When Christ comes,
God will be seen by men

Saint Irenaeus of Lyons
(Bishop, Father of the Church and Martyr)
An excerpt from a Against Heresies (Book 4)

Advent III: Wednesday

There is one God, who by his word and wisdom created all things and set them in order. His Word is our Lord Jesus Christ, who in this last age became man among men to unite end and beginning, that is, man and God.

The prophets, receiving the gift of prophecy from this same Word, foretold his coming in the flesh, which brought about the union and communion between God and man ordained by the Father. From the beginning the word of God prophesied that God would be seen by men and would live among them on earth; he would speak with his own creation and be present to it, bringing it salvation and being visible to it. He would free us from the hands of all who hate us, that is, from the universal spirit of sin, and enable us to serve him in holiness and justice all our days. Man was to receive the Spirit of God and so attain to the glory of the Father.

The prophets, then, foretold that God would be seen by men. As the Lord himself says: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. In his greatness and inexpressible glory no one can see God and live, for the Father is beyond our comprehension. But in his love and generosity and omnipotence he allows even this to those who love him, that is, even to see God, as the prophets foretold. For what is impossible to men is possible to God.

By his own powers man cannot see God, yet God will be seen by men because he wills it. He will be seen by those he chooses, at the time he chooses, and in the way he chooses, for God can do all things. He was seen of old through the Spirit in prophecy; he is seen through the Son by our adoption as his children, and he will be seen in the kingdom of heaven in his own being as the Father. The Spirit prepares man to receive the Son of God, the Son leads him to the Father, and the Father, freeing him from change and decay, bestows the eternal life that comes to everyone from seeing God.

As those who see light are in the light sharing its brilliance, so those who see God are in God sharing his glory, and that glory gives them life. To see God is to share in life.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

 






ADVENT


Week III: Tuesday

“From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia and as far as the recesses of the North, they shall bring me offerings.” (Zephaniah 3:10)

Origen of Alexandria (part 2 of Pope Benedict’s reflections on Origen) comments on this verse from the Gospel proclaimed at Mass today:

“If anyone is able, insofar as he found that Israel is saved “after the full number of pagan nations,” let him consider having passed over by reason the remaining period, when it is that “all serve God under a single yoke,” according to what is said in Zephaniah, “And from the ends of Ethiopia they offer sacrifices to him,” when, as it is said in the sixty-seventh psalm, “Ethiopia stretches forth its hand to God,” and “to the kings of the earth” the word commands, saying, “Sing to the Lord, raise a psalm to the God of Jacob.” (Homilies on Jeremiah, 5.)



Collect
O God,
Who through Your Only Begotten Son
have made us a new creation,
look kindly, we pray,
on the handiwork of Your mercy,
and at Your Son’s coming
cleanse us from every stain
of the old way of life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.


Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen


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On humility and peace

Thomas á Kempis
(Priest)
An excerpt from Imitation of Christ

ADVENT III: Tuesday


Do not care much who is with you and who is against you; but make it your greatest care that God is with you in everything you do.

Have a good conscience, and God will defend you securely; no one can hurt you if God wishes to help you.

If you know how to suffer in silence, you will surely receive God’s help. Since he knows best the time and the way to set you free, resign yourself to him, for God helps you and frees you from all confusion.

It is often good for us, and helps us to remain humble, if others know our weaknesses and confront us with them.

When a man humbles himself for his faults, he more easily pleases others and mollifies those he has angered.

God protects and frees a humble man; he loves and consoles a humble man; he favors a humble man; he showers him with graces; then, after his suffering, God raises him up to glory.

He reveals his secrets to a humble man and in his kindness invitingly draws that man to himself. When a humble man is brought to confusion, he experiences peace, because he stands firm in God and not in this world. Do not think that you have made any progress unless you feel that you are the lowest of all men.

Above all things, keep peace within yourself, then you will be able to create peace among others. It is better to be peaceful than learned.

