“Advent” comes from the Latin “ad venire,” which is “to come.” If one was to look in the shops, online, etc., then one would see that it is already “here”. It is Christmas, and all that it entails. The world is saying it’s all about shopping, commerce, etc., starting as early as you can to get in the bucks to survive the rest of the year. Well, I sit at computer on Saturday night, so the time is now Advent, officially. And so I remember to hope, as Advent calls us to do. I hope someday that folks would realize that the necessity of giving to the poor is a year round process, not a seasonal event. I hope that some day I might be more giving and hospitable. I hope that some year, Christmas would actually start on Christmas in the world, and go until Christmas is really over, instead of commercially December 26 (aka Exchange Day). This year perhaps has been the most commercial I have ever witnessed, and Advent is only now starting.
Jesus tells us to be in the world, but not of the world. Right now, being of the world in our consumer society does not look appealing at all. With so much going on in life, let us all take the time to slow down and experience Advent as it really is meant to be. It is a time of longing for the coming of the Savior. We long for fullness of life that we do not have yet. We long for heaven. We long to be united with God. We long for peace. Let us let the Prince of Peace reign in our hearts, beginning now. It is good not to have everything. It’s good practice to hope for better things to come. My life is far from perfect, but in hope, I wait, and I know my Savior will be faithful, even when I am not. I hope that I will see His coming some day, even if it is on the day that my eyes shut to this world forever. May God bless us all, and may the hope of heaven fill our hearts, minds, souls and strength this Advent, bringing us closer to being with our Lord, both on earth with Christmas, and in Heaven with Jesus.
Hopey Advent!
Although we should not have, many of us have put our faith life on cruise control during Ordinary Time. Another church year begins with the start of Advent. Where we have lost our focus, we are called to bring our relationship with God back to the forefront of our lives. Advent may be one of the more difficult seasons of the Church to fully appreciate. We often remark that Advent is the time of preparation for Christmas. Let us think about how we spend our time during Advent--decorating for the holiday season, buying Christmas gifts, cleaning house before the festivities begin. All of these things need to be done, but there must be more to it than that. Otherwise, we will be left after Christmas owning a few material things we didn't own before, and our homes looking as they did before the season, with the decorations put back away. Since we have all these things to do, we can easily let advent go by without preparing for Christmas in our faith lives. The themes of Advent are by now very familiar to us, but still profound. We should take the opportunity to reflect on the openness of Mary to God's will, on John the Baptist's call for reorientation of our lives, on God's fulfillment of his promise to send light and hope into the world. By engaging our minds and hearts in thought and prayer this Advent, we can be sure that at Christmas we will receive the best gift of all: the realization that each of our lives is blessed by Christ's love.
The readings of this Sunday have two leper curings: one is Naaman who is cured via Elisha and the other is the ten lepers who are cured by Jesus. The interesting note on both occasions is that those cured involved foreigners. Most of us have encountered foreigners in our midst, and definitely all of us have encountered “foreigners,” who are fellow countrymen, but strangers in our eyes. This is yet one more reminder that we are our brothers’ keeper, and that we all, as human beings, are children of God, and therefore liable for one another. So often, it’s easy to remember, and take care of, the immediate people in our lives such as parents, close friends and perhaps colleagues at work. We are called, however, to also invite in and care for the strangers in our midst.
I remember in campus ministry, that was one of my often repeated mantras: invite in more folks, and make them part of the community! This is very unsettling for us to do because to do this requires that we change in our relationships with one another. When another person comes into the picture, the picture is changed. In the scripture of the weekend, these men were not planning on staying on as part of the community where they were healed. We will get many opportunities like this to help someone out randomly that we will never see again. I will be the first to admit that I do not always see that opportunity. It takes eyes of faith and compassion and service to be open always to the opportunities to help. Let us all take stock of where we are in our lives with this whole “welcoming and caring for the stranger in our midst.”
