Examination of Conscience

 +                2nd Sunday of Advent

                  A cycle

 

 

Today's first reading comes from the prophet Isaiah. In fact, all the Old Testament readings in Advent come from Isaiah. He along with John the Baptist are the voices of Advent. Today's reading contains perhaps the most colorful and famous passage found in all of the prophetic writings. It is the story of the "peaceable kingdom" where

 

       the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,

      and the leopard shall lie down with the kid...

 

Now we usually think of the prophets as foretelling the future, and it is true that Isaiah presents us with a picture of a new world to come. However, the special talent of the Old Testament prophets was their ability to describe with brutal accuracy the wrongs of their own day. 

 

If we listen carefully, we can see that Isaiah is contrasting the rule of the future King with the actual state of things in his own time. He complains that people, especially those in authority, judge things solely by appearances and not by principle or justice. They make up their minds by hearsay. Neither the poor not the land's afflicted receive justice or mercy. The ruthless and the wicked prevail. If the future King will rule with justice and faithfulness, it is clear that the present rulers do just the opposite.

 

As a critic of his own times, Isaiah gives us an introduction to the great New Testament prophet, John the Baptist. In today's gospel, St. Matthew tells us that Isaiah's famous lines refer to John.

 

      A voice of one crying out in the desert,

      Prepare the way of the Lord,

      make straight his paths.

 

Like Isaiah, John is a critic of the leaders of his own time. Although people were coming from all over to be baptized in the Jordan, John lashes out at the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the leaders of the Jews, for their hypocrisy. Archaeologists tell us how important ritual bathing or baptism was to the Jews at the time of Christ. The frequent washings were not just to cleanse the body, they were also meant to purify the soul.

 

When the Pharisees and Sadducees come to John's baptism, he calls them a "brood of vipers" because they have no true repentance for the wrongs they have done. They think that it's enough to go through the ritual washing of the body without a thought to a subsequent change of their behavior. He tells them that their status as leaders of the community and descendants of Abraham means nothing unless they "produce good fruit as evidence of ... repentance."

 

What is good fruit? We can go back to Isaiah's list. We should not judge others merely by appearances. We should avoid deciding merely by hearsay. We should treat those less fortunate than ourselves with fairness and compassion, and not take advantage of them because of their circumstances. We should avoid ruthless and wicked behavior. Is our society any different than Isaiah's? 

 

When John speaks of repentance, he is talking about looking over our lives and taking stock of who we are and where we are going. Advent is a perfect time for us to do so. It is the beginning of a new year so to speak. For centuries the Church has advised us to  examine our conscience. In particular, such a review might examine a dominant fault and work on ways to correct it, or it might consider a particular strength or virtue and consider ways to increase it.

 

Even though the phrase, “examination of conscience” may sound strange to us today, the idea is not outmoded. At the end of each year business people are advised to look back on the past year and consider what worked and what didn't work. They spend hours examining their strengths and weaknesses. For the upcoming year they are urged to prepare a business plan where they will work on developing their strengths and overcoming their weaknesses.

 

Athletes do the same thing. Every week coaches spend hours examining game films to see what they did right and what they did wrong. Whole practices are devoted to making the necessary corrections and incorporating them into next weeks game plan. Why do we spend so much time preparing for games but so little time preparing for the game of life? 

 

When it comes to the most important things in our own lives we fail to examine our conscience? As the old saying goes, people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. What did we do wrong last year? How did we hurt ourselves and our loved ones? Can we begin now to rid ourselves of bad or destructive habits? 

 

On the positive side what strengths or virtues do we possess? What can we do to build spiritual muscle memory so that good behavior becomes easy and natural to us? The word virtue merely means a good habit, while a vice is a bad habit. Now is the time to kick the bad habits and concentrate on the good. In today's reading from St. Paul's letter to the Romans he speaks of the quality of endurance. We are in this life for the long haul and must be prepared to go the distance. 

