The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

I'm sure you have all heard at one time or another the phrase, “There is no 'I' in 'Team'”. The phrase is of course not just about how to spell the word “team” but more importantly about how members of a team must learn to work together in order for that team to succeed. If an individual within a team is only interested gaining a name for himself or herself (only looking out for “Number One”), not only will the team very likely fall short of it's goal, but so will that individual. Teams are made up of individuals and each individual has his or her own individual talents and personalities that add to the mix of the team, but unless those individuals can learn to let those individual talents and personalities work together, unless they can put aside selfish ambition in favor of the success of others, that talent won't get them anywhere.

The movie “Miracle” tells the story of Herb Brooks leading the US Men's Hockey team to a gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. The movie focuses a lot on how Brooks took some of the best players in college hockey at the time and made them into a team. In the first half of the movie, the team is not doing well at all. In fact, they are not even acting like a team. There is competition between the players of whose college team is the best. Whenever Brooks asks them what team they play for, they answer with their individual college teams. They don't even consider themselves to be on the same team.

The team is able to pull off a tie against the Norwegian National team, but Brooks is unimpressed. He has the team do sprints up and down the ice. In a inspirational part of the movie, he yells, “You think you can win on talent alone? Gentlemen, you don't have enough talent to win on talent alone.” He says several other lines in this scene as well, all talking about the need to work as a team, and not as a group of individuals hoping for success. Brooks keeps yelling “Again” and the assistant coach blows a whistle and the team sprints over and over. Finally, when the players are so exhausted that they can barely stand up, one player calls out his name and where he is from. Brooks asks, “Who do you play for?” Between gasps for breath, the player says, “I play for the United States of America”. Brooks simply says, “That's all, gentlemen”, and then leaves.

This idea of working for more than just our own individual, selfish goals can be applied to many other parts of our lives than just sports teams. Today is the Feast of the Holy Family. Like a team, a family is made up of individuals, each with their own personality; each with their own unique gifts and ways of looking at things that contribute to the overall make up of that family. But if each member of a family cared only about their own wants and desires and cared little for the needs of the overall family, that family is going to fall apart. The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is a great example of a family that cares about each other, rather than individual desires. Their example can help us in our families to do the same.

The Gospel tells the story of the Holy Family's flight into Egypt. St. Joseph leads his family into Egypt for protection and then to Nazareth where they are able to settle down and begin their life together as a family. It is important for us to understand, however, that there would not be a Holy Family had not each individual member of that family agreed to put aside their own desires in favor of the family's needs and the will of God the Father. St. Joseph at first wanted to avoid any trouble by simply divorcing Mary quietly. Even after Mary gave birth, he certainly had the free will to leave whenever he wanted. The temptation to just do his own thing and avoid all the problems connected with having a pregnant wife and a child who has already been given a death sentence by the king, must have crossed his mind at some point. But he remains a faithful father and husband. Neither did Mary have to say yes to Gabriel's message. She could have opted for a more simple life as a carpenter's wife in Nazareth. Yet she says yes to the Father's will. Jesus, as the Son of God, understood in a unique way, the Father's plan and His will for Him, so it is not too surprising that He agreed to God's will, but He definitely did not have to come to earth this way. He didn't have to be born or be raised in a family or be obedient to parents. He did this to humble Himself, become one of us, and to help teach us what it means to be a part of a family.

The first and second readings also teach about families and what we are called to do for our fellow family members. The first reading from Sirach talks about how each member has a job to do, talking about a father over his children and a mother's authority over her sons. Sometimes children complain about there being too many rules and how unfair it is that they are not in charge, but what the children hopefully understand eventually is that the authority given to the parents is to protect them and help to grow up into healthy adults. Children also have a role in obeying their parents, to honor and revere them. They will also take care of them when they are old.

The second reading from St. Paul's letter to the Colossians, talks about the love that members of a family have for each other; mirrored by the love that God has for the Jesus Christ and the love Jesus has for the Church. The last paragraph can sound contradictory to the rest of it. “Wives be subordinate to your husbands” and “Husbands love your wives”. St. Paul isn't giving an advantage or some sort of power to one spouse over the other. That word “subordinate” simply means to have respect and reverence towards. This is not being asked just of the wives, but of the husbands for their wives as well. Have love and respect for each other. Children are asked to have this for their parents as well.

