• Isaiah 49: 14-15. God, our mother, cannot forget us, the children formed in the womb of divine love.
• 1 Corinthians 4: 1-5. We are servants of Christ and mediators of the mysteries of God. The Lord is our one judge, to bring to light what is hidden in darkness.
• Matthew 6:24-34. We cannot serve two masters, trust in your heavenly Father who knows all that you need. Do not worry about your livelihood. Is not life more than food, the body more valuable than clothes?

Thoughts for your Consideration: By Fr. Phil Paxton, CP

In our Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount with these words: “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one or love the other, or be devoted to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” What Jesus is saying here is that we cannot serve God and material wealth at the same time. If obtaining material wealth is our highest goal, we will not be serving God. Then Jesus talks about worry and anxiety, and in the light of this and our other Scripture readings from today and the past few weeks, it came to me that there might be other things or attitudes that we sometimes put before God.

We cannot serve God and despair – In our first reading from Isaiah, God promises us that even if a mother should forget her child, God will never forget us. In our Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that the Father does know our needs. Sometimes we can doubt this, because of our circumstances. But we can know God is with us as we carry our crosses, because Jesus carried His Cross for us.

We cannot serve God and condemnation – St. Paul warns the Corinthians in our second reading: “Therefore do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes…” If Jesus did not come to condemn us, how can we condemn others?

We cannot serve God and worry – Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? …Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?”

We cannot serve God and complacency – Again, in our second reading, St. Paul writes, “It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not therefore stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord.” As Christians, we cannot be comfortable with what is, because what is is not the kingdom. In the status quo, there are people oppressed, exploited, and worn down. We can’t be comfortable with that.

We cannot serve God and hate – We heard last Sunday that Jesus told us to love even our enemies (as He did). Personally, I am more and more convinced that we cannot serve God and violence against others.

On the other hand, there are things and attitudes that seem to go along with following Jesus.

We can serve God and faith – As Jesus tells us, we can put our faith in God, who provides for all of His Creation, and understands our needs.

We can serve God and hope – In our second reading, St. Paul looks forward to the time when Jesus will come again, “for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.”

We can serve God and peace – In the Beatitudes we hear, “Blessed are the peacemakers…”

We can serve God and mercy and compassion – “Blessed are the merciful…”

We can serve God and righteousness – Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” This, of course, does not mean we can indulge in self-righteousness. The Gospel is very clear about that!

We can serve God and love – Again, in our Gospel reading from last week, Jesus calls us to love, and to love beyond what may seem fair and reasonable, even to the point of praying for those who persecute us.

We can serve God and justice – At times, there is a debate about whether “social justice” is really part of the mission of the Church. I think there is a long line of official documents that affirm that it is. In our Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that the Father knows our needs, but that we are to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given” to us. I don’t believe it is contrary to the Gospel, that as we are invited to let go of worrying about what we will eat or what we will wear, that part of “seeking” the kingdom of God involves wanting to make sure that all of us have something to eat and something to wear, and a roof over our heads. To work for this does not only involve works of charity, but working against the injustices that all too often get in the way of people having their most basic needs met.

May God continue to bless us all, and give us the grace to seek His Kingdom.

• Isaiah 58: 7-10. Do not turn your back on your own; share your bread with the hungry. Then light shall rise for you in the darkness.
• 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5. Paul came among you in weakness and fear but also with the convincing power of the Spirit. Your faith rests not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
• Matthew 5: 13-16. You are the salt of the earth… the light of the world. Let your light shine before others so that they may give praise to your heavenly Father.

Thoughts for your consideration:

In 1971 the World Synod of Catholic Bishops published a document called “Justice in the World”. Paragraph six of this document offers a powerful statement which for me sums up the three lectionary readings for this Sunday.

Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, or, in other words, of the Church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.

In the first and third reading both Isaiah and Jesus tell us that our actions in pursuit of justice will be the beacon that shines on the rest of humanity. This week’s Gospel parable of salt and light comes on the heels of the beatitudes that we heard last week. Our light will shine when we exhibit the actions of being peacemakers and promoters of justice and righteousness. In the first reading Isaiah ties it all together in a very clear and unambiguous way:

Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn.

