Some Thoughts and Some Music on an Advent Sunday - 2
(Re-post)
This year we're going traditional for our Sunday thoughts during Advent.
We're doing that by referencing the Gospel for each of the four Sunday's
of Advent, in order. These four Gospels were always repeated, every
year, from the time of the Council of Trent in the 16th century, until
post-Vatican II in Roman Rite Catholic churches. They provide a clear path for our journey through this
Holy Season as we prepare ourselves for Christmas.
The Gospel for the Second Sunday of Advent, Matthew 11:2-10, has Our
Lord commenting on John the Baptist, who at that point had already been
imprisoned by Herod. John's disciples ask Our Lord if He is the Messiah,
the one whose coming John had announced when he was free to preach and
baptize. Our Lord directs them to consider the evidence they have
witnessed:
The blind see, the lame walk, the
lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have
the gospel preached to them.
What more could you want to know? And yet we, who know these things, can
sometimes act as if we don't believe in the Messiah - either that He
has come, or that He will come again. Just look at the world and how
most of us live. Do our thoughts, words, and actions reflect a deep
and abiding faith in Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? If not, why not?
We claim to know Who He really is, yet we behave as if He isn't.
In Our Lord's day, some few, of the many that witnessed His preaching
and His miracles, tried to live according to His words and example. But
taking His apostles as an example, we know that they, for the most part,
abandoned Him during His Passion and Death. Jesus knew this would come
to pass and so He says:
And blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in me.
The Douay Rheims translation of the Bible explains what "scandalized in me" means: That
is, who shall not take occasion of scandal or offence from my humility,
and the disgraceful death of the cross which I shall endure.
He knew He would be betrayed, even by those closest to Him, whom He
loved. Despite this, He, the Word, the Second Person of the Blessed
Trinity, became flesh and dwelt amongst us. We all know how He chose to
dwell amongst us. Beginning with His humble birth, subjecting
Himself in obedience to Mary and Joseph throughout His hidden life at
Nazareth, He gave us an example of humility, meekness, diligence in
daily labor as well fidelity to our state of life. In His public life,
He offered Himself daily to serve those Whom He had come to save through
His preaching and miracles. Every effort was made to give to all of us
that Good News which we call the Gospels, preserved and taught to us
throughout the centuries by the Church He founded, the One, Holy,
Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
We were taught all of this (or should have been) as Catholic children.
What difference has it made in our daily lives? Before answering, let's
pause and consider what Our Lord has to say about John's life:
And when they went their way, Jesus
began to say to the multitudes concerning John: What went you out into
the desert to see? a reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out to
see? a man clothed in soft garments? Behold they that are clothed in
soft garments, are in the houses of kings. But what went you out to see?
a prophet? yea I tell you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of
whom it is written: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall
prepare thy way before thee.
It may be too much to ask that we be fearless prophets proclaiming the coming of Our Lord. On the other hand, we
can't just go about our business as if Our Lord was never born, or as
if He will not come again. We know Him; we claim to love Him. Shouldn't
our thoughts, words, and actions proclaim this?
Perhaps these words of Cardinal Newman might help us here:
“God has created me to do Him some definite service: He has committed
some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my
mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the
next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He
has not created me for naught. I shall do good. I shall do His work. I
shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, wild
not intending it, if I do but keep His Commandments. Therefore, I will
trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am. I can never be thrown away. If I am
in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may
serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing
in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away a friend; He may
throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits
sink, hid my future from me, still He knows what He is about.”
John was John, a prophet and more than a prophet. But Cardinal Newman's
words can enlighten and encourage us, no matter who we are, no matter
our state of life. As God created John the Baptist, so He created each
of us.
We might consider bringing Cardinal Newman's words to work with us this
week. Just as John the Baptist prepared the way for Our Lord, Our Lord
prepared the way for us and gave us the perfect example of how to live.
If, perchance, we're tempted to be discouraged by our short-comings in
following that example, listen to this Air from Handel's Messiah. This
particular version, featuring Barbara Bonney and the Freiburg Baroque
Orchestra is one of my favorites. Having sung this as a boy soprano in
my church choir many years ago, it's close to my heart and always brings
me both comfort and encouragement to follow that way prepared by Our
Lord.
We conclude with that simple aspiration we've used to end all our posts during Advent over the years.
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