Homily for Laetare Sunday (4th Sunday of Lent)

Homily for Laetare Sunday (4th Sunday of Lent) 
1 Sm 16;1B, 6-7, 10-13A
Eph 5:8-14
Jn 9:1-41

"Laetare Jerusalem:
et conventum facite omnes
qui diligitis eam:
gaudete cum laetitia,
qui in tristitia fuistis . . ."

"Rejoice oh Jerusalem
and all who love her.
Be joyful,
all who were in mourning . . ." 

The name of Laetare Sunday comes from the first Latin word of the entrance antiphon, Laetare. Rejoice. In one of his many essays written during 40 years teaching at Georgetown, the late Jesuit Father Jim Schall wrote: "Laetare Sunday is traditionally called a respite. It makes us begin to feel the nearness of the Passion and the Resurrection, but with a reminder that even amid the Lenten fast and the coming remembrance of the Crucifixion, we are not to forget that Christianity is a religion of joy." 

Fr. Schall continues, "Christianity is called the most worldly of the religions. It is called the most worldly of religions because it is a religion engaged with the world and in the world, but it is not of the world. Christianity transcends the world, it goes beyond the world and the universe. It will not cease when the world ends or when the universe involutes on itself." Like Mary's fiat to the angel, "may it be done to me according to your word," indeed, because of her fiat, Christianity will persist beyond the persistence of the world. 

Schall then makes an important observations, "Christianity is also the happiest religion since it knows this world is not all there is. There is something precious beyond the world. The world is not a bad place. It gives us enough room to relax in, if we don't expect of the world more than it can give, or if we don't see the world for what it is not."

Seeing the world for what it is and what it is not, is the caution Paul gave to the Ephesians. 

“Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness, rather, expose them. . . " 

“Live as children of the light, for light produces every kind of goodness, and righteousness, and truth.” . . . 

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Christ will give us the same light that he gave the man born blind, a gift given despite the cynicism of the Pharisees and others. The same kind cynicism and hostility often directed at those who profess their faith in Christ and manifest that faith in their way of life.

Soon the darkness of life today--a new and unexpected darkness hovering over all the world causing a global and individual anxiety-- will be replaced by the light of Christ. A light that shines through quarantine, surmounts social distancing, and any other obstructions. Even if the public celebrations of the liturgy are held in check by covid, the Holy Saturday liturgy will continue at least in enclosed monastic communities that have practiced self-isolation for centuries. The liturgies will be celebrated for all of us who are constrained by the reality of disease and the cautious response to same. 

The Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday begins with the blessing of the fire from which the paschal candle is lit. As he incises the candle before lighting it, the priest intones the words that explain our faith in one sentence: 

"Christ yesterday and today
the beginning and the end.
Alpha and Omega;
all time belongs to him,
and all the ages;
to him be glory and power,
through every age for ever." 

Soon our mourning, despite the oddness of today's reality, will be replaced by joy. It will not be the short respite of Laetare Sunday but the unfettered joy of Easter, a joy we will carry forth for weeks, despite quarantine, televised Masses, and an overall national anxiety. 

The darkness of death will be overwhelmed by the light of eternal life. Like the man born blind in today's Gospel, we will see with unclouded vision. Unlike the man born blind, we will not be confused about who gave us our sight. 
We know the source of the light. And thus we rejoice. 

"Laetare Jerusalem:
et conventum facite omnes
qui diligitis eam:
gaudete cum laetitia . . . " 
____________________________________________

It is a very odd Lent. Am going to reread Albert Camus' 'The Plague' for about the tenth time since I first read it as a second year medical resident. It is not an exaggeration to say that it was, if not a life changer certainly had a huge impact on my future, first as a physician and then as a Jesuit priest. My old battered, underlined, sticky tab book is sitting on the bed to be started tonight. Except for editing a (brilliant) STL thesis by a Chinese priest friend and perhaps working on some lectures there is not a lot on the agenda. Going to try to get out with the camera over the next days. BC's campus is completely socially distanted. 

I am struck by the increasing paranoia and restrictions that seem to ignore certain basic facts about a virus. Sometimes it seems as if it is being perceived like Sarin gas in the subway. Go outside and die. Which is total BS. 

One of the chapels at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.  The prayer on the altar is:  Heart of Mary Pray for Us.  Short and easy to repeat multiple times during the day.

