Sunday November 29th. to Saturday December 5th.

Sunday November 29^th. to Saturday December 5^th.     Reflections on Daily Mass Readings.

 

The Season of Advent.

Before we look at the Mass readings it may be helpful to reflect of the season of Advent which begins this Sunday and is, in many senses, the beginning of New Year for the Church.

The word ‘Advent’ is derived from Latin and means ‘coming’ or ‘arrival’ and this season was developed in the Western Church as a special time of preparation for the festival of Christmas when we celebrate Christ’s coming at his birth.

Already in the fifth century the season of Advent existed in some parts of the Western Church and consisted of either six, five or four weeks of preparation for Christmas depending on where one lived. In Milan and the churches which still follow the Rite or customs of that city, Advent still lasts six weeks as also at Toledo in Spain for those churches which follow their customs. In Gaul Advent took on a more penitential character and was modelled on the observance of Lent with fasting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Rome was always conservative and the season of Advent was introduced there later with the observance of only four Sundays in Advent which is still the case. As the customs and practices of Rome were adopted throughout the Western Church, save for those exceptions mentioned, so four weeks of Advent became the norm.

Although Advent has often been seen as a mini-Lent, this is a misunderstanding because the whole mood of the season is one of joyful expectation rather than penance.

Advent this year will be very different and although we may be finding the restrictions imposed upon us because of the Pandemic difficult to bear, it does mean that Advent can be more of what it is intended to be, a time of reflection, prayer and preparation for Christmas.

So, right at the start, let’s resolve to make this a very special time.

Traditionally, although Advent has been seen as a time of preparing for the celebration of Christmas it has also been seen a time of preparation for the Lord’s coming at the End of time

and it has also been a time to keep in mind the Lord’s coming to us at the moment of ol our death and, of course, the best way to be prepared for that is to recognise his coming to us in our daily lives.

The state of our world with climate change and the gradual destruction of our planet, we cannot ignore the End which will come inevitably. However, this might make us use Advent more effectively to make ourselves more aware of the challenges that face us and we might well undertake to read Pope Francis’ Letter during this season.

Two things ought to characterise our keeping of Advent. The first is a real effort to set aside a daily time of prayer, even it is only a few minutes when we can be still and welcome the Lord who comes to us in the silence. Our Bishops have suggested that we pray at 6.00 o’clock in the evening and this may be a good time when we can remember that others are praying with us. But this might be an impossible time and we must each find what is best for us but do try to do this during this special time of waiting for the Lord.

The second characteristic of Advent ought to be our recognition that the Lord comes to in so many ways each day but especially in the poor and the needy. There are so many appeals at this time of the year but select something which you feel is important and then give as generously as you can. The possibility of buying presents this year may be limited so why not use the excellent cards provided by Cafod or Christian Aid which you can obtain by post and which tell the person to whom are sending them that you have donated to this charity. Give foolishly and you will find it a source of great joy and one of the best ways of preparing for Christmas.

Advent marks the beginning of a new year in the Church’s life so let it be a new beginning for us and the most joyful and peaceful Advent that we have ever enjoyed.

 

On Sundays this year we read the Gospel of Mark.

It may be helpful if we look at Mark’s Gospel before we look at this Sunday’s readings.

Mark’s is the shortest of the four Gospels and is, almost certainly, the first to be written. Heading his work ‘The Gospel (Good News) about Jesus Christ’ the author seems to be responsible for creating the genre of what we know as ‘Gospels’. Matthew and Luke contain parallels to almost everything in Mark’s Gospel and it was probably only the tradition that it contained the reminiscences of Peter that saved this Gospel for posterity.

The same tradition, said by the fourth century writer Eusebius to go back to Papias whom Eusebius records as having written in the early second century, names Mark (presumably the Mark referred to in 1 Peter 5/13) as the author of this Gospel. It is usually assumed that this is the ‘John Mark’ mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 12/12. 25, 15/37, 39) though John Mark seems to have been associated with Paul rather than Peter (see also Colossians 4/10 and 2 Timothy 4/11) and Mark was a common name in the ancient world.

Though tradition places the writing of this Gospel in Rome, probably because Peter is said to have died there, nothing is known for certain.  If the Gospel was used by both Matthew and Luke as certainly seems the case, then it was clearly written before their Gospels. The teaching in chapter 13 suggests that it was either written shortly before or, more probably, after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 C.E.

