Christmas 2008 Reflection

Thursday, December 25, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Isaiah 9: 1 – 6
Psalm 96: 1 – 2, 2 – 3, 11 – 12, 13
Titus 2: 11 – 14
Luke 2: 1 – 14

“O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining . . .”

In the darkness of night many years ago, your life and my life was changed forever. As the stars pierced thru the bleakness of a December night, two young people had the courage to go where no one thought they could ever go – and because of their courage our world changed.

“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices . . . “

A young maid and her young husband, full of hope and expectations had their world turned upside down by the message of an angel. “And you shall bear a son . . . and you shall name him Emmanuel, for God is with us.” Two weary young people . . . nowhere to go, nowhere to rest but with hearts full of hope and courage our world changed.

“For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn . . .”

It is not just long ago that we remember tonight but we remember each and every time that our God continues to break into our world bringing us a new and glorious day. Joseph and Mary had the courage to allow Christ into the world and our world changed. We also celebrate the many times each of us have had the courage to bring Christ to one another – and thus allow our world to continue to change.

“It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth!”

And again he wishes to come into our world. And again he wishes to turn our darkness into light; to turn our night into morning. Our dear Savior needs more people like Joseph and Mary; he asks tonight: “Who will have the courage to bring me to a waiting world.” Not into the stable of Bethlehem, but into the hearts and souls of all that gather to celebrate his birth tonight and tomorrow.

"Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

This is the message of Christmas. This is the message of joy, happiness and peace of this Blessed Night. This is the message of the courage of two young people who changed the world. This is the message that in the still of night our God leapt down from the heavens to live among us. His birth in Bethlehem changed our world.

Do no be afraid. Go forth and proclaim the good news and be people of courage. Courage to say Yes to Christ and bring him once again to the waiting world. This is the message of Christmas. And God simply asks each of us here tonight to be his messengers. Our world can change – but we have to bring Christ into the world to change it. This is the message of Christmas – Do not be afraid! AMEN! Christ is born!

4th Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Sunday, December 21, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

2 Samuel 7: 1 – 5, 8b – 12, 14a, 16
Psalm 89: 2 – 3, 4 – 5, 27, 29
Romans 16: 25 – 27
Luke 1: 26 –38

Stories are an important part of our history. Think about what happens often at the end of a day. The family gathers around the dinner table and someone will ask another member of the family how their day was. Sometimes there might be a shrug of the shoulder and other times a member of the family launches into a colorful tale of some event of the day. We tell stories about past holidays and past snow storms. A phrase many of us might use this week will be: “Do you remember when…” and the tale begins. It doesn’t matter if we’ve heard the story one time or a hundred times, we listen intently and even will even help a relative with the details should they omit one or two of them.

This week our Church family once again shares a familiar story. It’s a story that even the youngest amongst us know. The story of a young couple and their travel to a distant town. The story of a young couple that cannot find any room at the inn. A story with angels and shepherds and kings. But the heart of the story begins with the tale we just heard this morning. “Joy to the World” “O Come All Ye Faithful” none of them would ever have been sung if not for the yes by the maid to the angel Gabriel. It is Mary’s affirmative answer that starts our story in motion.

Today we hear a story about a young woman who trusted completely in her God. A young maid who at first was not exactly sure what was happening. Her story is so familiar to us that we can tell it ourselves from memory. As we reflect on this story today try to imagine yourself in the room itself. Imagine what Mary is wearing, what are the sparse furnishings that fill her room. Picture how the angel appeared to her and once again hear the conversation between the two. Hear the angel say: “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” And hear Mary’s response of: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.”

This week once again hear anew and picture afresh the story of the birth of Our God in Bethlehem.

We all recall even the secular stories of this time of year. We read or watch the stories about Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and my favorite of Ebenezer Scrooge and the Three Spirits in Dickens’s Christmas Carol.

One of the most famous secular Christmas stories is a poem that was first published anonymously in the Troy, New York Sentinel on December 23, 1823, and was reprinted frequently thereafter with no name attached. Authorship was later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore and the poem was included in an 1844 anthology of his works. Many of you might read for your children The Night Before Christmas sometime during this week.

As the snow falls outside and the feeling of Christmas comes upon all of us, I would like to share with you an adapted version of that poem that I wrote a number of years ago and revised for here at St. Clement’s.