A sun-catcher at the Charterhouse of the Transfiguration in Vermont.  It is the seal of the Carthusian Order.  The Latin Motto:  Stat Crux Dum Volvitur Orbis translates as something crucial to remember today:  The Cross Stands Firm as the World Turns.  

+Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

Homily for Ash Wednesday

Jl 2:12-18

Ps 51

2 Cor 5:20-6:2

Mt 6:1-6; 16-18

We begin the 40-day procession through Lent with the imposition of ashes, a symbol of sin and repentance. While described as penitential, lent is more than merely penitential.  It is, or should be, transformational as well.

The first reading from Joel puts our observance into an ancient context.  Joel calls for an assembly. He decrees a fast in the setting of a liturgy.  Blow the trumpets.  Gather the people.  Everyone from the youngest to the eldest is invited. The same is true of the Eucharistic banquet. The young, the elderly, and all those in between are invited, if they choose to accept that invitation.

Today we come together to listen to the word of God. We gather to receive the ashes that remind us of our mortality and call us to undergo a change of heart so as to live more closely in accord with the Gospel.  We are assembled here to receive the True Body and Blood of Christ whose passion, death, and resurrection we will recall at the end of these forty days. 

Lent is not just a season of “give ups,” abstaining from the usual suspects: smoking, chocolate, beer, desert, meat, and so on.  It is a time of taking on: taking on time to meditate on the Gospel, taking on time for spiritual reading, taking additional time for Mass, prayer, or adoration.  It is a time to heed the advice of St. Jane de Chantal, foundress of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary,  “We cannot always offer God great things but at each instant we can offer little things with great love.”  Offering little things with great love may be a more difficult mortification and sacrifice than giving up chocolate or beer for the next forty days, if not for life.

The second reading in today’s Office of Readings is a letter from St. Clement, pope, to the Corinthians. It lays out a road map for Lent.  “We should be humble in mind, putting aside all arrogance, pride and foolish anger. . . . Recall especially what the Lord Jesus said when he taught gentleness and forbearance.  Be merciful, so that you may have mercy shown to you.  Forgive, so that you may be forgiven.  As you treat others, so you will be treated . . .” 

Lent is a time to challenge ourselves to be more fully what we want to be but may not know how to become. If that becoming involves quitting smoking, so be it.  If it involves taking extra time in prayer or contemplation, so be it.  

There are two formulae for the imposition of ashes. 

“Remember, thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return” reminds us of our common mortality 

“Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospels” is solid advice for living. 

At the beginning of this holy season we are called to meditate on the first and to live the second. 

____________________________________________________

Ash Wednesday certainly got here quickly after Christmas.  Rather like a 33 1/3 played at 45.  An entire generation of kids have no clue what this means.  Their loss.  Even Tennessee Ernie Ford sounded like Alvin the Chipmunk when played at 78.  

All three photos come from Campion Center when I lived there.  I rather suspect my next significant move will be to Campion.  Assisted living or nursing home.  

 +Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

Homily for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sir 15:15-20

Ps 119 1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34

1 Cor 2:6-10

Mt 5:17-37

Free will.  Choice.  Options. 

Past.  Present.  Future. 

Decision.  Action.  Result.  

Fear.  Love.  Consequences.        

These are only some of the layers in today's readings. They can be meditated upon without being exhausted.  And they can make us uncomfortable as we consider what they mean for us. 

Choice is the great gift of free will.  Choice is also its greatest challenge.  The ability to make a choice among options, to understand the reasons for that choice,  and how that choice will affect us in the future,  sets us apart from all lower animals.  Only humans have free will.  Only humans are free to make choices.  Only humans can take into account, past, present, and future when faced with a choice.

All lower animals function on instinct.  They are driven by a combination of instinct, memory traces of past experience, and immediate need.  But, they can never know the long range effect of a choice.  The human brain is extraordinarily more powerful than that of any lower animal.  Only humans can use memories and knowledge to make decisions in the present, while having some idea of the future consequences of those decisions.  Animals do not possess that ability.  They never will.  

We heard in Sirach, "If you choose you can keep the commandments . . . "  That is a strong statement. It places the burden on us. "if you choose you can keep the commandments."  It implies, 'if you choose you can violate the commandments.'      Free will allows us to choose to sin.  It allows us to choose death. It allows us to choose evil.  Free will allows us to reject God. 