 

The biggest criticism against Christians today is that we are no different than anyone else. Rather than being a light to the nations, the darkness in our society seems to be overwhelming us. We don't have to go about wearing our religion on our sleeve but in our homes, our schools, and in our businesses we should be producing good fruit. We don't need laws and judges to bring Christ back into Christmas. All we need is for Christians to act like Christians.

 ###

Reading 1. Isaiah 11: 1-10

Reading II. Romans 15: 4-9

Gospel. Matthew 3: 1-12 (John the Baptist appeared).

Forgiveness

                      3rd Sunday of Easter

                      B cycle

 

 

 

Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles introduces not only the theme of the other readings but also the very reason for the mission of Jesus. A crowd of people had assembled after Peter and John had cured a lame man. The crowd was amazed to see the man walk but Peter insists that neither he nor John possessed any special power or holiness. They had healed the man through the name of Jesus.  

Yes, the man was healed by the same Jesus that they had handed over to the Romans to be put to death. Peter says,

 

You denied the Holy and Righteous One

And asked that a murderer be released to you.

The author of life you put to death. But God raised him from the dead, of this we are witnesses.

 

Nevertheless, Peter does not blame the Jews for they and their leaders had acted “out of ignorance.” They were mere unwitting accomplices in the Divine plan. The Christ would suffer to atone for the sins of man. Why did such a good person like Jesus have to die for the sins of man? 

 

Today’s gospel also deals with atonement or forgiveness of sins. Last week’s gospel was St. John’s account of the appearance of Jesus to the doubting Apostle Thomas. In today’s gospel, St. Luke describes what happened the week before when the resurrected Lord first appeared to the Apostles.* 

 

Two disciples had returned to Jerusalem to tell the Apostles about their meeting with Jesus on the road to Emmaus. While they were conversing, Jesus appears to all of them. He shows them the signs of his wounds and assures them that he is not a ghost. He even eats some food to prove it. He then explained to them the whole meaning of his mission on earth.

 

Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer

and rise from the dead on the third day

and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,

would be preached in his name

to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of these things.

 

We do not like to use the words “sin” or “sinner” anymore. Today, people will say “my bad” when they admit they have made a mistake. Modern parents will scold their misbehaving children by saying that their conduct is “inappropriate.” Sin and Bad are old English words that are very blunt in their simplicity. The Latin word for sin is “peccata” which means spot or stain. It is like a blot on an otherwise clean page.

 

In theological terms good and evil are opposites. Good implies perfection while evil implies imperfection. When we say that God is good, we also say that God is perfect. Even if we don’t like to say we are sinners, none of us would claim to be perfect. We are all imperfect. No matter what we call it, we cannot help to see the almost overwhelming presence of evil in our world today. We just have to look at the headlines in our newspaper or favorite electronic device to see it.

 

Sin and evil are so prevalent in the world that it makes you wonder how we can stand it. How can we put up with the awful stories from near and far that bombard us every day? I like to think that God built into us a kind of immune system that keeps us safe from such terrible stories. Only when it hits close to home is our spiritual immune system penetrated. A million people can be massacred in Asia or Africa but it means less to us than the suffering of a member of our own family.

 

When we look at sin or evil in this way, we must wonder how anyone could atone for even a fraction of the bad that humankind has done? Who could possibly atone for us? In today’s second reading from the first letter of John, we find the answer.

 

But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,

Jesus Christ the righteous one.

He is expiation for our sins,

And not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.

 

In that first meeting with the Apostles, Jesus told them and us not only to preach a gospel of repentance and forgiveness of sins but also to practice it in our own lives. “But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.”

 

###

*Note 1: Click this link for a brief dramatic reenactment of the appearance in the upper room.

 Note2: The image above is Masaccio's depiction of Peter healing the lame man.

