4th Sunday of Advent

Through Mary’s yes God becomes man and we become sharers in the Divine nature

Fr. James McTavish

Christmas is nearly here. Today's Gospel is the Annunciation, the first Christmas in the history of salvation, when Mother Mary agreed to the plan of salvation. She conceived in her heart before conceiving in her womb. With her yes the Word would become flesh. This really is a great mystery and needs to be approached with gentleness and respect. When you enter a chapel in Asia you need to take your shoes off. We need the same delicacy approaching the mystery of the Incarnation. St Ignatius of Antioch said that the great mystery of the childbearing of Mary is discovered only in the silence of God, and is hidden from the princes of this world. The mystery is only revealed through love. If we want Christmas to be more than turkey, bloated stomachs and fairy lights then let us follow the advice of the Advent preface, "let us prepare to celebrate his birth so that when he comes he may find us watching in prayer, our hearts filled with wonder and praise.” Two thousand years ago the Scribes of Herod knew that the Christ would be born. They knew the Scripture but they missed his birth. The same can happen to me. I know that Christmas is 25th December but I can miss the birth of the Saviour. It is an invite to live Christmas in an attitude of listening, of silence, of "going placidly amid the noise.” It is the time for the mystery to be lived anew, "the mystery kept secret for long ages" (Romans 16:25).

What is the content of this mystery? As the poem by Robert Southwell describes it, “Behold the father is his daughter’s son, The bird that built the nest is hatched therein…Eternal life to live does now begin, The Word is dumb, the joy of heaven is found crying, Might feeble is, and force does faintly creep.” The moment of the Annunciation is a privileged moment in the history of salvation. It is the moment when with Mary’s yes, God becomes man. God comes to share in our humanity so that we can share in the Godhead, in other words we become participants in the divine nature. As John the evangelist would explain it, “to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12). Our participation in the divinity is also represented in the mass when we mix the water with the wine. Here the priest asks the Lord that we may be able to “share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” It means that our lives are elevated to a supernatural level too.

We cannot remain only in the visible, the natural because we are also sharers in the divine nature! Our lives have a supernatural and eternal vocation. Our life and our living are to be a sharing and participation in the love of the Trinity. Jesus’ incarnation is our ticket of entry into the Trinity. We are sharers in the Trinitarian communion. Our actions need to express this. Let us be concrete for fear that one may not see the relevance of this great truth. Recently the Vatican published a new document on Bioethics called “Dignitas Personae” (“The dignity of the person”). In the numbers 6-10 of this Instruction it speaks about marriage and the generation of life. It recalls the mystery of the Incarnation through which the “the Son of God confirmed the dignity of the body and soul which constitute the human being. Christ did not disdain human bodiliness, but instead fully disclosed its meaning and value” (D.P. no. 7). Thus we can only understand human in reference to the Word made flesh - “In reality, it is only in the mystery of the incarnate Word that the mystery of man truly becomes clear.” The love between husband and wife is a mystery. As my mum joked when I asked her why she married my dad, “I don’t know it is a mystery.” Why one person is attracted to a particular person and not another is mysterious. Human love is called to participate in and be a reflection of the mystery of divine love. It is a sharing in the mystery of the Trinity. Thus in the married couple, their love for each other needs to be considered not only and exclusively from a natural point of view but also from a supernatural one. Married love is called to be a participation in and reflection of the Trinitarian love! Often in the media love and sex are only considered from a carnal or merely natural point of view! This is an incomplete vision. The married couple is an icon of the Trinity. Their love is called to be a true expression of inter-personal communion, to be open to the transmission of life. The couple is called to participate in the divine life! Their union is not to be understood just from an earthly perspective because it has an eternal dimension which is often not fully appreciated.

It is through Mary’s yes that we have been given the opportunity to participate in the divine nature. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The eternal God steps into time as a little baby. He becomes man so that we may participate in the Godhead. This is the gift of Christmas. This is the drama of Mary’s yes. St Bernard describes it thus “The angel is waiting for your answer. We too are waiting. If you consent, straightaway we shall be freed. On your lips is hanging the consolation of the wretched, the redemption of the captive, in a word the salvation of all Adam’s children. Answer, O Virgin, answer the angel speedily. Let your humility put on boldness. Open, O Blessed Virgin, your heart to faith. And Mary said ‘Behold I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your Word.’”