"The eyes of God are on those who fear Him."  

Fear of the Lord.  Fear of God. In English the word 'fear' is a problem.  The word 'fear' sets off an automatic train of thought that includes anxiety, terror, panic, punishment, pain and physical sensations, such as rapid heart beat and sweaty palms.  But fear has other meanings.  

Fear is a critical part of love.  Without fear there can be no love.  The meaning of fear in the context of love is different. It is a reverential fear.  It is a fear that moves a person to seek and to follow God's will.  It moves a person to seek God's will, not to avoid punishment, but because of love for Him. How often has fear of hurting someone we loved kept us from sin?  How often have we chosen good instead of evil, because we did not want to disappoint someone who loved us such as a parent, a spouse, or a valued teacher or mentor?  How often have we chosen not to sin because we did not want to violate another's trust or break someone's heart?  That is reverential fear of the Lord. It is not fear because of punishment, hellfire and gnashing of teeth.  It is fear of offending or hurting the One who loves us.

Today's Gospel continues the Sermon on the Mount. Unlike the comforting images in the beatitudes we hear some hard truths.  It is difficult to feel comfortable after hearing this Gospel.  The poor, those who mourn, the peacemakers, the meek, all those who were declared blessed in the beatitudes, are now given instruction in what it means to follow Jesus.  

The blessed are reminded that even if poor or mourning they have responsibilities.  Sin is not mitigated because we are poor.  Sin is not excused because we are powerless or meek.  Jesus is telling his hearers that there are no actions without consequences.  Nothing we do occurs in a vacuum.  Every action has an effect. Every time we choose for something we choose against other things.  Every time we choose a course of action we close  the path to other courses of action.

In the U.S. the law suit is as close to a weapon of mass destruction as any nuclear warhead.  The situation has reached a point of absurdity.  Many lawsuits are settled out of court.   But . . . . many more are thrown out of court because they have no merit.  This begs the question of why calling one’s brother, or anyone else, a fool deserves the fires of Gehenna? Why is anger so strongly decried in this Gospel?   Because, just as it is easier to settle a case out of court than to go to trial, it is easier to stop anger when it is a thought than it is to interrupt a murderous impulse when one’s hands are around the other’s neck.  It is easier not to commit adultery when not in a hotel room alone with someone other than a spouse.  It is easier for an alcoholic not to drink when he or she does not enter a bar or hold a cold beer on a hot day.  

Jesus is telling us to be alert to the first signs of temptation if we wish to avoid sin.  There IS a point of no return when we choose evil over good, when we choose death over life.   When we choose to follow satan, the evil one, rather than Jesus, the Good King. 

The Psalms were written many centuries before the beatitudes of Matthew and Luke.  But the beatitudes, which simply mean blessing, appear throughout scripture.  We just heard a beatitude from Psalm 119: 

"Blessed are they who observe the Lord's decrees,

who seek him with all their heart."

We can only pray from the same psalm: 

"Give me discernment, 

that I may observe your law

and keep it with all my heart."

____________________________________________

On Friday, Fr. Joseph JIang, SJ pronounced his final vows in the Society of Jesus.  It is a very major step for a man.  Our vow structure is unique in that first vows are perpetual.  Final vows only happen after many years in the Society (sixteen for me) following tertianship, which itselfl, doesn't happen until after ordination.  It was great fun to do the photography.  

Prepared for the Mass

Entrance into the chapel

Consecration of the Mass.  Shot from the choir loft.

A Jesuit pronounces his vows, first and final, in front of the elevated Body and Blood of Christ just before communion.  This is in imitation of the first Jesuits.  Other orders of both men and women, pronounce vows at the offertory and sign the documents on the altar. 

A Jesuit signs his handwritten (in triplicate) vow documents in the sacristy following the vow Mass.  

 +Fr. Jack, Sj, MD

Homily for the 47thAnnual March for Life

24 January 2020

The 47^th Annual March for Life was held today in D.C.  The march began as a response to the Supreme Court's disastrous Roe vs. Wade decision that signed the death warrants for millions of children in the womb.  The decision sent American society down a slippery slope of killing the imperfect, the unplanned, the undesirable, the unwanted, and now, the inconveniently sick and elderly. 

