The Advent of a Dilemma

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas.  It is my favorite holiday; I enjoy the smells, sounds, sights, and songs that permeate Advent and Christmas.  However, no matter how hard I try, I cannot escape the sneaking suspicion that we are missing something, a critical something, which could change our lives forever. 

Before I begin to tell you how much I don’t enjoy the shopping season, the fact that Christmas trees are up in stores before Thanksgiving and Christmas music is already being played, let me to tell you a story of a boy who loved Christmas.  He enjoyed the season so much he reveled in the music as soon as it was played and collected Christmas music.  He collected decorations and decorated his room in elaborate lights and garland, and much to his parents chagrin, taking paint of the walls when he took them down (sometime around February).   And as he grew up and went away to college it seemingly got more elaborate, up to the point when he and his roommate decorated their apartment with so many lights that no heat or other light was necessary and the apartment glowed from every seam (somehow, no fuses were blown, no fires occurred, and no one reported them to the RA).  Porcelain Christmas houses were collected and set up every year increasingly more elaborate displays, the houses would soon number over 100.  And through all of this fun and revelry, there was the underlying reason for the season.  Christ was the reason for the season and he knew that but it often got blinded out by all the Christmas lights.  Finally a realization began to dawn upon him that something was missing, lights and houses and carols were all fun and he reveled in them every season, soaking in every bit that he could, but it was hollow and empty.   It took me a long time to realize what I was missing.  Yes, I was that guy that so overdid Christmas that he was forbidden by his mother from putting up his Christmas village in the house because it took up to much space (only half the family room, I mean that is reasonable right?).  

Another example of just how much the Christmas shopping season is overblown is that this past weekend I was out doing some thrift shopping with my girlfriend when we happened upon a bustling farmers market later in the evening.  I naturally assumed some kind of fall festival was in the works and we pulled in to check it out.  Instead what we found was a jam packed store full of Christmas items and people and their “preview 20% off sale” underway.  People were elbow to elbow grabbing up stuff and trying to get the best deal.  I quickly took advantage of the free snacks they were offering and then we left.  Seeing this event saddened me because I knew what these people were missing about Christmas because at one point I was missing the same thing.

I was missing the most important thing of all.  The Christmas season does not begin on black Friday or cyber Monday.  I had been blinded by the lights, the glitz, and the glamour of the season.  However, it does not begin when decorations start showing up in stores or when the radio station starts playing festive music.  It begins with the birth of Christ on December 25^th.  It begins with a family, struggling to live, to find a place to lay their head for the evening; a family that is on a journey, one that begins with the proclamation of an Angel and has continued ever since.  I was missing the time of quiet preparation, the closing of the liturgical year and the rhythm of the advent season with its crescendo being reached on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord. 

Advent is a time where the world grows quieter, snow blankets the ground (if you are from the north like me) and families huddle together for warmth, a time of reflection and anticipation of something so great we can barely comprehend it.  It is a time of preparation and remembrance, of looking back at the travels of a family that struggled and sacrificed.

In time when heroes are idolized and held up in great esteem that some of the greatest heroes of all are missed.  Biblical heroes, Saintly heroes, religious heroes of our day are marginalized in a world full of glitz and glamour.  The hero of the Christmas story is an unlikely hero, one that is not heard of much in today’s day in age.  “The Christmas story has an unconventional hero – not a warrior, not a worldly conqueror, not an individual at all, but rather a family.  The details of the story always lead us back to that fact. We see the swaddling bands and know they’re for a baby, but someone had to do the swaddling.  So we have a mother and child. We have a father. We have a household.” (Joy to the World, Scott Hahn, page 8)  Let’s reflect on this unlikely hero and realize that all families that struggle together, grow together, seek God together, and also love each other unconditionally as did the Holy Family.  In this Advent season as the world grows colder let it be an opportunity for us to grow closer, to those that mean the most to us, our family.  Appreciate the warmth that only unconditional love can give. 

