Joy Made Complete

January 10, 2009

Christmas Weekday

And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours…We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:14-15, 20

The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease. John 3:29-30

Piety

Father, make us a channel of your complete joy. Help us to set aside our selfish ways and decrease our sense of personal entitlement. Help us to increase our generosity and our acts of mercy and compassion. Amen.

Study

As we wind out way through the closing days of the Christmas season and reflect back on all that we have heard over the past few weeks, I am struck by the sequence of the stories and by the messages in the readings throughout Advent and Christmas. While we started the season somewhat chronologically with the Nativity story, as we progress through the glimpses we get of Jesus’ public ministry as it unfolds, we skip around quite a bit back and forth in time as well as between each of the Gospels.

Consider the last 10 days starting on January 1 as the shepherds make their way to the Infant. Then, for a few days we fast forward to readings about John the Baptist in the desert proclaiming Jesus right before the adult Jesus arrives on the scene – a scene we just visited during the Advent season. By January 4, we are back at the Nativity with the magi transported there through the time tunnel of the Bible. On January 5, we moved back to the future adult ministry of John and Jesus with Jesus hearing about John’s arrest, proclaiming the same words John spoke – “Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Jesus picks up right where John said he would. We follow Jesus grief over John’s execution and witness the beginning of his public preaching and miracles – a beginning with the feeding of the 5,000 that foreshadows the very end of the Gospel.

Then we are with Jesus as he returns to Galilee after being in the desert and announces the cornerstones which will guide his work. We listen and watch that work begin with the miracle of the curing of the man with leprosy and the reminder that Jesus would often withdraw to the desert to pray – such retreats were not just a one-time occurrence that marks Lent. Then, we flash back to John before his arrest and execution before concluding the season and bridging into Ordinary Time with the Baptism of the Lord.

The readings give us a preview of what will unfold throughout the liturgical year and our own faith journey. We witness an entire time capsule of Jesus’ life story complete with foreshadowing of the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus by the inclusion of the narrative of John’s execution. The readings provide some clear highlights of everything that is to come in Jesus’ life and to the touchstones which guide us through the Christian journey that welcomes the God intimate God, the God who comes and who dwells within us and among us.

We started the Advent season hearing the message to “watch” for the lord of the house, the bridegroom is coming. As we close the Christmas cycle, the “watching” is now over. John the Baptist proclaims that his joy has been made complete with the arrival of the bridegroom.

The combined Advent and Christmas cycles end with the prophecy of John one last time – John’s joy is completed and he now exits but not after reminding the people what he had been preaching all along is now fulfilled. Jesus is baptized by John. The voices of the angels which announced the coming of the child to Joseph, Mary and the Shepherds now give way tomorrow to the voice of God. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:10-11) The bridegroom is walking into his church in the world.

Action

If the Son brings eternal life and peace, the world brings eternal strife and death. We are seeing that played out on the world stage in the Holy Land with the continuing violence between Israel and Palestine. There is no joy in the region with bombings and burnings affecting non-combatants on both sides of the conflict. Innocents are caught in the cross fire as well as international humanitarian aid workers (when they can get through). If ever we need a dove to descend from the heavens, now would be a great time.

A message from the Just Faith graduate network reminds us of our responsibility to call out for peace. Just Faith Ministries wrote: “We are all feeling helpless and in despair over the crisis in the Middle East. We can't ‘fix’ it, but as people of faith we have a responsibility to do what we can. The main pressure point we have as Americans is our Congress, which can create the pressure and leverage needed for real negotiation and permanent solutions between the factions. The situation is dire and we can't be silent.”

Make a call for peace. Contact your U.S. senator and express your opinion. Maybe you will want to make some of the following points suggested by Just Faith:

As an American Catholic, I deplore the tragic loss of life of civilians caught in the escalating violence in Gaza and southern Israel and care deeply about the welfare of both Israelis and Palestinians who are suffering and living in fear. I ask that if and when the Senator/Representative makes a statement about the current crisis, he/she expresses support for strong U.S. diplomatic leadership, together with international partners, to achieve an immediate, comprehensive cease-fire that:

• ends the escalating violence between Israel and Hamas;
• addresses the humanitarian situation - including an opening of the border crossings that provide relief for the people of Gaza and meets Israel's security needs; and
• leads to concrete steps toward a two-state peace agreement - the best hope for long-term stability and security for Israel and the Palestinians.

You can go to this link provided by Catholic Relief Services to find out whom to call in Congress to support a cease-fire.