Mark’s style is simple and unpolished but, nevertheless, extremely effective. Since books were rare, this Gospel was intended to be read aloud and Luke’s frequent use of ‘and’ and ‘and immediately’ contribute to the story’s dramatic power.

The most effective way to read this Gospel is to read it from end to end so as to appreciate the cumulative power of the picture that the author offers us. Why not do that on Advent Sunday, it doesn’t take very long?

The story begins with a prologue which conveys to the hearer or reader essential information  as to its significance. In the first thirteen verses Mark alerts us to the fact that what is taking place is the fulfilment of the Hebrew Scriptures and that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and Lord and that John the Baptist is the one who prepares his way.

Although John himself is apparently unaware that Jesus is the coming One whom he has been announcing, the arrangement of the material makes clear the identity of Jesus as does the account of Jesus’ Baptism when we overhear words spoken from Heaven. We learn too that the Holy Spirit is at work in Jesus and that in the power of the Spirit, he has confronted Satan in the wilderness and been tested by him.

With this in mind we are ready for the story which follows, a story of events which seem to have bewildered those who witnessed them. The crowds are astonished and perplexed while the religious authorities demonstrate their obtuseness by dismissing what Jesus is doing as the work of Satan. Even Jesus’ disciples are shown to be largely uncomprehending. Although they eventually grasp that Jesus is the anointed One promised by the prophets, they fail to understand what this means either of Jesus himself or for those who want to be his disciples.

Why did Mark decide to write his Gospel? The answer is by no means obvious. What seems certain though is that the Gospel is intended to explain who Jesus is and why he died and it also spells out clearly what are Jesus’ demands of his followers. Perhaps Mark, who was himself a preacher, concerned to get the Good News about Jesus to others, felt that for those for whom he what he was writing these were the most pressing needs.

 

During Advent we read almost every day from the prophet Isaiah.

During Advent the reading from the Hebrew Scriptures both on Sundays and weekdays, is almost always from the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah’s ministry was exercised in the eighth century B.C.E. and this whole period is overshadowed by the irresistible power of Assyria and its plans for a world Empire.

Little is known of Isaiah’s personal life but his ministry was exercised in and around Jerusalem. His devotion to the Jerusalem traditions, the literary quality of his writing and his contacts with the Wisdom tradition would all suggest that he came from an upper-class family and was highly educated. He was married to a woman, also designated as a prophet and he had two sons with symbolic names.

It has long been recognised that the book of the prophet Isaiah is made up of three parts. The authentic words of Isaiah are found mostly in the first section, mainly in chapters 1 to 11 and largely in the days of King Ahaz (735-715 B.C.E.) and chapters 28 to 32 which happen largely in the days of King Hezekiah (715-687 B.C.E.). Chapters 40 to 55 and 56 to 66 form two collections  which date from the Exile of the Jews and from after it.

Isaiah has often been called the ‘fifth Evangelist’ because so many of his prophecies can be seen as directly relating to the coming Messiah and, in particular, to Jesus himself. As we read extracts day after day we shall see how often they speak to us of Jesus and of the Kingdom or Reign of God which he comes to proclaim.

 

Sunday November29th. The First Sunday in Advent in Year Two.

 

Readings

Isaiah 63/16-17, 64/1, 3-8     :     Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 1/3-9     :     Mark 13/33-37

In the passage which we read from the prophet Isaiah today, the prophet recalls the sins of his people and their infidelity to the God who is their father and their redeemer. He reminds them of the way in which they have strayed away from God, how they have forgotten him, been distracted and no longer recognised him. Because of all this they are lost and are not able to come back to God. The prophet cries out to God ‘O that you would tear the heavens open and come down’ and then, finally,. Reminds God that he is the potter and we are the clay, the work of God’s hands.

This is an extraordinarily beautiful passage and speaks eloquently to us today. The whole world seems to have strayed from God’s ways, not in the sense that they have abandoned the Church or the Christian faith but in that we seem to have abandoned the ways of humanity, the law which is inscribed in every human heart that we should love and care for one another.

Advent is the time when we cry out to God, believing that he is the divine potter and that he knows the clay of which we are made. We can only trust him and believe that he will bring about that Reign of justice and love.
Advent is then a time of intense prayer for us who believe, not that God will do some sort of magic trick and make everything alright but that the hearts and minds of all God’s children may be open to his coming and the world may be transformed. In praying for this we recognise with gratitude how it is already happening and the Pandemic has brought out these basic human qualities in so many people of every faith and none. The Lord will come but he comes already in so many who respond to that basic instinct in their hearts and recognise that love and care are the only way forward.