Reading 1. Acts 3: 13-15, 17-19

Reading II. I John 2: 1-5a

Gospel. Luke 24: 35-48 (forgiveness of sins) 

Rejoice Always

  

 

               3rd Sunday of Advent

               B cycle

 

 

In earlier times the third Sunday in Advent was known as "Gaudete Sunday" because the entrance prayer or "Introit" began with the Latin words, "gaudete in domino semper." Translated the phrase means "rejoice in the Lord always." Today, as it has always done, the Church injects an element of joy into the penitential season of Advent. In many churches the priest will put aside the purple vestments which signify sorrow and penance, and put on rose colored vestments, a symbol of joy. The Church is asking us to look ahead to the glory of the coming of the Savior on Christmas.

 

In this liturgical year the first reading for each of the Sundays in Advent is taken from the prophet Isaiah.  It is common for us to think of a prophet as someone who foretells the future but usually the Hebrew prophets just talk about their own time, especially its problems. Today, however, Isaiah sings a different tune for the reading is all about joy. 

 

     I rejoice heartily in the Lord,

     In my God is the joy of my soul;

 

The reason for the joy is that the Lord has heard the cry of the poor and the brokenhearted, and has sent his anointed one to teach and heal. That someone is clothed in a “robe of salvation” and wrapped in “a mantle of justice.” Just as the earth bears fruit, the Lord will make “justice and praise spring up before all the nations.”

 

In today’s gospel, John the Baptist, the last of the Hebrew prophets, is trying to convince the people of his time that the Lord’s anointed is coming into their midst. He says,

 

     I baptize with water,

But there is one among you whom you do not recognize,

The one who is coming after me,

Whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.

 

One thing that I have always liked about John the Baptist is that he never claimed anything for himself. He insisted that he was not worthy to even untie the sandal strap of the anointed one. He only claims to be a voice preparing the way. But what does John’s call for repentance have to do with rejoicing? 

 

To rejoice means to bring joy back into our lives. To rejoice means to recover or regain the joy that we once knew or had. Maybe it means to find the joy we once dreamed of as children, especially at Christmastime. It is hard to read the papers, watch the TV, or just surf the Web and not see that joy has gone out of so many people’s lives. In some cases it is not our own fault. Bad things happen to even good people.

 

But in many cases it is our own fault and often we can find ourselves carrying an enormous load of guilt on our shoulders. How do we get rid of it and free ourselves to experience joy again. Repentance is the answer. Like the younger son in the parable of the Prodigal Son, we must come to our senses, take responsibility for our own failings, and seek forgiveness. 

 

Modern science and medicine, for all the good they have accomplished, can never give us forgiveness. St. Augustine believed that the mere recitation of the Lord’s Prayer was sufficient to forgive all small or venial sins. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the celebration of the Eucharist itself is “a remedy to free us from our daily faults and to preserve us from mortal sins.” For mortal or serious sins, the Church provides the great Sacrament of Penance as the primary means to repentance and rejoicing.

 

 The crowds ask John what they should do to prepare for his coming. His words could profit all of us this Advent. John’s advice for preparation is not radical or impossible. Jesus himself constantly forgave sins but never made impossible demands on those he healed. We do not have to give up all that we have in order to find joy. We have to realize that many of the things in our lives do not really provide true comfort and joy.

 

Every Christmas I’m reminded of an article I read by a man who was a well known lecturer, TV personality, and author. He had a beautiful wife and son and was extremely successful. Yet he wrote, "I am almost 60. Time flies and it scares me. I don't want to die. I like being in good health. I don't want to be sick and have wires and tubes and scalpels in me. I like having enough money. I don't want to be old and poor. I sat in my car... shivering in fear. And then it struck me. I spend too darned much of my life in fear. I always have. You can't imagine how much of my life I have thrown away by being a slave to fear."

