God walks with us

At the edge of time itself the world was created. As creation unraveled into earth, sea and sky, humanity itself was birthed from the very fabric of the earth itself. Humanity’s respect for the created world soon diminished and the fall from grace required the creator himself to intervene.

He first entered human history through the stories of the patriarchs, judges, prophets and kings – each time humanity rejected his outreach, until there was no option. God himself took on the flesh of humankind, in human time, in a human place, circa 6 BCE, possibly Bethlehem in Judah. He was given the name Yeshua (or Joshua) which in Hebrew meant ‘the Lord delivers’.

The written story is bereft of the details that would make it satisfying. It is saturated with Davidic imagery, messianic expectation, an alignment with the poor and marginalised, angelic apparitions, it provides answers for which we do not know the questions.

One third of the world’s population are followers of this Yeshua. Through his life, ministry and ultimately his death and resurrection, these followers carry the firmest conviction that a new reign was inaugurated. With faith, this reign of God would transform both the present and future.

25 December, long a pagan festival of the winter soltice or of the Roman Sol Invictus, has been enthroned since the third century as the birthday of the person we know as Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of God.

Intimately linked to the Annunciation of the Lord, as the moment of God’s incursion into human form, Christmas is the celebration of God’s incarnation. For this is the day when God chose to walk with us, to breathe the same air, to eat the same food, to love a family, to learn to talk, walk, read and write, to labour, to experience joy and sadness – this is the intimacy that the Christian believes he has with his God, the gift of Christmas.

May your Christmas be one where in the companionship of your family and friends, you find the face of God.

With every blessing to you.

Ask in prayer

Many of us, in our darkest hours and times of need, have placed ourselves in the presence of God and prayed.

The science of prayer indicates mixed results. Some studies show a definitive efficacy for prayer, while others show that those who are not prayed for are just as likely to make good progress. One study shows that those who are believers fare better than those who don’t. Secular humanists deny any impact at all.

And yet the Jewish and Christian scriptures reveal a conviction that prayer makes the difference. In fact the scriptures give an outline of what to pray for, when to pray, where to pray and how pray. For the faithful there is prayer of intercession, of praise, of thanksgiving, of forgiveness.

Around the world, every second of every day, there are people at prayer. In churches, chapels, classrooms, prayer rooms and meeting rooms are gathered those who believe that the expended energy which focuses on the needs of others, for the healing of the sick, for the reconciliation of sinners and the broken-hearted, for the consolation of the bereaved.

We all share stories of disappointment in prayer, starting with those of innocent childhood to those of unrequited love, and yet the confidence of the Christian is unshakeable: if our prayer is genuine, if it is God’s will, what we ask will be granted.

From his letter to the Philippians (4:4 – 7), Paul advocates: There is no need to worry, but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving…

This 3rd Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday. The first word of the entrance antiphon is rejoice, hence ‘gaudete’. The joy that is celebrated is the joy of salvation, of God’s care for us, of the impending gift of his Son. In that ancient story which records the history of salvation, the plea, the hope, the prayer to the Lord was the deliverance of Israel from her enemies at the hand of God’s own chosen, anointed one, the Messiah. For Christians, Jesus fulfilled this prayer.

Teaching our youngsters about prayer, about what it does and how it happens is not about gullibility or misguided faith, it is about preparing them to be open to God’s action in their lives, to assist them to recognise his ongoing presence in the world around them and in the relationships they experience. Prayer and joy come together not only this Sunday, but every day. Make your days days of thankfulness and prayer, so that your families may see the fruit of good, prayerful lives in the way you celebrate each other.

I thank my God

The city of Philippi no longer exists. Where once, two thousand years go a busy metropolis and a lively Christian community flourished, now graze cattle. To this community which had proven itself a faithful supporter of Paul’s mission, Paul, now under house arrest, writes one of scripture’s most beautiful passagesFrank Anderson, a Missionary of the Sacred Heart, put this passage to music some years ago in an equally memorable and moving song, ‘I thank my God’.

Writes Paul: Brothers and sisters: I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:4 – 6, 8 – 11).

Over the last couple of evenings I have listened with humility and perhaps some embarrassment to the words of my peers on the North West coast, and to members of my former boards of management as they made their formal farewells. Make no mistake, it is great to hear good words said about one’s self, but in the business of Catholic education it is all about the person and mission of Jesus. Without the Gospel, without fidelity to that Gospel, our efforts as Catholic educators is meaningless.

I am no St Paul, and certainly no saint. Here was a man driven by the deepest passion, by the deepest faith, to take the Gospel of Jesus to the then known world. We know that eventually he paid the full price of that passion. Paul, as you would gather from a brief viewing of his letters, took issue with many of the early communities, and he dealt with them by putting himself in the mind of Jesus: how would he respond, what would Jesus do? In other words he contextualized his responses. Undoubtedly, had he lived today, I suspect that he would have said and done things differently.

Our family friend Pam has packed her bags and has left for a 13 month stay at the School of St Jude in Tanzania working with Gemma Sisia, the school’s founder. Pam is a very experienced social worker and a former librarian, and it is her librarianship skills that Gemma has seized upon. Pam has a husband, children and grandchildren. These 13 months are her gift, to St Jude’s, to those in need, and those who need her. What she is doing is extraordinary.

You and I are not asked to got to the ends of the world, but what we are called to do is be thankful for what we have been blessed with, and thankful for those who do great work – in building up the Kingdom, or just making the world a better place for all.

This Sunday is the 2nd Sunday in Advent. Come and worship.

Stay awake

Since taking up the gym a few years ago, I look forward to the summery, warm days, when I can walk with my son’s dog for that extra bit of exercise, consider the possibility of taking a dip in the coolness of Bass Strait, and hopefully lose my winter extra before the start of yet another year.

On the northern part of the globe, preparations for winter are being made. The Advent they await leads into the chilliest time of the year. At the other end of the world, the same Advent season breaks into summer.

The word adventus is the Latin translation of the word parousia, yet another word which describes the second coming of the Lord. Thus we await in anticipation of both the birth of Lord and his second coming.

Gift buying, pudding making, tree hunting, holiday planning, lunch arrangements, family travel, are significant parts of the agenda for this time of the year. We have made it busy.

The Gospel in the new liturgical cycle that begins this week is Luke. Luke writes to a gentile audience and brings new colour to the Jesus story, providing an original infancy narrative, expanding on the role of women and new perspectives on the resurrection. Yet the reading that begins our Advent (21:25 – 28, 34 – 36) comes from Luke’s apocalyptic passage. Here Jesus teaches his disciples about the signs of their coming liberation. They must ‘stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.’

We must keep our eye on the ball, for the focus of Advent is the person and mission of Jesus. The incidentals that make up our preparation for Christmas are not unimportant, but if we wish to ‘stand up with confidence before the Son of Man’ then our preparation must include our own attentiveness and prayer.

We might also choose to be fitter, thinner, more sociable beings, and there is no reason why this preparation for a healthy lifestyle should not parallel our internal preparation to that great feast of the Nativity of the Lord.

The Church is not only a grand institution, it is also a rich resource in assisting you to grow into your relationship with our God. Advent is as opportune a time as any to seek guidance. Come, worship and stand with confidence.