3rd Sunday of Advent

Prepare Well (Fr. James McTavish)

Isa 61:1-2a, 10-11 Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54 1 Thess 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, 19-28

Christmas is fast approaching and it is a time to prepare well for the coming of the Lord. How are our preparations coming on? In today’s Gospel again we find John the Baptist. He “is a man named John” – very ordinary - but what makes him special is that “he was sent by God.” When we live for God the ordinary of our everyday life becomes extraordinary. John was sent to testify to the light. He was not the light but was sent to testify to the light. In testifying he prepares a way for the coming of the Lord. John was never afraid to announce Christ because he knew that “one more powerful than him was coming.” When we speak about Jesus we too can be full of peace that after our words will come one who is more powerful! So when we share our faith and love in Christ we don’t need to lose the peace and become anxious if we don’t see any immediate effects. As Avril Lavigne would sing, “Chill out, what you ya’ yellin’ for?” Trust, breathe easy, the Holy Spirit is coming!!! He will work the magic so just be faithful to what you understand.

Many came to interrogate John about his identity. The priests and Levites gave him a hard time. “Who are you?” He should respond “I am John the Baptist.” But instead he announces “I am not the Messiah.” Why does he respond like that? If you were asked who you are for sure you would say “I am Peter” or “I am Mary.” Only rarely we affirm in the negative but John does it three times before announcing who he is: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’” What can we gather from all of this? Firstly that John is very clear of his identity. We need to know who we are and what we are. We also need to know what we are not. In this world of today the emphasis is on having multiple talents and capacities, to be able to do everything, to bring up a family, work in the office, always have the kids looking perfect, to be able to do everything. But it is also very healthy to know our limits. We need to be able to say no. Are you able to say no? Are you aware of your limits? We need to be able to put limits and boundaries.

To put limits and boundaries is not to be boring or curb our style. On the contrary the exhortation from St Paul today is “Do not stifle the Spirit.” The Spirit will be the one to guide us, direct us, urge us to go for it but also to stop. Chill out. Staying close to Jesus means we are in tune with the Holy Spirit. A person guided by the Spirit is a force to be reckoned with. To keep being powered by the Spirit he advises, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Test everything, retain what is good.” Thanks St Paul for that great advice! The Holy Spirit will teach us our true identity. He is the only one who knows it, so don’t ask anyone else. If you ask the society you will be confused.

Let us ask John the Baptist for his same humility. Why humility when we are talking about identity? Because humility is to walk in the truth. It is to be yourself, the person that God wants, not the person that others want. It is like the girl I met who said that everyone in her family wants her to be a nurse but deep down she does not feel called to this. Let us help each other to prepare the Way of the Lord. As St Augustine tells us, “To prepare the way of the Lord is to be humble. People call John the Christ but he says he is not what they think. He does not use the mistake of others to feed his own pride. He knew where his salvation lay. He understood that he was a lamp, and was afraid of being quenched by the wind of pride.” We need a Saviour! Maranatha Lord Jesus!

2nd Sunday of Advent, Year B

One more powerful than me is coming (Fr. James McTavish, FMVD)

Continuing our preparation for the coming of the Lord in today’s gospel we encounter John the Baptist. He is in the desert announcing the way of the Lord, preparing a path. He is the voice in the desert crying out. St Augustine said that the Baptist was the voice preparing the way for the Word. The voice disappears but the Word remains.

The words and life of John the Baptist point clearly towards Christ. When Christ walks by, John points his disciples towards Jesus. When questioned about his identity John the Baptist is clear: “I am not the Messiah!” John recognizes that it is Jesus who is the Saviour and that Jesus is more powerful than he is. He announces thus “One more powerful than me is coming after me.”

What peace John must have had! To know that he does not need to control everything, does not need to have all the answers. He knows that he is not the Saviour. How many times we become anxious because we think that we need to be the Saviour. Of course perhaps we don’t realize it but many times our anxiety is from a lack of faith. It could be a lack of faith in God’s power. Or a lack of faith in God’s grace. Or even a lack of faith that the Messiah is coming. We do our part and leave the rest to God. Our task is to point towards Jesus. How many people try to solve the situation themselves? We can learn from John the Baptist. We are also called to help prepare a way for the Lord. Our words and life should point to Him. And we need to have the same trust as John the Baptist. That after we have done our part one more powerful than us will come and complete what is lacking.

John the Baptist reminds us to be faithful to our announcing of the Gospel. In fact his preaching was rather strong. The announcing of Jesus was more merciful. But still John’s preaching helped prepare a Way. God worked with his limitations. With us sometimes we do not always get it quite right. Sometimes we are a bit strong and at other time not strong enough. But God respects our good intentions. The building of the Kingdom goes on despite our frailties. God looks at our hearts and our good desires, not at the appearances or merely external results.