What all this amounts to, is that we, as members of families, are called to love and respect each other. We are called to work as a team to help each other grow in holiness. We are not in this just for ourselves, but so that we can help each other enter into Heaven.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Some people trust other people very easily, for others it can take some time to learn to trust. This can be the case especially after a person is hurt or taken advantage of by another person. I’m sure that many of you have gotten hurt by those you have trusted in the past. Maybe it was mistake or an accident and you're afraid of a similar accident happening again. Perhaps you have reason to believe that the person had every intention to deceive or hurt you in some way. Sometimes after a major wound like that, a person becomes jaded or cynical of anyone else who claims to be trustworthy. I'm not saying that this happens to everyone, but for those who have experienced something like this it can be hard to trust another person again.

It can also be hard for a person to trust in God after being hurt or betrayed by another human being. Catholic psychologists have noticed that a person's relationship with their father can influence their spiritual relationship with God the Father. So if you had an uneasy relationship with your dad, it might be hard for you to have a deep relationship with God the Father. You may find it easier to pray to Jesus Christ the Son or to ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to pray for us, rather than to pray to God the Father directly. Our relationship and acceptance of the Church and how we get along with our fellow Christians can also influence our relationship with God. Now here is the important thing, however. Just because we have a hard time trusting in God, does not give us permission to simply leave our lack of trust where it is and blame all the other untrustworthy people who we have met along the way. No. Our readings today teach us to have complete faith and trust in God.

Our first reading from Isaiah focuses quite a bit on the lack of faith of King Ahaz. Now to be fair to Ahaz, the poor guy has it pretty rough. He is the king of Judah, or the southern part of David’s kingdom. If we look a little ahead of today’s reading, we see that his capital city of Jerusalem is being attacked by two kingdoms from the north, Aram, a kingdom located in modern day Syria, and, ironically, Israel, the northern half of David’s kingdom. These two northern kingdoms formed an alliance and a joint army that filled King Ahaz and his people with much fear and trepidation. In response, God sends the prophet Isaiah to go talk to the king. God tells the king, through the words of the prophet, not to fear these kingdoms. God will protect Jerusalem and will cut those enemies down. He warns the king, “Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm.” When we get to today’s reading, Ahaz is apparently not yet convinced the he can trust in God to take care of everything. Again, God speaks through the prophet and tells the king to ask for a sign. God is basically saying, “Look! I know you’re scared. Choose any sign that you want, it can be as big as you like, and it will be given to you. Then you will know that I really am watching out for you and protecting you.” Ahaz’s response of refusing to tempt the Lord is not really as modest or as humble as it might sound. It isn’t that the king is trying to avoid tempting God or testing Him requests of signs or miracles. This response shows that his mind is already closed. He is not interested in God’s attempts to make him believe.

The prophecy that comes after all this, is no longer just for the benefit of King Ahaz, but is for the benefit of generations to come, including our own. In fact, the sign mentioned in the prophecy will actually not do the king any good, because it doesn’t happen until several generations later. This sign is for all of us. Though there is death, and disease, and wars, and violence and numerous other things in this world that cause us sorrow and distress and mistrust of our fellow human beings; though there is all these hardships around us, God sent His son, Emmanuel, to be among us and to save us. This season of Advent is meant to prepare us for the coming celebration of Christmas when this Virgin will give birth to the one who is God-made-flesh. What a wonderful celebration.

In contrast to the stubborn and distrustful King Ahaz, the Gospel reading gives us the very trusting and faithful example of St. Joseph. It is not by coincidence that we have two people in the Bible with the name Joseph who play big roles in salvation history. The patriarch Joseph (with his coat of many colors) and St. Joseph have a lot in common beside their first name. Both are given messages from God through dreams. The patriarch receives visions that tell of how his brothers will turn to him for help and will bow before him. Later, he interprets dreams for Pharaoh and some of his servants. Their dreams are again messages from God, which lead to Joseph getting a high position in Egypt and able to help his family when they eventually come. St. Joseph receives the message we hear today about Mary and the child she is to give birth to. It leads to his accepting Mary into his home and raising Jesus as his own son. Later on in the story, Joseph will be warned in dream to take Mary and the Child to Egypt to protect them from Herod. The fact that St. Joseph takes the Holy Family to Egypt for protection is meant to reflect how the patriarch Joseph brought his family with him to Egypt to protect them from famine.

The biggest similarity between these two men is the faithfulness. Jewish rabbis have long pointed to the patriarch Joseph of righteousness and faithfulness. They give him the title Tzadik (ZAW – dik) which means righteous one. Though the rabbis don’t acknowledge who St. Joseph is, he is clearly meant to mirror that same righteousness of his namesake.

