Midnight Mass, Christmas

(Isaiah 9:1-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14)

The angel said, "Do not be afraid; I bring you good news, news of great joy  for the whole nation.  Today there has been born to you in the city of David a deliverer – the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger."

Let us think a little on those words: ‘This will be a sign for you: a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.’

What might that infant signify?  What would strike you about such a baby?     What could there be in the baby itself so impressive that it could serve as a sign for the shepherds and for us?

Now there could well be some difference in the order of precedence but I think all of us will agree – on consideration -- that a baby speaks to us about new life and new beginning; again, an infant is so helpless and vulnerable, and yet, nevertheless, exudes a mysteriously protective and literally disarming innocence.  Finally, an infant is wrapped, so to speak, not merely in swaddling clothes, but in an all-embracing beauty somehow independent of its individual features.

In a baby, then, we see new life, a new beginning in life, and in this respect the Babe of Bethlehem was supremely significant, because the Son of God became the Infant Jesus in order to bring new life to the human race, in order to offer sinful men and women a new beginning.  Jesus is our deliverer, our saviour, because He comes to free us from the power of sin and the fear of death: He offers new life, divine life, to all those who are aware of the abiding emptiness of worldly glory and the ultimate frustration of human attempts at self-justification, and who, believing in the Good News, commit themselves to Jesus by faith; and subsequently hope -- by the power of His Spirit -- to live and die with Him for the glory of Father.  And, by thus embracing the Gospel of Jesus and accepting the Gift of His Spirit through the ministry of Mother Church, there are many who have come to experience and recognise -- in the hitherto unsounded depths of their human nature – an echo, so to speak, instinctively resonating with and corresponding to this new beginning and thereby testifying that the divine life of ultimate and eternal fulfilment is indeed stirring within them.

There are, of course, others who would seek new life only in order to know again certain aspects of the death-streaked life of ordinary earthly experience, or to enjoy once more the taste and tang of sins committed earlier, sins in which they are no longer able to indulge, perhaps, because of age and infirmity.  For people with such restricted or perverted horizons there is no possibility of new, or renewed, life; their bodies will perish and they too will perish with them, not, as they might fondly hope, into silent and peaceful oblivion, but into the punishment of eternal loss.

An infant is characterized also by its innocence, and in this respect too, the Child of Bethlehem was a sign for the shepherds as He is for us, because Jesus comes to free us from the disfiguring and destructive power of sin.  The Christ Child stirs up in many a vague, perhaps even reluctant, awareness that they have failed to live up to their conscience, that they have tarnished the best in themselves, that they have too often betrayed that which was worthwhile and true, and lived – devoted themselves -- to things now seen as more or less unworthy, more or less, indeed, degrading.  For such people, contemplation of the Babe in the manger at Christmas stirs thoughts, brings back memories, and causes emotions both bitter and sweet.  Such experiences, though perhaps painful, are, nonetheless, worthy of Christmas; for the Infant Jesus is a continual reminder from God the Father that in Him – the Jesus Who is Emmanuel, that is, ever abiding with us and in us thanks to the Church -- there is not only a real possibility of, and opportunity for, a new beginning of innocence, but also the offer of an accompanying wisdom and power that will protect, strengthen, and bring such a beginning to fulfilment, if we will but sincerely turn back to Him, humbly take His yoke upon us, and perseveringly walk in His ways.

Moreover, the Babe revealed to the shepherds of Bethlehem was, in His helplessness and powerlessness, also a blessed sign that Jesus, and also His Church, has no mission, no desire, to dominate us, to force our minds into submission or our hearts to subjection.  His chosen method is to provoke the attention, and then guide the development, of our minds which are made for the truth; to purify our emotions which were created good and which sin has not been able to totally corrupt; and to evoke our love: therefore this Child can so easily be portrayed holding out His arms to us, and can so readily be felt pulling gently, yet strongly, on our heart strings.  This is an essential part of the process of our total renewal, for it restores in us a right awareness – a right self-awareness -- that we alone in the whole of creation have been made in God’s own image and likeness, with an ultimate destiny and calling to become sharers in the divine drama of eternal love and communion: a calling and a destiny which can never be forfeited, only sadly ignored and tragically rejected.   