May this Advent season be one of joy, warmth, prayer, and love. 

Deep Impact - Lent and Beyond

So I was struck as Lent began this past Ash Wednesday at the profound effect Lent has on businesses.  Catholics, no matter how often then attend mass or follow church teaching to the letter, seem to observe the Lenten fast from meat.  This observance has a big impact on the culture and on businesses.  

As a culture that is extremely secularized and completely it seems to a post-modernistic, post religious culture it is very interesting to see how businesses adapt and plan around Lent.  So what causes this sudden shift around Lent to offer fish specials, fish sandwiches, fish fries and other forms of seafood specials?  Because as a Church we come together as the Body of Christ (whether all of them realize it or not) and have a deep impact on business and culture.

Now I am not sure how it is in other areas but in Steubenville when I drive down Sunset Boulevard there are Lenten specials advertised everywhere.  From all the fast food restaurants to Kroger’s to Damon's and many of the restaurants all of them have some kind of deal for Lent.  So as a Church we have the power to impact businesses and their operation. 

United we are strong and our statement on the culture could be even stronger but we seemingly abdicate this strength with a relativism.  As a Church if we were united with one voice we could move mountains.  Jesus tells us that all it takes is faith.  “He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." (Matthew 17:20)

Our ability to impact culture and business is notable and proven if we can be a united as one voice.  However our voice now is fractured by a culture that we are allowing to divide us.  United we stand and divided we fall; we must unite behind the Truth, behind Jesus Christ and His Church on earth. 

So this Lent as part of your Lenten practice/penance seek to have an impact on the culture.  While Jesus tells us that when we are fasting we should look normal, we also need to be a witness.  Now I am not saying to go around with our faces and clothes dirty but I am saying we must go around and seek to make a difference in others by being authentically Catholic.  By demonstrating the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity we can effect serious change on a culture that is sorely in need of a rejuvenation of virtue.  If we can start to show others the joy we have from our ability to sacrifice and serve then we can begin to effect radical change, we can be the witness that Christ called us to be.

Be Courageous, Be Authentic, Be Catholic and have a deep impact this Lent.

What Child Is This?? - The Original Christmas Story

has a lot to tell us about life and love, passion and purpose.

This Advent I had the great intention of writing a blog post every Sunday of Advent, unfortunately my life had other plans.  I got busy with this and that, having a Christmas party, packing to come home for Christmas, cleaning my house and all sorts of things that just seemed to get in the way of the more important things.  Jesus' coming in flesh, reflecting on the love of God, the yes of Mary (and the yes of Joseph).  There are so many things that were more important than me and what I needed that seemed to escape me sometimes this Advent season.

In my past few posts, I wrote about transformation, transforming our lives radically to Christ (metanoia in the Greek).  Advent for all of us should have been a time where we radically reoriented our lives to the birth of the Lord.  Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, "dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father." (John 1:14)  "Only if people change will the world change; and in order to change, people need the light the comes from God, the light which so unexpectedly [on the night of Christmas] entered into our night."  Pope Benedict XVI

In my personal Advent reflections I looked at how my life has been impacted by the Incarnation.  How has my life been affected by the Word becoming flesh?  How has yours?  Do we allow Christ, the final Word of the Father to take root in our lives?  Do we allow this Truth to find its foundation in us?  The world today does not recognize any foundation, and it is shown as we slip slowly into degradation.  Truth is stated simply at the beginning of John's Gospel.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father."  John 1:1,14

When Christ is removed from Christmas all we are left with is mas and that is meaningless.  So are you making your Christmas meaningless by removing Christ, the Incarnate Truth from it.