Both of these tzadikim believed that God was with them. They knew what it was like to have hardships: imagine being sold into slavery by your family or being told your wife will give birth to the savior of the world. They were faithful; they trusted that God would be with them.

As we enter into Christmas is just a few days, remember that Christ truly is Emmanuel: God with us! Do not fear as Ahaz did, but trust and rejoice as St. Joseph did.

Friday of Third Week of Advent

Friday of Third Week of Advent

Mary's "yes" to being the Virgin who gives birth to Emmanuel is a "yes" that still affects us today.  We have her to thank for our savior being born for us.  In contrast to yesterday's Gospel, in which Zechariah is more incredulous of the angel's message when he says, "How shall I know this?", Mary simply wonders "How can this be?", how will this all happen?  With the explanation that the Spirit will make it possible, Mary responds with an enthusiastic "yes" when she says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

May we follow the example of Mary in saying yes to God's call for us.

Thursday of Third Week of Advent

Thursday of Third Week of Advent

Two angles sent to two women, both of whom were barren, and are informed that they will in fact have sons and that they will indeed have sons who will be consecrated to God.  These accounts about the announcements of the births of Samson and John the Baptist foreshadow the magnificent account of the angel Gabriel's message to Mary.  We'll hear about that announcement tomorrow  (stay tuned!).  Until then, we are reminded that God has special plans for His children (all of us) and the bringing of an Old Testament judge (Samson) and a prophet (John) is just the beginning.  The special celebration is coming soon.

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent

The first reading today shows that God chose Judah to have a certain primacy among the tribes of Israel.  The Gospel then gives us the genealogy of Jesus, showing that His family comes all the way from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah and all the way to King David and through the Babylonian Exile.  Three sets of 14; a number symbolic of King David.  Matthew is pointing out the Jesus is the son of David and Abraham, but also showing that God had this planed from the very beginning.  As we continue in these last seven days before Christmas, let us be mindful of God's loving plan to bring us closer to Himself.

Third Sunday of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent

There are two words that can be used to describe what the readings are about for today: joyful expectation. The readings speak of waiting for someone; of waiting for the Messiah. But it isn’t just some boring wait that we have to endure like when we wait at the check out or wait for a traffic light to change. Those who wrote these passages we just heard are clearly talking about expecting someone of great importance. This Messiah is not someone who we are waiting for with dread, but someone who we will be filled with joy at seeing. So the readings, in fact the prayers and other texts that are written specifically for the Third Sunday of Advent, are truly about joyful expectation. This Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday, which means “rejoice”.

When I was writing this homily, I was thinking to myself what would make a good image to help illustrate this idea of joyful expectation? And I began thinking about how when I go back to my parent's house in Grand Rapids, there is always one there who is so excited to see me, it is almost as if she waiting with bated breath for my return. I am talking about Dori, my parent's Golden Retriever. Now some of you might not be dog people, some of you might not really like them at all, so you might not be able to relate to this all that well, but if you have ever watched a dog react to seeing his master or family come home, you know that he is going to be overjoyed to see them and will do his best to show how excited he is. It doesn't matter if you were out the door for five minutes or were gone on a vacation for a week and had to leave the dog in the care of the neighbors, if that dog is healthy and is being taken care of, he is excited to see you. “Oh boy! You're back! I didn't think I would ever see you gain!”

Dogs have a gift for being able to show their emotions in their whole body language. When you think about it, the word emotion is not just talking about feelings, but also about how the body reacts to that feeling. Emotions literally give motion to the body. This is very apparent in dogs. If a dog is sad the ears and tail both droop and head might be lowered as well. Angry, the ears are perked up, the muscles tighten and his hackles are up. Excited or happy, the mouth is open and the tail is wagging. Sometimes the whole body is wagging with the tail.

Going back to my parent's dog Dori, she doesn't actually wait at the door for me, since I only go back about once or twice a month, but seeing her reaction, you would think she had been awaiting my return. She is almost ten years old now, so she is not as spry as she used to be. She used to jump off the couch and run to greet me. Sometimes she won't even get off the couch now, but once she sees it's me, she'll still get up, albeit slowly, and wag her tail enthusiastically and even jump up to say hello. He favorite thing to do when I come in the door is to get one of her toys, which are scattered throughout the house, and get me to play with her. I am certain that if that dog could talk, her favorite thing to say would be. “Oh boy! It's you! I have the perfect toy! Wait right here! I'll go get it!” And she'll run off to find it and will be back in a few seconds, so I can play with her. The funny thing with this dog, is that she is not looking for just any toy. I know this because she will run past other toys in search of a specific toy that she has in mind. And she will find that toy, because in her mind I have come back specifically to play with her and for no other purpose.