Initially, Roe vs. Wade set a three-month interval during which abortion was legal.  But, things have deteriorated. Some states have legalized late-term abortion, i.e. abortion after 20 weeks gestation up to the time the child is able to survive outside the womb.  And then some . . .  

A quote from a Washington Post columnist dated 1 February 2019 is horrifying:  "This week in Virginia, Delegate Kathy Tran (D-Fairfax) admitted that, yes, her bill would allow a doctor to perform an abortion after the mother had gone into labor—a position that Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam bizarrely (and ineptly) decided to defend in a radio interview." 

Governor Northam is a pediatric neurologist by training. 

In the case of the ill elderly, what was euphemistically called "physician-assisted suicide" became, "physician-guided death."  In some quarters it is now being referred to as "physician prescribed death."  

When did old age or terminal illness become a capital offense demanding a prescribed death?  I did not attend medical school, complete six years of residency, and do a fellowship year at MGH under two Jesuit physicians George Murray and Ned Cassem, so as to write the prescription: "Give poison to grandpa when desired."  

In 1978 I spent six weeks in London as visiting registrar with Dr. Cicely Saunders, who founded St. Christopher's Hospice in 1967.   Dame Cicely was a fierce opponent of what was then called euthanasia.  She said in an interview:  "Impending death is no excuse for ending life.  Rather than rushing to kill the dying in the name of ending their suffering, we must focus on practical measures for alleviating their pain and spiritual means to make their final moments worth living." 

She was quite the contrast to Lord High Executioner Jack Kevorkian who died of natural causes in a hospital bed at age 87.  Kevorkian was a pathologist. Pathologists rarely examine patients with body temperatures above that of the ambient air.  Indeed, among graduate U.S. physicians, only pathologists are not required to do an internship with living patients before beginning their training in the autopsy room and lab. 

In his encyclical Evangelium VitaeJohn Paul II, condemned "therapeutic interventions--which accept life only under certain conditions and reject it when it is affected by any limitation, handicap, or illness."  

Med schools share the blame. In ancient times Hippocratic physicians pronounced and lived according to the Oath of Hippocrates. The Hippocratic oath was not universally administered nor did all physicians abide by its precepts.  Today, reciting the bowdlerized oath is a trite med school graduation exercise in place so that mommy can dab at her eyes and daddy can bust his buttons.  

The modern version is unrecognizable compared to the original, seeming only to be concerned with not violating HIPPA and doing nothing deemed illegal, a term that has an elastic definition to say the least.The promises to live ethically and morally, and even the promise to revere the one who taught the young physician the art of medicine, have all been deleted.Thus, a new physician no longer swears: "Into whatsoever houses I enter, . . .I will abstain from all intentional wrong-doing and harm, especially from abusing the bodies of man or woman," 

Today's young doctors do not say: "I will use treatment to help the sick . . . but never with a view to injury and wrong-doing.  Neither will I administer a poison to anybody when asked to do so, nor will I suggest such a course . . . . Similarly I will not give to a woman a pessary to cause abortion. But I will keep pure and holy both my life and my art."  

The Hippocratic oath was composed between the third and fifth centuries B.C. suggesting that the sanctity of life was more respected by pagans than it is by shrill feminists or Hollywood starlets who attribute winning a Oscar to having had an abortion.  

Proving John Paul's condemnation of accepting life only under certain conditions and rejecting limitation, handicap, or illness, Iceland has almost eliminated trisomy 21 or Down Syndrome from its population through intrauterine testing followed by almost mandatory abortion if positive.  Genocide would be an appropriate term.  Ten years ago pediatric geneticist Dr. Brian Skotoko of Boston Children's observed that "An estimated 92 percent of all women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome choose to terminate their pregnancies." 

John Paul pointed out in his encyclical:  "A danger today is the tendency to disguise certain crimes against life in its early or final stages by using innocuous medical terms which distract attention from the fact that what is involved is the right to life of an actual human person."  The term physician prescribed death is a sterling example of semantic manipulation. Killing the sick elderly is a much more accurate description.  Abortion is a more accurate term than the pastel-tinted soft-light suffused euphemism "Women's Health."  

Unfortunately, there will be a 48th Annual March for Life.  There will probably be a 49th and 50th as well.  The need for witness will be even more desperate over the coming years as the value of frail human life remains under assault. 

