Notes from the Pastor

Today we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent. The season of Advent is a four-week season in which we prepare for the celebration of the coming of the Lord. It is a dual anticipation in that we prepare for celebrating our commemoration of the Birth of Jesus over 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, and we also prepare for his Second Coming at the end of time. The word “advent” is derived from the Latin word “adventus,” which means “coming.” Advent is a time full of reflection, excitement, and hope. Advent is also a season in which we should be particularly mindful of our need for repentance and good works as we listen to the long-ago cry of John the Baptist: “Prepare the way of the Lord!”

Today’s Solemnity of Christ the King always takes place on the last Sunday in Ordinary Time before the beginning of Advent and the start of a new liturgical year. In our First Reading (Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17), Ezekiel prophesies the coming of a Messiah who will live humbly as a shepherd, focusing his efforts on seeking out the lost, the straying, the injured and sick: “I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark.” The shepherd promises a safe ground for pasture and rest for the weary of his flock. Above all, Ezekiel suggests the personal concern and care the Lord will show for each of his lambs: “I myself will look after and tend my sheep.” This passage is very much in Jesus’ mind centuries later when he evokes the same image in the Gospel that of the shepherd separating the sheep from the goats.

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the Church moves us toward reflecting on the end times and great questions of life and death. We might well ask ourselves what we would like to be remembered for once we have passed to eternal life. Our Scripture Readings today offer some good ideas in terms of what we should want as our legacy. The First Reading, from the Book of Proverbs, tells of the ideal woman, gifted not just with physical attributes, but with gifts of ingenuity, hard work, generosity and love of others. She is presented as a model of what is possible when someone uses their God-given gifts and skills well. The point of the Reading lies not in the fact that she is gifted, but in what she chooses to do with those gifts and skills.

As we approach the end of the liturgical year (a new year begins in three weeks on the 1st Sunday of Advent) the Scripture readings at Mass tend to focus on the end times and the Second Coming of Christ. In today’s Gospel reading (Matthew 25:1-13), Jesus cautions his listeners to “stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour”. He warns them not to be like the foolish bridesmaids who were unprepared for their master’s return. They assumed they could always get more oil for their torches whenever they needed it, and that the door of the master’s house would be opened for them even if they arrived late. The foolish bridesmaids were shocked to discover that because of their lack of preparation they were excluded from the celebration. While it is true that because of the late arrival of the master and his bride, all of the bridesmaids – both the wise and the foolish - had become drowsy and fallen asleep, the wise ones were prepared for the delayed arrival while the foolish ones were not.

Today, November 1st, we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. It is a day when we honor the lives of all saints – those officially recognized by the Church, as well as countless others known only to God. As part of the Apostle’s Creed, we acknowledge our belief in the “communion of saints.” The communion of saints describes the spiritual union that exists among the saints in Heaven, the souls in purgatory, and the faithful living on earth.

In today’s Gospel (Matthew 22:34-40), we heard Jesus declare that “the whole law and the prophets” depend on two great commands from the Lord. Everything concerning our fidelity to God hinges on our ability to love God above all else and to love our neighbor as ourselves. When Jesus was tested by one of the Pharisees, Jesus simply took the 613 commandments found in the Torah (Law) and narrowed them down to these two. The instruction to love God comes from Deuteronomy 6:5, and the instruction to love our neighbor from Leviticus 19:18. Some have described love of God as being the “vertical dimension” of love, and love of neighbor as being the “horizontal dimension.” By combining love of God and love of neighbor into a single commandment, Jesus is putting them on equal footing and making clear that love of God and love of neighbor are two sides of the same coin. They are dependent upon one another and enhance one another.

In today’s Gospel (Matthew 22:15-21), Jesus is asked: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” Matthew makes it clear that those who are asking the question are interested in one thing only – how they might entrap Jesus in speech and discredit him in the eyes of his followers. If Jesus answered “Yes,” he might forfeit his popularity with the crowds, who resented having to pay the tax and saw it as cooperation with the Roman oppressors who occupied their country. If he answered “No,” he would be denounced to the authorities as a revolutionary who was inciting the people to break the law. It was the classic “no-win” situation. Jesus did not fall for their trap. He did not respond with either of the answers that his questioners were looking for. Jesus replied: “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

Three times in our Scripture Readings today we are told how God will provide for us. In the First Reading (Isaiah 25:6-10a) Isaiah says “On this mountain the Lord of Hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines… he will destroy death forever.” Here, God is reminding the Israelites that he will be faithful to his covenant with them and provide for them. In our Second Reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (Philippians 4:12-14; 19-20), Paul tells the community, “God will supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” At this point in human history, what Isaiah had prophesied had come to pass: through Jesus, death had been overcome and the Lord had opened the doors to eternal life. So Saint Paul is reminding the Philippians that they can be content with whatever circumstances come their way, because the banquet has begun. For all who have responded to the invitation to faith by their Baptism, the feast of salvation is plentiful.