Let's Go, What Are We Waiting For

Kevin Gingras

December 20, 2020 - 4th Sunday of Advent

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122020.cfm

The other day, I was at a red light, trying to cross Route 44 to get to Church.  There were two cars in front of me and the light turned green - and nobody moved.  Now, I’m not known for the virtue of patience.  My first mildly aggravated thought was “LET’S GO - WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR!?”  Then, when my agitation subsided, I thought, “that’s a good question to ponder during Advent”, especially for today, the last Sunday of Advent.  

What are we waiting for?  Are we waiting for that perfect gift to arrive from Amazon that we got for Aunt Bethany and Uncle Lewis?  Are we waiting for time to finish decorating?  Are we waiting to be finished wrapping presents? Are we waiting to go get your ingredients for that perfect Christmas dinner? [Not that I’ve ever experienced one of those at home!]  I know that most kids, and some adults too are waiting for PRESENTS!

Christmas is just five days away!  Are we ready for Christmas?  If not - LET’S GO - WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR!?

Was Mary was ready when the angel appeared to her and proclaimed:

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called Son of the Highest.

Mary didn’t need to be told LET’S GO - WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR.  Mary simply replied:

Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word

Mary was ready for that first Christmas, even when things didn’t work out exactly as she had planned.  All her preparations revolved around her son and God’s son Jesus.  There is no better way to prepare than to make Jesus our primary focus right now.  

Over 2,022 years ago, this is what a lot of people were waiting for, a savior, Jesus, the Christ.  We hear a preview of what they were waiting for in today’s first reading from Samuel:

And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.'

Paul is trying to explain this to the Romans as he writes to them:

...according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ.

There’s the key for us - all of this was “through Jesus Christ”.  Some of the Jews missed this even though it was right under their noses.  

With all of our hectic preparations are we missing it too? If that is true for us then, LET’S GO, WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? We shouldn’t miss who Jesus is and even though this Advent season is almost over it isn’t too late to take some quiet time with Jesus. We are given extra Advent time this year my friends, use it wisely. Spend it in Adoration if you can.  If not, spend some quiet time at home, tell Alexa to stop playing Bing Crosby Christmas playlist, turn off the Hallmark channel, turn down the lights, silence your phones, turn on the Christmas tree and spend some time in prayer pondering Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the Holy Family, after whom are Church is so aptly named.  

If it helps read the Gospel of Luke, Chapters 1 through 3 or Matthew, Chapters 1 and 2.  Pay close attention to the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew.  Remember, Matthew was writing in Hebrew for a Jewish-Christian audience and Luke was writing for a Greek-speaking audience of Gentiles and Jews.  This is why the genealogies are different, they were for different audiences but either way, they are there to illustrate that Jesus was the savior promised in the Old Testament from the very beginning.  He’s our savior today as well.

Sure, this Christmas probably won’t be like any other we have experienced in our lifetime but try and count that as a blessing and not a curse.  Try to find that silver lining. Remember what Paul told the Romans:

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose

Usually, I end with a quote from a Saint but this time I will leave you with this quote from our very own Bishop of Fall River - Bishop da Cunha, who recently said:

But maybe because there will be less [family holiday gatherings] there will be more celebrating what Christmas is about. “That could be a source of joy and hope and peace for all of us.

Tend Your Domestic Church

March 22, 4th Sunday in Lent - Year A http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/041920.cfm

Well, what an odd Divine Mercy Sunday we are having this year!  The church has been turned upside down and a lot of us really need that mercy more than ever now!  We need Jesus’ Divine Mercy on all the churches across the entire world to get back to a bit of a sense of normalcy when it comes to our faith.  In our first reading, we can also see their faith was changing too.

In the first reading from Acts, the first followers along with the Apostles were also leading a sort of hybrid Christian faith.  They would gather in homes for the breaking of the bread but also go to the temple to meet. They participated in both the temple worship and the Eucharist in the earliest stages. They weren’t thinking of dividing Christianity and Judaism at this time.  

