Catechism Links[1]
CCC 451, 671, 1130, 1403, 2817: “Come, Lord Jesus!”
CCC 2729-2733: humble vigilance of heart
 |
| “Advent and Triumph of Christ” by Hans Memling, 1480 |
Commentary:
As this Advent season begins we offer this passage from “The Spirit of Advent” by Mark Searle[5]
“Human beings cannot live without hope. Unlike the animals, we are blessed -or cursed- with the ability to think about the future and to fear our actions to shaping it. So essential is this to human life, that human beings cannot live without hope, without something to live for, without something to look forward to. To be without hope, to have nothing to live for, is to surrender to death in despair. But we can find all sorts of things to live for and we can hope for almost anything: for some measure of success or security, or for the realization of some more or less modest ambition, for our children, that they might be saved from our mistakes and sufferings and find a better life than we have known; for a better world, throwing ourselves into politics or medicine or technology so that future generations might be better off. Not all these forms of hope are selfish; indeed, they have given dignity and purpose to the lives of countless generations.
But one of the reasons why we read the Old Testament during Advent is to learn what to hope for. The peoples of the Old Testament had the courage to hope for big things: that the desert would be turned into fertile land; that their scattered and divided people would eventually be gathered again; that the blind would see, the deaf hear, the lame walk; that not only their own people but all peoples of the earth, would be united in the blessings of everlasting peace. Clearly, their hopes were no different from ours or from any human being’s; lasting peace, tranquil lives, sufficiency of food, an end to suffering, pain and misery.
Thus we hope for the same things as the Old Testament people for their hopes are not yet realized. But we differ from them in two ways. First, the coming of Jesus in history, as a partial fulfillment of God’s promise, immeasurably confirms and strengthens our hope. Secondly, we differ from the Old Testament people because Jesus has revealed to us that God is not afar off, but is already in our midst. Hence the importance in the Advent liturgy of John the Baptist and Mary; because they recognized the new situation, they serve as models for the Church in discerning the presence of our Savior in the world.”
Reading 1: Isaiah 2:1-5
Commentary on Is 2:1-5
This selection presents Isaiah’s vision of a time of unity, the great messianic destiny. He sees a time when all peoples will recognize God as the one true God and flock to his call. (Isaiah uses the “highest mountain” metaphor in the Hebrew context. High places were places closest to God. Mountain tops frequently were places were altars were built. “Highest” would then be above all others.) The “highest mountain” meaning that all other beliefs become subservient to the One God. He sees the unity of all the nations under one God and one Messiah.
The prophet sees the Law of the Lord governing all peoples and a time of great peace as a result of the universal unity of people in faithfulness to God. “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!” Isaiah implores the faithful of the house of Jacob (the Israelites) to fulfill his vision quickly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Commentary on Ps 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Psalm 122 is a song of praise that anticipates the great procession into God’s house. While the Hebrews would have used this as a literal processional song, we see it as anticipating our entry into the New Jerusalem, the Kingdom of God. It supports Isaiah’s vision of the messianic kingdom (Isaiah 2:1-5); it also points to Jerusalem as the center and source of the Law and David as the dynasty of this unified kingdom with the Lord our God providing the source of peace.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: Romans 13:11-14
Commentary on Rom 13:11-14
St. Paul calls the Romans to repentance, reminding them that the time of salvation, the day of the Lord’s return, is closer than it was when they first heard the word of God. He calls them to act as children of the light, and to throw off sinfulness. He tells them to put on Christ and become spiritually focused. These verses provide the motivation for the love that is encouraged in Romans 13:8-10.
CCC: Rom 12-15 1454, 1971
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 24:37-44
Commentary on Mt 24:37-44
St. Matthew, speaking to a predominantly Jewish audience who call themselves “Sons of Abraham,” produces the genealogy of Jesus starting with Abraham. The critical purpose is to show that Jesus was of the line of King David. This was an important demonstration that Jesus was the Messiah as predicted in the prophetic scriptures of the Old Testament (the “Prophets” as they were known and referenced by the Jewish audience).
In the final verse of this reading we see the significance of Hebrew Numerology as the numbers of generations are counted. Recalling the most perfect number in this symbolic system is seven (7), we see the product of two sevens in the generations from Abraham and David, two more between King David and the Babylonian Exile, and two more from the Exile to the Messiah. Three (the formula for the most, e.g. holy, holy, holy equivalent to holy, holier, holiest) times the product of two sevens, this is six (6) sevens, one short of the perfection to be achieved when Christ will come again.
CCC: Mt 1:16 437
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Happy New Year! Indeed, this is what we celebrate today as the old liturgical year ends and we begin once more the march through the seasons of Christ’s life. We will be walking with him from those first infant steps in Bethlehem and Nazareth to his agonizing trail from Gethsemane to Golgotha. Like the New Year celebration that marks the end of our calendar year, we begin this new liturgical year with hopes and promises. The enormity of what takes place is beautifully captured in our Catechism of the Catholic Church:
522 The coming of God's Son to earth is an event of such immensity that God willed to prepare for it over centuries. He makes everything converge on Christ: all the rituals and sacrifices, figures and symbols of the "First Covenant".195 He announces him through the mouths of the prophets who succeeded one another in Israel. Moreover, he awakens in the hearts of the pagans a dim expectation of this coming.
This eternal announcement is epitomized in the statement found in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah: “…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.” From far back in our memory, as a people of God, constituted as his living body on earth, we have celebrated this season with acts of piety centered on three major efforts:
1. To prepare ourselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love.
2. Thus to make our souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer, coming in Holy Communion, and through grace.
3. Thereby to make ourselves ready for his final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world.[6]
Once again the more modern expression of our Advent mission comes from the Catechism of Catholic Church:
524 When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming.200 By celebrating the precursor's birth and martyrdom, the Church unites herself to his desire: "He must increase, but I must decrease."201
With luck in the United States, the orgy of the commercialization of the season known as “Black Friday” has blunted our focus on the secularization of the season, and we can now focus on what is truly important, our spiritual growth toward becoming a vessel fitting for the Holy Spirit, and a resting place of Christ himself. Our celebration of this festival day surely marks the beginning of our new pledge of fidelity, and our hopes for the year to come. Yet, hopes and faith alone will not accomplish what the Lord wants from us. We must search our hearts and our actions of the past year, and select from among our many sinful actions those which, in this year of grace, we will correct. Like a pot used over many years, the stains of use are upon us. We must choose which of those stains to scour clean.
Today, on this solemn feast, let us rejoice with the ancient song “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.” Our Advent season has begun and our time of introspection is at hand as we await the glorious coming of our Savior and Lord.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[2] The picture used today is “Advent and Triumph of Christ” by Hans Memling, 1480
[5] Searle, Mark, “The Spirit of Advent”, Assembly V. 7-1, © Notre Dame Center for Liturgy, Notre Dame, IN.
195 Hebrews 9:15.
[6] Mershman, Francis. "Advent." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York
200 Cf Revelation 22:17.
201 John 3:30.
No comments:
Post a Comment