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Daily Scripture

+ Feast of the Birth of Mary

We have the best and the worst among our ancestors>

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. [Romans 8:28]

You will recognize the gospel passage as the one we usually avoid, assuming it has nothing to offer contemporary Christians. However, it does have a purpose beyond tracing the lineage of Jesus to David. It is not a scientific genealogy so don’t attempt to ‘prove’ it scientifically.

It’s a mixed bag at best. There are saints and sinners among the list but they are all ancestors of Jesus through Mary. It’s odd that on this feast of the birth of Mary that we read the genealogy of Joseph because it is through Joseph not Mary that Jesus is connected to David.

I suppose we are all connected at least spiritually. The late great Seton Hall professor and convert to Christianity, Msgr. Osteriecher, used to remind us frequently that we are all spiritual Semites, i.e., we are Judeo-Christians and therefore trace our lineage through David to Abraham.

And that’s why we claim Mary as our spiritual mother. Indeed, she is.

Beyond that, it’s good for us to be reminded that few if any of us are of pure breed. We often refer to our family as a “Heinz 57” family because like the food brand, we have at least 57 different nationalities among our ancestors, not all of them saints, to be sure. But whenever we got together for a ‘family’ event, we were one. I hosted the last family reunion at St. Joseph several years ago for over 200 relatives comprising four generations.

It’s never too late to give thanks for our heritage.

Fourth Sunday in Advent 'B'

Sunday December 21, 2008

Preparing for the Feast

The readings on the fourth Sunday of Advent bring us to the threshold of the feast. They are a summary of what we have come to believe about Jesus—his divine identity in the line of David, his human entry through the womb of Mary. In the manner of a solemn benediction, St. Paul concludes his letter to the Romans with a summary of his theology of God’s plan of salvation proclaimed through all the prophets and fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. God and humanity are reconciled in Christ.

All of nature joins in the preparation for the feast as the sun begins its long climb back to the northern hemisphere. The winter solstice in a quiet pause, invites us into a contemplative moment about the coming of the Son of Justice, the light of the world reflected in the star of Bethlehem, the star that has hovered over all the ages.

And so on this fourth Sunday of Advent, I offer this meditation as we ponder the mystery of God entering humanity in the drama of the incarnation:

Winter Solstice

Refined silk sky,
alabaster window shielding eternity,
shades of pink and gray with hint of amber here and there,
clouds painted with broad brush strokes
blending with the distant sky
barely distinguishable one from another,
a veritable talisman.

Quiet air.

Tired sun makes its brief appearance at the eastern edge
_only to hasten its descent toward the ‘south gate_’
scarcely touching the western edge before sinking into the distant meadow.
Silhouetted trees create long shadows traversing the earth
Barren branches and naked stalks bravely facing north
braced for the long cold night.

Silent night.

Winter solstice
preparing for a holy night,
The Holy Night.

Nature demands our attention
to a place in time and space
where earth and heaven met for one brief moment
God and humanity conjoined in eternal embrace
Timeless encounter
endless mercy
God with skin
evil confounded by compassion,
darkness no longer in control.
Eternal light
bright promise of eternal life.

Fallow time remains,
not to be wasted.
Pay attention to the stars;
remain silent
stay alert for the prophet’s cal
angelic voices
and shepherds’ songs.

Every year the same words
but never the same message.
Endings and new beginnings
again as if for the first time.

Put to rest the pain and sorrow of other times
and other places
as if they never existed.
Hold instead
to cherished memories of good times,
life-giving moments of gladness
when the songs of our hearts
replaced the bitter taste of harsh words.
No theology can match the sacred myth of the poet’s verse
nor expose the incomprehensible mystery of the divine absence
that makes present the eternal longing for ultimate resolution
supernatural no longer super
but a continuum of the natural flowing into the vast universe
where humanity lives comfortably with its divine origin:
original blessing.
human ifferences and distinctions dissolved,
virtue expanding on the beauty of the Godself—faith, hope and love fulfilled.

No tainted skies or painted thoughts
No broken branches or shattered dreams
Nothing between us and God
And all those we have loved so dearly in life and in death.

The Christ Event has made the vision possible.
A brief respite in time
with lasting impressions for believers
and still hidden messages for people of good will everywhere.

God’s breath is in the air
and in the Season.

Come Lord Jesus, come!

Father Lasch