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Thursday, November 30, 2000
Faith Alive!
The Southern Cross, Page 9
Ways we resemble John the Baptist
By Father Eugene LaVerdiere, SSS
Catholic News Service
In the church’s Advent liturgy,
John the Baptist represents us. And
this year the Gospel of Luke
liturgically dominates the season of
Advent with John’s story.
We know that John the Baptist pre
pared Jesus’ coming, or advent, as the
Messiah, the Redeemer and the Sav
ior.
As the forerunner of Jesus, John
the Baptist was the last prophet in a
long chain of prophets, including
Jeremiah, Baruch, Zephaniah and
Micah, and the first prophet in a new
chain that includes us.
Historically and theologically, John
belongs both to the Old Testament
and the New Testament — the last
prophet of the Old Testament and the
first prophet of the New Testament.
The Scripture readings at Mass in
the Sundays of Advent this year refer
to events long past and people associ
ated with Jesus’ first coming. But
Advent’s principal focus is not on the
past but on the future.
Advent is not about the Lord’s first
coming but about his second, defini
tive coming as the Son of Man.
In Luke’s Gospel, we are the dis-
rLdvent is not about the
Lord’s first coming but
about his second, j
definitive coming as |
the Son of Man.” I
CNS photo by Bill Wittman
ciples of Jesus the teacher, the follow
ers of Jesus the Christ, and, like John
the Baptist, the forerunners of Jesus
the Lord — of his second coming.
On the first Sunday, we read a part
of Jesus’ discourse to the crowd in the
Jerusalem temple (Luke 21: 25-28, 34-
36). In his discourse Jesus did not
focus on the final cataclysm or the
destruction of the old creation. In
stead, he spoke with words of hope,
not despair, of the coming of our re
demption (Luke 21:28).
The basic attitudes of Advent are
joyous hope, loving trust and unwa
vering perseverance. With these atti
tudes, we are preparing the Lore
final coming.
On the second and the third Su
days of Advent, we turn to the story
John’s mission (Luke 3:1-6; 3:10-18
In Luke’s Gospel and in the liturg
John is a model of all Christians. Li,
him, we preach good news to tl
people who live around us (Luke 3:1< 1
On the fourth Sunday, we read tl
story of Mary’s visit to the home of h
relative, Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-45). C
the surface, the principal personag
are Mary and Elizabeth, but the pr
cipal theme revolves about the t
unborn infants, Jesus and John.
At the approach of the unbo
Jesus, John is filled with the Ho
Spirit in his mother’s womb in order
to prepare the way of the Lord.
At the approach of the risen Lord,
the Son of Man, we too are filled with
the Holy Spirit. Like John the Bap
tist, every aspect of our Christian
lives prepares us for the Lord’s com
ing.
The Advent readings in the liturgy
present a summary of our Christian
life and our mission.
(Father LaVerdiere, a Blessed Sa<
rament priest, is a Scripture schola
and senior editor of Emmanuel
magazine.)
Keeping this Advent journal can shift your focus
By Theresa Sanders
Catholic News Service
~T
X he word “advent” means “to ar
rive.” So why do Christians celebrate
a season called Advent when they be
lieve that Jesus already has come?
What are we still waiting for?
Jesuit theologian Father Karl
Rahner asked himself these same
questions. In his little book called En
counters With Silence, Father
Rahner prayed: “You tell me that you
have already come, that your name is
Jesus, Son of Mary, and that I know
in what place and at what time I can
find you.”
But then Father Rahner continued
with words that might echo the experi
ence of many of us. He wrote, “That’s
all true, of course, Lord — but forgive
me if I say that this coming of yours
seems to me more like a going, more
like a departure than an arrival.”
When we look back at events 2,000
years ago, events such as Jesus’ birth
and ministry, we might feel wistful:
“If only I had been there! If only I
could have touched his hand or heard
his voice!”
When we feel this way, we need
only look at the words of Jesus at the
very end of Matthew’s Gospel. There
Jesus reassures his disciples, “Re
member, I am with you always.”
Part of what we celebrate in Advent
is the good news that Jesus didn’t come
just once. Jesus didn’t just visit our
world and then go home again, satisfied
that his work here was finished.
Jesus is always with us. He is, as
Father Rahner eventually realized in
his prayer, “still in the process of his
coming.”
This means that every single day is
an opportunity to meet Jesus again.
—Jesus is with us in the hungry
and the stranger, in the sick and the
prisoner (Matthew 25:31-40).
—Jesus is with us in the commu
nity of the faithful: “For where two or
three are gathered in my name, I am
there among them” (Matthew 18:20).
—And Jesus is with us in the Eu
charist when we gather to give thanks
to God. That is, after all, what the word
“Eucharist” means: “thanksgiving.”
Perhaps that is why Pope John
Paul II proclaimed that the year 2000,
a jubilee year, should be what he
called “intensely eucharistic.” This
o
lna Nutshell
Advent celebrates the good news that Jesus didn’t come just
once. Jesus is always with us. He still comes to us.
Why did Pope John Paul II write that the jubilee year 2000
should be “\intensely eucharistic”? This year—especially
Advent— is a time to pay closer attention to the moments
when Jesus faces us in another person, in prayer, in the
Mass.
year, especially this Advent season,
can be a time to pay closer attention to
the moments when Jesus comes face
to face with us, whether in another
person, in our prayer or in the Mass.
Advent can also be a time for us to
give thanks for those moments.
Numerous self-help books advise
that people keep a daily “gratitude
journal.” Each day, say these experts,
we should write down at least one
thing we are grateful for. The idea is
that by shifting our focus to the good
things in our lives, our eyes will be
opened to blessings we may not have
noticed before or that we took for
granted.
So why not keep a “eucharistic
journal” this Advent season? Write
down each day something that you are
thankful for: some way the life or
FAITH IN THE MARKETPLACE
Tell of an aspect of the Mass that is, in a sense, educational for
you, that clarifies or highlights something essential.
“Every part of the Mass is essential, but especially powerful to me is the
transition from the Penitential Rite into the Gloria — from saying we’re
sorry to praising God.” — Burt Absalon, Dixon, Ill.
“As a priest, I consistently hear that it is meaningful to the congrega
tion when I take a few moments during Mass to explain what we are doing
and why. Mostly, I do this at special celebrations like weddings and
funerals when non-Catholics are likely to be present. The non-Catholics
often tell me that this is fascinating to them, and the Catholics tell me
how important it is for them.” — Father Ed Steiner, Madison, Tenn.
“The homily is supposed to do this, but that aside, I’d say it would be
Prayers of the Faithful. These prayers speak to our human concerns, our
needs, our thanksgivings. They personalize the Mass for us all.” — Deacon
Bob Howard, Boulder, Colo.
An upcoming edition asks: What stories do couples tell about what their
marriages needed in order to grow? If you would like to respond for possible
publication, please write: Faith Alive! 3211 Fourth St. N.E., Washington, D.C.
20017-1100.
words or presence of Jesus touched
your life.
If you do this, chances are that by
the time Christmas comes, you will be
more than prepared to welcome again
the God who came to us once long ago
— and who is always in the process of
coming.
(Sanders is an assistant professor
of theology at Georgetown Univer
sity.)
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