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“John went throughout the whole region…proclaiming a baptism of repentance...”
In a sermon given on the Second Sunday of Advent, Blessed Louis Brisson observed:
“The Gospel speaks to us of Saint John the Baptist. He was baptizing in the Jordan and when the multitudes came to him and surrounded him, he cried out, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only his messenger. I come to prepare the way. It is He who will give you the baptism that comes from heaven.’ Hearing of the wonders of Our Lord, John sent to Him his disciples who asked Jesus, “Are you He who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ Our Lord answered, ‘Report to John what you have seen: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and blessed are those who are not scandalized in Me.’”
“When the disciples had departed, Jesus said to those around Him, ‘What did you go out into the desert to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Those who dress in this manner are in the palaces of kings. A prophet? Yes, I declare to you, a prophet and more than a prophet, for it is written of him, ‘I send before you my angel who will prepare the way for you.’ Thus, the people understood then that the words of John the Baptist and the words of Our Lord were in agreement.”
“My children, we are in Advent. Jesus is going to come into our hearts. Let us cry out to Him in all truth every day, as Saint John called out to Him by his desires, ‘Come Lord. Be our strength. Come not only into our hearts but also into the hearts of all whom we love and for whom we pray.” (Cor ad Cor, p. 21)
Amen.
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“Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak. Say to those whose hearts are frightened: be strong, fear not!”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus fulfills the prophet Isaiah’s words by prophetic action. First, Jesus forgives the sins of the paralyzed man; second, he heals the man’s paralysis.
The Season of Advent provides us with a wonderful opportunity to consider the ways – any ways – in which we might be suffering from any form of paralysis: spiritual, emotional, social - and perhaps - even physical. In what ways might our minds be feeble? In what ways might our resolve be weak? In what ways might our hearts be frightened?
Whether on our own – or with the help of others – let us approach the Lord in our neediness. Let us ask for His forgiveness. Let us ask for His strength. May He open our eyes, ears and hearts to the wonders of His power! May our tongues – and lives – give witness to His love!
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“Comfort; give comfort to my people, says your God.”
In a commentary on the necessity to “reprint the Gospel,” Blessed Louis Brisson observed:
“The third evangelical task about which I want to speak is the evangelization of the nations - the preaching of Our Lord. Our Lord has come to earth to give us an example, to instruct us and to redeem us by His sufferings. The preaching of the Gospel was one of the principal reasons for His coming. We, therefore, should reprint the Gospel also by our preaching.”
“All of us should preach. Those who work with their hands as well as those who are occupied with exterior works, those who conduct classes as well as those who teach by example, those who direct souls as well as those who are assigned to the ministry of the pulpit - all of us should preach. We should preach in a practical way. We should teach our neighbor, if not by our words, at least by our actions. If you do so, do you think that you will have no influence on those who see you?” (Cor ad Cor, p. 30)
Today are you looking for a way to “reprint the Gospel?” Are you interested in doing your part to continue “the evangelization of the nations, the preaching of Our Lord?” Then here is one suggestion that comes directly from our God Himself.
“Comfort; give comfort to my people.”
Today!
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“They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar as with eagles’ wings…”
Don’t bother looking around the room at other people’s hands or knees for weakness. We need to look no further than our own hands and knees or, for that matter, our own minds or hearts, our own spirits or psyches, to see the weakness to which the Prophet Isaiah refers in our First Reading today.