There is an undeniable joy about Christmas, it has an atmosphere that is quite unique.  This tells us something about ourselves and about God.  Because Christmas and the Infant Jesus are so deeply in tune with our human nature, they awake something so deep and fulfilling within us which we can only respond to and express by all sorts of joy-provoking activities: by family gatherings, eating and drinking together, parties and outings, receiving and giving gifts, sharing with each other and with the poor.  Notice all these things are primarily joy-provoking, not pleasure-producing, activities.  Of course, at Christmas there are many who seek pleasure-producing measures, such as drugs, drunkenness and orgies; but we all know these are not Christmas activities, they are part of the devil’s distortion of and hatred for Christmas.  Those other, authentically Christian, Christmastide activities, however, are signs that Christ is come to make us members of God’s family, and it is there, in His family, that we will find that fullness of joy and communion for which the human heart longs:

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

St. Augustine knew this when he wrote those wonderful words: “Lord, You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

Christmas is the time for beginnings, new and renewed beginnings, for all are called to share in the Christmas rejoicing which anticipates and prepares for eternal glory.  Christmas is a season of joy -- Mary’s joy as the angel Gabriel declared -- and this joy is meant to help us on to an ever deeper and more trustful commitment in the Faith to union with Christ until, as true children of God in the only-begotten Son, the Father receives into the heavenly home prepared for us. There, Christmas joy and fellowship will be transfigured beyond all imagining into the eternal fulfilment and peace of divinely adopted children who, in the Son, are glorified by the Spirit as members of the family of God, eternally rejoicing in the presence of the heavenly Father Who is in All in all.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.  And the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.   Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.

            The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

                                               

Second Sunday of Advent (A)

(Isaiah 11:1-10; St. Paul to the Romans 15:4-9;

St. Matthew's Gospel 3:1-12).

Advent is the season given us by Mother Church to prepare the way for Jesus' coming:  He wishes to heal our world’s suffering, and for that He needs entrance to the minds and welcome in the hearts and of men and women everywhere, even, and especially, the hearts and minds of every single Catholic and Christian; for no one is holy before the Lord, and pseudo-religiosity is among the world’s deepest and most painful sores.  Let each of us, therefore, try to open our minds and hearts to Him at this our Sunday gathering and pray that His Spirit may rule in us, our families, our society and our world.

In our first reading from the prophet Isaiah we heard some words which are frequently imitated today by people of all persuasions:

            They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain.

Many, indeed, are those who, when speaking of themselves, use such expressions as, "I harm no one, I hurt nothing", thereby witnessing to and justifying their own life styles.  If we try to take their words in the kindest way and on the worldwide scale, we can see what our modern society is claiming, for there seems to be no doubt that our world is, as a whole, improving.  This would seem to be evidence of moral progress: with human beings, and even animals and the environment, beginning to be afforded more respect.

In the past, kings, emperors, and rulers have waged dreadful, slaughter-full, wars, often enough for merely personal pride and national advantage.  At other times, when floods came and crops failed, thousands, even millions died, and nothing was done by the rest of mankind.  You might say that was because others did not know what was happening, but that is far from the whole truth, because even in recent times the potato famine in Ireland, for example, was known and more or less politically ignored, while the world-wide slave trade was blatantly practiced and protected for profit and power.  Today, however, the nations of the world are regularly urged, and frequently consent, to join together in providing help where and when needed.  Children are no longer used for cheap labour with such impunity as was formerly the case, and the equality of women is more widely recognized and accepted.  In modern societies the poor are supported; the disabled are beginning to be integrated more, and the mentally incapable are subjects to be cared for, not nuisances to be buried in oblivion or otherwise disposed of.   In all such respects our world seems, indeed, to be much improved, and these advances are frequently considered to be the result of purely human endeavour by those who think that to do no hurt, no harm, or even better, to do good all around, is the panacea for our world's needs and the surest guide to human fulfilment.

However, there are other, disturbing, indications, which seem to contradict such a rosy picture.  Never in history have there been such murderously successful leaders as Hitler the racist, Lenin the ideologist, and Stalin the opportunist tyrant, to say nothing of the Far Eastern demagogue, Chairman Mao, and petty African tyrants.  Closer to home and in days of peace, politics and politicians are suspect, being openly mistrusted by large swathes of the population; terrorism is not only practiced but also openly justified, while money is worshipped and thuggery practiced by drug barons and their minions who ruin more lives world-wide than even Hitler or Stalin were able to kill.  Corruption and venality are everywhere to be found infecting iconic sporting events, while terrorism and rogue states such as North Korea, Burma, Iran and Somalia are constantly in media headlines.

Such considerations should lead us to think that perhaps our world’s apparent moral progress is not the same thing as real spiritual progress; and that is indeed the case, for morality is not holiness: mere morality can mask supreme pride, whereas holiness is not possible apart from fundamental humility.  The Scribes and Pharisees were most moral, despising the licentiousness and cruelty of both Roman and Hellenistic society; and yet you will remember from the Gospel reading that John the Baptist said some seemingly cruel words to the Scribes and Pharisees coming to him for baptism:

            Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

What was John targeting with such severity?  It was their racial pride, their presumed personal righteousness:

            Abraham is our father. (John 8:39)

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' (Luke 18:11-12)

What then is the Christian truth about our world's progress? 