So I would say for many of us and I include myself in this, we are sometimes a people lost drifting through life as if it was meaningless.  Our lives need to be lived with passion for Christ and with the purpose of getting to Heaven.  This Christmas is the time to wake up and realize that life has purpose and to live that purpose; Jesus said to him (says to us), "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." John 14:6

Christmas is the time to find our purpose, our passion, our love in Christ, the Word made flesh.  Then to live that purpose, passion and love in our everyday lives, following the example of Christ.  (cf. The Beatitudes - Matthew 5:1-12)  God is Love, and we are called to love:
"7 Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his own Spirit.14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."  1 John 4:7-16

There is no greater love than God humbling Himself, emptying Himself and coming into the world as a baby, in a manger.  "And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." Luke 2:7



Is there room this Christmas season for Jesus to be in our hearts, our minds, our lives and those of friends and family.  Do our actions, our words, our lives demonstrate that Jesus lives within us.  The very Word of God received in the Eucharist.  Christmas night and the birth of Our Lord is the school of faith and life where we can encounter Christ.  Emmanuel, God-with-us.

"It is the task of us Christians, with witness of our life, to spread the truth of Christmas which Christ brings to every man and woman of good will.  Born in the poverty of the manager, Jesus comes to offer to all that joy and that peace which alone can fulfill the expectation of the human soul."  Pope Benedict XVI

Prayer:
This evening, I welcome you, Jesus, in the most unpretentious of forms: that of a baby.  Truly I discover this evening that the greatest of gifts can come in the simplest of wrappings.  How can I thank you for the gift of yourself, the Word of God having taken on human flesh as a baby in a manger? The best I can do is to give you my love...and that is what I present you with this evening.

Remember, Christmas is not just a day but a state of mind, a state of being in relation, a relation of love with the Word made flesh, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Invite Him into your heart today, welcome Him if you have drifted away.  His Love is never-ending and He so desires to be with you, won't you say yes as Mary said yes?  My prayers are with all of you and if you have said yes after being away for awhile or for the first time, Welcome Home.

O Holy Night - Kings College in Cambridge

A New Year - A Simple Gift

It is the dawning of a new year and you are probably thinking right now this guy obviously can't read a calendar, however it is not a calendar year that I am talking about but the liturgical year.  The first Sunday of Advent marks the new year and a new period, a time of reflection and preparation as the Church looks forward to the birth of the Incarnate Lord.

Blessed John Paul II tells us in his Angelus message of Dec 2nd 2001;
"Dearest Brothers and Sisters: With today's first Sunday of Advent, a new liturgical year begins.  The Church takes up her journey again, and invites us to reflect more intensely on the mystery of Christ, a mystery that is always new and that time cannot exhaust.  Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  Thanks to him, the history of humanity proceeds as a pilgrimage toward the fulfillment of the Kingdom which he inaugurated with his Incarnation and victory over sin and death."

And so we as the Church gather and begin a pilgrimage as the Magi did to meet Jesus in the manger.  To worship and offer gifts to the King of kings.  What do we offer to Jesus this Advent season, are we taking the time to properly prepare not only our minds but our hearts.  During this Year of Faith we are being called by the Holy Father to grow in a deeper understanding of our faith by delving deeper into the Catechism and the teachings of the Church; but this realizes itself most fully in seeking to come into closer intimacy with Jesus Christ.  Looking forward in hope and reaching out to Christ to draw ourselves closer to Him.

"Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope...It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope." Pope Benedict XVI - Seek That Which Is Above


And so as Adam and Eve were originally tasked with tending the Garden, we are tasked with tending the garden of hearts and minds.  To trim and cut away those things that keep us from God and to grow the vine of virtue that brings us closer to God.  This advent God calls us to radical transformation, a "metanoia", that is both interior and exterior.  "Faith without works is like a song you can't sing, its about as useless as a screen door on a submarine" (from the song "Screen Door" by Rich Mullins)

So we reflect on the garden of our hearts and minds and look to what needs tending this Advent.  Our journey is one full of hope and the expecting joy of the coming of the King.  Where is your heart?  Where is your mind?  There is so much hustle and bustle during the Advent season that we forget sometimes to look to what matters most, the tending of our souls in the garden of life.  Will you be ready?  Will your gift be one that is acceptable?  Will you be like the wise virgins in Matthew 25 who brought oil and were prepared for the bridegroom when he came and were admitted to the wedding feast or will you be like the foolish ones who did not and were left outside when the door was locked?

