Luke 2:15-20
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Today on Christmas, I’ll share with you Thomas Merton’s words. In Seasons of Celebration, he writes about the birth of Christ. Merton is particularly moved by Christ as light, and our human need not only to receive the light within us, but more, to allow the light to shine through us. This is what Merton says:
Christ is born. He is born to us. And, he is born today. For Christmas is not merely a day like every other day. It is a day made holy and special by a sacred mystery. It is not merely another day in the weary round of time. Today, eternity enters into time and time, sanctified, is caught up into eternity. Today, Christ, the Eternal Word of the Father, who was in the beginning with the Father, in whom all things were made, by whom all things consist, enters into the world which he created in order to reclaim souls who have lost their identity. Therefore, the Church exults as the angels come down to announce not merely an old thing that happened long ago, but a new thing that happens today. For, today, God the Father makes all things new, in his Divine Son, our Redeemer, according to his words: Ecce nova facio omnia. . . .
At Christmas, more than ever, it is fitting to remember that we have no other light but Christ, who is born to us today. Let us reflect that he came down from heaven to be our light, and our life. He came, as he himself assures us, to be our way, by which we may return to the Father. Christ gives us light today to know him, in the Father and ourselves in him, so that thus knowing and possessing Christ, we may have life everlasting with him in the Father. . . .
Having realized, once again, who it is that comes to us, and having remembered that he alone is our light, let us open our eyes to the rising Sun, let us hasten to receive him and let us come together to celebrate the great mystery of charity which is the sacrament of our salvation and of our union in Christ. Let us receive Christ that we may in all truth be “light in the Lord” and that Christ may shine not only to us, but through us, and that we may all burn together in the sweet light of his presence in the world: I mean his presence in us, for we are his Body and his Holy Church. . . .
Christ, light of light, is born today, and since he is born to us, he is born in us as light and therefore we who believe are born today to new light. That is to say, our souls are born to new life and new grace by receiving him who is the Truth. For Christ, invisible in his own nature, has become visible in our nature. What else can this mean, except that first he has become visible as a man and second he has become visible in his Church? He wills to be visible in us, to live in us, and save us through his secret action in our own hearts and the hearts of our neighbors. So, we must receive the light of the newborn Savior by faith, in order to manifest it by our witness in common praise and by the works of our charity towards one another.
[Thomas Merton, Seasons of Celebration, pp. 102-105.]
Showing posts with label service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label service. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Friday, December 20, 2019
Third Friday of Advent - December 20, 2019
Isaiah 56:1-8
Thus says the LORD:
Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my deliverance be revealed.
Happy is the mortal who does this,
the one who holds it fast,
who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it,
and refrains from doing any evil.
Do not let the foreigner joined to the LORD say,
“The LORD will surely separate me from his people”;
and do not let the eunuch say,
“I am just a dry tree.”
For thus says the LORD:
To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give, in my house and within my walls,
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.
And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
and hold fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.
Thus says the Lord GOD,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
I will gather others to them
besides those already gathered.
• God’s salvation is always tied to justice. The readings from Isaiah that have guided us through Advent have consistently dealt with justice, that is, with doing what is right to others.
• In our contemporary, adversarial discourse, many see “justice” as a code-word associated with radical movements or certain political positions. In fact, it is a solidly biblical word, the cornerstone of much Old Testament spirituality. You could easily substitute the word “love” for justice . . . loving God and others with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Justice is the tangible, outward expression of love wherever there is human need. Justice is the actional element of love.
• As you read and meditate on Isaiah 56, consider your own notions about justice. What is justice to you? What negative notions of justice live within you? What positive notions of justice live within you?
• Isaiah – and other Hebrew prophets – leave no doubt that we are all called to love others by living justly. In what tangible ways do you seek justice in your own world? What acts of justice are part of the normal run of your life? Notice what arises to the surface of your awareness, then bring it into your prayer.
Thus says the LORD:
Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my deliverance be revealed.
Happy is the mortal who does this,
the one who holds it fast,
who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it,
and refrains from doing any evil.
Do not let the foreigner joined to the LORD say,
“The LORD will surely separate me from his people”;
and do not let the eunuch say,
“I am just a dry tree.”
For thus says the LORD:
To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give, in my house and within my walls,
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.
And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
and hold fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.
Thus says the Lord GOD,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
I will gather others to them
besides those already gathered.
• God’s salvation is always tied to justice. The readings from Isaiah that have guided us through Advent have consistently dealt with justice, that is, with doing what is right to others.
• In our contemporary, adversarial discourse, many see “justice” as a code-word associated with radical movements or certain political positions. In fact, it is a solidly biblical word, the cornerstone of much Old Testament spirituality. You could easily substitute the word “love” for justice . . . loving God and others with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Justice is the tangible, outward expression of love wherever there is human need. Justice is the actional element of love.
• As you read and meditate on Isaiah 56, consider your own notions about justice. What is justice to you? What negative notions of justice live within you? What positive notions of justice live within you?
• Isaiah – and other Hebrew prophets – leave no doubt that we are all called to love others by living justly. In what tangible ways do you seek justice in your own world? What acts of justice are part of the normal run of your life? Notice what arises to the surface of your awareness, then bring it into your prayer.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Second Tuesday of Advent - December 10, 2019
Isaiah 40:1-11
Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand
double for all her sins.
A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORD[a];
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.[b]
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”
You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,[c]
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
• In today’s scripture text, the prophet communicates God’s words: “Comfort, comfort, my people” (v. 1). In the immediate context, the comfort is aimed at exiles who have been displaced from their homeland and taken into captivity in Babylonian. But in the larger context, God extends comfort to anyone who is held captive by social systems, religious systems, or economic systems. How do you hear these words of comfort today? What do they say to you in your life-situation?
• Of course, this passage is not simply about you. There are persons around you who need comfort. Some of those persons you know, and others are still unknown to you. You will, however, meet them in the run of your daily life . . . in your neighborhood, at the store, and on the streets. Is there someone to whom you could reach out today with a tangible expression of comfort?
• In verses 3-5, there is a great leveling. Literally, the terrain will be leveled in order to allow exiles to return to their homeland. But metaphorically, the terrain represents the people, all people whose status God is changing . . . the lowly who will be raised up and the powerful who will be brought low . . . the crooked people who will be made straight and the rough persons will be smoothed. How does this image speak to you? Where do you find yourself with this passage?
Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand
double for all her sins.
A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORD[a];
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.[b]
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”
You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,[c]
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
• In today’s scripture text, the prophet communicates God’s words: “Comfort, comfort, my people” (v. 1). In the immediate context, the comfort is aimed at exiles who have been displaced from their homeland and taken into captivity in Babylonian. But in the larger context, God extends comfort to anyone who is held captive by social systems, religious systems, or economic systems. How do you hear these words of comfort today? What do they say to you in your life-situation?
• Of course, this passage is not simply about you. There are persons around you who need comfort. Some of those persons you know, and others are still unknown to you. You will, however, meet them in the run of your daily life . . . in your neighborhood, at the store, and on the streets. Is there someone to whom you could reach out today with a tangible expression of comfort?
• In verses 3-5, there is a great leveling. Literally, the terrain will be leveled in order to allow exiles to return to their homeland. But metaphorically, the terrain represents the people, all people whose status God is changing . . . the lowly who will be raised up and the powerful who will be brought low . . . the crooked people who will be made straight and the rough persons will be smoothed. How does this image speak to you? Where do you find yourself with this passage?
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