Christmas, Cycle C - December 25, 2021

Christmas

Cycle C

December 25, 2021   4, 8, and 10pm 

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton

 

Fear 

 

When I was a child, I was taught not to touch the top of the stove.

 

If I did this, I might burn my fingers. So, I was afraid of doing that and was careful not to touch the hot burners on the stove.

 

When we are children, we can also have other fears, like darkness, bugs, going to the doctor’s, large, barking dogs, and on it goes. We adults can also be afraid of things.

 

Some of our biggest fears today are the fear of losing a loved, the fear of getting seriously sick, as with COVID, and the fear of not having enough money for retirement.

 

At least one study says that 45% of us experience more anxiety and fear than we did 1 year ago. So, fear is a reality for most, maybe all of us.

 

Fear As Good and Not Good 

 

Now, sometimes fear is a good thing.

 

It’s okay to be afraid of things that are dangerous or a threat to us – like touching the hot burners on a stove. But fear can also cripple us if we let it overtake our lives. 

 

It can keep us from being persons who are basically happy and who act out of love for others. So, we need to be aware of the fear in our lives and how it affects us.

 

Fear in Bethlehem

 

That brings me to today – our celebration of Christmas.

 

The gospel tells the familiar story of the birth of Jesus. We hear that an angel appears to shepherds and that “they were struck with fear” – “with fear.”

 

The shepherds were experiencing something very different, something beyond their understanding and control. And they were instantly afraid.

 

The angel tries to reassure them: “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy.” Those words – “Do not be afraid” – they occur many times in the gospels.

 

Here the angel is clearly saying: “Do not be afraid [of God – of God]! For today,…a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.” 

 

And then, very significantly, the angel adds this. “And this will be a sign for you: an infant lying in a manger.”

 

And there it is – right in those words – “an infant lying in a manger.” That’s the key to it all and that’s why the shepherds and we are not to be afraid of God. 

 

Fear of God 

 

Up until that moment, God had been perceived as all-powerful figure, distant, judging, punishing, even vengeful.

 

That was the dominant image of God in the Old Testament. And the result of that image of God was fear.

 

People felt diminished, insecure, guilty, ashamed, and fearful of what God would do to them, especially in the hereafter. We were afraid of God. 

 

So, what does God do? God comes to earth in a completely different way – the opposite of what we had thought. 

 

God flips it all around and comes as a baby: powerless, fully with us and like us, even vulnerable. And this is why the angel says to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid.” 

 

I mean, after all, who can be afraid of a baby? So, think about this: what a difference this should make. 

 

Now we, we human beings, we can feel secure, imperfect but still okay, loved, and at peace. Now we are to live, not out of fear, but out of love.

 

First, we see God’s love for us and for all people in the infant of Bethlehem. And then, we respond to that by living out of that love for God and others.

 

The result will be the angel’s closing words to the shepherds. “On earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 

In other words, we will have an inner, core peace within ourselves. Yes, we will still have fears of darkness and sickness and other things.

 

But being loved by God in Jesus born in Bethlehem, and then loving God in return instead of fearing God – that will help to control our other fears. This inner core of love and peace will keep our other fears in check. 

 

Being Afraid of a Baby?

 

I want to conclude by quoting the author whose writing inspired me with these thoughts.

 

The author is a Dutch priest, Father Henri Nouwen. He writes this.

 

“Jesus is God-with-us, Emmanuel. By becoming a vulnerable child…God wants to take away all distance between the human and the divine.

 

“Who can be afraid of a little child who needs to be fed, to be cared for, to be taught, to be guided? How can we be afraid of a God who wants to be ‘God-with-us’ and wants us to become ‘Us-with-God’”? 

 

That’s what I am seeing, this Christmas of 2021.

4th Sunday of Advent, Cycle C - December 19, 2021

 4th Sunday of Advent

Cycle C

December 19, 2021 5pm

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton

 

Receiving Instead of Giving 

 

There used to be a popular comic strip called For Better or For Worse.

 

The comic strip was about a family named Patterson and it ran for twenty-nine years. It ended in 2008, but you can still access it on-line.

 

One year there was a humorous episode right before Christmas. Mom and Dad and six-year-old April are shopping at the mall.  

 

April is absolutely captivated by all the toys. “Look, Dad!  I want it for Christmas!  

 

“I want a ’16-inch Flower Power BMX’ bike. And I want  a ‘Creatto Crafting Kit’ and an ‘Ooze Labs: Soap and Bath Bomb Lab’ and a ‘Light-up Tracing Pad’ an’...an’…an’…”

   

Eventually Dad has had enough. “April, Christmas is a time for giving!  There is a lot more joy in giving to others.”