The passionate man often thinks evil of a good man and easily believes the worst; a good and peaceful man turns all things to good.

A man who lives at peace suspects no one. But a man who is tense and agitated by evil is troubled with all kinds of suspicions; he is never at peace with himself, nor does he permit others to be at peace.

He often speaks when he should be silent, and he fails to say what would be truly useful. He is well aware of the obligations of others but neglects his own.

So be zealous first of all with yourself, and then you will be more justified in expressing zeal for your neighbor.

You are good at excusing and justifying your own deeds, and yet you will not listen to the excuses of others. It would be more just to accuse yourself and excuse your neighbor.

If you wish others to put up with you, first put up with them.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

 

 



MEMORIAL


Saint John of the Cross


Priest and Doctor of the Church

“I see him, though not now; I observe him, though not near: a star shall advance from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel, that will crush the brows of Moab, and the skull of all the Sethites...” (Numbers 24:17.)

Pope Saint Leo the Great comments on this verse from the First Reading proclaimed at Mass today:

“Although it was a gift of divine favor that the birth of the Savior should become recognizable to the nations, nevertheless, to understand the wonder of the sign, the wise men were also able to be reminded through the ancient pronouncements of Balaam, for they knew that it had at one time been spread abroad in a famous and memorable prediction: “A star will appear out of Jacob, and a man will rise up from Israel. He will rule over the nations.” So the three men, stirred by God through the shining of this unusual star, follow the course of its gleaming light ahead of them, thinking that they would find the indicated child in the royal city of Jerusalem.

When this conjecture had failed them, however, they learned from scribes and teachers of the Jews what the sacred Scriptures had told about the birth of Christ. Encouraged by the double evidence, they sought him out with an even more ardent faith, the one to whom both the brightness of the star and the authority of prophets pointed.” (Sermon 34)


Collect
O God,
Who gave the Priest Saint John
an outstanding dedication to perfect self-denial
and love of the Cross,
grant that, by imitating him closely at all times,
we may come to contemplate eternally Your glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen


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ADVENT


— The Lord’s Day —


Sunday Week III


Pondering Jesus’ victorious Word

εὐαγγελίζω (euaggelizo)
“to announce the Good News of victory in battle”

“Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness (ἐπιεικὲς, epieikes) should be known to all.
The Lord is near (ἐγγύς, eggus).
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer (προσευχῇ, proseuche) and petition (δεήσει, dehsei), with thanksgiving (εὐχαριστίας, eucharistias),
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”


θεωρέω (theoreo)
(“to perceive, discover, ponder a deeper meaning”)

In his Letter to the Phillippians, Saint Paul offers a response to the Gospel question, “What should we do?” It begins with ἐπιεικὲς (epieikes), translated here at “kindness” and as this Year of Mercy unfolds, one might consider "kindness" in terms of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy (grounded in Matthew 25:31-45, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2247). In present times and in many situations of tragedy and grief, we instinctively provide for one another. One’s presence to and with another, a hug, food, running errands, shopping for essentials – all sort of acts – flow one to another to provide comfort. Often these actions are couched in silence and tears as no human word provides any adequate insight. As used in Saint Paul’s day, ἐπιεικὲς speaks of ‘what is fitting or appropriate for life in a reasonable and useful way.’ In other words, there is ‘balance’ or ‘moderation’ that is brought to life as tragedy generally slams us to either side of life’s pendulum.

Yet it is still fair to ask, “how?” In the face of great tragedies and heartaches in life, one may legitimately wonder whether or not one has the necessary strength. Pauline teaching directs one to “prayer (προσευχῇ, proseuche) and petition (δεήσει, dehsei).” It is interesting that even here in the translation, it appears that while “prayer” and “petition” certainly are related, they are not necessarily synonyms, although some scholars debate this point. When these nouns are viewed from their counterparts as verbs, the distinction becomes not only clearer, but helpful for Christian living. δέομαι (deomai) is the Greek verb “to ask” or “to petition.” When ‘prayer’ takes on more of a petitionary character, that is, specifically asking for something, δέομαι appears to be the preferred verb. However, when there is nothing specifically requested, προσεύχομαι (proseuchomai) appears to be the preferred verb. So if ‘praying’ (προσεύχομαι) is the activity and this activity is not about asking, what action best describes praying as προσεύχομαι? Saint Paul actually responded to that question earlier: “The Lord is near (ἐγγύς, eggus).”