‘Twas the Fourth Week of Advent, when all through the world
Four candles were lit; purple and pink all a swirled.
The streets now of ‘Toga, had lights here and there
All sensed a good feeling of joy in the air.

The shopping and baking were almost all done,
The cards were all written, it was now time for fun.
I went to St. Clement’s, and took off my cap
And figured I get a good morning’s nap.

I listened to music, to an old Advent tune,
And slowly but surely, I started humming along.
Then came time for the readings, some stories were read;
They sounded familiar, they stuck in my head.

The story of a woman and an angel I heard
When I heard it before, I always thought it absurd.
But now as I listened and the words settled in,
I listened intently, I felt a chill on my skin.

How could this be, our God comes to earth;
A young maid named Mary, was found of great worth.
She must have been frightened, she must have been scared;
And then she realized that this was how much God cared.

“Hail full of grace! The Lord is with you!”
The Angel has spoken; the words they are true!
But how can this be, since she still was not wed
“God’s spirit is with you” the Angel has said.

She trusted the words, her heart filled with joy;
She was blessed by the Lord; she would give birth to his boy.
A son she would bear, to bring peace to the earth
He would show by his life, that each person has worth.

I started to doze, the story started to fade;
And I felt a sense of peace, I was no longer afraid.
This story is true and it’s why each December
We gather together, to reflect and remember.

We remember the reason for shopping and baking;
We recall the reason for all this picture taking.
It’s because of a woman who said yes to the Lord
It’s because of a baby, that our lives are restored.

I must take this feeling of God’s love in my heart
To every place on the earth; yes, even Wal-Mart!
For the babe born of Mary, in a stable years ago
Still lives on the earth, he wants me to show.

The peace of the season, the joy of the year
Should stay with us always, there is nothing to fear.
God leapt down from heaven, we celebrate his birth
And we should bring it to ‘Toga, to each person on earth.

I’ll go forth today with a song raised on high;
I’ll let my soul soar, it will go to the sky!
For the angels still sing, they are with us today
I will go forth this morning and Prepare God his way!

His way into my heart, and your heart there too
He came down from heaven, believe me, its true!
Celebrate his birth, remember his love;
It’s still with us today, it comes from above.

I love these Christmas stories, I love this time of year’
I’m happy that the Maid said Yes; I’m happy our God is so near.
As the Fourth Week of Advent, turns soon to Christmas Eve
Look at the Babe in the Manager and you too will believe.

2nd Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Sunday, December 7, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Isaiah 40: 1 – 5, 9 – 11
Psalm 85: 9 – 10, 11 – 12, 13 – 14
2 Peter 3: 8 – 14
Mark 1: 1 – 8

I had this story all planned to share with you even before the cold and snowy weather came upon us over night. One of the joys of being a Redemptorist is that I have had the privilege to go quite often to our Caribbean Missions. I have preached in a number of our parishes down there and had to attend a number of meetings there as well. One island in particular that I have enjoyed traveling to is the island of Dominica. Dominica is called the Nature Island; there are not many good beaches but the island is full of mountains and rain forests. To get from the airport on the north end of the island to the Redemptorist Retreat House on the south end of the island is about a 20 miles ride that can take anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours. I can’t imagine how they built the roads on the island of Dominica, which are about as wide as our main aisle. They had to cut through dense rain forests and blast their way through mountains. Sections that run close to the ocean I am sure they had to fill in to make a more level road. The job of road construction there, and anywhere indeed, is not an easy task.

As we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent we might call today “Road Construction” Sunday. Our first reading from the prophet Isaiah mentions it: “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; The rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley.” (Isaiah 40: 3 – 4) As I mentioned last week, the people of Israel were in exile at the time the prophet was writing. He lifts them up telling them that soon they will be returning home and they must “Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!” (Isaiah 40: 3) The time as coming close for them to return to their homeland and when that day arrived they would have to make a straight path thru the dessert.

Mark mentions a similar thing at the start of his Gospel when he talks about John the Baptist. “A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” (Mark 1: 3) John is that voice that was preparing the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. He appears on the scene to tell the people that they too needed to do some “road construction.” The road construction that both Isaiah and John the Baptist are talking about is not the physical type where we blast thru mountains and cut down trees to clear a path. The type of road construction they are talking about is the spiritual type – where you and I remove the obstacles, the road blocks that keep the path for the coming of Jesus into our hearts cluttered.

