Waiting

One of the most popular gift items this Christmas is sure to be the Amazon Echo Dot (2nd Generation) or Google Home. These voice-prompted devices do everything from telling you the weather to turning on the lights in your living room. These tools are more examples of the “instant” society we have become. We have almost everything we want or need with the touch of a finger or by speaking a simple phrase. We are long on technology but short on patience. We hate waiting! We look for the shortest line in the grocery store, the fastest lane on the highway, the closest parking spot at the mall.

Advent challenges us to listen more closely to a different kind of voice-prompt, the voice of the Spirit who prompts us to wait in hope. Waiting instills patience and humility. Those virtues create space for God. They help us to see and to sense the presence of God more easily. Waiting nurtures our relationship with God.  

During Advent, our scripture readings are filled with images of what happens when we wait in hope: a desert blooms, a wolf becomes a lamb’s BFF, and the poor finally have their day. Good news abounds. As the angel Gabriel tells Mary:

 “Know that Elizabeth your kinswoman has conceived a son in her old age; she who was thought to be sterile is now in her six month, for nothing is impossible with God.”

Luke 1, 36

Advent tells us that not only is it ok to wait, it might actually be preferable in the long run. So, savor Advent. Savor God’s presence. Savor life!  

The Heart of Advent

I have no sense of direction and so whenever I travel to a new place, I rely heavily on my GPS apps. Whether I use Google Maps, MapQuest, or Waze, they all tell me the same thing when I have reached my destination, “Arrived!” That word is so affirming. It says, “I made it,” “I have accomplished my goal,” “I’m here!”

If only there was a similar app for navigating my spiritual life! How affirming it would be to hear the word “Arrived!” How encouraging it would be to know that I have made it and that I have accomplished my goal. But alas, along the way, there are many wrong turns and plenty of detours. My spirit remains lost and my heart remains restless—ever seeking, always searching.

Advent reminds me that the God whom I seek has been here with me all along. Over and over we hear the cries from John the Baptist, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” “God is here.” God has arrived and is here to stay. Advent challenges me to be aware of all the ways God breaks into my life each and every day.

Advent reminds all of us that we have not “arrived.” Rather, we remain pilgrims on a journey, ever seeking, always searching, and perpetually waiting in anticipation, for our days are pregnant with hope.

The Year of Matthew

This week we begin a new liturgical year. That means our Sunday scripture readings will come from the first lectionary, also known as Cycle A or Year A. The first reading will come from fifteen different books of the Old Testament, including Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, 1 and 2 Kings, Proverbs, Wisdom and Sirach. We will also hear from many of the prophets, including Isaiah, Zechariah and Malachi.

The second reading will come primarily from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, the Romans, the Philippians and the Thessalonians.

The third reading will come from the Gospel according to Matthew. Scholars believe Matthew’s Gospel was written between AD 80 and 90, after Mark’s Gospel was written. Because of this, scholars believe Matthew used Mark’s Gospel as a primary source.

Matthew’s Gospel was written for an audience that was primarily Jewish during a rebuilding of The Temple that was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. At that time, tensions concerning the future of Judaism arose between Matthew’s Jewish Christian Community and the Pharisees who opposed them. This is why Matthew’s account of the Gospel, more than any other account, portrays Jesus is in conflict with the Pharisees.

Matthew wanted to demonstrate to his Jewish audience that Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies found in the Old Testament. Some fourteen times Matthew uses what is known as a fulfillment quotation--“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet__.” Only in Matthew do we have Jesus saying that that he has come not to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them.  All that happens in the life and ministry of Jesus is tied to the stories of the people of Israel found in the Old Testament.

At the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is seen as coming forth from the lineage of Abraham and David. The story of the Holy Family is placed within the story of Moses and the Exodus. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is based on the so-called “three pillars” of Judaism in the ancient world: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. The mountain itself recalls the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.

The core of Matthew’s Gospel is the Sermon on the Mount, one of five great discourses where Jesus teaches the community of disciples how to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven. The opening lines of this discourse, commonly called the Beatitudes, show that the teachings of Jesus, rooted in Jewish tradition, are now to reach beyond Judaism to the entire world.

Let us pray that this year may find us living the Beatitudes---that we too might evangelize within and beyond our communities.

The Sign of the Cross

The cross is one of the most ancient symbols of Christianity. Crosses hang from rear-view mirrors, in bedrooms, and stand on faraway hills. They are made out of wood, gold and even palm branches. They adorn necks, ear lobes, fingers and wrists. Jewelers prize them and tourist vendors take stock in them. Crosses can be seen wherever we look. Because its presence is so commonplace, the central meaning of the cross can become obscured or taken for granted.