 

In today's second reading from St. Paul's letter to the Thessalonians he says, “Rejoice always.”  He gives a simple set of instructions. Pray without ceasing, give thanks, do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophetic utterances, retain what is good, and refrain from every kind of evil. He ended with this blessing that is especially appropriate for this season:

 

May the God of peace make you perfectly holy

And may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,

Be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

###

Reading 1. Isaiah 61: 1-2a

Reading II. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24

Gospel. John 1: 6-8, 19-28 (A Man named John)

Gaudete Sunday

  

 

                                    3rd Sunday of Advent

                                    

 

 

In earlier times the third Sunday in Advent was known as "Gaudete Sunday" because the entrance prayer or "Introit" began with the Latin words, "gaudete in domino semper." Translated the phrase means "rejoice in the Lord always." Today, as it has always done, the Church injects an element of joy into the penitential season of Advent. In many churches the priest will put aside the purple vestments which signify sorrow and penance, and put on rose colored vestments, a symbol of joy. The Church is asking us to look ahead to the glory of the coming of the Savior on Christmas.

 

In this liturgical year the first reading for each of the Sundays in Advent is taken from the prophet Isaiah.  It is common for us to think of a prophet as someone who foretells the future but usually the Hebrew prophets just talk about their own time, especially its problems. Today, however, Isaiah sings a different tune for the reading is all about joy. 

 

            I rejoice heartily in the Lord,

            In my God is the joy of my soul;

 

The reason for the joy is that the Lord has heard the cry of the poor and the brokenhearted, and has sent his anointed one to teach and heal. That someone is clothed in a “robe of salvation” and wrapped in “a mantle of justice.” Just as the earth bears fruit, the Lord will make “justice and praise spring up before all the nations.”

 

In today’s gospel, John the Baptist, the last of the Hebrew prophets, is trying to convince the people of his time that the Lord’s anointed is coming into their midst. He says,

 

            I baptize with water,

But there is one among you whom you do not recognize,

The one who is coming after me,

Whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.

 

One thing that I have always liked about John the Baptist is that he never claimed anything for himself. He insisted that he was not worthy to even untie the sandal strap of the anointed one. He only claims to be a voice preparing the way. But what does John’s call for repentance have to do with rejoicing? 

 

To rejoice means to bring joy back into our lives. To rejoice means to recover or regain the joy that we once knew or had. Maybe it means to find the joy we once dreamed of as children, especially at Christmastime. It is hard to read the papers, watch the TV, or just surf the Web and not see that joy has gone out of so many people’s lives. In some cases it is not our own fault. Bad things happen to even good people. 

But in many cases it is our own fault and often we can find ourselves carrying an enormous load of guilt on our shoulders. How do we get rid of it and free ourselves to experience joy again. Repentance is the answer. Like the younger son in the parable of the Prodigal Son, we must come to our senses, take responsibility for our own failings, and seek forgiveness. 

 

Modern science and medicine, for all the good they have accomplished, can never give us forgiveness. St. Augustine believed that the mere recitation of the Lord’s Prayer was sufficient to forgive all small or venial sins. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the celebration of the Eucharist itself is “a remedy to free us from our daily faults and to preserve us from mortal sins.” For mortal or serious sins, the Church provides the great Sacrament of Penance as the primary means to repentance and rejoicing.

 

 The crowds ask John what they should do to prepare for his coming. His words could profit all of us this Advent. John’s advice for preparation is not radical or impossible. Jesus himself constantly forgave sins but never made impossible demands on those he healed. We do not have to give up all that we have in order to find joy. We have to realize that many of the things in our lives do not really provide true comfort and joy.

 

Every Christmas I’m reminded of an article I read by a man who was a well known lecturer, TV personality, and author. He had a beautiful wife and son and was extremely successful. Yet he wrote, "I am almost 60. Time flies and it scares me. I don't want to die. I like being in good health. I don't want to be sick and have wires and tubes and scalpels in me. I like having enough money. I don't want to be old and poor. I sat in my car...shivering in fear. And then it struck me. I spend too darned much of my life in fear. I always have. You can't imagine how much of my life I have thrown away by being a slave to fear."