 

April immediately responds, “I know, Dad.  But somebody has to receive or there’d be nobody to give stuff to.”

 

Elizabeth and Mary 

 

Little April, of course, has a lot of innocent self-interest.

 

But April also leads us to a good insight. It may sound strange, but it is important for us to see ourselves first as receivers and only then as givers.

 

In the background to today’s gospel, we know that Mary’ cousin Elizabeth is an older woman, at least for those times. She is probably in her 40s, but the average lifespan is only about 50.

 

Elizabeth and her husband have had no children, and now, surprisingly, she is bearing a baby. She sees herself as a receiver of a gift from God.

 

Mary is Elizabeth’s much younger cousin. She doesn’t fully understand what is happening, but she trusts and sees herself as a receiver of a gift from God.

 

So, both Elizabeth and Mary see themselves as blessed by God – as receivers. And, very significantly, seeing themselves as receivers moves them to be givers and it also shapes how they give to others.

 

Receivers First, Then Givers 

 

This may be a different way of looking at things, but it is a valuable insight.

 

We need to live first as receivers, not exactly like April in the comic strip, but as receivers from God. We need the awareness that ultimately, everything in life is a gift from God.

 

That awareness should move us to be givers. And beyond that, our awareness of receiving will shape our giving.  

 

Receiving Shaping Our Giving

 

For example, this awareness that first we are receivers will lead us to be attentive to others and to give what they really need.  

 

In the gospel, Mary gives her time and assistance to Elizabeth when her cousin really needs it. We might give our time listening to a spouse or child or friend, and not just giving a sweater or something else, good in itself, but maybe not what the person most needs from us. 

 

The awareness that first we are receivers will also lead us to give without our ego needs getting in the way.

 

In the gospel, Elizabeth praises Mary as greater than herself, even though Mary is much younger and much less significant in the eyes of others. We might join in giving recognition to a fellow employee, without letting our ego need to also be recognized get in the way.

 

And the awareness that first we are receivers will also lead us to give with no expectation of return.

 

Mary gives her time to Elizabeth and Elizabeth gives praise to Mary – each of them doing this because they want to do it, because it is a good thing to do, and each of them expecting nothing in return. We might give a nice present to a friend because we want to do it, because it is good to do, and we expect nothing in return. 

  

Conclusion

 

So, it may sound surprising, but Christmas is first about receiving and only then is it about giving.

 

Our awareness that we are first of all receivers from God will also lead us to give and it will shape our giving. It will lead us 1) to give what others really need, 2) to give without our ego getting in the way, and 3) to give with no expectation of return.

3rd Sunday of Advent, Cycle C - December 12, 2021

 3^rd Sunday of Advent

Cycle C

December 12, 2021 5pm, 8:30 and 11am  

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton

 

The Sacrament of Reconciliation 

 

When I was a child, my parents used to take my brother and me to confession about every two weeks.

 

Now, I imagine some of you are thinking: he probably needed it! Well, maybe I did, but in those days, a lot of people did this.

 

Today, the great majority of us don’t come to this Sacrament with that frequency. So, this morning, I want to reflect with you on two questions.  

 

First, why do we have this Sacrament of Reconciliation? And second, when or how often does our Church teaching require us to go to confession?

 

1.    Why Verbal Confession 

 

So first, why is confession part of our Catholic tradition?

 

Why do we have this practice of verbally confessing our sins to a priest and verbally hearing absolution? I think the answer comes down to this.

 

We are relational and social persons. Whenever we do something wrong, like children back-talking their parents, it has an effect on others.

 

And whenever we fail to do something good, like not taking up for a classmate who is being bullied, it has an effect on others. So, verbally confessing our sins and saying “I am sorry” expresses our relational and social nature.

 

On the flip side, hearing another person say words of forgiveness also responds to our relational and social nature. In Reconciliation, the other person is a priest who in this sacrament represents Christ.

 

There is a certain fullness and completeness to actually speaking my sorrow for sin to another person and actually hearing words of forgiveness. Our Catholic tradition of confession only makes sense if we first remember this. 

 

2.    When Or How Often 

 

That takes us to the second question: When or how often are we expected to go to this Sacrament?

 

Let’s put it in this context. Church law says that we are to go to Mass every Sunday – every Sunday.

 

The Mass is the highest priority. Church law also says that we are to come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation if we have committed serious sin.

 

So there is a big difference here. We are bound to come to confession only if we have been unfaithful to God or to our calling in life in some very significant way.

 

Now, the Church also encourages us to come to this Sacrament at other times. We are encouraged to use the sacrament for lesser faults or imperfections or sins. 