Paul, writing to the Christian community in Corinth, reminds them first of all, how grateful they ought to be because of the many gifts they have already received. That ought to be our attitude also. We have received so many graces and gifts and most of all the gift of faith which makes it possible for us to hang on even in the darkest times. God, Paul says, will keep the Corinthian Christians and, of course , us steady and faithful if we trust in him because by calling us to be his Church he has united us with his Son Jesus. We are already one with him but during this time of Advent we are reminded that we are also waiting for his coming at the very end when all will be gathered into God and, also, for that day when we meet him face to face at the moment of our death.

In the short Gospel reading Jesus reminds as he has done in the previous weeks that we must ‘stay awake’ because we don’t know the time when the Lord will come. But, of course, we must stay awake and be on the alert because we do know when the Lord comes! He comes in those moments of silence and waiting on him in prayer. He comes in everyone and in every situation and above all he comes to u in all those in need and we welcome him by our generous giving.

Our prayer this Advent makes us all the more aware of when and how he comes to us and so we pray ‘Come, Lord Jesus, come’.

 

Monday November 30^th. The Feast of Saint Andrew, the first-called of the Apostles.

 

We have only just begun Advent when we find ourselves celebrating Andrew the Apostle. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter was a fisherman by trade and came from Bethsaida. He was disciple of John the Baptist before he answered Jesus’ call. In John’s Gospel we read that it was Andrew who brought his brother, Simon Peter, to Jesus, telling him that ‘We have found the Messiah’. This has earned Andrew the title of ‘the first-called of the Apostles’. In the Gospels Andrew is often found bringing people to Jesus. It was Andrew who brought forward the lad with the loaves and fishes when food was needed for the crowd. After Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem it was Andrew who helped some Greeks who wanted to speak with Jesus.

After Pentecost it is not certain where Andrew may have preached the Gospel, where he died or even where he was buried. The most ancient tradition links Andrew with Greece, Scythia and Epirus both claimed him as their Apostle while Patras in Achaia claimed to be the place where he was crucified, preaching to the people for two days before he finally expired.

An early mediaeval forgery attributed to Andrew the founding of the Church at Constantinople, a claim that was strengthened by the removal of his relics from Patras to that city. However, this may well have been to counterweight Rome’s claim to have the relics of Andrew’s brother Peter and the Apostle Paul.

Andrew was very popular in mediaeval England and there is another legend that his relics were brought from Patras by Rule in the eighth century. He was said to have stopped at a place in Fife which is now known as Saint Andrew’s and a church was built there.  It is from this legend that Andrew has become the patron saint of Scotland. At the fall of Constantinople in 1204 the Crusaders took Andrew’s supposed relics to Amalfi and the despot Thomas Palaeologus  gave his head to the then Pope in 1461. This was one of the greatest treasures of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome and its return to the Patriarch of Constantinople by Pope Paul VIth. was a symbolic gesture of great importance in reconciling our two churches. Andrew is also the patron saint of Russia.

We remember the churches and people of Scotland and we pray for their greater unity and an end to the sectarianism of the past. We pray too for the people and churches of Russia.

 

Readings

Paul’s Letter to the Romans 26/1-6     :     Matthew 7/21, 24-27

The reading from Paul’s Letter to the Christian community in Rome reminds us of how it is necessary for the Gospel to be preached. This was the task of Jesus’ first followers after he had left them and Andrew, like the rest of them, travelled far and wide to fulfil this commission and to preach the Gospel to all who would listen.

Like Andrew we too are called to be Apostles since the Lord sends us to proclaim the same Good News. We do this more by our lives than by our words and the Good News that we are to proclaim is the coming of the Kingdom. Andrew brought Simon Peter to Jesus because he believed he had found the Messiah and we may bring others to him by our lives and our love.

The Gospel reading gives Matthew’s account of the call of Jesus to Simon Peter and Andrew and, subsequently, to James and John, to follow him. Though Matthew’s version is different from that in John’s Gospel (John 1/40-41), Matthew gives us the famous words that Jesus addressed to the four, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of people’. We too are to be fishers of people, catching them in the net of our love but do we?

