Save the Children

December 17, 2012

Monday of the Third Week of Advent

Jacob called his sons and said to them: "Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father.  Genesis 49:2

O God, give your judgment to the king; your justice to the king’s son; That he may govern your people with justice, your oppressed with right judgment, That the mountains may yield their bounty for the people, and the hills great abundance, That he may defend the oppressed among the people, save the children of the poor and crush the oppressor.  Psalm 72:1-4

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the  Christ, fourteen generations.  Matthew 1:1, 17

Piety

O Sapientia: “O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.” Isaiah had prophesied, “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 fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.” (11:2-3), and “Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom.” (28:29).

Study

Time.  Sometimes we have a lot of it.  Sometimes we are rushed.  Most of the time, we have no idea how much time we have. On a Cursillo weekend experience, someone is always charged with knowing the time and keeping us on pace.  What talk is "up."  What talk is next?  Are we almost ready for a meal, bedtime, or waking up the candidates?  Our weekends begin us on a lifestyle choice that is always like a mini-Advents. 

Today's readings let us reflect upon time -- the past, the present, and the future.  Jacob gathered his sons around and told them what he saw in their future.  Matthew starts off his Good News about Jesus by recounting the past generations that brought us to the pinnacle of the promise.  God, like Jacob, looked into the eyes of his children, and delivered a promise for the future.  God said that he would send a savior.  For generations, people awaited their king.  Now, that king is ready to burst upon the scene.

In monasteries and prayer rooms around the world, today also marks the beginning of the recitation of the "O" antiphons.  These prayers on our lips and in our hearts supplement our study of Jacob's "look-ahead" and Matthew's look backward.  The “O Antiphons” refer to the seven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours. They cover the special period of Advent preparation known as the Octave before Christmas, Dec. 17-23.  Today, we sing for wisdom. 

Action

Advent is our time of waiting in the hope and wisdom of Israel, too.  Look around you today.  Do you  see friends waiting to hear back from job applications and resumes sent out?  Do you see students scurrying to finish college applications or awaiting the results in the mail -- big envelope or small?  Do you see young couples swollen with the sign of the addition to their little family that will be here in a few weeks?  Do you see workers rushing to and fro on their way to work or returning home? How much are we like the throngs who flocked to Bethlehem for the census filling up every hotel room like there was a Super Bowl or a Rolling Stones concert?  Rushing and waiting. 

We are a people who do not want to be patient.  Yet patient we must be.  We don't -- and probably won't -- like the waiting.  Yet the examples we get in our Advent Gospels are of saints and sinners, soldiers and tax collectors, carpenters and kings, who wait.

We do not know what today let alone tomorrow will bring.  Will it bring to us the birth of a king or the slaughter of innocents?  We do not know.  That is why we wait.  That is why we hope.  That is why we pray.