But what happens when this symbol is put into symbolic action? What does it mean when someone is marked with the sign of the cross? What is decoration for some becomes distinction for others.

Since the second century Christians have been marked on the forehead, the breast and the eyes as a sign that they were claimed by Christ. We repeat this long-standing tradition when we celebrate the Rite of Acceptance into the order of catechumens and the Rite of Welcome for those candidates who have already been baptized.

The Rite of Acceptance into the order of catechumens is a crucial threshold in the lives of those seeking to know God. It stands between the period of inquiry and the period of the catechumenate. For months, maybe even years, these persons have gathered to ask questions about our faith and to share their stories. The signing with the cross expresses their initial yes to God’s call as they promise to live out the teachings of the Gospel and to follow in the path of Christ. This pledge, if taken seriously, is the response to discipleship--a journey which leads to the cross.

This is why the signing with the cross takes place after the inquirers’ acceptance of the Gospel. The words of invitation are significant: “Come forward now with your sponsors to receive the sign of your new way of life as catechumens.” It may seem rather odd that a welcoming ceremony celebrating a new way of life would be symbolized by a cross. It is very telling of what the catechumens can expect as they become immersed into the mystery of Christ, a continual dying to self and rising to new life in Jesus. The signing with the cross also empowers them to endure what a share in the cross may bring. Observe the text for the first signing: “Receive the cross on your forehead. It is Christ who now strengthens you with this sign of his love.” The cross marks them with the “magnitude of Christ’s love and the immensity of Christ’s pain.” They are signed on their foreheads ears, eyes, lips, heart, shoulders, hands and feet; an indication that their entire beings are strengthened and immersed in the power of the cross.

This “new way of life” means a new identity. The inquirers are given a new name. From now on, they are called catechumens. They are embraced by the community which now calls them its own. This transformation takes place in the midst of the members of the assembly, most of whom were first marked with the sign of the cross at baptism. The signing of the cross then becomes not only a symbol of a sharing in the life and death of Christ, but an initial sign of communion with the body of Christ, the assembly. It is the members of the community who sign, acclaim, and affirm the catechumens on their journey. The catechumens are now counted among God’s adopted children.

Those people who are seeking Full Communion with the Catholic Church (those who have been baptized in other Christian traditions), will celebrate the Rite of Welcome. For them, the signing with the cross signifies their commitment to deepen their relationship with Christ.

Let us rejoice with those Catechumens and those seeking Full Communion and give thanks to God for this new life in our midst!

“Go take a walk.” These are the words my mother would use whenever I was confused or anxious. Mom knew that walking had the potential to clear my mind and calm me down. St. Augustine of Hippo, who was born on November 13, 354, would agree with my mother. He is believed to have said, Solvitur ambulando,—it is solved by walking. These sentiments are realized in a form of meditative prayer offered by walking a labyrinth.

A labyrinth is a curved pathway that is drawn on the floor or carved into the ground. Many liken a labyrinth to a maze, but unlike a maze which typically has many pathways, a labyrinth includes only one pathway to the center and back to the entrance. This single pathway makes the labyrinth a welcome tool for prayer and reflection. Walking the narrow pathway of a labyrinth is believed to bring focus and clarity to the mind. Those who use a labyrinth on a daily basis claim that it is a spiritual tool that offers inner peace.

Many believe that the labyrinth is a new invention, but the labyrinth is actually very old, having roots in Greek Mythology. Ancient Romans used tile or mosaic to decorate walls and floors in the shape of a labyrinth. The Church adopted the labyrinth from Roman culture, and during the Middle Ages, labyrinths could be seen in churches and cathedrals throughout Europe.

The most famous of these labyrinths can still be seen at Chartres Cathedral near Paris, France. A cross lies in the center of this eleven-circuit design. This labyrinth was used by the faithful as a pilgrimage, often serving as a substitute for pilgrims who could not make a trip to Jerusalem. Some pilgrims would travel the labyrinth on their knees to show repentance.

As using the labyrinth, for prayer and meditation has increased in popularity in recent years, so too has the number of labyrinths around the world. While there is no way to know the exact number of labyrinths that exist, there is a way to find out if there is one nearby. This website, http://labyrinthlocator.com/, guides visitors to the labyrinths that exist in specific locations. The Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta has an outdoor labyrinth that is modeled on the one at Chartres. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had one at St. Thomas Aquinas? Any Scouts looking for a project?

For more information, visit https://labyrinthsociety.org/

Thus says the Lord: Stand by the earliest roads, ask the pathways of old, “Which is the way to good?” and walk it; thus you will find rest for yourselves.  Jeremiah 6:16