 

The idea is that this Sacrament can be helpful in our overall spiritual growth. It gives us God’s grace.

 

It can help us to grow closer to God. It is meant to be an opportunity – a good opportunity, not a burden.

 

The Reality

 

Now, I know that some of you find this Sacrament very enriching.

 

You use it regularly for your spiritual well-being. I also know that some Catholics find this to be a challenging Sacrament.

 

They do not use it regularly or see it as a necessary means for their spiritual growth. But they are living good lives and being good Catholics.

 

Two Recommendations

 

With that, I want to make two recommendations.

 

First, please review your own thoughts and feelings about this Sacrament. Just review this in light of what I have said today.

 

Consider its place in your life. Try to discern what place it might have in your relationship with God. 

 

And second, every day, in the evening, do a review of the day that is ending. Or, in the morning, do a review of the previous day.

 

Take a look at your day and see if there is any instance where you did not follow the way of the Lord. And then pray what we call an Act of Contrition.

 

We can also call this a Prayer for Forgiveness or a Prayer of Resolve. In my bulletin column this weekend, I give an Act of Contrition that I especially recommend. 

 

Praying this prayer will be a way to express our need for spiritual growth. And, during Advent, it will be a way to respond to John the Baptist’s call for repentance. 

2nd Sunday of Advent, Cycle C - December 5, 2021

 2nd Sunday of Advent

Cycle C

December 5, 2021      5pm and 8:30am

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton

 

Sidling Mountain 

 

I’m sure that many of us have been to Garrett County in Western Maryland.

 

Garrett County has scenic mountains, national forests, and the beautiful Deep Creek Lake. To travel there, you take I-70 west to Hancock, Maryland.

 

Then, you take route 68 west. And here is where you see something amazing.

 

The first mountain that you meet is called Sidling Mountain. Up until about thirty years ago, you had to follow a winding and dangerous road over the southern side of Sidling Mountain and around its highest point.

 

Then there was a major highway project. They literally blasted off the top and created a passage right through the heart of Sidling Mountain.

 

The result is that the center part of the mountain is now much lower and the new road is much straighter. It is a safer and faster way to drive west toward Garrett County.     

 

Gospel Images

 

What the engineers did to Sidling Mountain helps us to appreciate the images in today’s readings.

 

John the Baptist is preparing for the coming of Christ and is preaching repentance. He expresses this with images that he takes from the Prophet Isaiah and the Prophet Baruch in today’s first reading.

 

John says: “Every valley shall be filled in and every mountain shall be made low. The winding ways shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth.”

 

I have always liked these images. They express what this Season of Advent calls us to do to allow the fuller coming of Christ into our lives. 

 

Valleys and Mountains 

 

So, “Every valley shall be filled in.”

 

Sometimes there are points in our lives where we feel empty, dry, alone, maybe without any purpose. In these valleys, Advent lifts up hope – the virtue of hope.

 

This hope is not just optimism that everything will turn out as we want it. Rather, it is a vision for living that Jesus brings and that gives fullness and purpose to our lives. 

 

So, “Every valley shall be filled in,” and then, “Every mountain shall be made low.”

 

Sometimes we can slip into thinking that we are beyond or better than others because of our job, our religion, our race, our education, or our nationality. When we are on these mountains of pride, Advent reminds us of what we are about to celebrate at Christmas.

 

God became one of us and one with us in the birth of Christ. This moves us to the humble awareness that we are to see ourselves as one of and one with all human beings. 

 

Winding and Rough Ways

 

Then, “The winding ways shall be made straight.” 

 

Sometimes we can be tempted to be untruthful about something maybe to avoid being thought less of or to make ourselves look better. When we get into these winding ways, the Advent prophet John the Baptist is a good example for us.

 

He speaks in a direct and straightforward way. In doing that, he moves us to be truthful about ourselves, and to do that with ourselves and with others as the way to real wholeness and holiness. 

 

And finally, “The rough ways are to be made smooth.” Sometimes we may explode with anger at something a family member does or get into road rage when someone cuts us off in traffic.

 

When we find ourselves roughing up others up like this, let’s remember the patience of Jesus. He was always patient with the imperfections of people and only roughed up some who themselves were roughing up others.

 

Conclusion

 

So, these images today really speak to me:

v filling up our valleys of emptiness with hope;

v levelling our mountains of pride with humility;

v straightening the winding way of deception with truthfulness; 

v and smoothing the roughness of anger with patience.

 

This is an Advent plan – a way to allow Jesus the Christ to come more fully into our lives. And, if we do this, the result will be the last line of today’s gospel passage.  “All humanity will see the salvation of God.”