This week’s readings along with the consistent social teachings of the Catholic Church remind us that social justice is not merely a nice thing to do. It is as the Bishops tell us, “A constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel”. Some have argued in the past that social justice may be important but that it takes a second place to the higher virtue of personal charity. In the 2009 encyclical “Caritas in Veritate” Pope Benedict XVI effectively responded to this argument by saying that social justice is in fact the “institutional path of charity” and “every Christian is called to practice this charity”. It is important to know that during the time of Isaiah and Jesus the concept of individualism did not exist as it does today. People very much identified themselves not only as a person but as part of a community. Charity was never understood as merely a personal action but a systemic action as well. Jesus did not offer a personal message of salvation but a social vision under the theological rubric of the Kingdom of God. Jesus uses the metaphor of salt and light to inform us that our actions towards justice and peace are not meant for our own personal edification or individual salvation but for the transformation of society. Our good deeds and actions will be an agent of conversion towards the common good and that will slowly build a society based on this principle.

In the second reading Paul points out that the Gospel wisdom is not offered in eloquent words or in wise ideologies. Again they are based on actions of the Spirit. These actions are centered on an ethic of compassion that Paul offers through his sharing of the mystery of Christ crucified. The power of God is demonstrated through the suffering servant who challenged the social injustice of his day through actions of mercy, healing and forgiving justice. Society rewarded this counter cultural behavior with suffering and the cross but God responded back with power and eternal life. These are the actions that Paul testifies to and demonstrates in his preaching of the Gospel. His lives and preaches by example.

• Isaiah 8:23 – 9:3. Darkness and gloom give way to light and joy. Great, victorious moments are renewed.
• 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17. Divisions should cease, even those in the name of Paul, Cephas, Apollos or Christ. We have all been baptized in the name of the one Lord and Savior, whose cross has become our gospel.
• Matthew 4:12-23. Jesus returns to Galilee to begin his public ministry. Here he calls his first disciples, two sets of brothers who immediately follow him. He proclaims the good news of the kingdom.

Thoughts for your consideration:

The lectionary readings for this week offer us a message of hope in the midst of major transitions. The first reading by Isaiah tells us about an impending hope and glory that will be brought into a land that is suffering in gloom and anguish. The land is identified as the “district of the gentiles” and the message of hope is that this land will experience a great sense of liberation and enlightenment. Verse 5 tells us how through whom this glorious transition will happen.

For a child shall be born to us… they name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.  

Matthew saw this prophetic quote as the perfect scriptural passage to use as a conclusion to his four chapter introduction. This passage places a prophetic context to the amazing situation that has developed where Jesus will begin his public teaching ministry with the Sermon on the Mount in the gentile land of Galilee. Isaiah speaks of a glorious future transition for the suffering gentile community. For Matthew this transition is a present reality that is being lived out during the time this gospel was written which is approximately in the year 75 CE. In the Gospel reading we have Jesus inviting two sets of brothers to share in his ministry of bringing people back to God. This transition from a dark and gloomy social order to being healers and heralds of peace and justice is personified by Peter, Andrew, James and John taking up the call to follow Christ in proclaiming the kingdom of God in words and actions. These four were the first agents of change towards fulfilling the glorious transition that was foretold by Isaiah and begun through Christ. In Matthew’s account we are simply told that these brothers immediately left what they were doing and followed him.

We know from the rest of the Gospel story that the transition which these early disciples engaged in was not as simple or passive as we are lead to believe in this week’s gospel reading. The disciples faced many trials and tribulations as they carried out their exciting new community life and ministry. These trials included doubt, infighting, disagreements, betrayal, persecution and for many of them death. The message of a future hope does not negate the reality of a present suffering. Transitions are never easy. While our faith offers us a future promise of hope the fact is that our present transitions challenge us in so many ways. Individually many of us face and will continue to face personal experiences of transitions that will take us out of our comfort zone. As a society and as a church we are also aware of the massive transition that we now face that will challenge us in becoming a global family. How will we respond to these challenges?  

In the second reading Paul warns the Corinthian community that their transition into the Christian family cannot emulate the bad characteristic that was very much a part of their social order. Division, rivalries and jealousy are very much part of the human condition but they are not part of the Christian liberating experience. This experience will be marked by unity in serving the gospel message of hope. The disciples and early Christians were offered a glimpse of what is to come while they help transform the social order.

