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Daily Scripture

+ 33rd Week in Ordinary Time

Keep hope alive!

Readings: Revelation 5:1-10 Psalm 149:1-6, 9 Luke 19:41-44

_As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “if this day you only knew what makes for peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes.” [Luke 19:41]

In Christian liturgy and literature, he Church has often been referred to as “the new Jerusalem” and heaven as “the new and eternal Jerusalem.” I think it’s a good simile. If you have ever been to the old section of Jerusalem, you surely would have noted the appropriateness of this comparison. Ancient Jerusalem is still very much in evidence if not literally, surely in its ambiance. A walk from the site of the ancient praetorium to Calvary – now well within the city limits – will surely give you a sense of what it may have been like when Jesus made that last fateful journey.

Today Jerusalem is truly an international city and bears within its womb and walls, the extremes of every race and religion. Jews still narrate the story of the great exodus and Christians break the bread of Eucharist while Islamic temples broadcast their ancient chants from minarets that echo through the streets in the wee hours of the morning.

This is the city over which Jesus wept not because it did not make him king but because it did not recognize its day of visitation, that is to say, its moment of opportunity. In reading a passage such as this, we need to put away preconceived notions about our understanding of Jesus’ messianic role in the light of its Christological evolution in Christian teaching today. Jesus was not about establishing new religious structures but about announcing the universality of God’s love – for Jews and gentiles, male and female, of every race and nation.

Would it be accurate to state that Jesus is weeping not just over Jerusalem but over our war torn world? And yet one cannot fail to see signs of hope on the horizon. Bernard Lonergan, Carol Rahner and Carl Jung support this very Christian notion that it is in our moments of deepest despair that a new wisdom emerges leading to a common vision of a new world in which love and respect overcome evil and injustice. Is it possible that in the midst of the turmoil in which our world seems enmeshed people of good can bring that vision to reality not through confrontation but through collaboration?

Fourth Sunday in Advent 'A'

Sunday December 23, 2007

Not to worry; I’ll Be There For You!

In the format for some three-day retreats, particularly youth retreats such as “Antioch” or “Search,” provision is made for personal witness and commitments in the concluding ceremonies. In essence, those who ‘made’ the weekend for the first time are invited but never forced to give testimony to what they have experienced during the weekend and then to make public their resolution to continue to live the experience on what is called “the fourth day.” I expect this is not unlike some recovery programs in which people acknowledge their particular addiction and their resolve to live free of alcohol or drug dependency—one day at a time.

In any event, in the midst of this witness and commitment, it is not unusual for someone in the group to voice support for the individual giving testimony with the phrase, “I’ll be there for you!” At first the words may sound hollow. However the words are a promise not only of physical presence but also firm moral support. It is a commitment on the part of the person verbalizing them not to be a crutch, surrogate parent or moral enforcement officer but a walking companion, a soul friend and a mentor.

It is a very unique relationship and not many people know how to “be there” for someone on a spiritual journey, or recovering from an addiction or from a significant life change such as divorce, a life-threatening illness or the death of a loved one.

When you stop and think about it, a retreat experience or recovery program can be a life and death experience for some people.

It is in the light of these real life experiences that the Scriptures for the Fourth Sunday in Advent take on special meaning. We heard God through the prophecy of Isaiah, say to the people of Judah and to us, “Not to worry; I will be there for you!”

Isaiah spoke of a sign that indeed, God would send someone who will be his presence in human form. He will be called “Immanuel” which comes from the Hebrew word immanu (with us) and el, the shortened form of Elohim. It is interpreted: “God is with us!”

Although Isaiah is more likely referring to the imminent birth of Ahaz’s son, Hezekiah, the fuller or deeper meaning of the text is found in the birth of Jesus in whom Christians experience the visible presence of God in human form—God with skin, as it were.

As it turned out, Hezekiah did not live up to the promise and turned out to be a weak example of the messianic presence of God. Little did Isaiah know how much the sign that he offered to Ahaz and the people of Judah in the eighth century before Christ would continue to speak to countless generations of believers to the present time.

St. Paul in his letter of introduction to the Romans, offers the assurance that indeed it did happen and that the sign of God’s presence would be found within the community of faith living in grace, which is the life of God raised to the conscious level through Jesus Christ.

God is within us from the very first moment of our existence but as with Hezekiah, we are more often blind to his presence by our preoccupation with self and our own will to do what we think is best for ourselves rather than what God knows is best for us.

Of course, it is not an either/or situation. God takes his partnership with us very seriously but will never dominate us or force our hand. God does not set our agenda or “do our agenda” for us. God gives us the insight and the wisdom to find our path in life and sends people into our lives—role models, heroes, and mentors—people who prod us but who do not push us. People who set high standards but who are aware of their own frailty and mortality. People who challenge us but never hassle us. Paul was such a person to the Romans, especially to the Greek gentile population who were among the poorest in Rome. And are not Paul and all the saints, named and unnamed, mentors for all of us?

However, no one can take the place of Jesus. As with the person who supports the testimony and commitment at the end of the retreat experience, God fulfills his promise to “be there” for us in Jesus, our silent and patient partner through life.

The Gospel serves as a birth announcement and more. Matthew collects the convictions of early believers that indeed, Jesus—Jeshuah, i.e., “God helps” or “God saves,” is indeed the fulfillment of Isaiah and all the prophets. In Jesus, God has proclaimed, “I am with you” in a manner that was not only unexpected but also unprecedented.

During these hours before the feast, perhaps we need to be among those who give witness to what we have experienced in faith or perhaps to give testimony to our need to be converted to a greater awareness of God’s presence in our lives. This takes frequent exposure to the Bible, faithful presence at this table, much prayer, and of course, active service to others. For others it may be the opportunity to say: “I’ll be there for you!” For family and for friends; for the abused and for the despised abuser; for the addict, for the divorced and separated, for the aged, and for the dying—present but not dominant; prodding but not pushing; consistent but not annoying; challenging but not hassling.

“Not to worry; I’ll be there for you!”