It would seem that, to a large extent, the progress, which has been noted, is due to greater public awareness:

Then He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us.' "  (Ezek 8:12)

You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.   (Ps 90:8)

Harm and hurt are more readily done in the dark.  And so, while the light of day and the glare of public awareness can guide and promote human sympathy as they also expose and dissuade criminality, only the light of God’s grace discovers the pride and self-love which lie so often hidden in the depths of men's hearts, and which so frequently stain their most noble efforts and motivate their most abominable crimes.

Today we have instant publicity, world-wide awareness, and therein a primary reason for our apparent moral improvement; the counter indications, on the other hand, show that wide-spread within human society today there are latent forces capable of causing terrible harm and great hurt, forces which, far from being fundamentally changed by the threat of possible exposure, are -- being personal and private -- merely more cunningly disguised and more deviously promoted .

What did the prophet Isaiah say about not harming, not hurting, on God's holy mountain?  Listen:

They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

Hurt and harm, destruction and death, he says, will only come to an end, as distinct from being ignored or brushed under the carpet, when mankind is filled with knowledge of the Lord, when men and women are willing to humble themselves before God and seek to direct all their intentions along the way of the Lord Jesus, for the glory of Father, and the good of their neighbour.

Our modern do-gooders, however, and those who so confidently proclaim that they do no hurt, no harm, to anyone, often enough have no intention of obeying or glorifying God in what they do: rather they believe that the good they do proclaims their own righteousness and humankind’s sufficiency without any dependence upon a God, a Faith, or a Church.

Until men and women of today come to recognize the true nature of the sin that is to be found not only in human actions but also in the human heart, there is no chance that any number of sincere endeavours will effect any real change to our world; and until it is recognized that salvation only comes with repentance, and as a gift -- from God alone, through Jesus, by the Holy Spirit -- no amount of self-justification will be able to bring peace to the heart of humankind.

We can all appreciate the peace pictured by the prophet Isaiah:

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.   The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den.    They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,

But the prophet solemnly told those who heard him that One alone, the promised Messiah, could bring about that state of affairs on earth:

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.  The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.    His delight is in the fear of the LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.    Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.

People of God, let us recognize where we should look for salvation and fulfilment: it can only come to us through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Apart from Him, even in those who seem to be the best of human beings, sin is never absent, only not seen, not publicly appreciated as such; and the best works of merely human sincerity and concern have no power to promote that salvation which is human kind's supreme good and which can come only as a gracious gift from God our Father in the name of Jesus, His Son and our Saviour.   

       First Sunday of Advent (A)                

(Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44)

Advent has come round once again and I would imagine that all of us here who are mature adults will be thinking how the time since last Christmas has flown.  I really should say the time from last Advent, but perhaps many of you would not remember the beginning of Advent last year, whereas you will certainly remember last Christmas: how the time has flown since then!!  People of God, I want you to think on that: how quickly the last year has passed by!   I ask you as disciples of Jesus to do this because it is so easy for people to live through their whole life and, when it comes to an end, find themselves not only surprised -- the years having passed like a dream, as the poet puts it – but also quite unprepared for what awaits them.  That is why, in God’s Providence, the Church’s liturgy has periods of preparation – Advent and Lent -- that recur annually and thereby remind us: “Look, another year has gone by!   How many more do you think you have?  You need to prepare yourself.”

Today’s readings fit wonderfully well into that purpose by reminding us of the ultimate significance of our life here on earth and how supremely important it is for us to make good use of the time at our disposal.  These readings have two main themes: first of all they evoke the joy of pilgrims going up to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifice and praise in the messianic times to come. 

Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.

We can almost feel the excitement and anticipation of those pilgrims journeying to meet Him Who, they believe, will guide them along the way of salvation.

They then tell us of the need to be truly prepared for that final, solemn, meeting with the Lord coming to judge the nations and reward His faithful servants:

Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, one will be left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.  Therefore, stay awake!  For you do not know (when) the Lord will come.

Surely such a belief, such a hope, should stir up in us -- who today are still living in a war-torn and terror-stricken world -- a like determination and confidence as that which filled the breasts of those ancient pilgrims, who walked along, exhorting each other, as we have heard, with the words:

            Come house of Jacob, (People of God), let us walk In the light of the LORD.