We as individuals and as a society our given a message of hope for a future of justice and peace that is to come. We are called to be agents of hope in this dark and gloomy world of ours. We are agents of change, but this change is not our own. We, like the early disciples, are invited to share in Jesus’ divine mission. This social and personal transformation must not carry the darker elements of our present social order. The Catholic social tradition has continued to offer us Paul’s warning by calling us to live in a spirit of unity that is working together to transform our society towards a “culture of life”.

The first and fundamental step towards this cultural transformation consists in forming consciences with regard to the incomparable and inviolable worth of every human life. –Evangelium Vitae #96

To engage in this liberating mission we have to put off our human proclivity towards our own self-interest. In retaining our self-interest will we inevitably begin to create social divisions that first qualify then discriminate human life. Some of us will discard those who are unborn by defining them outside of human life. Others will define people of a certain ethnic or religious background as second class citizens not fully worthy of the dignity that we recognize in ourselves. And some of us may believe that criminal actions have forfeited the dignity and rights of other s.  These are social tendencies that are simply not consistent with the social vision that Jesus offers. As agents of change we need to be the first defenders of this consistent ethic of life where we protect and defend the dignity and rights of all.

• Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7. In this first song of the Suffering Servant within the prophesy of Isaiah, God summons his chosen one to bring forth justice to the nations, quietly, considerately.
• Acts 10: 34-38. Peter instructs the first gentile converts beginning with Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist when he was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power.
• Matthew 3:13-17. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus proclaiming “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Thoughts for your Consideration:

This week our Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. In celebrating this event we are observing a number of important moments for our faith tradition. We celebrate the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. This beginning is marked in two ways which testifies to Jesus’ humanity (the baptism by John) and his divinity (the anointment by the Holy Spirit). We also acknowledge the foundation for the rite of baptism and confirmation as important sacraments of the Church and in our lives. We also observe the importance of John the Baptist and his prophetic role in preparing the way of the Lord.

But if we reflect on three readings together then we are confronted with another element that must be observed with this amazing event: Jesus’ ministry is grounded within the prophetic tradition. Isaiah’s suffering servant songs offer a resume for the anointed messiah. In this passage that we read today Isaiah reminds us that this resume fulfills the prophetic call for justice:

He shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. a bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth;

Isaiah tells us two things in this passage. First he tells us about the mission of the “suffering servant” in bringing forth social justice. He describes this mission as having a liberating effect to all of God’s people. Peter, in the second reading, receives his own epiphany by realizing that “God shows no partiality.” The people of God are not defined by a particular ethnicity or creed, and the gentile converts force Peter to recognize the universal extant of this liberating call to justice. The second thing that Isaiah tells us is the way in which the “suffering servant” will conduct this mission. He describes a nonviolent and humble approach in bringing about this call to justice. The “suffering servant” will not bestow justice with a firm hand or with harsh punishment; instead justice will be applied with mercy, humility and gentleness. Peter describes this in terms of simply being good and bringing about healing.

Baptism and confirmation does not make us good. By virtue of being created by a good God we and all creation are designated as good (Gen. 1:31). Baptism instead consecrates us to a life of perfect goodness. For us Catholics confirmation offers us the added grace of being anointed by the Holy Spirit which will aid us in the pursuit of perfect goodness. Justice is a virtue that belongs to all who seek the good. Justice was pursued not only by the prophets before Christ but also by every human civilization that ever existed. But through Christ we have been given the perfect model for our humanity and for our mission to pursue justice and all that is good.

You have heard that it was said, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also… Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Mt. 5: 38-39, 48)

This call to perfect goodness challenges us to adopt an ethic of peace and nonviolence in promoting social justice. The call to nonviolence is not a call to passivity. Instead we are still called to promote what is just and fair but our means are limited since they require us to apply mercy, respect and gentleness in addressing the injustice that we face. As we consider the social injustices and conflicts in our world let us reflect on our baptismal calling to model the “suffering servant” in our pursuit of perfect justice.

• Isaiah 60: 1-6. Gentiles come from distant lands, attracted by the splendor of Jerusalem, bringing gifts and the “wealth of nations.” They will be the sons and daughters of the Holy City.
• Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6. Paul preaches the mystery, hidden from all eternity until now, that gentiles are co-heirs and “co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
• Matthew 2:1-12. The Magi from the east come with gifts seeking the newborn King of the Jews. Herod and all Jerusalem are upset by this.

Thoughts for your Consideration:

This weekend we celebrate Epiphany. The story in the Gospel of Matthew where the wise Magi from the east follow the star that leads them to the King of the Jews. This is the scripture event from which the Christmas tradition of gift giving originates with. The gifts of the Magi is very much relevant and meaningful to us as we celebrate the Christmas season, but for the moment let us reflect on two aspects of this story: where the Magi came from, and how was their visit and offerings received by Herod and all of Jerusalem.

Our tradition of offering gifts is often times done within the association of our family, friends and associates, intimate members of our lives. But the Magi where neither family, friends nor associates. They did not even share the same religious faith as Mary and Joseph. They were complete strangers from distant lands that followed a cosmological and universal symbol which lead them to a foreign country in search of a great truth.

All three readings for this weekend testify to an amazing aspect of the Gospel: that the promise of Jesus Christ does not belong to any one group of people. While the first covenant was defined as a contract between God and a chosen people this new covenant that was sealed through Christ is one that is made with all people. Isaiah prophesies about this when he describes Jerusalem as a Holy City by virtue that it belongs to all and it will be enriched by foreign nations. Its sons and daughters will be heralded from distant lands. Paul goes even further by declaring that the Gentiles will not come into this new covenant relationship as second class citizens, instead they are to be seen as “co-heirs” and “co-partners” through Jesus Christ. The gospel story compliments Isaiah and Paul by testifying to the celebrated birth of Christ by foreign Magi in pursuit of a truth that was a much relevant to them as it was to all of Jerusalem.

But Jerusalem, and Herod especially, was not at all thrilled with this outside exposure. As you can imagine, a chosen people were not too thrilled with the prospect of sharing their divine promise and hope with others. This was especially true for Herod and for those who ruled Jerusalem with him. Such external influences from the east was outside of Herod’s political power base (the Temple authority and of course, Rome) and as such they were a direct challenge to his political stability.         

It should be noted that this liturgical feast and these readings will be celebrated on the weekend of January 1^st which is observed as the World Day of Peace by the Catholic Church. This year’s World Day of Peace Message: “Religious Freedom, The Path to Peace,” is very much relevant to these three readings. With this message Pope Benedict XVI is again addressing a challenge from the East, although the challenge this time around is very different. The Magi symbolize strangers with different faith traditions who pursue the universal and divine truth, this pursuit leads them to a humble manger and the newborn savior of the world. In defending religious freedom Pope Benedict maintains that while the Church “is duty bound to proclaim without fail, Christ who is the way, the truth and the life … this in no way excludes dialogue and the common pursuit of the truth in different areas of life, since, as Saint Thomas Aquinas would say, “every truth, whoever utters it, comes from the Holy Spirit””.

The challenge from the east this time is religious fundamentalism. This challenge is seen very clearly in some of the atrocities in Iraq, the Middle East and Asia but the seeds of religious and anti-religious fundamentalism can also be found in the west. The goal of religion is to pursuit the universal truth and the common good and because of that Pope Benedict XVI is urging us all to pursue dialogue in hopes of coming to a common awareness our own truth and divine unity. According to the reading for this weekend the pursuit of the truth will result in unity and peace as it did with the Magi, not in division and conflict as it did with Herod.

• Isaiah 7:10-14. At a time when the Davidic dynasty was threatened severely, even with the loss of the throne, Isaiah promised survival but through God alone.
• Romans 1: 1-7. Paul has been designated to announce the Gospel – Jesus Christ, “descended from David according to the flesh but… Son of God… by his resurrection.”
• Matthew 1: 18-24. A tradition centering in Joseph recalls Jesus’ virginal conception as announced through the prophets.

Thoughts for Your Consideration: By John Gonzalez

We are coming towards the end of the Advent season. The readings call to mind the Divine plan which called for the birth of the savior. Isaiah offers his prophesy regarding the birth of Emmanuel to King Ahaz of Judah as a miraculous symbol of Divine hope for a period of great national stress. Paul describes the mystery of the incarnation as part of the gospel creed and the hope for the early Christian community in Rome. In the Gospel reading according to Matthew the miraculous circumstances regarding the birth of Jesus are narrated to us through the eyes of Joseph who is both righteous and compassionate. Joseph struggles with the social implications of this event but through the power of faith that graces his intuition he is able to identify the great salvific hope that will be born to them.