 

In today's second reading from St. Paul's letter to the Thessalonians he says, “Rejoice always.”  He gives a simple set of instructions. Pray without ceasing, give thanks, do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophetic utterances, retain what is good, and refrain from every kind of evil. He ended with this blessing that is especially appropriate for this season:

 

May the God of peace make you perfectly holy

And may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,

Be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

###

Reading 1. Isaiah 61: 1-2a

Reading II. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24

Gospel. John 1: 6-8, 19-28 (A Man named John)

Baptism of Repentance

Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Michelangelo: The Doni Tondo
Behold the lamb of God
The young Baptist looks on
as Mary elevates her Son

Today is usually the 12th Sunday in Ordinary time. By "ordinary" the Church means the time of year not marked by great feasts like Christmas and Easter. But today just happens to be the feast day of the birth or nativity of St. John the Baptist and that feast is so great that it supersedes the ordinary Sunday readings.

In the readings for this special feast day the Church talks of John, the precursor, the messenger, the herald of Jesus. The Church has always interpreted the words of Isaiah as referring to John.

The Lord called me from birth,

from my mother's womb he gave me my name.

He made of me a sharp-edged sword...

He made me a polished arrow, ...

You are my servant, he said to me,

Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Who was John? The gospels from today's Mass as well as from yesterday's vigil Mass give us an account of the birth of John. The story as narrated by St. Luke bears a remarkable resemblance to the birth of Jesus. Commentators have noted that both accounts are like plays or dramas which can be broken down into acts and scenes. But first, let's look at the cast of characters. In the first account we have Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John. Then, we have Mary, the future mother of Jesus. The angel Gabriel appears in both accounts.

Zechariah's name means "Yahweh remembers." He was one of the 800 priests of the Temple and he could trace his ancestry back to Aaron, the first high priest. The name of his wife, Elizabeth, means, "God swears." Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, was a good, holy woman but advanced in years and childless. The name John, which has such importance in today's reading, means "God is gracious." Mary, in Hebrew Miriam, means "the exalted one." Jesus, or Yeshua, means "God's salvation or savior."

The names alone would indicate the importance in Luke's gospel of this account of the births of John and Jesus. But we should also notice the similarities between the two dramas. God's messenger, the angel Gabriel, appears to Zachary in the inner sanctum of the Temple. Later he appears to Mary. Both of them express anxiety at the appearance but are told, "Do not fear."

The angel makes a mysterious announcement and both Zachary and Mary respond with a question. Zachary's doubt causes him to be struck dumb until after the birth of John when his acceptance restores his speech. But Mary's acceptance; "Be it done unto me according to thy word" is immediate.

There are even more parallels but it is enough to say that St. Luke didn't mean these accounts to be merely charming little stories. The life and mission of John is linked with the life and mission of Jesus from the beginning. John preached repentance while the gospel of Jesus is all about the completion of repentance--forgiveness and healing. Now we don't have to go out into the desert to find repentance. In fact, the Church makes it kind of easy for us. Forget for a moment the great sacrament of Penance. Did you ever notice how often during the Mass we are given opportunities for repentance and forgiveness?

Right at the beginning we ask for mercy from the Trinity in the Kyrie, one of the oldest prayers in the liturgy. "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy." Right after that in the Confiteor we confess our sins. "I confess to Almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters...."

Later we all say the "Our Father" that famous prayer composed by Jesus, himself. In it we say, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." The great St. Augustine said that the sincere recitation of these words of repentance was enough to gain forgiveness for most of our sins. Right after the Lord's Prayer we turn to each other and offer the Lord's "Kiss of Peace," a sign of our reconciliation with our neighbor.

