Sunday Meditation: John the Baptist

All important comings require preparation.  Today we have the preparation for the coming Lord.  We meet John the Baptist, who echoes the words from Isaiah to make things ready.

 

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

 

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;

he will prepare your way.

A voice of one crying out in the desert:

“Prepare the way of the Lord,

make straight his paths.”

John the Baptist appeared in the desert

proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

People of the whole Judean countryside

and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem

were going out to him

and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River

as they acknowledged their sins.

John was clothed in camel’s hair,

with a leather belt around his waist.

He fed on locusts and wild honey.

And this is what he proclaimed:

“One mightier than I is coming after me.

I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.

I have baptized you with water;

he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

~Mk 1:1-8

Fr. Joseph Mary of the Capuchin Franciscans gives a passionate exegesis of just who John the Baptist is and the importance of John’s message. 

 

 

Fr. Joseph reminds me of John the Baptist himself! 

Meditation: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

Notable Quote: “Love Supplies” by St. Albert the Great

St. Albert the Great (1200-1280) was a Dominican friar and Bishop, famously known for being the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas.  Born in Germany, he was one of the first to learn of Aristotle’s writings after western Europe had lost them.  He became a translator and teacher of Aristotle, which was very influential and consequential to St. Thomas.  Like Aristotle he was fascinated with the natural world, and a good deal of his writings might be classified as some of the earliest scientific writings in the west since the collapse of Rome.  His Wikipedia entry says the following:  

 

Albert was a scientist, philosopher, astrologer, theologian, spiritual writer, ecumenist, and diplomat. Under the auspices of Humbert of Romans, Albert molded the curriculum of studies for all Dominican students, introduced Aristotle to the classroom and probed the work of Neoplatonists, such as Plotinus. Indeed, it was the thirty years of work done by Aquinas and himself that allowed for the inclusion of Aristotelian study in the curriculum of Dominican schools.

His learning and his writing spanned great range of subject and depth of knowledge.  Not only is he a canonized saint, but a Doctor of the Church.  Humbert of Romans, mentioned above, who was the fifth Master General of the Dominican Order said the following of his fellow friar, Albertus Magnus.   

 

This celebrated man, Brother Albert, seems like the tree of life planted in the center of terrestrial paradise, bearing incessantly the fruits of honor grace.  In outward appearance he was of noble stature, and endowed with great physical strength.  His body was well proportioned, and perfectly fitted for all the fatigues of God’s service.  From the day when he entered the Order he walked courageously in the path of justice, by the observance of its Rule and the mortification of his flesh, seeking thus by a long martyrdom to triumph over the solicitations of the enemy.  He frequently passed the nights in prayer, and his sublime contemplation offered himself a holocaust on the altar of the heart.  In the morning he celebrated the Divine Mysteries with the greatest purity of soul and the most ardent love.  He was incessantly occupied either in read, writing, dictating, preaching, or hearing confessions.  He never allowed his mind to repose where there was question of divine works.  And as wisdom cannot enter into an evil soul, nor dwell in a body that is enslaved to sin, he ever preserved the purity of his conscience, that he might read with fruit the Holy Scriptures, which he passionately loved.  Consumed with the fire of charity, he labored for the salvation of his neighbor with untold success.  The example of his life, his angelic piety, his stupendous learning, and his indefatigable zeal in uprooting error procured him an incredible influence, not only in Germany, but in almost every part of the earth.  (quoted from Albert the Great: The First Universal Doctor by Fr. Thomas Schwertner, O.P., Mediatrix Press, 2018, p. 279-80)

What a tribute.  The stature of Albert the Great is immense and should have a wider dissemination.  November 15 the was his feast day, and the devotional magazine, Magnificat, quoted a passage for meditation from one of St. Albert’s writings, On Union with God.  I’m going to take one paragraph from that meditation as a notable quote.