We are, as St. Peter said, a privileged People, for we have already, in a far truer sense than those pilgrims could ever have imagined, reached Jerusalem, the dwelling-place of the Most High, because we have the privilege of being children of Mother Church.  For, in her, the letter to the Hebrews (12:22-24) tells us:

You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant.

Therefore, being so privileged, we should come -- each and every Sunday -- with even greater joy and expectation to the house of the Lord,

            (Who)  will teach us His ways, (that we may) walk in His paths.

The Jerusalem which Isaiah foresees is a figure of Mother Church since in her the faithful disciples of Jesus have already been given a share in heavenly life, and are being continually guided towards the fullness of Christian maturity.  That will enable them attain to the heavenly Jerusalem and to join the general assembly of the blessed gathered there, the Church of the righteous made perfect, as fully living members of the Body of Christ -- sons in the Son -- able to be presented to, and  stand in the presence of, the God and Father of us all.

Let us then pray that we may indeed learn the ways of the Lord and come to walk in His paths in accordance with the second theme of our readings today:

Stay awake!   For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

For, not only do we not know the day of the Lord’s coming, but we have even been warned, quite explicitly, that it will take place when we least expect it:

The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.  

St. Paul, that most faithful apostle of the Lord Jesus, tells us what this means for us, and how we are to set about doing what Jesus requires of us in preparation for that meeting:

It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.  Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil its lusts.

We human beings are creatures of habit: we can do something one way, and then, by repetition, allow it to become first of all a tendency for us, and then finally develop into a firmly fixed habit that we do almost instinctively.  Now, in God’s Providence, the liturgy of Mother Church each year invites, indeed, urges us, to observe Advent as preparation for the celebration of Christmas, the birth of Christ; just as she also gives us Lent to prepare for the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord.  And she does this because, without repeated observance of such seasons of preparation, we might easily drift into a habit of unthinking observance of feasts of great moment for the Spirit at work in our lives, instead of establishing a truly Christian habit of preparation that will enable us to appreciate, celebrate, and profit from, the enduring goodness of the Lord.

Consequently, People of God, I urge you to use this Advent well: try to form a habit of welcoming the Lord into your life.  We have a month in which to start a new habit, or in which to strengthen a habit we have already been trying to build up over several, perhaps many, years.  The whole point is that if we do not have a habit of recognizing, welcoming, and gratefully responding to Jesus, a habit diligently practised and firmly established over years of observing the Advent preparation for Christmas, then when He comes, unexpectedly, at the end of our days, we might find ourselves unable to welcome Him.  Be sure, People of God, one cannot live a forgetful life and then, when suddenly challenged, come out with the right response or show the right attitude.  His coming at the end will be quite unexpected, there will be no time to collect our thoughts and weigh up what should be our attitude; we will find ourselves responding instinctively, at that unprepared moment, either in accordance with the character we have carefully built up by faithful devotion over the years, or with that thoughtlessly allowed to develop over years of selfish, careless, and faithless living.  And that response will, for better or for worse, prove to be our final response and our last opportunity: a violent person, under pressure, will always react violently; a weak-willed person, under threat, will always be craven; a faithless disciple will always prove himself a hypocrite.   No wonder Jesus said:

            Blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing (right) when he comes.

Recognize yourselves, People of God: sudden trials, sudden and unexpected threats, leave us neither the time nor the ability to act in an unaccustomed manner: to be found doing the Master's will when He comes, we need to have seriously formed good habits and the right instinctive attitudes.  Advent is an opportunity given us by Mother Church to try to establish the supremely good habit of recognizing and welcoming the Lord into our lives this Christmas.  Therefore, the way we prepare during the course of this Advent could be the mirror image of our state of preparedness when He comes – suddenly -- to settle accounts with each of us personally at the end of our time of preparation and formation in Mother Church. 

In Psalm 53 we read:

God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

And, according to the Psalmist, He found none:

Every one of them has turned aside; there is none who does good, no, not one.  They do not call upon God.

That was the situation, even in Israel, before Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour, came to redeem us; and that is still the situation of many today who turn away from, reject, Jesus: they do not acknowledge God; they do not seek or call upon Him; they have not understood the probationary nature of their life experience on earth, where both the wonder of God’s creation – so beautiful with all its natural powers and sublime human potential -- and the depth of mankind’s needs seem to be so  irreconcilable for them.

So, dear People of God, use Advent to prepare to welcome Jesus fittingly: try to recognize all those occasions, both great and small, clear and only glimpsed at, where truth and beauty, goodness and love, sympathy and help, power and fragility, fear and wonder, impinge on your consciousness and invite you to respond to God somehow present there, and may your Advent character of awareness, gratitude, trust,  peace, and joy further Jesus’ Kingdom of faith, hope, and charity in your souls.