We are all currently living in a sort of hybrid Catholicism right now as well.  Our obligation to attend church has been dispensed and churches have been closed during this outbreak for the safety of the parishioners.  Instead, we “gather” with our families in our homes to virtually break bread and receive a “spiritual communion” each Sunday.  [There is a spiritual communion prayer at the bottom of this.] We watch masses on either Facebook live, YouTube, TV, or some other form of media. Even though this can be difficult, we must remain strong.  Even though we aren’t present together physically, we are present together in spirit.  We are still one Church it’s just that our “domestic church” has taken precedence over our local Churches for the time being. 

Make your domestic church as strong as it can be!  Let’s not become like poor Thomas, who in today’s gospel forever earns the nickname “Doubting Thomas”.  I’ve always felt bad for “Doubting” Thomas.  Peter was never known as “Denying” Peter for his three times denial of Jesus but Thomas doubts once and BOOM, labeled forever!  Please, don’t look down on Thomas because of this, how many of us have doubted in the past?  How many of us face doubt now?  Have we recently not trusted Jesus and relied more on ourselves?  I know I certainly have!  In these odd times do we doubt or do we trust?  We see in today’s gospel that Jesus is there in that locked room, He just shows up.  He is there, present in all of our houses, all of our domestic church buildings, we just have to recognize this, take the reins of our domestic churches.  How?  Continue with the Religious Education classes that they had to leave, pray together as a family, break out the rosary if you don’t do this already, and really recognize that Christ is present in our midst always.

Why?  Good question, why would we continue on in our domestic churches at this point?  The second reading gives us a solid answer!

Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of [your] faith, the salvation of your souls.

That’s it, stay strong, continue the church in your own home, and work toward the salvation of your souls, work towards that heavenly goal.

In my domestic church, I have recently noticed one of my “parishioners”, my daughter Faith, who is only 14 and doesn’t fully comprehend what is going on has kept the faith (no pun intended).  She continually accentuates the positives of this situation.  To her she sees only benefits:

She doesn’t have to get up and get ready for the bus that used to come at 6:10 am five days a week.

• She gets to go to bed at 9 pm instead of 10 pm.
• She got a new and bigger Chromebook out of the deal to do her school work on.
• Dad is working from home all week now.
• She gets to “work” (aka school)  with mom and dad all day now.  Faith, who is deaf, always signs “the three of us are working, we are the same”.
• She gets to have “gym class” with dad after he gets out of work.  Dad, however, is old and gym class is no longer his favorite subject
• She stays in her pajamas a LOT!
• She gets to “participate” in an A.S.L. Mass through the Boston Deaf Apostolate with Fr. Shawn on Sunday morning.

She sees the good in all of this right now and trusts God because she has faith like a child in all of this.  This “parishioner” is a constant reminder of what Matthew 18:1-5 says:

At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

There is a lot going on in our diocese that shows the positive of this situation.  Look to those things.  Look to the story of priests flying over our entire diocese in a plane with the Eucharist to bless us all.  Look to the parishioners who are doing things for their pastors and still supporting their church financially during this time.  Look to your online parishes for weekly and even daily Mass.  Look to your parish to see if they do Facebook live adoration.  Ours at Holy Family in East Taunton is every Tuesday night, 8-9 p.m. on our Facebook page.  Reposition is at 8 and then we pray the rosary together from 8:30 to 9 and conclude with a virtual benediction.  Pray to the Holy Spirit to guide you as you take the helm of your domestic church.

My prayer for all is that we all keep our domestic church focusing on the positive, still “attending” our churches virtually and filled with faith like a child as Saint Edith Stein said:

“Lay all your cares about the future trustingly in God’s hands, and let yourself be guided by the Lord just like a little child.” 

Act of Spiritual Communion, St. Alphonsus de Liguori:

My Jesus, I believe that You

are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. 

I love You above all things, 

and I desire to receive You into my soul. 

Since I cannot at this moment

receive You sacramental, 

come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace You as if You were already there 

and unite myself wholly to You.

Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.