December 16, 2012

Bulletin: December 16, 2012

3^rd Sunday of Advent C Readings

Zephaniah 3:14-18; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-16
“What should we do?” This question was asked of John the Baptist by the people who came to see this prophet. The buzz in the crowd was this strange man might be the Messiah or at least a prophet; he talked that way. How many times have I asked this question? I asked numerous times: I asked this to instructors in Pastoral Counseling classes so I could learn how to help people who come with difficulties. I’ve asked this of Chancery officials down through the years; I asked this of people in the Marriage Tribunal to help with people with their Annulments.
Today the people came to John asking how they are can apply his teaching in their lives. So what did John teach them before this passage? In verses 7-10, “He said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers? Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruits as evidenced of your repentance; and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Now John was not unknown to the people. Some had heard the wonderful things connected with his birth; his father Zachary and mother Elizabeth were too prominent for this to be forgotten. And he went to the desert, not following in his father’s footsteps. He was a hermit and a prophet who spoke with new and independent authority. He told people that they could turn their lives over by repenting for the past and to bring religion back into their life. He took the old baptism ceremony of sorrow, forgiveness and reform and gave it a fresh significance. Now his words were direct, forceful, to the point. For John, there was a war on with the evil forces and with those who made religion a soft practice and who did not understand the commands that God gave Moses.
The group that came to hear him today were a motley collection: people not overly religion, common people, tax collectors who were looked down upon, soldiers who were restless and discontented yet whose position gave them the opportunity for every kind of evil; poor Bedouin people from the countryside, not very intelligent, yet who wanted to know; people who lived hard lives working the land and even those who were rejected by most. They wanted to be better and they came to John for hope and to be appreciated maybe even loved; and they had heard that he ‘said it as it is.’ John did that: he changed his tone; he spoke to them as ‘sheep without a shepherd’ and imposed on them no burden heavier than they could handle. He said to follow the duties of their state in life: to be generous with others, to shape up their business practices and to be content with their pay.
What am I to do? Do I add, ‘What is enough?’ John’s injunction is to give my extra coat. Well how many coats do I need? Do I collect and accumulate or am I generous and compassionate? Do I qualify my giving thinking, these people should have worked for what they need…maybe there just lazy and depend on me? So what if they do; does that prevent me from being helpful and aware of their need? No matter what their circumstances are, I have more than they do.
These self discovery questions lead me to deeper introspective questions about my spiritual development. What obstacles do I place within myself in finding this God who loves me always and wants me to love? What reluctances do I place in my daily life in reaching out to others to be Jesus to them? The first step toward removing obstacles is discovering them. I have to name what is happening to me. I have to see that I am not the ‘be all and end all’; it is not about me, it’s about God and how I am being Jesus to those God places in my life. I have to see my life as an instrument for God and of God. To do this I have to change from the old—my way—and live the new way—God. So how do I do this?

John Shea a wonderful author and spiritual guide shared these thoughts: “The crowds asked him, ‘What should we do? Glad you asked. Pick a value. It must be a transcendent value, one that is grounded in God. Not one of those contemporary whims that pass as values, like ‘keeping in touch.’ I mean a real value, like compassion or forgiveness or reconciliation or peace or justice. Something that has some bite in it and will be around long after you’re gone. Something moths and rust cannot consume and thieves cannot break in and steal. For example, let’s take compassion.

Now take ten minutes a day in the morning and meditate on it. Clear your mind of others thoughts and distractions. If they continue to intrude, just notice them and let them go. Return to compassion. It is good to have a phrase to repeat silently and mindfully. Some Buddhists think equality is the path to compassion, and they suggest a phrase like ‘Everyone wants to be happy and doesn't want to suffer,’ As you slowly and silently repeat this phrase that makes you equal with everyone else, pictures of people you know may enter your mind. Simply use their name in the next phrase, ‘Joan wants to be happy and doesn't want to suffer…Frank wants to be happy and doesn't want to suffer,” and every so often say, ‘I want to be happy and don’t want to suffer.’ Now you are in the human mess with everyone else. When you have done this for about ten minutes, get on with the day. Don’t evaluate how the meditation is going. Dismiss all questions like ‘did I do it right? Why am I doing this? Did I waste my time?’ Just continue to do it.

Also you should read some stuff on compassion. Meditation is not enough. Over the long haul it will heighten your awareness of opportunities for compassionate action. But, in itself, it won’t make you much smarter about compassion. You need to read and ponder, to reflect on what you are reading.” And I must work and work each day on my spiritual values to continue to convert and be aware of God leading me closer to Himself. So I reflect on”

• How serious do I feel is John’s scolding to share what I have with the poor and unfortunate? Should what I share come from my excess or from my own need?
• Why do I say that Jesus is the Good News? How important is it for me to reach out to others and share Jesus with them? How can I best do this?
• Do I feel prepared for Christmas? What within me is blocking me?
• Oprah Winfrey has encouraged her viewers to keep a gratitude journal and each day list five things for which they are grateful. She has kept one herself and says that it has changed her life? What am I doing with gratitude?
• Sacred Space 2013 says, “Preparing the way for the Messiah is not simply a matter of belonging to the Jewish nation, John insists. It comes about through repentance: changing the way one thinks and changing one’s lifestyle in practical ways.” How am I doing?