That is what the season of Advent is about for us -- a time to look at our lives and see where we are blocking the coming of Christ into our hearts and our lives. While not a physical road construction there are a number of obstacles and road blocks in our lives that we must tear down. Our sinful behavior needs to be torn down to allow for a straight path for the coming of Christ. We put up obstacles of greed, gossiping, jealousy and the like that are like high mountains that needed to be blasted away. This “Road Construction” Sunday is a time for us to take a look at our road blocks. It’s a gradual process of cleaning out the detours. Again, I refer you to the Advent Wreath – two candles are now lit and we might want all four to be blazing bright to show that Christmas is almost here. But we need patience, we need to take our time. We need to make straight the path in our hearts so the God may enter. Even when we finally have cleared a path we need to keep working at it. If you notice that road construction never seems to be finished. Once the potholes are filled in it seems like it no time they are back doing the same work. That’s the beauty of Advent that we celebrate year after year after year. Our “road repairs” are never completely finished. Once we have straightened the path for the Lord sometimes are sinful behaviors revisit us and we need to do some more road repairs. It is a never ending task and a tiring one as well.

Have you often seen a road crew working on road repairs and wonder why one person is working, one is directing traffic, another is leaning on their shovel and another is drinking a cup of coffee? Because road construction is tiring business – you can’t be about it for eight straight hours without taking a break. You can’t do road construction by yourself without the help of others. In our task of spiritual road construction we too need help. That help comes to us in the way of our God who is ever ready to help us. As we tear down the mountains of our sinful behaviors it is our God who comes to us and fills in the holes. If we allow him God can give us the gifts of His Spirit to help level and smooth things out. He fills in the holes we have created with his gifts of wisdom and understanding, with his gifts of courage and fear of the Lord. Our valleys and rough spots are filled up with his gifts of joy, peace, love and happiness.

“A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; The rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley.” (Isaiah 40: 3 – 4) This is the beautiful message of “Road Construction” Sunday as we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent. Our God has indeed already come with his birth as a Babe in Bethlehem. We continue to prepare his coming now only on Christmas Day but on every day of our lives. He wants to be part of us, he desires to live in our hearts, our souls our very lives. But we need to do some work. I am sure that those of you who are expecting visitors over the Christmas Holidays are already busy preparing things around the house. You clean out the clutter, you straighten up the guest room, and you clean the ring from around the bath tub. You are making a nice place to receive your guests.

Take time to get ready to receive Jesus Christ as your guest. Whatever road block is up, may we have the courage to begin to tear it down. Wherever there are areas in our lives that need to be smoothed out and straightened, let us allow our God to help. We still have some time this Advent Season to get things in order. Today is “Road Construction” Sunday and it is tiring work that will never end. But think about why we are doing it – so that our God can have a straight path into our lives. That’s what Advent is all about – cleaning away our sinful behaviors so that the Lord can enter. That’s what happened at the first Christmas and hopefully it will happen to us again this Christmas and every days of our lives!

AMEN!

1st Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Sunday, November 30, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY

Isaiah 63: 16b – 17, 19b; 64: 2 – 7
Psalm 80: 2 – 3, 15 – 16, 18 – 19
1 Corinthians 1: 3 – 9
Mark 13: 33 – 37

There is a story about a family preparing Christmas dinner. As the mom and young daughter were working in the kitchen, the daughter noticed that her mom cut the Christmas ham into two pieces, placing them in two separate pans. She asked her mom, “Mom, why do you cut the ham into two pieces and place them in two pans?” To which the mom replied, “That’s the way your grandmother cooked ham. Ask her when she comes for dinner.” So when the grandmother came to the house that day, the young daughter asked, “Grandma, why do you cut the ham into two pieces and place them in two pans?” To which the grandmother replied, “That’s the way your great-grandmother cooked ham. Ask her when she comes for dinner.” So when the great-grandmother came to the house that day, the young daughter asked, “Great-Grandma, why do you cut the ham into two pieces and place them in two pans?” To which the grandmother replied, “I did? Oh yes, now I recall. I cut the ham into two pieces and placed in two pans because when your great-grandfather and myself were first married we didn’t have a pan big enough to hold the entire ham.”

Traditions. They are a part of our life and part of our family stories. We all have them and at times we may not even know what they are or why they exist. Our church family has many traditions and one we begin to celebrate today – the season of Advent. However, like many traditions that exist we may have forgotten exactly what it means and why we still celebrate them.

