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Encountering the Sacred: Ways of Prayer Sacred Living: Contemplation Into Action |
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Advent Calendar |
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 December 9
Director of Mission Advancement Answer the Call: RSVP Repent! Prepare! Stay Awake! Come! What do these imperatives have in common? They are all calls or invitations. Greg Levoy in his book Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life has this to say about calls: “They aren’t questions you necessarily need to answer outright; they are questions to which you need to respond, expose yourself, and kneel before. You don’t want an answer you can put in a box and set on a shelf. You want a question that will become a chariot to carry you across the breadth of your life, a question that will offer you a lifetime of pondering, that will lead you toward what you need to know for your integrity, draw to you what you need for your journey, and help you understand what it means to burst at the seams.”
I believe we didn’t receive our call to our life’s vocation in one moment but over a span of time from a series of calls and experiences. John the Baptist, whom we meet in today’s Gospel, is a figure who didn’t get a lot of directions on how to live his call. Yet, Jesus tells us that there is no one born of women greater than John the Baptist. I think that Advent is a time to listen to everyday experiences and to learn how we are called to fit into God’s plan for us and how we fit into the picture of creation. Pay attention — because it might be an everyday or every night occurrence that is an invitation to find God. Advent is a gift to remind us to listen and to pay attention. I had an experience several years ago that caught my attention. “Sing a New Song” came to me as a call. I pondered how I could do that. Then I realized that “I” was the new song. When I hear the verse “I am your song and servant” from “Servant Song,” I realize that that is the answer to my pondering and to my question. A passage from Nehemiah also spoke to me. “Why do you look sad? If you are not sick, you must be sad of heart.” That stirred up questions for me and reminded me to listen to my own song. In his book True North, Bill George summarizes five dimensions of being a good listener and a good leader: Pursuing purpose with passion Practicing solid values Leading with the heart Establishing enduring relationships and Demonstrating self-discipline That acronym led me to find my own, and I found that RSVP fit for me: Relationships — key to our livesSelf-discipline Values that are lived and practiced Pursuing purpose with passion We need to RSVP to our everyday calls. During the Advent season, as we listen and stay awake, let us try to RSVP with all our heart by actions that follow the four elements of RSVP: Renew and treasure enduring relationships Practice self-discipline Live our Benedictine values authentically Pursue purposes with passion Let us listen for the daily calls God is sending us and for the questions burning in our hearts. Let us pray for the grace to respond, to RSVP with the heart, to the new life, “the new song” about to be born in us.
Music teacher at Notre Dame Academy in Louisville Paralyzed and Healed In today’s Gospel, we hear of a man who is paralyzed. I remember reading this passage when I was in college and looking seriously into religious life. I wanted to keep my search a secret. I asked myself: “If I enter religious life and become a nun, can I keep that a secret also – possibly live two separate lives?" After reading this passage, I realized I was like the man on the stretcher. We all need others in our lives to carry us and to help us receive the healing we need. Without this support and without our awareness of our need for healing, we remain paralyzed. I am thankful for the people who have helped lift me up. With the support of those around me, I have received healing and the strength to move forward. May you be blessed with a loving family or community that will help bring you closer to Jesus. May we all walk confidently into the future, aware of God’s presence and healing.
Liturgical Ministry The first reading given us today contains a familiar Advent refrain: Prepare a way for the Lord! The prophet Isaiah tells us to prepare a way in the desert, to trace a route for God in the arid land. He continues, saying that every mountain and hill will be lowered and every valley filled in so that the way for God can be straight and unimpeded.
What are the hills and mountains in my life which need to be lowered and the valleys which need to be filled? What needs to be straightened so that the way is ready for God to enter into my life more fully? Perhaps the hills are instances of struggle or sin. Perhaps they are attitudes that we hold which lead us to think and act in a negative way. As we continue this second week of Advent, spend some time considering the path God must take to reach you this year. And then consider what you can do to make that path smoother and straighter so that God can come more fully into your life and fill you with peace and love. December 12 — Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Mission Advancement Assistant In today’s Gospel, the angel Gabriel comes to Mary to tell her she is to be the mother of our Lord Jesus. Mary is startled by this news because she is unmarried and does not understand how this can happen. But the angel assures Mary that “nothing is impossible with God.” And so, Mary accepts this and obeys with great faith. She follows God’s will for her even though she does not understand. Our lives are filled with many challenges. There are deaths, divorces, debts to pay, hurricanes, tornadoes, and all kinds of other devastation around us. God sometimes asks us to do things that we do not understand. But God assures us that we will never be left alone. If we follow God’s will, we will receive great things.
Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego to convince him to teach others to live a Christian life. Like Mary, Juan Diego was startled, but he too had great faith. Many indigenous people converted to Christianity after Our Lady’s appearance to him. They had great faith and devotion to Mary. She came to Juan Diego speaking in his language and understanding his culture. When we can take time to understand and empathize with others, we can more fully spread the Gospel. Mary and Juan Diego were not afraid to follow God’s will. They trusted God completely and were filled with great faith and love. Advent is a time to prepare our hearts. Let us be ready to be startled by the word of God and not be afraid so that we, too, can be filled with great faith and love as we wait patiently for God to speak in our hearts.
Novice “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’” (Isaiah 41:13) What are your fears this Advent Season? Do you fear not being able to find or to pay for the perfect gift for everyone on your list? Do you fear not having enough time to make the perfect dish for every party you have been invited to attend? Do you fear not having the perfect outfit to wear for each special occasion this season?
“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them, I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.” (Isaiah 41:17) May we take time this Advent to put our faith and trust in God. God will not forsake us. Reflection: What preparations am I making to bring the Christ Child into my life this Advent Season? What fears are keeping me from entering fully into Christ’s presence? How can I let go of these fears and turn them over to God?
Pastoral Associate at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville In today’s Gospel Jesus tells the crowds they are like children who want to be one up on the other. Their God must fit into their own narrow-mindedness. They didn’t like John the Baptist’s message of repentance; they criticized Jesus because He showed compassion and forgiveness to sinners.
The Mass brings us together in praise and thanksgiving because our God has chosen to come among us to be one with us, to teach us how to live. It’s not the taking of sides — the right or the left; it’s trying to live with the questions and slowly, like the disciples, come to understand on a deeper level. “Wisdom is vindicated by her works.” O God of Wisdom, free us, your children, from the ignorance of self-righteousness, greed, and Godlessness. Give us grateful hearts that continue to seek you even in the midst of doubt.
Teacher at Mater Dei High School in Evansville Yahweh is my God The reading today from Sirach speaks in praise of Elijah — a prophet, a hero, a legend! His very name appropriately means “Yahweh is my God.” Elijah, ever-strengthened by God, was completely devoted to God as shown in numerous wonder-events. Elijah confidently — and humorously — entered a contest with the prophets of Baal to see whose God would answer with fire. Yahweh’s words, through Elijah, “like a flaming furnace” brought down fire!
Elijah is praised in Sirach as a hero because his heart was fixed on God. In this Advent season I ask myself, is my heart fixed on God? Am I single-hearted? Is Yahweh truly my God? How concerned am I for justice? How attuned am I to God’s voice in both bold “fiery” presence and “gentle stillness?”
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Reflection by Sister Rose Mary Rexing
Don’t we all wish that we could find the question that would carry us across the breadth of our lives? The question that would make us feel that we are bursting at the seams!
Reflection by Sister Catherine Marie Duenne
I was the one who was paralyzed. I was fearful of moving forward, fearful of what God was asking of me, fearful of what others would think, and fearful of making God’s call public knowledge. That call is so different from what society tells us is acceptable or normal for young college students to do with their lives. Yes, I was paralyzed and in need of healing.
Reflection by Sister Anita Louise Lowe
Advent is a season when we await God’s coming. Often we think of the historical coming of God as Jesus some 2,000 years ago, or we focus on the future coming of God at the end of the ages. Yet, Advent is also about awaiting God’s coming into our own lives and into our hearts, today ... each day. 
Reflection by Sister Tammy Lynn Shoemaker
Have you ever wished and wished for something that you did not get. But what you got instead was something that you never expected, and it turned out to be the greatest gift ever? When I think of the horrific events of 9-11, I am saddened deeply, but in that devastation, people were brought together in a way they had never been together before. People from all over sent water, clothes, money, etc. for someone they did not know. This is what God calls us to do in our lives. 
Reflection by Sister Doris Schepers
Beyond Christmas day, will those things really matter? No. Putting God first during this season is what really matters. Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Christ. The birth of Christ is more important than anything else that occurs during this season. 
Reflection by Sister Patricia Ann McGuire
How does that apply to me today? How do I limit God? How do we as communities of faith limit God? Do I believe that God is present in all of creation? In every person? Even the person who seems the most unlikely to be a dwelling place for God? Do I believe that the Spirit is present in the members of the church? 
Reflection by Sister Donna Marie Herr
On another occasion Elijah showed his concern for justice when he boldly confronted King Ahab who wanted selfishly to confiscate Naboth’s vineyard. When Elijah was on the run from the crafty Queen Jezebel, Yahweh provided strength for the journey, led him back to Mt. Horeb for renewal at the place of the solemn Sinai Covenant, and spoke to Elijah in the intense silence of the “still small voice.”