I hope that talking a little about dogs and their exuberance at seeing familiar humans come back can at least give us an idea of the joyful expectation that today's readings are trying to convey to us. The Prophet Isaiah describes what almost sounds like a scene out of a Disney movie. The coming of the Messiah is going to be so exciting and so joyful that the land itself is going to be transformed, simply because there is so much joy! “The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song.” Land that is arid and has very little growing on it is going to burst forth with life with the coming of Christ. The land itself will even sing for joy we are told. This is a big deal. The reading ends with, “Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee.” To ransom someone means to free them from something. In this case they are talking about how Christ is going to free His people from sin. No wonder there is so much rejoicing! If we could understand what that really means to be freed from sin, we would be rejoicing as well. We take it for granted that Christ saves us, thought. That's the problem.

While Isaiah talks about getting excited for the coming of the Lord, St. James says in his letter to be patient. Impatience, the apostle warns, leads to a lack of charity towards those around you, and so he warns not to complain about others. He also seems to be saying to trust in God when he says, “Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand.” St. James is talking about Jesus' second coming and is telling his audience to be ready. He knows that those reading the letter are already excited about Jesus' coming, but he also knows that the excitement might boil over if they don't keep patience and get properly ready for this incredible event.

The Gospel does not disappoint by continuing this theme of joyful expectation. Even John the Baptist has had expectations of the coming of the Christ. I am certain that John already knew that Jesus was “the one who is to come”, but I'm guessing he sent his disciples to ask Him for their own benefit. As if Jesus' response to the question is not already a clear enough answer of “Yes!”, with all the references to the lame walking and the deaf hearing, the Lord gives a side explanation to the crowd. They have been expecting someone important. John didn't meet those expectations and neither did Jesus. But John is more important than you think, and so is Jesus. Jesus is saying, I'm here, and big things are going to happen.

I encourage all of you, don't let this Advent Season and the coming Christmas Season pass you by as just some crazy time of year to get through. We are expecting the second coming of Jesus one day. Let us be joyful about this. Let us welcome Christ with joy!

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent

The readings speak about gathering the lost sheep of the flock and giving comfort to the people of God.  God loves us and wants us close to Him, and so He seeks out the lost and those who have wondered astray.  He doesn't seek us out to try to force us to be with Him or enslave us as His servants.  He gathers us close to Him so that He can comfort us and console us in whatever hardships and troubles we may encounter. 

These readings can be looked a couple different ways.  When we are the lost sheep, through sins we have committed, it is reassuring that God will always be looking out for us and will comfort us when we are at out lowest point.  These are also words to encourage us when we encounter our brothers and sisters who have wondered away from following God and have become the lost sheep.  We can help them to understand that God is not trying to force Himself into our lives, nor is the Church trying to force us into anything (as it can sometimes feel like when they have a bunch of people trying to get them back to Church).  God just wants to comfort us and get us back to His flock.  If we just allow that to happen, our joy will be complete.

Second Sunday of Advent

I hope everyone had a very blessed Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception yesterday.  I totally forgot about posting my homily for last Sunday, so here it is.

Second Sunday of Advent

          It can be very easy for a person to fall into a deep sense of guilt over a wide variety of things.  Maybe a person feels guilty for what they said or did to another person, like insulting another person or speaking about them behind their back.  Perhaps it is guilt for what they did not do for that person, like not saying “Thank you” for a kind deed or for not giving someone help or a kind word when you know they needed it.  In some instances, guilt is simply our conscience letting us know that we have done something wrong and we need to rectify the situation.  Guilt can also be harmful to us if we don't deal with it in the right way, however.  People have gone crazy because they didn't deal with their guilt in a healthy way.  Some hold on to guilt long after they were forgiven of what they feel guilty about and some feel guilty for things that were not as bad as their imaginations make them out to be. 