Isaiah gives us an image of the kingdom in the first reading. In this vision the cow and the bear live happily together, along with the wolf and the sheep. It is a symbol of all peoples, often opposites, living in harmony together. The secret? Not merely economic initiatives or political treaties but that a little child shall dwell among them. He is the wonder counsellor, the mighty God, the Eternal Father and the Prince of Peace. He is the shoot that sprouts from the stump of Jesse upon whom rests the spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and strength, knowledge and fear of the Lord. This is the One whom John acknowledges is to come, the one who is more powerful than him. Do we place all our faith in this child, the one who is to be born? This One who is born poor and naked, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger?

Let us ask for the intercession of John the Baptist, for his faith so we can pray “Come Lord Jesus. Make room in the manger of my heart for your coming.” We ask to believe that after our poor words and deeds you will come. And especially when we feel weak not to be shaken because we know that the One coming after us is more powerful than we are. Maranatha Lord Jesus! Amen.

1st Sunday of Advent

Be watchful gatekeeper!

Fr. James McTavish, FMVD

Isa 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7 Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 1 Cor 1:3-9 Mark 13:33-37

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is a time of waiting. Waiting for what? It is not easy to wait in our fast moving world of today. The publicity announces “Take the strain out of waiting.” Even the mince pies, a traditional Christmas food in England, have a best before date of November 22! Or as the children sing “Why are waiting, we are suffocating.” In Advent we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Perhaps the wait is not for our downfall but for our salvation. It gives us time to put our house in order. God’s patience is our salvation. The Master is returning to his house. Blessed the servant who he finds doing what he should when he returns.

In the first reading from Isaiah we see the humility of the people. They realize they are nothing without God and they ask for him to return. They ask, “Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?” before pleading for God to visit them: “Return for the sake of your servants.” The people recognize that they need God. The Psalmist has the same cry “Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.” In our lives do we see the same need for God? Sometimes when we look at our society on the one hand it boldly pronounces that it does not need God. In London there is a campaign to have atheistic slogans put on all the buses: “God probably doesn’t exist so get on and enjoy your life.” It is as if the God of Life is opposed to us enjoying life. What a mindless contradiction. It is also a sign of a society that is falling asleep. If a society does not react to God and tries to ignore him, it does not mean that all is well. A lack of interest in God and not listening to him does not mean that he does not exist. Where God is excluded so is life. If God is not in our lives then quickly we become confused. We need his Word to make sense of our lives. It is like receiving a gift at Christmas. My dad’s favourite advice was “Always read the instructions!” When my mum got a new electrical gadget and did not know how to work it he would ask “Have you read the instructions?” It is obvious that the best way to know how something works is to consult the one who made it. How many times we can apply this good advice to the most exquisite, delicate and complicated “machine” of all – the human being. If we want to know how to function, how to love, how to live difficulties we can consult the instruction manual of the Sacred Scriptures! If in doubt, we can ask God who is our Father and Maker. As Isaiah announces “we are the clay you are the potter.”

To fall asleep is a strong image in the gospel of today. Three times Jesus exhorts the disciples “Stay awake!” ^“Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man travelling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'" Are we able to see where we are falling asleep? It is not easy to see where we are falling asleep. We need to help each other to be watchful. In the gospel the Lord comes “in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning” so during the 4 watches of the night. It is important not to be arrogant and presume that we will notice his coming.

Two thousand years ago the scribes of Herod knew that Jesus was coming from reading the Scriptures but they did not see his birth. Just knowing the Scriptures is not enough. The Word needs to be put into practice. The shepherds listened to the Word announced by the angels and they put it into practice. If we want to encounter Christ this Christmas we are led to him by the star of the Word of God. It lights up the way to his encounter. Christ is a word that is spoken often only in the darkness, in silence. Jesus once said “What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light” (Matthew 10:27). Certainly we can understand the call to stay awake as a call to prayer. The Master will certainly come in the time of prayer in his Word. He is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:8) and asks us to be faithful to what is entrusted to us. Each servant is called to be faithful to his work so that many in the society must get on with their work. But the gatekeeper is especially called to vigilance. The gatekeeper is to be on watch. The gatekeeper is the symbol of all who are called to pray, of all who are called to have a prophetic voice in the society. It is the symbol of every Christian. Prayer is the antidote to falling asleep. Often a person can be made to fall asleep breathing in an anaesthetic. Sometimes the air of the society can anaesthetize us. Let Christ be the air we breathe. Let his Word keep us vigilant. Help us Lord to be awake for our coming. Do not let us fall asleep. Help our hearts be vigilant for our coming, especially to recognize you coming in your Word.

Help us to be good gatekeepers waiting in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ.