December 2009
Vol. XXX, No. 12
Dear Oblates and Friends of Portsmouth,
"Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice; the Lord is near."
The two middle Sundays of Advent always feature John the Baptist in the Gospel readings in each of the three cycles. Of all the prophets in the Old Testament John is the one who most directly foretells the coming of the Messiah. In fact, he literally points him out, bidding his own disciples to follow the one whom he refers to as "mightier," as "one whose sandal strap he is not worthy to loosen." John's special mission was to pave the way for the Messiah's Coming by preparing the people, arousing in them a sense of expectancy for his near approach and also giving a program which would make them qualified to welcome and receive the Messiah when he arrived. The other prophets looked on from afar and told in veiled language what to look for in the Messiah. Now that the time of fulfillment has finally come, the language can be more direct, and it is Jesus' cousin who is assigned the role of revealing to a select few that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited Christ, the Anointed One.
In the Gospel of Luke we are given some practical ways to make ourselves ready for Jesus' annual coming, ways which apply as much to us as to those whom he actually addressed. Our response results in a metanoia, a conversion or a turning toward God and away from whatever may hinder us in our approach to Him or whatever prevents His coming to us. Three groups ask for direction, two of them representing segments of society in which abuses at that time were prevalent, and continue to be a blight in our own time, as we hear of the atrocities in war-torn countries and the endless scandals involving crooked business deals and widespread political corruption.
The first group, the people in general, are told to share what they possess, to give of their excess to those who are deprived. Christmas is traditionally the season of giving and sharing, with numerous drives and appeals that provide multiple opportunities for putting into practice the mandate to love our neighbor. What makes our generosity especially meaningful is that in this love of neighbor we are demonstrating our love of God, for 'Whatever we do to the least of the brethren, we are doing to Jesus himself.' We are not merely showing our humanity, but our Christ-like concern.
Tax collectors, the second group, were notorious in ancient times for extortion, since it was an abuse built into the system of collecting taxes. The collectors had to make their living by what they could gain after delivering a set amount to the authorities, a system that all but guaranteed corruption. The poor, as in France before the Revolution, were the ones most subject to taxation, and those who most keenly felt the effects of the injustice. John's advice to the tax collectors is to be honest despite the strong temptation to cheat. We recall two instances when Jesus encountered tax collectors. One, Matthew, he called to become an apostle and then even dined at his house, causing scandal at his associating with men who were considered to be worse than sinners, Samaritans, and harlots. The same was true of Zachaeus, the tax collector who insisted that he was scrupulously honest in his dealings, and received the reward of having Jesus partake of his hospitality. We live today in a world in which honesty is often kept on the back burner, with little regard for adverting to it when it comes to making a quick profit or seizing an opportunity at the expense of honor.
The third group are those in power, those with authority, which can lead to abuse, or as the Baptist puts it, when the soldiers ask his advice: Rob no one by violence; do not falsely accuse; and be content with the wages you are paid. Where the poor were concerned, a "might makes right "policy was followed. The military were a dominant feature of the ancient world, just as they are in certain countries still. In our own country the military budget exceeds most, if not all, of our other socio-economic programs and lends itself to waste and corruption on a large scale. In our own experience, to a lesser degree, we may be aware of examples of wastefulness and excessive spending which ought to be addressed. John speaks to us today as he did of old, urging us to prepare for the Coming of the Messiah into our lives by doing what we can to effect a moral reform, beginning with ourselves and so, by example, extending it to others. The path to success can be slippery or bumpy, depending on which route we take. The road less traveled is the more arduous and more demanding, the one that John the Baptist directs us to as the only way to prepare for the Coming of the Messiah, so that he will truly be in our midst. This is the more difficult way of self-sacrifice, of preferring Christ rather than the pursuit of our own self-interests. In this way will we truly realize what is meant by the two words, which characterize the beginning of the new liturgical year, Advent: the annual Coming of the Lord and Messiah, the Anointed One, and Emmanuel, God with us. These two words are linked perfectly in the hymn best suited to the Advent season, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."
Excerpt from the Oblate Conference given by Dom Damian on October 11, 2009
"Francis of Assisi and His 8th Centenary"
CONCLUSION
What, then, can we learn from this simple, Christ-like person from the Middle Ages and how can we make our own some of the ideals that made him a person of such universal appeal? How, that is, can we in our particular state of life, embrace the Christian ideal as interpreted by Francis? Or is it impossible, given our complex society, to take a step into the past, and adapt it to the way of life of the twenty-first century? Are we able, without being saints or saintly or as just ordinary, average Church-going Christians, are we able to embrace some of the principles that Francis valued?
If we are really called upon to imitate Christ, as Thomas a Kempis the author of THE IMITATION OF CHRIST, insists that we must, then we should adopt some of Francis' attitudes or habits of thought, while, at the same time, recognizing that his lifestyle is incompatible with our own manner of life. Francis' life and example can teach us the same things that Jesus taught, and that we must accept and put into practice, if we are to be his disciples. Like Jesus, Francis, expects the impossible, even allowing for the fact that with faith,f all things are possible. What this means is that we have to aim at the ideal, even with the knowledge that we may not succeed in attaining it. Be ye perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Or as Robert Browning phrased it, Our reach should exceed our grasp, or what's a heaven for?
Here is a quick list of what I think Francis can remind us of in the materialistic world that we inhabit, in which the philosophy of the writer Ayn Rand is upheld, a philosophy which prefers "rational selfishness" to altruism, considering greed a virtue and generosity, a vice; what can be referred to euphemistically as "enlightened self-interest."
PRACTICAL WAYS OF BRINGING FRANCIS INTO OUR LIVES
1) That we have a duty to be more conscious of the poor and recognize the need for us to share what we have to a greater extent. The late English economist, Barbara Ward, a devout and influential Catholic, made this point, applying it to the world at large, in her book, THE RICH NATIONS AND THE POOR NATIONS.
2) That we show our solidarity with those who are less fortunate and in need of the help that we are in a position to give.
3) That we look upon work of a menial or manual kind as something which is a necessary component or condition of life, not something degrading and to eradicate as much as possible as an evil. (We recall that Benedict in his Rule extolled manual labor as something that makes a monk true to his calling and like the apostles.)
4) To consider poverty not as a curse or a punishment as the Puritans would hold, but rather as a means by which we can show our Christian concern and provide opportunities for expressing charity and love of neighbor, of philanthropy in the truest sense of the word.
5) That death, which Francis regarded as a friend, is not something fearful, terrible and unmentionable, but as the doorway to heaven, as our faith teaches us. This, admittedly, is a hard thing to accept, since all of us frequently experience a sense of loss in the passing of one who is dear to us, and this can have a devastating effect on our morale, no matter how deep our faith Emily Dickinson, not a conventional Christian, nevertheless, expressed such an attitude perceptively, in one of her poems: "Parting is all we know of heaven, and all we need of hell."
6) To promote harmony in our interaction with those whose religious beliefs are different from ours, to cultivate an ecumenical approach to non-Christians, to pagans and to those who have not the advantages that we are blessed with in possessing a faith that we believe to be the surest means of our salvation. Prayer is one way, and may be the only way that is available to many of us. But if the opportunity presents itself to do more, then we should be prepared to undergo personal sacrifice, to become active in living our faith, and not confine ourselves to being merely passive believers.
In the primitive Church it was the power of example that was responsible for the rapid spread of Christianity: See what love the Christians have for one another. This, more than anything else, was what made such a profound, lasting and fruitful impression on the pagans of the Roman Empire. And why Saint Francis, and Saint Clare too, were so influential in their own time and continue to be sources of inspiration in ours.
Liturgical Calendar for December
December
3 St. Francis Xavier, S.J., Missionary
6 SUNDAY II OF ADVENT
(St. Nicholas of Myra, Bishop)
7 St. Ambrose, Bishop & Doctor
8 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF OUR LADY
Patronal Feast of the United States
12 St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious
Our Lady of Guadeloupe, Patroness of Mexico
13 SUNDAY III OF ADVENT
(St. Lucy, Martyr}
14 St. John of the Cross, Carmelite, Doctor
20 SUNDAY IV OF ADVENT
(St. Peter Canisius, S.J., Doctor)
24 Vigil of the Nativity
25 NATIVITY OF OUR LORD (Midnight Mass: 12 p.m.)
(Masses in Day: 8:00 a.m., Sung Conventual: 9:30 a.m.)
26 St. Stephen, Protomartyr
27 FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY
(St. John, Evangelist, Apostle)
28 Holy Innocents, Martyrs
29 St. Thomas a Becket, Martyr, Archbishop
Next Oblate Days of Recollection: January 31, 2010
Dom Matthew Stark, Abbot Emeritus