 

Tuesday December 1^st. Tuesday in the First Week of Advent.

 

Readings

Isaiah 11/1-10     :     Luke 10/21-24

The reading from the prophet Isaiah looks forward to the coming of the Reign of God and speaks of the One who will enable this to happen. The Messiah, the Anointed One, upon whom the Spirit of the Lord rests (and it is worth noting that the Spirit is described in the same terms as are used at our Confirmation when the person confirming the candidate  prays that they may receive the Spirit) he is the One who will bring justice and peace to the earth.

The prophet then describes the Reign of God’s love where justice will be done and all will live together in peace.

This wonderful picture that the prophet paints may seem like an illusion but it is this Reign or Kingdom that Jesus comes to proclaim. It is, surely, significant that, in the prophet’s vision, it I little child who will bring this about.

A final thought about this reading from the prophet. He says that the coming Kingdom will involve the animal creation. How that can be we cannot imagine but it is a reminder to us that we have a responsibility for all creatures, especially those that are sentient and part of the building up of the Kingdom is surely to defend and protect helpless animals. Whether it be in protecting endangered species like the elephant, protesting against the vile conditions of animal farming or working to save animals from the terrible cruelty of captivity or using them for entertainment this is all part of the building up of God’s Kingdom and something which we cannot ignore if we are truly Jesus’ followers.

In the Gospel reading Jesus returns to the same theme where he says that it is to ‘mere children’ that the secrets of the Kingdom are revealed.

Obviously, with the approach of Christmas we think of that little child born to Mary in Bethlehem. He it is who will proclaim the coming Reign of God but he does much more than that. He will tell people that the Kingdom of God is already close to them among them, within them.

Today Jesus is telling us that we must recognise where the kingdom is, be on the alert, be watchful and waiting and ready to discern it and welcome it. It is his Spirit that is enabling this to happen where hearts are touched and love and friendship are shared and people truly care for one another. In this time of pandemic we have seen so many instances of the Kingdom of God being established among those who are caring for the sick or the needy or just being good neighbours.

More than that, of course, not only do we have to recognise where the Kingdom already is, we have to be the instruments for building it up and that we do with all those who are of good will.

Jesus ends by telling his disciples and us how happy we ought to be to have been given insight into these mysteries. What others have longed to see, we have seen. How happy we should be to have been given this great gift of discerning something of God’s wonderful purposes and to be able to be instrumental in bringing it about.

 

Wednesday December 2^nd. Wednesday in Week One in Advent.

 

Readings

Isaiah 25/6-10     :     Matthew15/29-37

In the reading today from the prophet Isaiah the coming Reign or Kingdom of God is depicted as a great banquet which takes place on the mountain of God. It will be a time of great rejoicing because God will take away all mourning and sadness and wipe away every tear from every cheek. And it will be for all peoples and all will be invited.

Sharing of food and drink in an atmosphere of love and friendship is one of the best experiences of human life and we know this from our own experience. It is not for nothing that Jesus asked us to remember him at a meal though we have done our best to make it as least like a meal as possible!

Added to that the prophet depicts God as a god of tenderness and compassion even wiping away tears from the cheeks of those who are sad. This is the God who invites all people to a common banquet where all will be reconciled one to another and learn to live together in love and fellowship.

The Gospel reading develops the same theme with the feeding of the hungry crowds. They had brought with them their ‘lame, crippled, blind, deaf, dumb and many others’ and Jesus cured them all to the amazement of the crowd. These were all to be guests at the banquet that Jesus provided for them. This is a powerful image of the great banquet of the Kingdom that Isaiah describes where all are welcome  and most especially those who are the least important in the eyes of the world and are often excluded and unwanted.

Our world is bitterly divided between those, like ourselves, who have more than enough and those who have almost nothing and are so often hungry, and homeless. Advent is the time for us to face up to that problem. It is not the time to be saying how it will all come right when the Kingdom arrives but rather, how can we help to bring about that Kingdom here and now? We may think we can do very little but it all begins with little gestures of love. If we are truly Jesus’ disciples this is not an extra, tacked on to our going to Mass and saying our prayers. This is the very core of our being his disciples, to care about the injustices of our world and to seek to do something to change this. How can we do this? By supporting those agencies that seek to change things, Cafod, Christian Aid, War on Want and so on and contributing to their work not just as a one off for Christians but as part of our daily giving and sharing. More than that we are called by Jesus to be involved in the world and to seek to change government policies by understanding what is going on and making our voices heard. And, of course, we can get involved locally with supporting our local foodbank or joining in with efforts to care for the homeless and so on.  If we limit our expenditure this Christmas to give to those in need then our Christmas will happy in the proportion that we give and we will be truly welcoming the Lord who comes to us in the poor and the needy.