These readings set up for us the exciting context for celebrating Christmas. They describe to us the foretold birth of Christ and we can get excited over the message in preparation for the festivities of the week. But if we take the time to contemplate each of these readings and appreciate the dire situation from which each of them where written in we will be feeling something other than excitement.  Instead we may end up with a healthy amount of anguish and trepidation for what is to come. In all three cases (King Ahaz, Joseph, and the early Christian community in Rome) each is being given a message of hope that can only be accepted in faith as they each are asked to take their first step into the deep unknown. At Christmas we celebrate the foretold gift of hope, a gift in the midst of a suffering world, a gift that will challenge all of us to have faith in a hope that is not of our own making and which places us in the midst of the social suffering of our world.

Let us explore the situation of King Ahaz. Ahaz, the King of Judah, reigned in the midst of social upheaval. The armies of Syria and Northern Israel formed an alliance against Assyria. Ahaz would not join the alliance and so the two armies strategized to take over Jerusalem and set up a puppet government which would concede to the alliance. Ahaz was rightfully concerned that a war against Assyria was folly. So instead of joining the alliance with Israel and Syria he contemplated forming a military alliance with Assyria. Here is where Isaiah comes in. He counsels Ahaz against forming an alliance that will eventually reduce Judah to rubble. Instead Isaiah’s advice to Ahaz is to wait out the crisis and “remain tranquil and do not fear.” Scripture Scholars suggest that Isaiah analyzed that Assyria would finish off with the two rebel states of Israel and Syria soon (which they did) and felt that it would be folly to place oneself into a relationship of submission to the Assyrians. In this situation Isaiah offers Ahaz a prophesy of hope regarding the birth of Emmanuel. This prophesy was to symbolize two things. For the interest of Ahaz it symbolized the preservation of the Davidic lineage. But it also signified hope in the midst of tribulation, new life in the midst of impending destruction. Ahaz does not concede to Isaiah  and engages the Assyrians. The Kingdom of Judah has lost faith, “unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm.” The birth of hope is instead brought to bear with the astounding faith of another member of the Davidic lineage, a lowly carpenter who faces a troubling pre-marital situation.

The central message of each of these readings is that hope is alive in the midst of our own social or personal tribulations. As the year 2010 draws to a close we face many social upheavals that can leave us without any faith for the future. Our global economy, domestic social welfare, political and military conflicts are all in turmoil. Where can we identify our hope in these times? Do we now compromise our faith with other organizations or ideologies out there that give us some semblance of comfort and stability? Like Ahaz, should we close in on ourselves with a narrow definition of community or nation and out of fear submit ourselves to the policies of those who appear economically and politically strong? No, Scripture has never presented that as a solution.  Our faith is in God, the God of the poor and the suffering, the God who promises justice, mercy and forgiveness time and time again. The non-violent prince of peace is our true hope, our way to address the violent and unjust challenges in our world. It is a path wrought with suffering as we promote policies of fairness; justice and compassion to all our brothers and sisters who need our help. It is a path that will bring us ridicule as we tirelessly advocate for peace and nonviolence to a world that is nurtured in conflict and violence. It is an unpopular path but according to the prophets it is the only sure path we have.

• Isaiah 35: 1-6, 10. The prophet sees the desert blooming with new life, as the eyes of the blind our open, the ears of the deaf unsealed, and everyone returns singing to Zion.
• James 5: 7-10. The patience of the farmer is emphasized. He plants the seed in the autumn and waits through the early and late rains till the crop begins to grow in springtime. Remember the patent endurance of the prophets.
• Matthew 11: 2-11. When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come?” Jesus answered with messianic citations from the Hebrew Scriptures and the praised John.

Thoughts for Your Consideration: By John Gonzalez

I have always maintained that Christianity is a progressive faith. It is forward looking. It certainly honors and reveres the tradition that points to the Divine origin of creation, but essentially its aim and goal is a future reality that is to come. Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation are Divine principles that will define the Kingdom of heaven. Today we strive, as commissioned citizens of this Kingdom, to make these principles real in our lives and in our society so to hasten the arrival of this Divine moment of salvation history. Isaiah and James point to this hope and expectation. But in their message of hope they also exhort patience.

In the Gospel reading John the Baptist is in prison and he sends out his disciples to inquire about the nature of Jesus. John’s ministry has been to preach the message of redemption and reconciliation in preparation for the one who will bring in this Kingdom of heaven. Now in his own despair he wonders if Jesus indeed is the one foretold. Jesus offers an affirmative response with a prophetic testament linking his actions to the prophesy of Isaiah in the first reading.

