December 1, 2009
By Beth DeCristofaro
On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, But he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. (Isaiah 11:1-4)
O God, give your judgment to the king; your justice to the son of kings; That he may govern your people with justice, your oppressed with right judgment. (Psalm 72:2)
Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. (Luke 10:21)
Piety
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, O good and gracious God, you are the God of health and wholeness. In the plan of your creation, you call us to struggle in our sickness and to cling always to the cross of your Son. Father, we are your servants. Many of us are now suffering with HIV or AIDS. We come before you, and ask you, if it is your holy will, to take away this suffering from us, restore us to health and lead us to know you and your powerful healing, love of body and spirit. We ask you also to be with those of us who nurse your sick ones. We are the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, and friends of your suffering people. It is so hard for us to see those whom we love suffer. You know what it is to suffer. Help us to minister in loving care, support, and patience to your people who suffer with HIV and AIDS. Lead us to do whatever it will take to eradicate this illness from the lives of those who are touched by it, both directly and indirectly. Trusting in you and the strength of your Spirit, we pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. (http://www.usccb.org/advent/day_1201.shtml )
Study
During this first week of Advent, we begin our preparation and waiting for the birth of Christ. As Fr. Russell said today in his homily, it is a time to prepare the crib within our own hearts in order that the baby Jesus to be born within us. In the spirit of that lovely image, as we consider how we are preparing our spirit, our homes and our families for holiday festivities, let us also consider that today is World AIDS Day.
The words of Isaiah take on a poignant meaning as we consider that in 2008, more than 33 million people were living with AIDS world wide. In today’s readings, the promise of the shoot, sprouting from the tree of Jesse, brought hope and new life to a people exiled, oppressed, persecuted. Isaiah spoke of the gifts, today known as the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which the seed of Jesse will bring to humanity and Isaiah says Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, But he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
As we prepare to welcome in awe and joy the baby who will be Emmanuel, God with us, let us remember those who are heavily burdened whether through illness of body, mind or spirit. Strive to retain the childlike wonder and sense of justice Jesus spoke of to the disciples. It is the Spirit which allows us to see Christ in each and every one of God’s creatures. May our Advent be full of the Spirit and may we be filled with the Spirit.
Action
Learn about the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ stance on HIV/AIDS and World AIDS Day. http://www.usccb.org/saac/BulletinInsertFinal.pdf
Visit the NIH website to see how you can help. We can be the generation to end the epidemic of AIDS. http://bethegeneration.nih.gov/
