Born to be God's Servants

In today's first reading, Isaiah 49: 1-6,  Isaiah speaks of his call: "The Lord called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name.  He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me. You are my servant, he said to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory....[T]he Lord has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him; and I am made glorious in the sight of the Lord, and my God is now my strength!....I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth!"

Today, I believe, we need an "Isaiah" and a "John the Baptist"--"sharp-edged swords" and "polished arrows" to bring our country back to the Lord's ways.  We need an "Isaiah" and a "John the Baptist" to prepare the way for justice to thrive and injustices to be destroyed. We need an "Isaiah" and a "John the Baptist", true servants of the Lord, to challenge those desiring to be treated as gods themselves above all others or those making gods of absolute wealth, absolute power and absolute control at the expense of the poor, of immigrants, of minorities and of the environment itself.

However, let us not forget that God has called each one of us at birth to be His servants, to be persons through whom His glory shines by the choices we make to bring forth a just world, a world of righteousness and truth, a world governed with love! We are called to be a light in the darkness of this world, not persons who darken the world by our selfishness, domination and control of others for our own benefit!

What kind of choices am I, are you, making?

Merry Christmas!

This night, 2000+ years ago, the Son of God, God Himself, the Creator of the Universe, the Promised Messiah, was born of Mary in Bethlehem. The King of the Universe, the Creator of us all, is born in a stable, a shelter for cattle!   His first visitors are shepherds, a despised group of people in Jesus’ time.  Their fellow Jews are busy about many things unaware that God assumed human nature in order to transform it into a holy place where His salvation is brought to birth.  Sin, this night, is transformed into holiness in the same way as the stable was transformed into a place for a King.  Darkness gives way to an inextinguishable Light that, to this very day, continues to brighten our way.  To this very day, God looks upon our lowliness and reminds us, through the prophet Isaiah, “You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem held by your God.  No more shall people call you ‘Forsaken,’ or your land ‘Desolate,’ but you shall be called ‘My Delight,’ and your land ‘Espoused. (Is 62: 4-5—First reading of the Vigil Mass for Christmas).

The symbolism of Bethlehem, of God born in a stable and visited by the lowliest of the lowly in Jesus’ culture, teaches us that nothing is too desolate  that the Lord avoids it.  Those others shun God embraces. Those considered too poor spiritually, physically or materially become the Palace of a King in whom  God delights.  

With the angels at Bethlehem, we sing: Gloria in excelsus Deo and peace to people of good will!

Merry Christmas!

Mary, Mother of Sorrows

This week we have been meditating on the prophesy of Simeon, when Mary, unexpectantly, learned that her son would face a great deal of opposition in his life and that her own heart would bear much sorrow.  She’s gazing on this beautiful child and being told that his life would cause much pain, for himself and for her.  At that moment Anna drops by. Anna is an elderly woman, who, following the death of her husband of seven years, spends her time in the Temple. She is 84 years of age when she meets Mary.  She is a woman who has suffered much.  She is a faith-filled and hope-filled and compassionate person capable of understanding Mary’s pain, comforting her and offering her hope. 
 

All of us have “Annas” in our lives: men and women, young and old, infants, children and adolescents who enter into our lives at just the right time, as Anna did for Mary.  They are persons who generate hope and faith in our ability to find our way through the “darkness,” to discover our inner strength to endure the emotional, spiritual, psychological or physical pain suddenly thrust upon us. The “Annas” in our lives are God-sent, beacons of light in our darkness, towers of strength in our weakness, pillars of faith in our doubt.  Many times, as for Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly, husbands and wives fill this role for one another. Close friends and/or siblings may also do this for each other. From history, we know that St. Francis and St. Clare, Saint Benedict and St. Scholastica (twins), were beacons of light for each other. Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Calcutta have been a source of strength for many.  Sometimes the “Annas” that come by at just the right moment are a phone call, an email or text message, a Scripture passage, a passage from a much-loved author, a song that moves us deeply, or a favorite movie.  God uses many ways to comfort, strengthen, uplift and hearten us when bad news is delivered to our doorstep.