Throughout the Gospels Jesus consistently honors the Prophetic tradition and the Ten Commandments but outside of that his actions and teachings are forward looking so that through himself he is demonstrating the virtue of living in this future Kingdom. People are healed, forgiven, feed, reconciled and given new life. These are the attributes of God’s coming Kingdom. Jesus offers God’s Justice by offering compassion and forgiveness to all, even to those who do not seek forgiveness “Father Forgive them for they know not what they do.” He never condemns anyone to exile or punishment but instead is always inviting us to be in relationship with God the Father. He Brings about God’s Peace through the message of non-violence and reconciliation ultimately making an example of this virtue through his own life. And He demonstrates the Integrity of all Creation by being open to all people and nationalities and also by exhibiting a unique interrelationship with the natural world.

But even by the time that James is writing his epistle the early Christian community is getting antsy. When will this salvation moment take place? How long must we wait? James reminds the people of the long process that is salvation history by reminding them of the patience and endurance of the Prophets. He exhorts the early community to exhibit the same patience and endurance while assuring them that He is coming. Now, 2000 years later, how do we address the natural impatience of our own people? We can do so by pointing to aspects of God’s reign in our midst. The Kingdom of heaven was brought to our attention through the life and ministry of Jesus, and we await the final culmination of that moment. But for the present we progressively collaborate with God to bring about aspects of the Kingdom in our midst. This progressive development is challenging and often accompanied with social violence of some form or another.

In Passionist spirituality we recognize a formula that is based on the Paschal mystery whereby we go through a spiritual process of accepting a “Mystical Death” in the hopes of accomplishing a “Divine Rebirth.” In this process our own lives are reborn into a more meaningful existence through a period of trial and tribulation. This can happen in periods of our own social history as well. While we saw the devastation of the American Civil War and the Two World Wars we can also point to the progressive reality where we no longer accept the institution of slavery, where we can declare that all humans have established inalienable rights and dignity, and where we attempt to form a global international system for states to discuss their issues rather than to go to war. These are moments or social “Mystical Deaths” and “Divine Rebirths” whereby we as a human community progress towards a social semblance of the Kingdom of heaven. We are not at the end of the journey and it looks like we have quite a ways to go. We too must be patient and make our hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand.

What Christian is not aware of the fact that they are called by Christ to be agents of peace in our world? It is one thing to recognize this principle, but it is quite another thing to actualize such a challenging call. Scripture offers us some guidance on this subject. During this liturgical season our first readings will come from the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah consults the court in Jerusalem during a time of great conflict and turmoil. His recommendation is fidelity and justice. The prophetic tradition of that time never saw any distinction between the earthly desire for peace, the pursuit of justice, and our fidelity to God. This was a one package deal. Fidelity to God offers a hope for peace (Is 2:2-4). Fidelity to God includes a commitment to social justice. Consider this passage from Isaiah and reflect on its relevance during our upcoming Christmas celebration.

Your new moons and festivals I detest; they weigh me down, I tire of the load. When you spread out your hands, I close my eyes to you; Though you pray the more, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.– Is. 1:14-17

Peace is found when we are fidelity to God is expressed in the works of justice. Pope Paul VI perhaps said it best in his 1972 World Day of Peace Message which was titled: “If You Want Peace, Work for Justice.” The Catholic church along with its social teachings have annually highlighted the Christian theology of peace with the annual World Day of Peace Message, a tradition that started with Pope Paul VI in 1968 and which continues to this day. The messages highlight a specific aspect of pursuing peace in the context of social or cultural concerns. The U.S. Bishops have a document written in 1983 but which is still very much relevant to those of us in this nation who would like to see the official Catholic positions in relation to aspects of violence and war that concern us. The document is called “The Challenge of Peace.”

True peace is a gift from God that will be given to us when we live our lives consistent to His vision of justice. Instead of debating the militaristic position of our nation as the policeman of the world and creating knee jerk military reactions whenever our perceived allies or even we feel threaten we should examine the reality of social and economic injustice from which violent conflicts are born. We need to cultivate a lifestyle that pursues justice and nonviolence. Once this is done we as a community can start becoming creative with alternative domestic and global policies that promote an environment of  justice and peace rather than raising our defenses and extending military contracts. In our global world the promotion of an authentic policy of disarmament coupled with a greater global partnership to address the issues of social and economic injustice will yield better results than economic isolation and militarization.