          There is a type of guilt that is common among Catholics that is often referred to simply as “Catholic guilt”.  Catholic guilt is simply the guilt that a Catholic feels when he or she is not doing all that they think they should be doing as a Catholic.  Catholic guilt can be helpful in some situations.  It can help remind us of our need to pray, go to reconciliation and give to the poor and various charities.  It can even help us to get ourselves off our duffs on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning and get to Church at a descent time.  Catholic guilt can also be hard on a person however.  In fact, I think it is very easy for us Catholics to be a little too hard on ourselves.  Maybe we miss Mass because of bad weather.  Bad weather is a valid reason for missing Mass, but I'm sure there would still be people who say to themselves, “Yeah, but if I would have just driven very slowly on the black ice, I might have still made it.”  Yes, but the Church also wants you to stay alive!  There is no need to beat ourselves up over something like that.  We can go to reconciliation if we feel we must, but know that God wants us to pray to Him on Sundays.  He doesn't want us to risk our lives, or the lives of others, just to get to the Church.  The same can be said about missing Mass because of illness. 

          I brought up all this about guilt and about whether guilt is helpful or justified in certain situations, because we want to be careful not to let guilt get the best of us.  If we let it get the best of us, then we become afraid of having anything to do with God.  We hold back and end up having nothing to do with faith or religion at all.  In reality, we should be running back to Church, back to God, so that we can talk with Him and see the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist so that any wounds can be healed.  It is through the Church that we can hope to improve our relationship with God and grow in holiness.

          Today's Gospel reading talks about repentance and having reconciliation with God.  But I hope that we can see in all the readings, however, that this is not meant to make us feel guilt ridden, but rather as encouragement for us to have a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God.  In the Gospel, St. John the Baptist, who is considered the forerunner of the Jesus, the one who is to prepare for His coming, is preaching about repentance.  “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”.  It is true that we need repentance, but there is a danger if all we think about is how we have to repent.  It is easy to start thinking that there is something wrong with us.  We begin thinking that God isn't going to love us any more because we are so sinful.  That, of course is not the message that St. John the Baptist or Jesus wanted to give.  As the rest of the readings show, the message is really one of encouragement: encouraging us all to strengthen our relationship with God through prayer and seeking reconciliation with God.

          The first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is about how God will judge the nations through this mysterious person who is described as this “shoot from the stump of Jesse”.  “Stump of Jesse” is a reference to the House of David.  A shoot means that this person is going to be a descendent of King David.  Isaiah is talking about the coming of the Messiah, which we Christians recognize as Jesus Christ.  The prophecy continues that this Messiah will judge the peoples in a peaceful way.  He will not judge by hearsay or by appearance, but with justice.  So peaceful and just will this be that the whole world will be at peace.  Even animals that are typically in a predator versus prey relationship (like wolf and a lamb or lion and a calf) will live together in peace.  This is God's goal that the world will be at peace and in union with God.

          The second reading continues that same idea.  “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus.”  God isn't interested in holding our sins over our heads.  He wants us to move past our sins and strengthen our relationship with Him.  I'm not saying that God doesn't care that we have sinned.  He does care.  Our sins hurt our relationship with Him.  What I am saying is that God isn't trying to take us on a guilt trip when He tells us to repent or talks about the sins of this world.  Seek prayer and reconciliation and our relationship with God will grow.

          As we continue in this season of Advent, let us make it our goal to strengthen our relationship with God.  That means prayer.  That means getting to the Church for Mass.  That means getting into the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  It will all mean a closer understanding of Jesus, and a joyful celebration of Christmas.

Friday of the First Week of Advent

Friday of the First Week of Advent

Memorial of St. Nicholas today, a man of great faith and (according to the stories anyway) of great generosity.  May his example help us to do the same.  We also hear today about the faith of the two blind men who were healed in the Gospel today.  Let us not fear to ask God for what we need. 

Thursday of the First Week of Advent

Thursday of the First Week of Advent

Christ is our firm foundation.  If we listen to Him, the Word of God made flesh, then we will be like that wise man in the parable: set firmly on rock.  Tough times may happen (winds blowing and buffeting the house) but it won't crush us.  Let us put our trust in that help.

Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

Two different meals mentioned in the readings today, the great feast on the Lord's mountain from Isaiah, and the multiplication of loaves.  Both refer to a meal that is so much more than just food to be put in our bellies, however.  They refer to the Eucharist, the bread of life, which is to get us ready for the Eternal Banquet in Heaven.  Who knew salvation could be connected with good food? 

First Sunday of Advent

First Sunday of Advent

Since we are just finishing up on Thanksgiving weekend, I'm sure that most of us here have a pretty clear idea in our minds of what it means to make preparations for something big that is about to happen. Even when my sister and I were children and we weren't old enough yet to be much help in the kitchen, we were asked to do our part in getting the house cleaned and presentable for guests. So whether you were a part of the cooking crew or the clean up crew this weekend, I'm sure many of you had some part to play in preparing for this weekend.