 

All that we need so far described, all that is necessary for salvation, can find in love alone its highest, completest, most beneficent perfection.  Love supplies all that is wanting for our salvation; it contains abundantly every good thing and lacks not even the presence of the supreme object of our desires.  It is by love alone that we turn to God, are transformed into his likeness, and are united to him, so that we become one spirit with him and receive by and from him all our happiness: here [on earth] in grace, hereafter in glory.  Love can find no rest until it reposes in the full and perfect possession of the Beloved.  It is by the path of love, which is charity, that God draws closer to man, and man to God.  But where love is not found God cannot dwell.  If, then, we possess love we possess God, for God is love (1 Jn 4:8).

He sounds a lot like St. Augustine of Hippo in his Confessions.  Well, great minds think alike.  St. Albert lived a long life, actually outliving his most famous student, St. Thomas (1225-1274).  Can you imagine those three men in heaven discussing the beatific vision?  How I would love to be at their feet to overhear.

St. Albert the Great, pray for us.

Sunday Meditation: Be Watchful!

Today we start Year B of the liturgical calendar with the Gospel of Mark as the centerpiece of the readings.  Today also starts a new season, Advent.  The USCCB explains the season: “Advent (from, "ad-venire" in Latin or "to come to") is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas.”  But, the closing of one year with the merging of the new signal both the coming of Christ at the end of times and the coming of His incarnation.  It really has a double meaning, and so we get this Gospel reading.

 

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Be watchful! Be alert!

You do not know when the time will come.

It is like a man traveling abroad.

He leaves home and places his servants in charge,

each with his own work,

and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.

Watch, therefore;

you do not know when the lord of the house is coming,

whether in the evening, or at midnight,

or at cockcrow, or in the morning.

May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.

What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

~Mk 13:33-37

What are you to watch for?  The Lord’s arrival!  As Jeff Cavins so eloquent says: “The Lord is coming.  He came, His is coming, He will come.” 

 

I say He is coming into your heart, and so be prepared for Him to stay.

Meditation: "Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming.”

As a bonus, I offer “O Come Emmanuel” arranged and performed by Chris Tomlin.

 

That is just lovely.

Sunday Meditation: The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

Today we come to the end of the calendar year, with the Feast of Christ the King, and Year A ends with Matthew’s stirring Parable of the Sheep and Goats.  This parable has always convicted me.  It is one of my favorite passages in the entire New Testament,

 

Jesus said to his disciples:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,

and all the angels with him,

he will sit upon his glorious throne,

and all the nations will be assembled before him.

And he will separate them one from another,

as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the king will say to those on his right,

'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.

Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me food,

I was thirsty and you gave me drink,

a stranger and you welcomed me,

naked and you clothed me,

ill and you cared for me,

in prison and you visited me.'

Then the righteous will answer him and say,

'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,

or thirsty and give you drink?

When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,

or naked and clothe you?

When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'

And the king will say to them in reply,

'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did

for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Then he will say to those on his left,

'Depart from me, you accursed,

into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave me no food,

I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,

a stranger and you gave me no welcome,

naked and you gave me no clothing,

ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'

Then they will answer and say,

'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty

or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,

and not minister to your needs?'

He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,

what you did not do for one of these least ones,

you did not do for me.'

And these will go off to eternal punishment,

but the righteous to eternal life."

~Mt 25:31-46

Why is this parable so convicting?  Do we identify with the sheep or with the goats?  If we identify with the sheep, there is no need for conviction because we superciliously stand lacking perfection.  If we identify with the goats, we have lost all sense of needing Christ.  I think the parable is so convicting because we are in tension between the two, fearful of our lack of perfection but with a heart striving to want to be perfected in Christ. 

This Sunday’s Gospel is fully explained by Fr. Geoffrey Plant. 

 

Several years ago I went through Pope Pius XI’s Encyclical, Quas primas explaining the institution of the Solemnity of Christ the King.  It’s worth a relook. 

Meditation: "'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'”

As a bonus, I offer this Hymn to Christ the King by Sarah Hart.

 

Sunday Meditation: The Parable of the Talents

This week Jesus continues his fifth discourse in Matthew’s Gospel, now with the Parable of the Talents.  This is certainly a difficult one, but remember the parables have a twist to them that is outside logic.