There is a prominent historical myth that I continue to question. It is suggested that it was World War II and not the New Deal that got our nation out of the Great Depression. This myth is used to debunk the pursuit of social justice in favor of a military based economy. I tend the argue that the result of the rapid new industrialization of this nation which World War II brought on was made possible by the financial security, social stability and domestic infrastructure created during the New Deal. But one aspect of this position doesn’t quite add up. During the New Deal it was the government, in pursuit of justice, that became the spender of these social improvements. During World War II it was again the government, in pursuit of war, that purchased military goods and services. So in the end the argument is not for or against Government spending, it is an argument for the object of Government spending. Why is it that we are more comfortable with Government spending for war versus spending on social justice? How can we hope to achieve our Christian pursuit of peace if we as a nation are ready to economically rationalize our pursuit for war?

• Isaiah 11:1-10. After destruction and long waiting, the official spring of David will come as a tender shoot out of the hidden root of Jesse, David’s father; a new paradigm will be enjoyed by all.
• Romans 15:4-9. Everything has been written four our instruction and encouragement, so that we may live in perfect harmony with one another.
• Matthew 3:1-12. John the Baptist appeared, a voice crying in the wilderness, a threat to the powerful, a humble precursor to Jesus. Jesus will gather the wheat into the granary but will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Thoughts for your Consideration: By Fr. Stephen Dunn, CP

Advent strengthens our sense of anticipation.  The readings of the liturgy today look toward a heroic personality who will lead the people.  He will provide an extraordinary and positive experience of the richness of the earth: 

The child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
…the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.

He will reform human society too, drawing on:

A spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength,
…he shall judge the poor with justice,
 and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless … he shall slay the wicked.

Those Scriptures, St. Paul indicates in the second reading, are “for our instruction”.   The endurance we learn and the encouragement they give will provide us with hope. In the Gospel, St. Matthew tells us how the anticipation of that ideal was shaping “real life” ministry paths.  John the Baptist was so successful at that project in his austere but convincing life-style that he was drawing significant crowds to the River Jordan to hear his message. He offered a Baptism to purify the people for the role of “judging the poor with justice” and “deciding aright for the land’s afflicted”.  It was in this context that Jesus was about to begin his own life of ministry.  What might these Scriptures be giving us today by way of instruction?  Do we need to reconsider our personal or collective version of Isaiah’s prophetic image of the leader who would establish justice, peace and the integrity of creation?

The other day, while shopping in a religious bookstore, I was taken aback by an unusual title: “The North End Lives”.  It caught my interest because I was born and raised in a neighborhood called the “North End”.  Surely it was not the same one (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada).  But yes it was!  It was a collection of stories of incidents that occurred in the thirty year social ministry of Hugo Neufeld, a Mennonite who moved into the area with his wife and children to learn about and assist those living “below the poverty line”. My family actually had that experience.  But I’ve tended to identify more with a newspaper description quoted in the book: “[The North End]… is a complex mix of grit and gritty characters, tough problems and big-hearted neighbors”.  So, bubbling up from my sub-conscious, I was wondering: do we really need someone from British Columbia to “set up shop” to help us out of our “tough problems”?  

That sparked reflections about what might be different about this Mennonite mission and what the Passionist, Fr. Rick Freshette, is accomplishing in Cité Soleil in Haiti (admittedly with much more physical peril).   Other Passionists, too,  are responding to a similar sense of mission in the U.S., Jamaica, and other locales. The difference, I suppose is confronting the reality that such a mission is in the place you call “home”….where you were raised … where you were educated … where you learned to be counted (with pride), among the “gritty characters”.   Scriptural scholarship now allows us to see clearly that some such thinking was going on in the mind and heart of John the Baptist and indeed Jesus himself. 

St. Matthew gives us a lot to consider.  He fills in the picture of John’s expectations of this ideal leader: with “winnowing fan in his hand” he would be ready to “clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire”.   The Baptist came upon this emphasis in his idealism honestly, because he was born into the “poor” of the Jerusalem scene. That he belonged to an ordinary priestly family rather than being able to claim descent from the high priesthood of the Jerusalem elite spoke volumes.  He presented himself to the people of the lower classes as one who understood their suffering and was in solidarity with them.