We pray in thanksgiving for those who marched the streets of D.C. today, particularly the legions of young people who traveled from all over the country.

We pray for the victims of unnatural executions, the Holy Innocents of today.  Can we atone for the hidden collateral damage to families? The cost is much higher than anyone realizes or is willing to admit.

We pray for the conversion of heart of the abortionists, and those who would execute the sick elderly.  We pray for their collaborators who administer the anesthesia, prep the patient, and assure the woman that she is doing the right thing.

Requiem aeternam 

dona eis, Domine, 

et lux perpetua luceat eis. 

Requiescant in pace. 

_______________________________

Have become a bit las about posting.  Long winter and not always feeling great.  And on the road.  Was in Vermont last week for some of the coldest weather of the weekend.   The cold was mitigated by the opportunity to do some "frost  photography" and some other topics.  With temps as low as 0 it was not a time to wander through the snow shooting.  Neither the camera nor the owner's body were in the mood. 

The windows that were partially protected from the wind frosted over beautifully.  Those facing the wind were solid ice.  Not too much too shoot. 

A frost geyser.  This is where computer processing revealed itself.  The black and white below is the same photo manipulated ( as was the first) to bring out the contrast.  Each says something a bit different. 

Frost pattern overlooking the small cemetery. 

Pure abstraction.

Similarly abstract.  The delicate tracery of the frost is fascinating. 

Lots of processing to get this effect.

This shot is amazing in that it was hand-held for two seconds.  Olympus has some very powerful image stabilization that allows hand-held shots at shutter speeds undreamed of using film and no tripod. 

Love birch trees, even when just remaining as stumps. 

 +Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

4th Sunday of Advent

On Tuesday evening we begin the vigil of the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Lord.  How did we get here?  Where are we going?  A quick review of the readings is helpful in answering the first question. The second question can only be answered by each of us individually.

  

The Gospel for the first Sunday of Advent emphasized being awake, alert, and prepared for the coming of the Son of Man.  This is not the only time we will be cautioned to be ready. The admonition to be awake, alert, and prepared will be repeated several times during the liturgical year.  

Will we recognize Jesus when He comes?  Will we recognize him  in the child playing?  Will we recognize him in the child still in the womb?  Will we recognize him in the demented ninety year-old?  Will we recognize him in the struggle of the dying?  Will we recognize Him in the face of the poor, or in the face of the spiritually bankrupt wealthy?  Will we recognize him in the assembly of believers and in the proclamation of scripture?  Most critically, will we recognize His Real Presence in the bread and wine consecrated during the Mass?  Will we choose to follow Him?  In the end it always comes down to choice.  Jesus chose us and remains faithful.  Will we chose Him and remain faithful to that choice?

The Gospel for the second and third Sundays of Advent spoke of John the Baptist, the herald of the Son of Man,  the voice crying out in the desert, he who deemed himself unworthy to untie Jesus' sandal.   John’s appearance was the beginning of the end and the beginning of the beginning.  He was and is the bridge from old to new, from the Old Law to the New Covenant.   A bridge permits continuity.  It brings the past into the present and allows the present to move into the future.  We can never hope to understand the New Testament if we don’t first know the Old Testament.  Indeed, the New Testament makes no sense if it is removed from its moorings in the Old.  

Today’s Gospel is a shift from the previous three Sundays.    

Joseph is the focus.  

Not one word in scripture is attributed to Joseph.  We know that he was righteous only by his actions.  We know that he was a good man only by his willingness to do what God commanded. We know that he was a compassionate man when we read that he was unwilling to expose Mary to shame and thus planned to divorce her quietly. But, it was not only from shame that Joseph wanted to protect Mary. He wanted to prevent her possible death from stoning, the penalty for presumed adultery. 

Ecce Ancilla Domini, 

fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum,

"Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, 

may it be done to me according to your word."

Mary’s yes changed the world, it changed the universe, and all that lies beyond the universe.  That yes echoes today reverberating among the planets for those who choose to hear it.  Joseph's yes was unspoken, but it too changed the universe.

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.”

Joseph's obedience was immediate;  it was without question.. There was no quid pro quo. He did not argue with God. Unlike Ahaz in the first reading, he did not weary God.  Joseph did what had to be done.  Upon hearing the angel’s message he took Mary into his house.  Later, an angel would come with another message.  Without question or qualm Joseph would take his young family to Egypt for an extended exile.  