A major part of the tradition of Advent is the lighting of the Advent wreath. Now many of us, especially those who are young, would probably wish we could light all four candles today and just get to the celebration of Christmas. The wisdom of the Church is that we light the candles one week at a time and they help us to patiently wait for the celebration of Christmas. Each week another candle will be lit so that by the end of the Advent Season all four candles will be aflame and show us that the time to celebrate the birth of Christ the Light breaking into our world has come.

In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah we have a wonderful yet haunting line. Isaiah was writing at a time when Israel was in exile, things looked bleak for them and he laments that it seems God is nowhere to be found. Isaiah cries out: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you.” (Isaiah 63: 19) His cry is that God come down to fix things for Israel, to help them out of the dark situation they are in. Even today Isaiah’s cry could be ours. Our world is seemingly in a mess. The recent tragic events that occurred in India this past week, the financial crisis our country is experiencing, people continue to struggle to find food and clothing and employment, war and violence still rage throughout our planet and in our neighborhoods. It seems to be a bleak, dark time to live on planet earth. We too may want to raise our eyes to the heavens and cry out like Isaiah: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down.” God come down to visit us and save us from the awful situation we find ourselves in.

The truth of the matter is that 2,000 years ago our God did split the heavens and visited us. In the still of a cold December night, God leapt down from the heavens and came to his people. His presence brought light into our world. Yet, we still yearn for that light. The season of Advent is a time for us to prepare to bring Christ into the world again. At Mary’s yes, the Word became flesh. We will not bring Christ into the world in a physical sense but our Advent preparation is to help us enable Christ to be brought into the world on a daily basis by the way we live our lives.

I am sure that over the years many a preacher has told you to be patient, to try and slow down during the month of December. That is the hustle and bustle of the season we need to stop and truly reflect on the great event that we are preparing to celebrate. We all have a long list of things to do: the cards need to be written and mailed out, the gifts need to be bought and wrapped, the cookies need to be baked, the tree needs to be bought, the lights need to be hung … the list is quite long. There is so much we need to do that it is just impossible to take a break. True, so what I ask all of us to do is to write the cards, bake the cookies, buy the gifts, hang the lights, put up the tree and that when every we do one of these things we remember why we are doing so. We write the cards to extend God’s blessing to our family and friends. We put up the lights to remind us that it is Christ who brings light to our darkened world. We bake cookies to remind us that the Word was made Flesh and comes to us each time we receive the Eucharist. We may not be able to completely stop and slow down but we can still prepare for the Birth of Christ as we reflect on why we do what we do this month.

For those of you who are parents, especially you who are mothers. Think about the time before the birth of your child. You probably wished the child would be born right away but for nine months the child grew in your womb. The time was needed for your child to grow and develop. You did not sit by idle but you were actively waiting. You painted a room, picked out clothing, choose a name – all the while waiting for the great event. Advent is very similar; we might want it to be December 25th right now but there is much that we need to do – we need to prepare ourselves to bring the Christ into the world again.

This past Friday we heard about the tragic events at the Walmart on Long Island. A worker was trampled to death as the doors of the store were opened on Black Friday. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that when shoppers were told the store was closing due to the tragic death, some of them replied: “But you can’t close the store. We’ve been waiting here since yesterday morning to get in and shop.” These men and women waited and when the time came their passion turned to tragedy. There time of waiting came to an end and the result brought death. We are people who are waiting to and hopefully when our waiting is over we can have similar passion that is unleashed but not a passion that causes death but a passion that brings life. A passion of a people who wish to bring Christ into the world. A passion that allows love to come to a world that seems devoid of love, a passion that brings peace to a world seemingly full of violence, a passion that brings joy and hope to a saddened planet, a passion that brings the light of Christ to a darkened world.

This is why we patiently wait. This is why we light one candle at a time, so that like the Advent wreath we may enflame our love for God slowly but surely. So, bake the cookies, hang the lights, write the cards and buy the presents but never forget the reason you are doing so. With each reminder of the Christmas Season we can prepare ourselves to allow Christ to enter the world. Our hope is that when Christmas day dawns we may be full of light, love and joy. We may be people who have prepared well; that we may be people who are like Mary and allow the Word of God to enlighten the world.

Patience. Prepare. Watch. Is part of the tradition of our Catholic family.

AMEN!