That identification gave him outspoken courage.  To the Pharisees and Sadducees he said:  “Ye brood of vipers” and denied them what they presumed was the pride of their descent: “do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’.  The militancy of his just cause against the imperial oppression and those who colluded with it at the Temple was plain and evident. 

However, as Matthew will relate further on in the Gospel story, John’s subsequent questioning of Jesus’ mission made it clear that the Baptist’s personal anticipation differed from the path Jesus was taking.  At stake was the ideal of the champion of the poor.   Today’s Gospel gives a first indication that the way Jesus, the “shoot” Isaiah predicted would “sprout from the stump of Jesse” would present himself would be at variance with the anticipation of the Baptist.

Today’s Advent exploration of Isaiah’s ideal of the one who will lead his people in justice, peace and the integrity of creation puts very important questions before us.  Perhaps the most poignant is whether we can bring our own expectations into the crucible of our own “North End”, as Matthew indicates was occurring for both John the Baptist and Jesus – as they were probing the authenticity of their respective missions to those oppressed by Empire and Temple in Jerusalem and Galilee.

• Isaiah 2: 1-5. Isaiah prophesizes about the future glory of Jerusalem. “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.”
• Romans 13: 11-14. Paul reminds the Romans that they must be awake and ready for the immanent salvation. The people should conduct themselves properly and “throw off the works of darkness.”
• Matthew 24: 37-44. Jesus tells the disciples that the coming of the Son of Man will be like the days of Noah and the Flood. We must be prepared for we do not know the hour when the Son of Man will come.

Thoughts for Your Consideration: By Fr. Phil Paxton, CP

Every year around this time, I reflect on the distinction between preparing for the holiday of Christmas and preparing for the holy day. Preparations for the holiday have already begun. Christmas decorations are adorning the stores, and shoppers are listening to Christmas music. People are buying gifts and looking for the best deal, whether it’s in a store or online. Trips and visits are planned, and menus for Christmas dinner are getting set. This Sunday marks the beginning of the season of Advent, and the time of preparation for the holy day of Christmas, when we celebrate the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ, into the world, and wait for Him to come again. Both kinds of preparation can be positive. I still enjoy giving and receiving gifts. I enjoy hearing about how friends and family are decorating their homes or getting ready to bake dozens (hundreds!) of Christmas cookies.

When we look at what’s going on in the world, or in our lives, the preparation to celebrate Jesus’ birth and to await His coming again becomes more and more important. Advent is a time of waiting, but not passive waiting. We are to get ready. As Jesus says in our Gospel reading from Matthew, “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”

How are we to get ready? In our second reading from Romans, St. Paul exhorts his fellow Christians: “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.” To get ready for the day when Jesus comes, we are called to get out of certain things (“the works of darkness”), and get into others (“the armor of light”).

Our Scripture readings point to some of the “works of darkness” that are all around us, and keep us from the “peace” and “good will among all” that this time of year calls to mind. In our first reading from Isaiah, we hear the prophet look forward to a time when “One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.” Violence is a work of darkness that has proven difficult for us to throw off. So often we seem to turn to violence almost as a first, rather than as a last resort. In the reading from Romans, St. Paul writes, “let us conduct ourselves…not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy.” Another work of darkness that seems prevalent is self-indulgence. We are tempted to want more and more and more, despite the consequences to others or even to the whole earth.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus points to another work of darkness. He says, “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.” For me, Jesus warns against complacency. In some ways, this can be the most seductive work of darkness of all. We can be tempted to let our comfort determine our attitude toward others and to the world. As Christians, we can never be satisfied with what is. When it comes to the environment or poverty or violence, we really can’t wait to “conduct ourselves properly as in the day” (Romans 13:13), or beat our “swords into plowshares,” and our “spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4)! We are called to act at this time in our lives!

We cannot throw off the works of darkness on our own. As St. Paul says, we are to put on “the armor of light.” We are to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Only in the grace and love of Jesus Christ can we let go of violence and self-indulgence and complacency. In sharing Jesus’ love we can work for peace and justice in our world. To paraphrase the words of Isaiah, we are being called: “O Church, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!”

 May God continue to bless us all, and may we prepare ourselves for Christ’s coming.