As we move toward the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Lord we recall and meditate upon events that are profoundly human.  Over the next days we will sing with melodies both ancient and new, about events that reflect the humanness of the Holy Family.  We will recall that Mary and Joseph struggled the same as we do today.  They experienced the same stressors we do.  They knew the same emotions we know: fear and anxiety, joy and sorrow and everything in between.  

Both Mary and Joseph acted with the obedience rooted in faith. They understood that obedience entails giving up control. They knew that faith is the conviction of things unseen and the acceptance of things that remain inexplicable. 

Tonight at vespers priests, religious, and laity throughout the world will recite or chant the penultimate 'O Antiphon' before and after the Magnificat:

O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum,

lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum:

veni, et salva hominem,

quem de limo formasti.

"O King of the nations, and their desire,

the cornerstone making both one:

Come and save the human race,

which you fashioned from clay."

St. Joseph pray for us.

_________________________________________________

Advent is rapidly ending.  BC is very quiet as the students are gone.  Is like living on a beautifully landscaped club.  Not a lot of snow.  Not unhappy that none is in the forecast for Christmas.  Have Masses on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Am always happy to be free of the stress of driving in snow, especially as I don't have 4-wd.  

The photos below both came from Campion Center when I was minister there.  The first is a simple plywood and painted cutout of the Holy Family.  I shot it to get the silhouette effect.  The second is the candles and trees near the altar in the chapel at Campion.  

+Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

3rd Sunday of Advent

15 December 2019 

Is 35:1-6a, 10

Ps 146: 6-7,8-9,9-10

Jas 5:7-10

Mt 11:2-11

Gaudete in Domino semper, 

iterum dice gaudete. 

Dominus enim prope est. 

Rejoice in the Lord always; 

again I say rejoice!  

The Lord is near.  

The first word of the entrance antiphon for the 3^rd Sunday of Advent says it all:  Gaudete!  Rejoice!  Only one more Sunday stands between us and the great feast of the Nativity of the Lord; the feast when we celebrate that Jesus, fully God and fully man, was born into this world; the same world where we now live and breathe, work and pray, rejoice and mourn.  We rejoice because Jesus walked this same earth on which we now stand.  

Gaudete in Domino semper.

The joy of this third Sunday of Advent is apparent in the readings:  Isaiah described how  the desert will exult--that lowers will bloom with abundant flowers on the steppes—those steppes will bloom, and rejoice with joyful song.

The psalmist affirmed the joy when he wrote. 

'The Lord God keeps faith forever

secures justice for the oppressed

He gives food to the hungry

and sets captives free.' 

Those who are familiar with Messiah Handel's masterpiece, will recognize verses from Isaiah as part of the libretto.  This includes verses that were just proclaimed: 

"Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, 

and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 

Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, 

and the tongue of the dumb shall sing."

In the oratorio, this recitative is followed immediately  by the exquisitely beautiful aria for soprano, alto, or both depending on the version:  “He Shall Feed His Flock."

It includes what could be seen as good advice for all of us: "come unto Him all ye that labor, come unto Him that are heavy laden, and He will give you rest."

As was true last Sunday, the gospel related more about John the Baptist, the herald who announced the news of Jesus, the voice of the one crying out in the desert, the kinsman who felt unworthy to untie the sandal of the one who was to come.

When John sent messengers to inquire if Jesus was indeed he who was to come, Jesus' instructed the messengers, 'tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.'

On this  Gaudete Sunday we celebrate that our redemption through Jesus the Lord, the one who feeds his flock like a shepherd,  is near at hand. Our celebration will increase another in two more days.  On Tuesday evening, December 17,  we will recite the first of the “O Antiphons” that introduce the Magnificat in the Liturgy of the Hours.

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,

attingens a fine usque ad finem,

fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia:

veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

“O Wisdom, 

O holy Word of God.  

You govern all creation with strong yet tender care.  

Come and show your people 

the way to salvation.”   

Each day thereafter, ending on December 23, we will recite the subsequent antiphons, which give another name for Christ, and describe yet another attribute of the one who comes to free us from our sins. 