Finally, before receiving our Lord in Communion we prepare ourselves with another act of repentance. We join together and say the "Agnus Dei"

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us,

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us,

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Then, we follow by paraphrasing the words of the Roman soldier who asked our Lord to heal his son. "Lord I am not worthy that thou should come under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

A few years ago there was a saying that became very popular. It was, " Happiness is never having to say you're sorry." This sounded good but was mistaken. I think that most psychologists would agree that a sincere expression of sorrow or repentance is the first step toward happiness for us and for those we've offended. 

What I have always liked most about John the Baptist is his humility. Jesus called John the greatest of the Apostles but in today's second reading from the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul noted these words of the Baptist. 

What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me. I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.

We all tend to think that our words and our deeds are so important but they are really important when they prepare the way of the Lord.

###

Reading 1. Isaiah 49: 1-6

Reading II. Acts 13:22-26

Gospel. Luke 1: 57-66, 80 (He will be called John)

Repentance and Forgiveness

                                    3rd Sunday of Easter

                                    

Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles introduces not only the theme of the other readings but also the very reason for the mission of Jesus. A crowd of people had assembled after Peter and John had cured a lame man. The crowd was amazed to see the man walk but Peter insists that neither he nor John possessed any special power or holiness. They had healed the man through the name of Jesus. 

Yes, the man was healed by the same Jesus that they had handed over to the Romans to be put to death. Peter says,

You denied the Holy and Righteous One

And asked that a murderer be released to you.

The author of life you put to death,

But God raised him from the dead, of this we are witnesses.

Nevertheless, Peter does not blame the Jews for they and their leaders had acted “out of ignorance.” They were mere unwitting accomplices in the Divine plan. The Christ would suffer to atone for the sins of man. Why did such a good person like Jesus have to die for the sins of man?

Today’s gospel also deals with atonement or forgiveness of sins. Last week’s gospel was St. John’s account of the appearance of Jesus to the doubting Apostle Thomas. In today’s gospel, St. Luke describes what happened the week before when the resurrected Lord first appeared to the Apostles.

Two disciples had returned to Jerusalem to tell the Apostles about their meeting with Jesus on the road to Emmaus. While they were conversing, Jesus appears to all of them. He shows them the signs of his wounds and assures them that he is not a ghost. He even eats some food to prove it. He then explained to them the whole meaning of his mission on earth.

Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer

and rise from the dead on the third day

and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,

would be preached in his name

to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of these things.

We do not like to use the words “sin” or “sinner” anymore. Today, people will say “my bad” when they admit they have made a mistake. Modern parents will scold their misbehaving children by saying that their conduct is “inappropriate.” Sin and Bad are old English words that are very blunt in their simplicity. The Latin word for sin is “peccata” which means spot or stain. It is like a blot on an otherwise clean page.

In theological terms good and evil are opposites. Good implies perfection while evil implies imperfection. When we say that God is good, we also say that God is perfect. Even if we don’t like to say we are sinners, none of us would claim to be perfect. We are all imperfect. No matter what we call it, we cannot help to see the almost overwhelming presence of evil in our world today. We just have to look at the headlines in our newspaper or favorite electronic device to see it.

Sin and evil are so prevalent in the world that it makes you wonder how we can stand it. How can we put up with the awful stories from near and far that bombard us every day? I like to think that God built into us a kind of immune system that keeps us safe from such terrible stories. Only when it hits close to home is our spiritual immune system penetrated. A million people can be massacred in Asia or Africa but it means less to us than the suffering of a member of our own family.

When we look at sin or evil in this way, we must wonder how anyone could atone for even a fraction of the bad that humankind has done? Who could possibly atone for us? In today’s second reading from the first letter of John, we find the answer.

But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,

Jesus Christ the righteous one.

He is expiation for our sins,

And not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.

In that first meeting with the Apostles, Jesus told them and us not only to preach a gospel of repentance and forgiveness of sins but also to practice it in our own lives. “But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.”

###

Reading 1. Acts 3: 13-15, 17-19

Reading II. I John 2: 1-5a

Gospel. Luke 24: 35-48 (forgiveness of sins)