These weaknesses are not bad news. In fact, they are very good news! The promise is that God will never “grow faint or weary” when it comes – as Jesus says in today’s Gospel – to giving us rest. Put another way, our weaknesses are not an obstacle to God’s transforming, empowering and inspiring love. In fact, our weaknesses are an entrée to that transforming, empowering and inspiring love. The Preface for the Eucharistic Prayer for Martyrs in the former Sacramentary read, “God chooses the weak and makes them strong in bearing witness to him…”
Our ongoing need for divine comfort, healing and strength reminds us of Saint Francis de Sales’ teaching on whom should approach, celebrate and receive the Eucharist. In his Introduction to the Devout Life, he wrote:
“Two classes of people should communicate frequently: the strong lest they become weak, and the weak that they may become strong; the sick that they may be restored to health, and the healthy lest they fall sick. Tell them that for your part you are imperfect, weak and sick and need to communicate frequently with Him who is your perfection and strength…” (Introduction to the Devout Life Part II, Chapter 21)
Seen with the eyes of faith, all that may wear us down or make us weary should not be cause for shame. In fact, seen with the eyes of God, all that may wear us down and make us weary perfectly prepares us to be sustained, renewed and invigorated by the God who is always with us!
Today, let us learn from our meek and humble Jesus in whom as we find comfort and rest. Let us offer that same comfort and rest as needed to one another.
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“She became mother of all the living...”
The reading from the Book of Genesis ends with the statement: “The man called his wife Eve because she became the mother of all the living.”
Eve is the mother of us all. We all bear traces of her maternity by virtue of the fact that we are impacted by Original Sin. Eve’s “yes” to the serpent’s temptation continues to affect our lives even to this day.
Good for us that another woman is likewise “the mother of all the living.” However, she is our Mother in an entirely different way. Her “yes” affects us in an entirely different way. In his Introduction to the Devout Life, Saint Francis de Sales wrote:
“Honor, venerate and respect with special love the holy and glorious Virgin Mary who, being the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Brother, is also in truth our very mother. Let us then have recourse to her, and as her little children cast ourselves into her bosom with perfect confidence. At all times and on all occasions let us invoke her maternal love whilst striving to imitate her virtues…” (Living Jesus, p. 224)
So, we have – in truth – two mothers. One mother is famous for saying “yes” to the temptation of the evil one; the other mother is famous for saying “yes” to the invitation of the Holy One - both with lasting effects!
Today, which of these two mothers will we imitate?
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“You’re damned if you do; you’re damned if you don’t.”
That statement pretty much sums up the message in today’s Gospel selection from Matthew. Saint John the Baptist got criticized for being aloof and austere; Jesus got criticized for being accessible and down-to-earth.
There’s just no pleasing some people.
In his Introduction to the Devout Life, Saint Francis de Sales wrote:
“Does anyone fail to see that the world is an unjust judge, gracious and well-disposed to its own children but rigorous towards the children of God? We can never please the world unless we lose ourselves together with it. It is so demanding that it can’t be satisfied. ‘John came neither eating or drinking, says the Savior, and you say, ‘He has a devil.’ ‘The Son of Man came eating and drinking,’ and you say he is ‘a Samaritan.’ If we are ready to laugh, play cards or dance with the world in order to please it, it will be scandalized at us, and if we don’t, it will accuse us of hypocrisy or melancholy…” (Introduction to the Devout Life, Ch. 1, p. 236)
You know the old adage: if you try to please everyone, you end up making yourself miserable. On any given day follow the example of both John and Jesus - be who you are and be that as best as you can.
Come what may!
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“You were destined…to turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons.”
Advent is the season during which we are challenged “to beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks.” In this season we are challenged to lay down our arms and to let bygones be bygones.
In his Introduction to the Devout Life, Saint Francis de Sales wrote:
“When your mind is tranquil and without any cause for anger, build up a stock of meekness and mildness. Speak all your words and do all your actions – whether little or great –in the mildest way you can: not merely with strangers but also among your own family and neighbors. As soon as you recognize that you are guilty of a wrathful deed, correct it as soon as possible by an act of meekness toward the person with whom you were angry.” (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part III, Chapter 8, p. 149)
This season of peace – which is unlike any other season – reminds us of our relationships in which peace is lacking. We are reminded of fences that need to be mended, hatchets that need to be buried and wounds that need to be healed with fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, brothers and sisters, neighbors, co-workers and friends.
During this Advent season to whom do our hearts need to turn?
Or return?