May we grow in our capacity to see the possible random acts of kindness as well as the opportunities to welcome others into our lives for longer periods of time. May the Spirit of Elisha and Jesus, that is, the Spirit of God, be with you always.
Especially in the midst of ordinary time, as we are now, it is easy for spirituality to slip to the back of our minds. Our thoughts are centered on projects at work and chores at home. We entertain ourselves with TV programs, music, and the Internet. We are only deceiving ourselves if we believe that recreation and sleep are sufficient to rest our minds. No, we also need some silent time each day, to rest our minds and to open them to God's peace. While watching the TV may relax us, it is in the silence that the Lord refreshes us. It is in the silence that He assures us that He loves us, no matter what happens to those projects at work. It is in the silence that He touches the very depths of our souls. As Sacred Scripture reminds us, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalms 46:10).
It is appropriate that I write this thought for the month on the memorial so St. Clare. As we look at the Gospel of Luke, we hear Jesus talking about the woes of getting caught up in this world, especially of getting caught up in storing possessions. He speaks of the call to store up, rather, treasures in heaven, placing trust in the Father that He will provide all that we need after all.
St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi put worldly possessions behind them in a radical way. There are not too many of us who could do that today without being locked up in a psychiatric ward by the local authorities. Even the Franciscans, as time went on, saw the necessity of having some type of material stability just so that they could have an order of friars. There had to be a law written, and the law had to be preserved and promulgated. Essentially, in order to exist in this world, there is a bit of being a part of this world after all, hence we are surrounded by material. As we look at what Jesus tells us these days, the material is not bad or evil. The material assists us through this world, as we are material and have bodily needs. It is when we make the material an end in itself, the hoarding of material, the prestige of material, etc., that we make a mistake. It is not a sin to be rich. It is simply more responsibility to have with our stewardship of the gifts the Father gives out. St. Clare and St. Francis were looking to the renewal of the soul in a world of materialism, so they did something radical to change the world around them and to renew the Church. We may not be called to be as radical as these two saints, but we are called to lead holy lives, regardless of the income we are provided. Both St. Matthew and St. Luke let us know that we are to seek first the Kingdom of God (look after the soul) and then all these other things will be provided us by the Father (so we don’t have to worry about them!) In the coming weeks, let us look at our own lives and pray about what God might be calling us to do to simplify our material gaze, so that there is more room in our sights for the beatific vision.
When is a tragedy unforgivable? When one person is killed? When more than thirty are killed? If we are true to our Christian beliefs, perhaps an infinite number of people, "seventy times seven" in biblical terms.
The shooting at Virginia Tech forced a lot of people to think about forgiveness. Not only the families of the victims, but also entire Virginia Tech campus, and people throughout the country. This reflects the Church's teaching that sins are committed against the community, and forgiveness should also be offered by the community. It has been reported that in many of the memorials and services across the Tech campus, the shooter is remembered alongside those he shot. I have observed this also here at Carolina. Many people here have degrees from there, others have friends or family studying there. When these folks gathered in our ceremonies to memorialize the victims, they included candles lit for Cho. Most confessed that they were angry at first, but gradually came to a spirit of forgiveness.
Many people have pointed to this tragedy as a sign of things that are wrong with our country. Clearly it does underscore our problems with violence and failure to reach out to troubled young people. But perhaps it also demonstrates that we have grown into a more forgiving people. Perhaps the Land of the Free is finally beginning to realize that forgiveness is freedom.
Halfway through Lent now, there is no doubt that some of us are lamenting the fact that we have fallen on our Lenten resolutions and that some of us are very proud of the fact that we are cruising right along with exactly what we planned to do for Lent. To those in lament, congratulations! You have a well formed conscience. Otherwise, there would be no lament. It is never too late to begin again, so go ahead and begin again. It's like confession. Each time we walk out of the confessional, we are beginning again, even though we know that we'll head back in there soon enough. So stop the lament, and begin again. It's okay!!!