As I told a few of you, this year I played host to a few members of my family. I'm not in a straitjacket so I must of survived it just fine. My mom was the main cook for the dinner, but I helped around the kitchen with getting the meal prepared and getting the table all set. Whenever I'm doing food prep, I can't help but think about a very funny scene from a Three Stooges episode in which Moe, Larry, and Curly volunteer to help make dinner for a birthday party. You know this is not going to go over very well. At one point Larry tells Curly to shave some ice. The next scene you see is Curly with a big block of ice on a chair and he's sharpening a straightedge razor blade. He then whips up some shaving cream and proceeds to literally shave the block of ice, saying things like, “You're new in neighborhood, aren't you?” and making jokes, “Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck!” After Moe gives him the usual head slap, Curly then goes to stuff the turkey for the dinner. He reads the ingredients as he goes. “Separate two eggs”. He holds them apart and puts both of them whole into the bird. “Two potatoes. Diced”. He shakes them like a pair of dice and rolls them on the table before putting them in whole. He then literally pinches some salt, puts in a half dozen oysters (shells and all), and a can of peas (the whole can). When told to put in a loaf of bread, well soaked, he punches a loaf several times and stuffs the whole thing in the bird. He also looses his ring and a wrist watch during this process, which guest finds later on in the stuffing.

The Stooges are anything but good examples for how to prepare for a feast or celebration. But it is still rather humorous to think about how bad things could get if you had three knuckleheads trying to cook something. It is also nice to know that even with a few mistakes, any of us will probably do far better than they did.

As we begin the new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent, our readings speak about looking forward to glorious times that are coming for the people of Israel and about making preparations for that day. The first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah speaks about how things will be so wonderful for the people of Israel that people for all over will want to come to Jerusalem and to the Lord's House. Part of the city of Jerusalem is built on a mountain called Zion, so when you hear “Zion” mentioned, like in this reading and elsewhere in the Bible, it is a reference to the whole of the city of Jerusalem. The city is considered a holy city since that is where the Temple is located. So saying that all these people are going to Jerusalem also suggests that they are going to the Temple to pray and to worship God. This is also referenced in the psalm, “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord”.

Obviously something spectacular is going to be happening for the people of Israel. What it is isn't mentioned here, but I would hope that our Christian faith would indicate to us that this is one of many prophecies within the Old Testament of the coming of Jesus. The next two readings talk about how to prepare for that.

St. Paul in his letter to the Romans speaks of an urgency about being prepared for the coming of Jesus. He says, “You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand.” Now obviously, at the time Paul wrote this Jesus had already come, rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven. He is not talking about the first time Jesus came; he is speaking about Jesus' Second Coming, which we are all waiting for as well. It is important to understand that St. Paul and many other Christians of the first century thought that Jesus' Second Coming was going to happen within their lifetime. It could happen at any moment and they did not want to be ill prepared for that moment. So leaders, like the Apostle Paul, preached and taught a lot about being prepared for that eventual coming again of Christ. In this instance, Paul uses the images of waking from a deep sleep and moving from darkness into light, just like any of us might be awakened in the early morning. You don't want to be all groggy and still waking up when Jesus comes. Be ready.

The Gospel continues with this idea of Jesus coming again without warning and at an unknown hour. The people of Noah's time didn't know that the flood waters were coming. Noah's family made preparations and survived; the others did not. Jesus also uses the imagery of staying awake. Perhaps the Apostles heard about a man who's house had been robbed during the night and Jesus uses that image as well to show the urgency of paying attention to what is happening.

Both Jesus and St. Paul are telling their listeners, including all of us today, that we do not know when that Second Coming will happen and so we must be prepared. So how do we do that? Well, both readings talk about disconnecting ourselves from worldly attachments. St. Paul mentions rivalry and jealousy and other sins that indicate an unhealthy attachment to the things in this world. In other words, they care more about stuff on earth, than about going to Heaven. Jesus also mentions the people of Noah's time who cared more about what they wanted than about doing God's will.

The best way for any of us to disconnect ourselves from worldly attachments and our own selfish desires is through prayer and taking time to focus on our relationship with Jesus. The Season of Advent is a wonderful time to do just that. Take a moment from the holiday rush that is beginning right now and focus on preparing for Christ. It will be well worth your time.