O Adonai

O Radix Jesse 

O Clavis David

O Oriens

O Rex Gentium 

O Emmanuel

In this case, the Latin is critical to understanding these magnificent antiphons. When the antiphons are written in a column with one per line and the first letter after the 'O' is read from bottom to top the result is a Latin acrostic Ero Cras which translates "Tomorrow I will be there" or "Tomorrow I will come"  

Like the farmer in the Letter of James we must be patient, we must still await the precious fruit of Mary’s womb.  The blessed fruit of that womb, Jesus, the savior of the world. . . . . 

Gaudete in Domino semper, 

iterum dice gaudete. 

Dominus enim prope est. 

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Just gave this homily at the Monastery of the Poor Clares in Jamaica Plain, MA, not far from oour novitiate when I was there 22 years ago.  It is in an enviable location in that it backs up against the Arnold Arboretum.  They know there will never be any kind of developement behind their garden.  

The photos below are from Vermont a little while ago.  The snow at 2000 or so feet is different and of much greater amount than down at sea level.  These were taken at the beginning of a storm that dumped 17 inches at that level and perhaps an inch at seas level.   

Fog and snow are among a photographers best friends.  

 +Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

1st Wednesday in Advent

4 December 2019
Is 25:6-10a
Ps 23

We are now in the first week of Advent. The wreathe was blessed on Sunday. In many churches the beginning of Mass was heralded by the ancient chant 

Veni, veni, Emmanuel
captivum solve Israel.

O come, o come Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
began the Mass. 

Advent is not a stand-alone season, anymore than is Christmas (though it is treated as such by many), Easter, or even ordinary time. Advent is the beginning of the Church's liturgical year. We are now on the fourth day of that new year. 

Advent is not meant to be a synonym for frantic shopping. It is a time to prepare oneself for the commemoration of the Nativity of Our Lord. Advent was not created by Martha Stewart as a time to plan menus, run berserk with a glue gun, or ice cookies with uniquely individual messages as place markers. And it is definitely not well-observed by the office "Holiday Party," an event that can be a minefield of risk to one's job, marriage, and sanity. My advice for getting through the office holiday party safely: Don't Drink anything stronger ginger ale, even if the boss insists (I take this new medication . . . . )

Despite secular messages to the contrary, despite a government and many universities that are trying to remove all religious associations from the word Christmas, despite attempts to ban the word itself,
Advent is a penitential season. It is a season of preparation for a holy day. Thus, the priest wears purple vestments and there is no Gloria at Sunday Mass. It is a time for prayer and meditation, a time to contemplate what we will soon celebrate, Jesus ad venire, Jesus coming toward, and into, the world.

We heard in the first reading from Isaiah about an idyllic time that has, at least in part, yet to exist, a time in which hunger, pain, suffering and death will be banished. 

". . . he will destroy death forever
The Lord God will wipe away,
the tears from all faces." 

The promise that 'he will destroy death forever' was fulfilled in Jesus. We are reminded of this in the responsorial psalm, Psalm 23, which is probably the most well-known and frequently recited of the 150 psalms in the psalter. 

"Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come."

This too belongs to the promise fulfilled in Christ. 

As we gaze at the single candle in the Advent wreathe, a wreathe that will be fully lit before we have time to catch our breaths, we are called to sing in gratitude with the psalmist: 

"You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows..”

Veni, veni, Emmanuel
captivum solve Israel.
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The photo is a life-sized sculpture on the grounds of a monastery. The monochrome is perfect for the subject. Tried a black and white conversion but didn't like it. It needs to be this pseudo-sepia. 

Went to Pittsburgh on Sunday to attend a series of work-related meetings on Monday with the plan to return Monday night. All went well until our BC group of five got to the airport. Three were on a 4:10 Delta flight to Boston and two on a 6:01 to Boston. I was on the latter flight. The Delta flight was canceled rather quickly when the extent of the weather in Boston was known. The three were able to transfer to our flight. Which was promptly delayed. We went to TGI Fridays. 

The gate crew was terrific and accommodating. The flight delay was extended about every hour. Long story short, the flight that should have touched down at Logan at 7:25 PM or so took off at 12:45 AM and arrived at 2:45 AM. One of the guys in the group who lived nearby gave me a lift home. As the T closes at midnight until 5 AM this was a deeply appreciated act. Crawled into bed at 4 AM. Phone on airplane silence. Woke at 10:00 AM. Still feel like "the wreck of the Hesperus" to use one of mom's favorite terms.

+Fr. Jack, SJ, MD