Jesus told his disciples this parable:

"A man going on a journey

called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--

to each according to his ability.

Then he went away.

Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five.

Likewise, the one who received two made another two.

But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.

 

"After a long time

the master of those servants came back

and settled accounts with them.

The one who had received five talents came forward

bringing the additional five.

He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents.

See, I have made five more.'

His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.

Since you were faithful in small matters,

I will give you great responsibilities.

Come, share your master's joy.'

Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents.

See, I have made two more.'

His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.

Since you were faithful in small matters,

I will give you great responsibilities.

Come, share your master's joy.'

Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person,

harvesting where you did not plant

and gathering where you did not scatter;

so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.

Here it is back.'

His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant!

So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant

and gather where I did not scatter?

Should you not then have put my money in the bank

so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?

Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.

For to everyone who has,

more will be given and he will grow rich;

but from the one who has not,

even what he has will be taken away.

And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,

where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'"

~Mt 25:14-30

One thought I always have every time I read this parable is, ‘did they have banks back then?”  I don’t really know.  The third servant justifies his in action “out of fear.”  But the master doesn’t accept that.  He calls him “lazy” and more importantly “wicked.”  He certainly was lazy but why wicked?  Dr. Brant Pitre explains the best again.

 

Dr. Pitre is the best!  So the third servant calls the master a thief.  That’s not smart.  I had never picked up on that before.  I wonder how many others have.  Have you?

Meditation: "Come, share your master's joy."

Sunday Meditation: Will You Be Prepared?

I said last week was the beginning of Jesus’s final discourse in Matthew’s Gospel, but last week He was speaking to the Pharisees and scribes but here He is speaking to His disciples.  So does is the discourse intended for the disciples?  I'm not really sure.  If so, this Sunday begins the fifth discourse. 

Have you ever been a groomsman or a bridesmaid in a wedding?  Then you might identify with this parable.  The most important thing for a groomsman or a bridesmaid to remember is to be prepared.  All ten virgins waiting for the groom fall asleep but five wake up prepared and five don’t.

 

Jesus told his disciples this parable:

"The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins

who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,

brought no oil with them,

but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.

Since the bridegroom was long delayed,

they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight, there was a cry,

'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.

The foolish ones said to the wise,

'Give us some of your oil,

for our lamps are going out.'

But the wise ones replied,

'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.

Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'

While they went off to buy it,

the bridegroom came

and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.

Then the door was locked.

Afterwards the other virgins came and said,

'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'

But he said in reply,

'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'

Therefore, stay awake,

for you know neither the day nor the hour."

~Mt 23:1-12

 

Why doesn’t the bridegroom know the foolish virgins?  Dr. Brant Pitre explains this through the ancient custom of first century Jewish wedding customs.

 

Given Jesus is really referring to being let into heaven, you better make sure you have oil always at hand for your lamp. 

Meditation: "Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Sunday Meditation: Hypocrisy Versus Humility

This Sunday begins the final discourse of the five discourses in Matthew’s Gospel.  Jesus begins with another excoriation against the scribes and Pharisees, this time calling them hypocrites.

 

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,

"The scribes and the Pharisees

have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.

Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,

but do not follow their example.

For they preach but they do not practice.

They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry

and lay them on people's shoulders,

but they will not lift a finger to move them.

All their works are performed to be seen.

They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.

They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,

greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'

As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'

You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.

Call no one on earth your father;

you have but one Father in heaven.

Do not be called 'Master';

you have but one master, the Christ.

The greatest among you must be your servant.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;

but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

~Mt 23:1-12

Humility is at the heart of this message, and hypocrisy in many ways is the opposite of humility.  After all, a hypocrite feels himself above the very thing he preaches.  Jeff Cavins has a wonderful sermon on this.

 

That was excellent.  Now if you have ever wondered why we call priests “Father” while in this very passage Jesus says to call no one father, Dr. Brant Pitre explains.

 

That makes sense.  

Meditation: "Whoever humbles himself will be exalted."