Throughout the New Testament, ἐγγύς is often used to indicate the ‘nearness’ of the Kingdom of God or the ‘proximity’ of the Lord’s rule in one’s life or throughout the cosmos. ἐγγύς conveys the image of ‘being present to’ or ‘being in the company of another.’ As such, when Saint Paul directs the Philippians “to pray,” it does mean something different from ‘voicing petitions,’ an action that he specifically states following the directive “to pray.” One could conclude then that when Saint Paul speaks of ‘praying’ in the sense of προσεύχομαι, it has everything to do with being drawn into the presence of Jesus Christ. This is prayer that is wordless. This is prayer that is not directed by my present concerns, real as they are in the moment. This is a ‘being with’ that is made possible by the Spirit, a grace that draws us into communion with the Divine Persons and deepens peace-filled bonds of human interaction.






ADVENT


Week II: Thursday

“In the wilderness I will plant the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive; in the wasteland I will set the cypress, together with the plane tree and the pine ...” (Isaiah 41:19.)

Saint Jerome offers the following insight on this verses from today’s First Reading:

“All these [types of trees] are equally placed in solitude, lest even one chord from the harp of the Lord and any virtue of the graces of the church seem to be missing. They are planted in the desert so that all might understand and recognize with a common mind that the hand of the Lord has accomplished all these things, so that in the desert of the nations there came rivers of virtues and in a land once a desert and full of salty water the cedar and cypress and other trees may grow, whose height and stature rush to the skies. The olive tree is the same tree that supplies both light and relaxation after working.” (Commentary on Isaiah, 12.)


Collect
Stir up our hearts, O Lord,
to make ready the paths
of Your Only Begotten Son,
that through His coming,
we may be found worthy to serve You
with minds made pure.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen


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Love desires to see God

Saint Peter Chrysologus
(Bishop)
An excerpt from Sermon 147

ADVENT II: Thursday

When God saw the world falling to ruin because of fear, he immediately acted to call it back to himself with love. He invited it by his grace, preserved it by his love, and embraced it with compassion. When the earth had become hardened in evil, God sent the flood both to punish and to release it. He called Noah to be the father of a new era, urged him with kind words, and showed that he trusted him; he gave him fatherly instruction about the present calamity, and through his grace consoled him with hope for the future. But God did not merely issue commands; rather with Noah sharing the work, he filled the ark with the future seed of the whole world. The sense of loving fellowship thus engendered removed servile fear, and a mutual love could continue to preserve what shared labor had effected.

God called Abraham out of the heathen world, symbolically lengthened his name, and made him the father of all believers. God walked with him on his journeys, protected him in foreign lands, enriched him with earthly possessions, and honored him with victories. He made a covenant with him, saved him from harm, accepted his hospitality, and astonished him by giving him the offspring he had despaired of. Favored with so many graces and drawn by such great sweetness of divine love, Abraham was to learn to love God rather that fear him, and love rather than fear was to inspire his worship.

God comforted Jacob by a dream during his flight, roused him to combat upon his return, and encircled him with a wrestler’s embrace to teach him not to be afraid of the author of the conflict, but to love him. God called Moses as a father would, and with fatherly affection invited him to become the liberator of his people.

In all the events we have recalled, the flame of divine love enkindled human hearts and its intoxication overflowed into men’s senses. Wounded by love, they longed to look upon God with their bodily eyes. Yet how could our narrow human vision apprehend God, whom the whole world cannot contain? But the law of love is not concerned with what will be, what ought to be, what can be. Love does not reflect; it is unreasonable and knows no moderation. Love refuses to be consoled when its goal proves impossible, despises all hindrances to the attainment of its object. Love destroys the lover if he cannot obtain what he loves; love follows its own promptings, and does not think of right and wrong. Love inflames desire which impels it toward things that are forbidden. But why continue?

