can overcome God’s power and God’s light.

What time is it? Our third and final reading is from Matthew’s gospel – and, by the way, this is the gospel we will be hearing on most Sundays throughout the upcoming year. Matthew tells us: It is time for preparedness, not sleep. He says: For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In (those) days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away… Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come… So too, you also must be prepared. – Matthew 24:37-39, 42, 44 (NAB)

Anyone here ever fallen asleep in class? I remember once in college, I had been up all night, studying for a test, and I started to doze off in the one class. The professor grabbed an eraser [grab an eraser] and flung it straight in my direction. [fling the eraser suddenly into the congregation]. Believe me, I woke up fast! As it turned out, the guy behind me also was sleeping, and the eraser actually hit him, not me! Anyway, this gospel reminds us to be awake, alert, prepared – not like the people in Noah’s day. And today, lots of Christians also are asleep at the wheel, spiritually.

How do we get ready for the Lord? Very simple, really – Serve, don’t just sit!

Here are four steps:

First: Become a person who trusts in God, not yourself. Last week, I celebrated Mass for the people in Thermal and I asked them, “What is the hardest commandment to obey?” Lying? Stealing? Honoring the Lord on the Sabbath? Honoring your mother and father? Coveting your neighbor’s possessions? In John’s gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” – John 14:1 (NAB) In our society today, we are so stressed, so overwhelmed with fear and insecurity – of terrorists, of losing our job and not being able to make house payments, fear of sickness, fear for the welfare of our children – and we also are so impatient, wanting quick solutions instead of learning to be patient and to wait – that this might be the hardest commandment to obey: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” To be prepared, we must learn to trust in God, let Him help us, and not try to save ourselves or to do everything on our own power.

Second: We must become persons who make ourselves available to serve God. I’ve met lots of people who proclaim they love God. They come to Mass most weekends. But apart from that, they never make themselves available with their time to serve God and others. This is a result of selfishness, self-centeredness, of thinking we are too busy, of having skewed priorities that put other things in front of serving the Lord. It’s a product of our society’s materialism and its many distractions – we spend more time playing, more time shopping, more time watching TV than we do serving the Lord. We just don’t make ourselves available.

A third step is this: We must become people of faithfulness. That means we see serving God and others as a priority, a commitment that requires dedication – not just something we do extra, when and if we have time, when and if we feel like it. That’s the difference between being just a volunteer, versus being a minister who serves God. Ministry means we are called by God. Maybe we don’t get paid, but nonetheless, we treat it with utmost seriousness and put our best energy into it. Volunteers, on the other hand, just serve when they have time, when it is convenient for them, and if something else comes up, they have no problem just abandoning their ministry to do that “something else,” letting others pick up the pieces. And all of this is because people sometimes serve out of the wrong motives – to impress others, or out of guilt maybe, instead of with a humble, servant’s heart like Jesus, serving out of love rather than expecting something back in return.

Finally, we are called to become people of gratitude and generosity. This is the heart of that word we’ve been talking about for so may weeks and months: Stewardship. It’s a recognition that everything we have is a gift from God. In gratitude, we are called to give back. Last week, I came across a bumper sticker: “Tithe if you love Jesus. Any fool can honk!” But tithing is not just about money – we should be giving back to God, out of our love and gratitude to the Lord, or our time, talent and treasure, not just our treasure.

Stewardship is about living a life of significance, making a contribution back, instead of just living a life of personal success, which is just focused on me. Listen to this song. Can you identify it? [Play “He’s My Everything,” by Elvis Presley]

Elvis – the King of Rock n’ Roll. He’s sold more than a billion record albums, starred in 33 movies, but only won one Grammy Award, for a spiritual album entitled “He Touched Me.” This is one of the songs from that album, “He’s My Everything.” But Elvis, and had all the money and fame and popularity that the world could offer, died alone at age 42, of a drug overdose, clutching in his hands a book entitled “A Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus.” He sang and knew about Jesus – but somehow, that lure of “success” prevented him from fulfilling his dream to live a life of “significance.”

We can fall asleep at the wheel. A new book just came out about the richest people in America. Did you know that today, there are 1,000 billionaires – there were only 13 back in 1985. Did you know that the U.S. has more than 10 million millionaires? Or that the richest 1 percent of Americans own more than a third of our nation’s wealth? But by and large, most these wealthy people are not very generous. Bill Gates and a few others are the exception. For example, the book talks about a family worth $50 million gives about 1 percent to charity each year, but spends more than that on servants, airplanes and cars. Or another family, worth $80 million, who gave only $11,000 away last year to charity and political causes combined, but spent $500,000 on travel. Or a family worth $1.2 billion who gave only a fourth of one percent to charity, but spent $20 million on a new yacht and spends $2.5 million a year just to maintain the boat! But greed and materialism entraps all of us, not just the ultra-rich.

We need to be careful. Are we listening to the voice of God? Or are we starting to forget? Are we awake, alert, or is it too late? This Advent, what time is it? Right! Time to wake up! What time is it? Time to wake up!

Let’s end by reading together this little poem, based on Psalm 23, entitled “I Shall Not Rush,” and may it become our guiding poem for this Advent season:

The lord is my pace setter . . . I shall not rush. He makes me stop for quiet intervals. He provides me with images of stillness which restore my serenity. He leads me in the way of efficiency through calmness of mind and his guidance is peace. Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day, I will not fret, for his presence is here. His timelessness, his all importance will keep me in balance. He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity by anointing my mind with his oils of tranquility. My cup of joyous energy overflows. Truly harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours for I shall walk in the Pace of my Lord and dwell in his house for ever. -- (A version of Psalm 23 from Japan, as reprinted in Mother Teresa, Life in the Spirit: Reflections, Meditations, Prayers, ed. Kathryn Spink, San Francisco, Harper & Row, 1983, 76-77.)