December 11, 2016

3rd Sunday of Advent A Isaiah 35: 1-6, 10; James 5: 7-10; Matthew 11: 2-11 I’m thinking back to my youth…probably the most difficult time during Advent was that Christmas seemed so far away. The song, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, maybe was written for kids, but it seemed it was more for the benefit of the parents so they could keep the young ones patient. But patience is not a virtue in any way shape or manner for kids. Are we there yet? This is the perpetual cry from their lips. We would imagine that parents and adults have patience and kids do not, but that is really not the case. In our world, we older people, just do not like to wait. We do not really like standing in lines. This carries over to our spiritual life: we pray and we want answers. When we don’t get an immediate response we wonder, ‘Is God too busy for me?’…’Have I done something wrong to offend God?’ and on and on. So what are we to do…how can we stay focused on God’s love and His care for each of us this season? How can we take time just to be with God? The readings help us with this. Today’s passage from Isaiah was a part of a collection of oracles that was written during the Babylonian Exile (Babylonian Captivity). In 586 BC King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon conquered Judah. He destroyed Solomon’s Temple and exiled the leadership and elite to Babylon. The exile formally ended in 538 BC when Cyrus the Great, the Persian ruler conquered Babylonia and gave the Jews permission to return home. The prophets began to see these international events as plans of a just and merciful God. The prophet Jeremiah says, “Hence, thus says the Lord of hosts: Since you would not listen to My words, lo! I will send for and fetch all the tribes of the North says the Lord (And I will send to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, my servant); I will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants and against all these neighboring nations. I will doom them, making them an object of horror, of ridicule, of avenging reproach.” He goes on to say that this will last for 70 years and then He will restore His people. Later on, Isaiah offers encouragement to the people by describing the changes in store for them through God’s goodness and grace. He tells them that without faith in God, the kingdom was like a desert. It needed the life-giving waters of faith. Once the people trusted God and looked for security in Him rather than their earthly resources, this ‘desert’ would teem with life again. Their eyes will open and their ears will be attentive and they will make steady progress toward God. As He began His ministry, Jesus said ‘the blind will see, the deaf hear, the lame will rejoice in the presence of the Lord.’ So what are the people to do? James’ first words sets the goal, Be patient. He uses the example of a farmer who realizes that when he plants the seed, it will grow if watered and nourished. Even though it cannot be seen, there is constant activity going on under ground. God is constantly present in every person. In many of them we notice His presence through their goodness and love of people. But in others we see no signs of God’s love. How can God be in the killers, the terrorist, the evil people? Well, God is present. He can make good out of evil as seen in Jeremiah and Isaiah. So for many of us all we have to do is to look back on our lives to see the times when we were estranged from God. Maybe we refused to believe, or just would not go to church, or were totally consumed with ourselves and not helping and caring to those in our lives. Whatever it was, it can be compared in many facets to the Babylonian Captivity. We were ‘held captive’ by a force or power that seemingly overcame us and filled us with that ugliness and angry feeling that everything was owed to ‘me’. We had to wallow in this state until the grace of God somehow touched us…maybe through a person…maybe through a healing miracle…maybe in answer to a prayer…maybe through some kindness or love from an unexpected source. But we can say at that moment or at those moments ‘I felt that I was important…that I was loved…that I was special…and I was not alone.’ James tells us that God is with us, He gives us nourishment and care, He gives us grace and love. So, endure what comes without complaint, taking the lives of the prophets as our guide. Grumbling against others and myself just results in doubts about God’s presence and love. In the gospel, John the Baptist’s disciples have been sent to Jesus by John. John was unsure, he was not patient, he didn’t have much time to live, on death row in Herod’s prison. He wanted to know when this Messiah would begin to change it all to God’s world. Just like the new gardener, they want the flowers or crops to bloom soon, but everything takes its time. St Francis de Sales says to be patient with everyone and most of all with ourselves. Patience means accepting whatever comes our way including suffering, without becoming angry or upset. Watching the garden and becoming more angry and impatient with its delay doesn’t help it to grow any faster. Thanking God for the seeds, the water, the soil and the Giver of all life deepens our trust that the garden will indeed grow. Be patient, rejoice always. Msgr Chet Michael said over and over again, “Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude, [pause) and more Gratitude. So we take an overview of the readings. At the time of Isaiah’s prophecies, his world was in shambles due to the oppression by ruthless empires. People were scared, cities destroyed, populations were forced into exile. We see this today. But Isaiah speaks of hope. For those who trust in God, restoration is always on the way. James tells us that being patient with planted and invisible seeds is always challenging. This crying infant, may one day be a leader, artist, teacher. Whatever we are involved with may often feel like a waste of time. Yet love and the cross remind us, that our efforts are never wasted. How many times has our patience been rewarded. And Jesus tells us about John that, “Of those born of women, there has been none greater than John the Baptist” what a magnificent tribute but Jesus adds, “yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Why? Because John fails to see the seed of divine activity at work all around him. God is present, active, loving and using me…each one of us to prepare the world for God’s kingdom of Heaven. So we reflect on: • Take some time to ‘look positive’….How much good news can I see this year personally and globally? • What seeds have I panted that are still growing and will bear fruit because I am including God in the growing process? • Where do I see God’s grace active in my world and in the World? • What helps me to live the virtue of patience? What hinders its growth in me? • What things are controlling my life now? How can I resist the lure of more things? Would this make me happier? Sacred Space 2017 says ,”There is real comfort in this story. John the Baptist, the powerful, austere man who holds such sway among the Jews, still has his moments of darkness. Imprisoned in Herod’s dungeon, he wonders: Am I a fool? Is this all there is? Was I wrong about Jesus? He does not just brood on the question; he sends messengers to Jesus. And Jesus does not send back reassurances; rather, He asks the messengers to open their eyes and see the evidence of Jesus’ life. ‘Go and tell what you hear and see…the blind receive their sight…’! What do I see and hear? Do I see the signs of God’s kingdom breaking through in the world around me? What does it look like? If I don’t see any positive signs, why not? Do I need to look again, or look differently? Am I somehow looking for ‘soft robes’ and ‘royal palaces’ when God is offering me a prophet?”