The Treasure Chest

From time to time there are certain teachings, words, or writings of an individual that have a profound effect on our lives, as if that person had the power to touch us deep within and transform us for the better.  The men and women who have had that effect on my life have all shared something in common - holiness - a fact which indicates more is present in these individuals than meets the eye.  Through their simple words or gestures God is somehow mysteriously communicated and perceived.  The result is penetrating and remains planted in the depths of the soul and memory.  Pope Benedict is one of those figures in my own life.  I have learned much about what it means to be a disciple of Christ through his personal witness of love for Jesus, and through his many writings...

Pope Benedict on the Word of God

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Yesterday's Angelus speech from Pope Benedict centered around the celebrations and Mass readings from the Second Sunday of Advent, today's memorial of St. Ambrose, and tomorrow's solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.  In a span of a few short minutes the Holy Father was able to reach into the heart of the mysteries of these three days and present it in a simple and beautifully profound manner.  I will let Pope Benedict speak for himself!  Enjoy!

"Dear brothers and sisters...

On this second Sunday of Advent the liturgy proposes the Gospel passage in which St. Luke prepares the scene, so to speak, in which Jesus will open and begin his public mission (Luke 3:1-6). The evangelist shines the spotlight on John the Baptist, who was the precursor of the Messiah, and traces with great precision the coordinates in space and time of his preaching. Luke writes: 'In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert' (Luke 3:1-2). Two things draw our attention...

Shepherds

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The movement in today's readings for Mass reveal to us the beauty and blessings of discipleship.

We can outline two simple movements taking place in the first reading for today.  The passage from Isaiah opens with an expression of the Lord's desire and resolve to comfort, nourish, and shepherd His people.  Then multiple images are presented to us which convey the sense of blessing - the manifold ways in which God will bless His people, the ways He will bless those who heed His voice sounding in their ears, "this is the way; walk in it."

The responsorial psalm is the Church's response to the first reading - an aspect of the liturgy which we do not hear about often in homilies.  Here the Church calls out to the Lord with one voice, a response which comes from the depth of her being after having received God's Word.  Today's response is, "blessed are all who wait for the Lord."  This waiting is not equivalent to standing on a street corner waiting for a bus to arrive.  The waiting spoken of in the Gospels shows us that we must be watchful, prepared, attentive, and be good stewards of the gifts and talents God has given to us...

Healed but Still Deaf

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Today's readings remind me of yesterday's Gospel, where Christ indicates that entering the Kingdom of God requires doing the will of God.  It was Christ's obedience to the Father, his "becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross," that proved His love to be real, and not a fleeting sentiment.

In today's Gospel we see two blind men approach Jesus, using the same profession of faith as Bartimaeus - the blind beggar healed by Christ as He left Jericho.  Unlike Bartimaeus who "received his sight and followed him [Jesus] on the way" (Mk 10:52), these two blind men leave Jesus' presence, and then ignore His stern warning to not share what had happened with anyone.  The two blind men are healed, but turn away from Christ and are then disobedient...

The Advent of Joy

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Not too long ago someone asked me if I knew of any passages in the Gospel where Jesus laughed.  I couldn't think of any off the top of my head, nor can I think of any now.  But there is something deeper than mere laughter in both the Old and New Testaments.  When we look at the Gospel and the person of Jesus what we do see is both "joy" and "rejoicing."

In Tuesday's Mass readings the Gospel passage opened with the words, "Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit."  If we look further into the Gospel, and the New Testament as well, we see how joy and rejoicing are connected to the presence of God, to conversion, and to the experience of salvation...