Weekly Advent Reflection:

Third Sunday of Advent

Luke 3:10-18

Gospel Summary
Immediately preceding this passage, Luke tells us that the word of God had come upon John the Baptist in the desert. John then began to proclaim the coming of the Lord: all flesh would at last see the salvation of God. John also proclaimed the necessity of turning from evil in repentance in order to prepare for the Lord's coming.

The crowds ask, "What should we do?" John replies that whoever has two cloaks or food should share with the person who has none. Tax collectors should not collect more than what is prescribed. Soldiers should not practice extortion or falsely accuse anyone, and they should be satisfied with their wages. The people are filled with expectation, wondering whether John might be the Messiah. John responds that one mightier than he will come, and will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John warns that when the Messiah comes, he will gather the wheat into his barn, and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Life Implications

We will celebrate with gratitude the Lord's coming among us in the past on Christmas. Advent, however, is a time to affirm our faith that the Lord's coming is also a present and future reality for which we must prepare. We too ask, "What should we do?" The ordinary-ness of John's reply to our question is surprising: share what you have with those who have nothing; do your job without cheating or telling lies; be satisfied with what you earn.

Someone asked Saint Philip Neri (who happened to be playing cards at the time) what he would do if he learned that his death was imminent. Philip Neri replied that he would continue playing cards. The best preparation for the Lord's coming at any moment is to be doing what we ought to be doing. In the words of the old Shaker hymn: "'Tis a gift to be simple, 'Tis a gift to be free, 'Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be."

There is also a surprising ordinary-ness about the Lord's coming -- the divine presence does not force itself upon us with bells and whistles. When Jesus did come as Messiah, most people did not recognize him because he did not meet their expectations. Would God allow the Messiah to be defeated and disgraced by dying on a cross like a criminal? Advent thus is also a season to ask for the grace to be freed from false expectations about the Lord's coming into our lives.

Perhaps the most ordinary and most surprising way of all that the Lord comes to us is in the reality of the Present Moment. Each moment becomes a sacrament of divine presence if we say in faith, "It is the Lord." It is thus possible to bless the Lord at all times because every moment without exception is a grace of divine, self-giving love to us. The Lord is with us even in those tragic moments beyond understanding that seem to be without meaning. Life either has no meaning at all, or has total meaning because the Lord is present in all its moments.

Saint Paul tells us the wonderful life-implications of trust in the Lord's presence at every moment in all the circumstance of our lives: "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks...Have no anxiety at all...Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (1 Thes 5:16-18 and Phil 4:6-7).

Campion P. Gavaler, OSB

Eugene Hemrick
National Institute for the Renewal of the Priesthood
Washington Theological Union
www.jknirp.com
202-543-4077
hemrick@wtu.edu
Syndicated columnist Catholic News Service

If you would like to write next week’s Advent Reflection, please email jknetemann@wtu.edu.

Mary and the Modern Catholic

By Fr. Leopold Glueckert

On December 8, after the evening Mass for the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the people of Our Lady of Mercy parish, Potomac, MD attended a lecture on Marian beliefs. The title was “What Catholics believe (and don’t believe) about Mary.” The speaker was Leopold Glueckert, O.Carm., Church History teacher at WTU.

Fr. Leo treated the topic in a historical context, tracing Mary’s many titles through the early Councils and into recent times. Among the stumbling blocks in some popular practices is the subtle belief that Mary is a free-standing goddess with powers of her own. Another aberration is the tendency to make Mary a larger-than-life figure that is barely human, and thus harder to see as one like us.

Trustee Linda Budney did a fine job of facilitating and chairing the lecture. As Religious Formation associate for her parish, she hopes that lectures of this type will become common. And of course the faculty of the WTU is always ready to help!

Alumni-Student Mentoring Program:

There has been a tremendous response to this program which pairs current students with alumni who are working in the student’s desired ministry. Dr. Kathy Brown, Dean of Students was encouraged that both ordination tract and lay students requested mentors, as did many of the D.Min students. If you would like to participate in this program, but have not notified Dr. Brown, please email her right away: brown@wtu.edu. We are in the process of pairing alumni and current students and will let you know when we have compiled our lists!

Strategic Planning Committee Forming:

Under the direction of President Fred Tillotson, O.Carm., the Union is undertaking its first significant strategic planning effort since the creation of its last 5-year long-range plan developed in 2002. A series of focus groups are beginning to be conducted with various constituencies of the Union community – including students and alumni – with the intent to solicit people’s perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of the institution as well as desired future directions and initiatives.

Fr. Fred will be forming a Strategic Planning Committee with selected representatives from the Union community to help review and refine the feedback from the focus groups. If you are a student or alum living in the Washington, DC area who would be interested in and available to serve on the Strategic Planning Committee, please contact Lisa Marie Drover, CSSF, Executive Assistant to the President, at (202) 541-5228 or drover@wtu.edu to express your interest.

Jerry Hall Scholarship Fund Still Growing!

In March of this year, the Union very unexpectedly lost one of its full-time faculty, Assistant Professor of Word and Worship Jerry Hall, S.J., who passed away following a brief illness. This wise and unassuming scholar of liturgy was also an accomplished singer whose gentle and compassionate demeanor made him a wonderful colleague, mentor, and friend to so many. In a desire to celebrate Jerry’s life and to honor our community’s memory of him, the Rev. Jerome Hall, S.J. Memorial Scholarship fund was established.

To date, 31 alumni, faculty, and staff have made donations to the scholarship fund totaling $4,480. The Union continues to encourage donations to the fund, which must grow to a minimum of $250,000 before it can be endowed, and before it will be possible to draw income to award the first student scholarship. If you wish to make an online donation to this fund, please use the online donation form.