It is intolerable for love not to see the object of its longing. That is why whatever reward they merited was nothing to the saints if they could not see the Lord. A love that desires to see God may not have reasonableness on its side, but it is the evidence of filial love. It gave Moses the temerity to say: If I have found favor in your eyes, show me your face. It inspired the psalmist to make the same prayer: Show me your face. Even the pagans made their images for this purpose: they wanted actually to see what they mistakenly revered.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

 






MEMORIAL


Saint Ambrose of Milan


Bishop and Great Latin Father
of the Church


“The wilderness and the parched land will exult; the Arabah will rejoice and bloom ...” (Isaiah 35:1.)

Saint Gregory of Nyssa (part 2 of the background of Saint Gregory of Nyssa is found here) offers the following insight on this verse from today’s First Reading:

“And where shall we place that oracle of Isaiah, which cries to the wilderness, “Be glad, O thirsty wilderness. Let the desert rejoice and blossom as a lily, and the desolate places of Jordan shall blossom and shall rejoice?” For it is clear that it is not to places without soul or sense that he proclaims the good tidings of joy, but he speaks, by the figure of the desert, of the soul that is parched and unadorned.” (On the Baptism of Christ)



Collect
O God,
Who made the Bishop Saint Ambrose
a teacher of the Catholic faith
and a model of apostolic courage,
raise up in your Church men after Your own heart
to govern her with courage and wisdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.



Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

 


ADVENT


Week I: Saturday

“The Lord will give you bread in adversity and water in affliction. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher...” (Isaiah 30:20)

Saint Gregory the Great comments on this verse from the First Reading proclaimed at Mass today:

“He has seen us sinning and has borne with it. He who forbade us to sin before we did it does not stop waiting to pardon us even after we have sinned. The one we have rejected is calling us. We have turned away from him, but he has not turned away. Hence Isaiah said, “Your eyes shall see your teacher, and your ears shall hear the voice of a counselor behind you.” A person is counseled to his face, so to speak, when he is created for righteousness and receives the precepts of rectitude. When he despises these precepts, it is as if he is turning his back to his Creator’s face. But he still follows behind us and counsels us that we have despised him, but he still does not cease to call us. We turn our backs on his face, so to speak, when we reject his words, when we trample his commandments under foot; but he who sees that we reject him still calls out to us by his commandments and waits for us by his patience, stands behind us, and calls us back when we have turned away.” (Forty Gosepl Homilies, 34.)



Collect
O God,
who sent your Only Begotten Son into this world
to free the human race from its ancient enslavement,
bestow on those who devoutly await him
the grace of your compassion from on high,
that we may attain the prize of true freedom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

 


MEMORIAL


Saint Francis Xavier, priest

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21.)

In commenting on these verses from today’s Gospel, Saint John Chrysostom writes:

“He said “whoever does the will of my Father” shall enter, not whoever does my will. Why? Nothing is insufficient if they do the will of the Father. What he did say was itself a very difficult thing to accept in view of their weakness. He implied that to do his Father’s will is to do his will. There is no other willing of the Son than the will of the Father. This may apply in particular to those who commit themselves in detail to legal rules yet take little thought for the actual embodiment of their better intentions. Elsewhere Paul confronts them directly when he says, “Consider this. You bear the name Jew, rely on the law, boast in God and know the will of God,” but in all this you derive no benefit as long as the actual fruits of good living are not present.” (The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 24.)



Collect
O God,
Who through the preaching of Saint Francis Xavier
won many peoples to yourself,
grant that the hearts of the faithful
may burn with the same zeal for the faith
and that Holy Church may everywhere rejoice
in an abundance of offspring.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.



Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

 




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