Something else which today’s readings ought to make us think about is the way we celebrate the Eucharist. How can we make it more of a true banquet? How can we make it a place of compassion and welcome for all, a place of healing and acceptance. We must work on that.

 

Thursday December 3^rd. Memory of Francis Xavier (+1552)   Thursday in Week One of Advent.

 

Francis Xavier was born into an aristocratic family in Basque Spain in 1505. He experienced a radical change in his life while studying in the University of Paris. It was there that he met Ignatius of Loyola, another student but an ex-soldier who gathered around him a group of men, one of whom was Francis. These seven men made vows together in a chapel on Montmartre in Paris in 1534 and were to become the Society of Jesus. Three years later they were made priests in Venice and in 1541 Francis joined Simon Rodriguez in Lisbon and, at the invitation of the king of Portugal, they set out for Goa to bring the Gospel to what was known as the East Indies. The journey took thirteen months!

Once arrived Francis undertook the reform and renewal of the Church in Goa where the Portuguese who were there had adopted a very lax approach to their Christian faith, being very cruel to their slaves, immoral in their lives and, above all, neglectful of the poor. By dint of preaching and teaching Francis did much to make up for this bad example set by the Portuguese Christians. For the next seven years Francis worked among the Paravas in Southern India in what was then Ceylon, the Molucca Islands ad the Malay Peninsula. Francis lived as a poor man and had great success among the lower castes but little among the Brahmins. He founded Christian communities which have survived even to this day.

From time to time Francis returned to his base in Goa and, eventually, in spite of his seasickness and difficulty in learning languages, he made for Japan in 1549. I spite of his great efforts byt the time Francis left Japan there were only about two thousand Japanese converts but, although these would undergo severe persecution, they would persevere and remain faithful even down to the twentieth century though mostly in secret.

In 1552 Francis was again in Goa but after a few months he left for China. On the way he fell ill and died almost alone on the island of Chang-Chuen-Shan.

Francis had worn himself out through ceaseless activity and extreme hardship but in spite of this he lived an intensely prayerful life. His methods have been criticized more recently but we have to remember that Francis was a man of his times and believed, according to the theology of the day, that all those who died without Baptism would be eternally damned. It became imperative for him, therefore, to convert and baptise as many as possible to save them from damnation and this is what impelled his enormous activity which we cannot help but admire.

After Francis’ death his body was placed in quicklime and brought to Goa where it still remains to this day and is an object of great devotion. In 1615 his right arm was detached from his body in the rather gruesome way that devotees have and brought to the Jesuit church in Rome. He was canonised in 1622 and is the patron saint of what used to be called ‘the missions’ but are better known as the young churches throughout the world.

We remember today all those who leave home and country to take the Gospel to those who have never heard it. Modern ‘missionaries’ are much more involved in involving themselves in the lives of the people to whom they are sent to improve them and to bring about the Kingdom first of all, creating new churches as they do so.

Each of us is also called to take the Gospel to others but we do this, not by seeking to ‘convert’ them to our church but by working with all those of good will to establish the Reign of God in our world. It and by this involvement others may be attracted to join us in the Church but our first task is, as Jesus told us, to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is near and among us.

 

Readings

Isaiah 26/1-6     :     Matthew 7/21, 24-27

The reading from the prophet Isaiah is once again a message of encouragement and consolation for the people. The Lord is their rock and they can rely on him in spite of all the dangers that threaten them. The prophet echoes the words of the ‘Magnificat’, Mary’s song, or rather, Mary will echo the words of the prophet when he says God has ‘brought low those who lived high up’ flinging them down into the dust and ‘the feet of the lowly, the footsteps of the poor trample upon’ them. This is the turning upside down that the Gospel brings. This is the good news that the poor and the needy will be raised up and the powerful brought low. This is the new world order of the Gospel. This is what we, the Church, are called to proclaim and to reflect in our communities and in our care and concern for the world in which we live. We know that the world around us is not like this but part, and a very important part of our Christian discipleship is to be involved in bringing this about. We are called to be revolutionaries!