To those in triumph, congratulations! Keep it up, because Lent is still going on. However I challenge you to look at yourself and if all you can see about Easter is that you can stop that which you are now doing for Lent. If that is the case, go ahead and end it now, because it is doing you no real good. It's not changing you for the better so much.
To all of us, Lent is a time to focus on one way we can change for the better. If we eat too many sweets, and in Lent, we give up sweets, the change would come if we see that we can have our sweets intake reduced even after Lent. Only then, a change has taken place for the better. You have mastered a former problem. If you take on the job of affirming at least one person each week, and you continue it even after Lent, then a change has taken place for the better. If what you are doing during Lent doesn't become a part of your lifestyle from now on, I heartily say, why are you doing it then? This is what is meant when God tells us all over in Scripture that He doesn't care about burnt offerings and sacrifice so much as a contrite heart and a willing spirit.
Lent is a season only, but we use the season to focus on changing our hearts and lives for good, not just for seven weeks. Let us make this world a better place, and let us do so by making our hearts and lives a better place. One step at a time.
Earlier this month, the Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl with Coach Tony Dungy at the helm. Known as a deeply religious Christian, Coach Dungy has volunteered his time and energy to prison ministry for many years. He even considered leaving football to become a full time prison minister. This service work is not glamorous. The inmates he visits are reviled by some in society. Others may prefer to pretend that they don't exist.
So why is Coach Dungy involved in such unheralded work? He feels called to this ministry, in imitation of our Lord. Christ's outreach to the outcasts of society was also unappreciated by most, and even condemned by many. Perhaps we should consider how we are called to some ministry which is not glamorous, but absolutely necessary. Then at the judgment Jesus will recall, "I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me." (Matt. 25:34-36)
As Christmas Season ends and Ordinary Time begins, we celebrate the two great events of Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord. These two seemingly unrelated events are, however, very similar. On the one hand, we have an infant being visited by foreigners who have come a very long way to see him. On the other hand, we have an adult being baptized and being revealed as the Son of God. In both cases, God is revealing more and more of who He is to the world. We see not only the Christ-child, but also the wonders of the angels, the star, and the gifts. We see not only the young adult Jesus, but also the Son of God, to whom we are then commanded to listen. God is becoming less “out there” and more “in your face.”
Today, as Christians, we are called to be that Christ who is becoming less transcendent and more imminent. We are called to be that Christ to the world in what we do, where we go, to whomever we meet. We are called to make Christ’s presence known no less than the angels, star, magi, or Dove. The challenge is to live that revelation every day, revealing Christ to the world. So let us rise to the occasion and show the world that Jesus Christ is alive and well today, just as we are.
“It is right to give Him thanks and praise.” We say these words at every Mass, and they are especially important at Christmas time. Sometimes our prayer lives seem to revolve around petitions — asking for them, complaining when they seem to go unanswered, and thanking God when they are answered. Prayers of petition are certainly not bad. “Ask and you shall receive,” says the Lord. Our prayers develop a greater spirit of thanks during the holiday season as well, at Thanksgiving and Christmas in particular. But what about praise?
The Mystery of the Incarnation is, along with the Paschal Mystery, the occasion for our utmost efforts in thanks and praise. We thank God for sending us the gift of His only Son, Jesus Christ, who has come to save the whole world and give us all a share in His kingdom. And yet our praise should go beyond this gratitude, beyond what we have gained from the Incarnation. We are called to give praise to God because it is amazing that the ruler of the universe came in the form of a seemingly insignificant Hebrew child, born to a humble virgin. We are called not just to thank God for the gift of the Incarnation, but also to simply say, “Wow! Isn’t He amazing!”
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Our next alumni meeting will be Friday, January 16, 2009 @ 7 p.m. - UCC.
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The purpose of the University Catholic Community Alumni Association (UCCAA) is to promote a continuing sense of community based in the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church among former member of the University Catholic Community (formerly the Newman Club). Also, the UCCAA actively tries to foster deeper concern among its member for the welfare of the University Catholic Community (UCC).
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