So let us prepare for the encounter with Jesus, to adore the babe in the manger who humbled himself to become man, but humbled himself further by coming as a baby, defenseless in the world, dependent on others for everything.  So let us humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and let Him lift us up to Him.

Let us pray:
Loving God source of my longing, you have reached out to your people through the gift of your incarnate Son.  Today in a special way I start anew my spiritual journey toward the stable where I seek to encounter the babe of Bethlehem.  Be with me, guide me, teach me, strengthen me, and inspire me during this journey.  Draw me into closer union with you as I put forth my best effort to prepare for the coming of Christ so that I may truly present him with a gift worth giving on Christmas day.
Mary, Mother of God - Pray for us
Amen.

Where is the line???

As I left my house this morning to get my car inspected and then head to Mass I was struck by the stark reality of how lost our country is, and in some ways how lost many Catholics in our country are, how we have so many things to help us find our way and yet when it comes to the most important things we seem directionless.  Traffic as I expected was crazy and people cut each other off trying to buy the biggest television or the newest iPad.  Now I am a technology guru and enjoy the latest, greatest toys when I can afford them (which right now being in Grad schools isn't often, donations are accepted however). 

All humor aside as I was almost struck by a car in the Walmart parking lot where I needed to go to get a taillight bulb for my car to get it to pass inspection, I was driven to reflect on just where are the lines in today's world.  What are we willing to wait in line for?  I saw many people willing to wait several hours to buy a TV or a computer but rarely do I see people willing to wait 10 minutes for the Sacrament of Penance.  When Sunday Mass goes longer than an hour, people complain and leave early after Holy Communion.  As Catholics we need to realize that at Mass we receive the very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We should be willing to wait as long as it takes and then get down on our knees (if you are able) and say "Amen" with love and conviction.

It gives one pause in today's society as to what is valued.  People instead of giving thanks and enjoying time with family and friends went to go stand in line to get the best deal on the newest thing because stores opened at 8pm yesterday.  In this culture, in this environment Catholics need to get back to the basics.  Cardinal Dolan called for this at the meeting with all bishops when they met recently.  

So in this upcoming Advent season let us reflect on how much we as Catholics have to be thankful for and how much work there is to be done.  There is the tradition of an Advent fast as well as a Lenten fast in the Eastern Rite Churches, maybe its time we take their example and fast this advent as well for conversion of heart and mind.  We are all partners in the vineyard of the Lord and should act the part. However, for us to take the Gospel out to others it needs to first take root in our own hearts and I know for myself  I find myself sometimes lacking, none of us are perfect, but I know God's grace and the Holy Spirit will make up the difference.  The call is then to interior conversion and transformation, metanoia - radical transformation and adherence to Jesus Christ.  The General Directory for Catechesis puts it this way; "Faith involves a change of life, a "metanoia", that is a profound transformation of mind and heart; it causes the believer to live that conversion.  This transformation of life manifests itself at all levels of the Christian's existence: in his interior life of adoration and acceptance of the divine will, in his action, participation in the mission of the Church, in his married and family life; in his professional life; in fulfilling economic and social responsibilities." (55)(Emphasis mine).

So the question is then where is the line?  Is it at the store, at a restaurant, at the mall?  Where is the line to see Jesus?  In the New Testament people jumped at the chance - in the Gospel on Tuesday Zacchaeus runs ahead and climbs a tree just so he can see Jesus over the crowds and yet in many of our Churches pews are barely occupied the echo of emptiness rings of the stone walls.  Where is the line to see Jesus?  The call is being made, the Holy Spirit knocks on the door to your heart, Jesus seeks your answer.  Will you wait in line to see Jesus?
(I know its not Christmas yet but this song speaks great truth)