In the Gospel reading, when Jesus is asked who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, the Reign of God, he replies that it is those who do the will of the heavenly Father. But then Jesus uses the same imagery as the prophet that the Lord God is an everlasting Rock on which we can depend and in the same way his words, that is, his message, is that same rock on which we can build our lives securely. To build our life on Jesus words is not only a religious thing to do but, as Jesus says, a sensible thing to do. His words tell us not how to be religious but how to be truly human and if we build our lives on his teaching we shall become more and more fully human. This is because Jesus’ teaching is very simply that we should love one another and that is the only firm foundation for  our lives and, in fact, for the future of humanity.

Today then we must ask ourselves whether our lives are truly built on Jesus’ teaching? If they are then he will be making constant demands of us to live in more loving and generous way and, indeed, in a more human way.

There are proper readings for Saint Francis Xavier but almost certainly those of the day will be used.

Those for Francis Xavier are:

First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 9/16-19, 22-23

which speaks of Paul’s preaching of the Gospel which he felt bound to do just as Francis did in his day. Like Paul, Francis made himself ’all things to everyone’.

Mark  16/15-20

which speaks of Jesus commission to the Eleven to proclaim the Good News to all creation and to baptise so that those who believe and are baptised will be saved, words which Francis took so literally as they were in his day and made him agonise over those who might be condemned if they were not baptised. We know not to take these words so literally and believe in God’s ability to save all those who he has created.

 

Friday December 4^th. Friday in Week One in Advent.  Memory of Saint John of Damascus (+749)

 

Readings

Isaiah 29/17-24     :     Matthew 9/27-31

In today’s reading from Isaiah, the prophet again foretells the coming of God’s Reign. It will be not only a time of prosperity but also a time of enlightenment. Deafness or blindness are often used to speak about the way in which people fail to grasp what is being shown them or told them. Once again the order of things is turned upside down and the poor and the lowly people will rejoice while tyrants and evildoers will be destroyed. Particular condemnation is reserved for those who act deviously and try to incriminate others or who use clever words unjustly to get the better of the innocent. The mark of God’s Reign will be straightforwardness and honesty in all things.

It is significant that God is spoken of as Abraham’s ‘redeemer’ foreshadowing the One who will come to redeem the whole of humanity. Lastly those who have misunderstood things will learn wisdom and those who have ‘murmured’ or complained  about God’s ways will find instruction.

This whole passage is about the enlightenment that comes from the Spirit of God who helps us to see things rightly and to make right judgements.

The Gospel reading is also about blindness, in this case, physical blindness. It is the faith of the two blind men that brings about their cure. They believe that Jesus can do it and he does!

During Advent, in a world of darkness and deception, we can make our own the prayer of the blind men, ‘Take pity on us, Son of David’. This is a time for us to open our hearts and minds to the Lord that we may be enlightened and so see things rightly, as God sees them. We pray for the ability to see below the surface and to see what is truly there.

Advent is the time of ‘coming’ and we pray that we may recognise the Lord when he comes to us in all sorts of people and situations. We pray that our hearts and our minds may be healed of their blindness that we may see Jesus more clearly and where must we look? To the poor and the needy, the hungry, the homeless and all who are misjudged and misunderstood. Maybe they are not far away but close to us in the people we see every day. In all these the Lord comes to us and asks our love and our understanding.

 

Memory of John of Damascus, monk and theologian (c.657-749).

What is particularly interesting for us today is that the whole of John’s life was spent under Muslim rule. His father, a wealthy Damascus Christian , held the office of chief of the Revenue and was also the principal representative of the Christians in the city. Already John had been extremely well educated by Cosmas, a Sicilian monk, skilled in both science and theology, for whose liberation John’s father paid a large sum of money. John succeeded his father but in 716 C.E. became a monk of the monastery of Saint Sabas near Jerusalem. John was occupied a great deal with writing hymns and theological work, the most important of which is called ‘The fount of Wisdom’ and deals with philosophy, heresy and the orthodox or true faith. The last section called ‘de fide orthodoxa’ had immense influence for centuries in both the Eastern and the Western churches. It is a summary of the teaching of the Greek fathers on the principle mysteries of the Christian faith such as the Trinity and the Incarnation and it includes notable elements on the Mother of God, such as her assumption into heaven and her preservation  from all sin and on the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. John also wrote three important and t

topical tracts on the Iconoclasts who were opposed to all material representations. This made him unpopular with the Iconoclastic Christian Emperors but they were unable to take steps against him because he was living in Muslim territory!

