Here is the text of the reflection I prepared for this weekend's gathering of God's people: some thoughts guided by the scriptural accounts of the appearance of John the Baptist, and by the invitation to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the Lord's Nativity.
This weekend, Saint Peter’s is hosting its annual turkey dinner. This annual parish fundraiser is quite a production. Preparations begin months in advance and in the days immediately leading up to the feast, more and more people arrive, each of them bringing another ingredient which will somehow be added to the proverbial pot. As the guests begin to arrive on Sunday afternoon, newcomers and casual bystanders often watch in wonder as this well-oiled machine makes it possible for more than 700 people to be fed a sumptuous meal in just under four hours’ time. As I have watched this extravaganza unfold each year, I marvel at the efficiency with which so many volunteers come and go. Aside from the obvious benefit of feeding so many hungry mouths, I can’t help thinking though that there are always a few surprises: some pleasant and some that challenge us, each of which bears with it another opportunity for a gift which would otherwise go un-noticed.
The scriptures speak today of another time when there were surprises to be discovered and otherwise un-noticed gifts which were being revealed. The people of Israel had been waiting for the coming of the Messiah for so long – ever since the time of the prophet Isaiah and possibly even longer! The words of the prophet were well known to every one of God’s children: Comfort my people … speak tenderly to Jerusalem … she has served her term … her penalty is paid. In other words, the time of suffering is over, but even though these words did bring a certain level of assurance, there was still a question: when exactly would they see an end to their physical suffering, and where were they to look for such signs of hope? The answers to these questions came in ways that certainly were not anticipated, but then again, that’s the way God works: he surprises us in ways that we would never have expected. Isaiah speaks of a voice that cries out: In the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. The wilderness was a vast desert, a place of emptiness and suffering, the last place where people would have expected to look for God and for his comfort, yet this was precisely the place where God’s voice was heard.
Saint Mark explains in today’s gospel that the voice spoken of in Isaiah’s prophecy was that of John the Baptist who appeared in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People from far and wide heard about this baptism, and hoping that this was at last a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, they came to see for themselves. What they saw was a man clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. For those who had hoped that the Messiah’s coming would be heralded by persons of social standing, this would have been a surprise. Yet John knew that he himself was not the one that everyone was waiting for. He told everyone who would listen: The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me.
The world in which we live today is not so different from the society that existed in those days. As in the time of Isaiah, so it is in our time: disciples of Jesus are called to provide living testimony to the tenderness of Christ who journeys with humanity in every time (Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis to the International Federation of Volunteer Christian Service Organizations, December 4, 2014).
Dear friends, we are living in a time of surprises and of gifts that far too often go un-noticed. Being living proof of the tenderness of God for those we meet is a gift which at times might surprise those who are the recipients of our care. In fact, being called to be witnesses of Christ’s love often provides surprises for us ourselves as we say yes to the many ways in which our God invites us to be committed to serving others in love. Yet only in this way do we learn what it means to lead lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God.
This Advent season, let us pray for the gift of allowing ourselves to be surprised by our God. Let us ask the Lord for the gift of being invited to lead lives of holiness and godliness, and let us prepare for Christmas by paying attention to the special gifts that far too often go un-noticed: the gifts that remind us of God’s love for us and the many ways in which he invites us to discover the joy of knowing him.
News from the wilderness
This weekend, Saint Peter’s is hosting its annual turkey dinner. This annual parish fundraiser is quite a production. Preparations begin months in advance and in the days immediately leading up to the feast, more and more people arrive, each of them bringing another ingredient which will somehow be added to the proverbial pot. As the guests begin to arrive on Sunday afternoon, newcomers and casual bystanders often watch in wonder as this well-oiled machine makes it possible for more than 700 people to be fed a sumptuous meal in just under four hours’ time. As I have watched this extravaganza unfold each year, I marvel at the efficiency with which so many volunteers come and go. Aside from the obvious benefit of feeding so many hungry mouths, I can’t help thinking though that there are always a few surprises: some pleasant and some that challenge us, each of which bears with it another opportunity for a gift which would otherwise go un-noticed.
The scriptures speak today of another time when there were surprises to be discovered and otherwise un-noticed gifts which were being revealed. The people of Israel had been waiting for the coming of the Messiah for so long – ever since the time of the prophet Isaiah and possibly even longer! The words of the prophet were well known to every one of God’s children: Comfort my people … speak tenderly to Jerusalem … she has served her term … her penalty is paid. In other words, the time of suffering is over, but even though these words did bring a certain level of assurance, there was still a question: when exactly would they see an end to their physical suffering, and where were they to look for such signs of hope? The answers to these questions came in ways that certainly were not anticipated, but then again, that’s the way God works: he surprises us in ways that we would never have expected. Isaiah speaks of a voice that cries out: In the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. The wilderness was a vast desert, a place of emptiness and suffering, the last place where people would have expected to look for God and for his comfort, yet this was precisely the place where God’s voice was heard.
Saint Mark explains in today’s gospel that the voice spoken of in Isaiah’s prophecy was that of John the Baptist who appeared in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People from far and wide heard about this baptism, and hoping that this was at last a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, they came to see for themselves. What they saw was a man clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. For those who had hoped that the Messiah’s coming would be heralded by persons of social standing, this would have been a surprise. Yet John knew that he himself was not the one that everyone was waiting for. He told everyone who would listen: The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me.
The world in which we live today is not so different from the society that existed in those days. As in the time of Isaiah, so it is in our time: disciples of Jesus are called to provide living testimony to the tenderness of Christ who journeys with humanity in every time (Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis to the International Federation of Volunteer Christian Service Organizations, December 4, 2014).
Dear friends, we are living in a time of surprises and of gifts that far too often go un-noticed. Being living proof of the tenderness of God for those we meet is a gift which at times might surprise those who are the recipients of our care. In fact, being called to be witnesses of Christ’s love often provides surprises for us ourselves as we say yes to the many ways in which our God invites us to be committed to serving others in love. Yet only in this way do we learn what it means to lead lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God.
This Advent season, let us pray for the gift of allowing ourselves to be surprised by our God. Let us ask the Lord for the gift of being invited to lead lives of holiness and godliness, and let us prepare for Christmas by paying attention to the special gifts that far too often go un-noticed: the gifts that remind us of God’s love for us and the many ways in which he invites us to discover the joy of knowing him.
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