John was a near contemporary of our Bede and like him he was a monk, and an assiduous writer. John was declared a Doctor or Teacher of the Church in 1890 just nine years before the same title was given to Bede.

We pray today for closer links between the churches of the East and of the West and between Christians and Muslims. We pray especially for the people of Syria, John’s homeland and for peace in that war torn country.

There are special readings for John though, almost certainly, those of the day will be used.

Those for John are:

Second Letter of Paul to Timothy1/13-14, 2/1-3

which speaks about the ‘sound teaching’ which Timothy must pass on, that same teaching which John of Damascus sought to preserve from error.

Matthew25/14-30

which is the parable of the talents and which reminds us of how John of Damascus used his talents in the service of the people even though he was a monk who could have just hidden away in his monastery.

 

Saturday December 5^th.  Saturday in Week One in Advent.

 

Readings

Isaiah 30/19-21, 23-26     :     Matthew 9/35-10/1, 6-8

Once again today the prophet Isaiah looks forward to the coming of God’s Reign when all the suffering of the past will be ended and prosperity will rule. The prophet assures his hearers that ‘your teacher will hide no longer and you will see your teacher with your own eyes’. We who read these verses now see in them the foretelling of the coming Messiah who will be seen by the people, Emmanuel, he will be the revelation of God’s presence among them.It is he who will say ‘This is the way, follow it’ and the way is, of course, the way of love. The image of light is again used to describe this wonderful time when everything will be caught up in the glory of God’s light and he will heal all the wounds of the past.

The Gospel reading concludes all that we have been hearing this past week. Jesus sees the people, the poor and the needy, like sheep without a shepherd and he sends out his followers to proclaim to them the Kingdom of God.

Over the past week the Gospel readings have shown us Jesus healing the Centurion’s servant and so breaking down the barriers between master and slave (though we didn’t read this on Monday because it was Saint Andrew’s day). Then on Tuesday he has proclaimed that is the little and the humble people who can grasp what the Kingdom or Reign of God is all about. On Wednesday we saw Jesus caring for the sick and the disabled and feeding the people with loaves and fish. On Thursday he was telling the people that they must build on firm foundations, on the foundation of his teaching not of religion saying ‘Lord, Lord’ but doing the will of the heavenly Father which is to love one another and finally yesterday we saw Jesus healing the blind men.

The Kingdom of God Jesus tells his disciples will be accompanied by ‘the curing of all kinds of diseases and sickness’. They must proclaim the ‘Kingdom of God is close at hand’. They must ‘cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out devils’.

Over the centuries the Church seems to have lost sight of Jesus’ original commission to his followers and to have become more concerned for people practising their religion in order to avoid Hell and get to Heaven. Jesus, however, seemed more concerned with the lives of people in the here and now. All the diseases and ailments that Jesus cured were isolating and excluded people from the human community. The disciples were sent out, it seems clear, to proclaim that the Kingdom of God was close and to prove that by their concern and their bringing people together, both Jews and non-Jews, restoring them to community and to fullness of life. The presence of the risen Lord among them was the power that went with them as he strengthened them by his Spirit.

If the task of the Church today, our task, is to proclaim the Kingdom of God, that doesn’t mean making converts to our church. It means making people aware that god is not some distant potentate but a presence among them wherever there is love. It is our role to be involved in our world and in making people’s lives more human so that they can attain to fullness of life here and now. This we must do with all those who are of good will of every faith and none. As Jesus reminded his disciples, ‘whoever is not against us is for us’.

So, as this first week of Advent comes to a close we are made to reflect not only on the Lord who comes to us in so many ways, we are also made to consider what the Church is or should be all about. Jesus sent out his disciples to continue his work and to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom. We are the descendants of those first followers and and Jesus sends us out to proclaim that same Good News It is an intensely worldly Gospel in the sense that it is about life and people here and now.

We the Church, are to be, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, the ‘sign and sacrament of the Kingdom of God’ the Reign of love that Jesus proclaimed in word and action. This Advent it is our task to respond to the Lord and  to reflect on all this prayerfully and together.