After the anticpated Mass, a parishioner slipped a few bucks in my pocket and said, "Put this in the CD donation box and ease your conscience..."
First Sunday of Advent B
My
best find on Black Friday
was
not in a store, but in a church.
My
dad almost always goes
to
the 7:00am daily Mass
at St. Peter’s in Plattsburgh
and,
since I was home,
I though it’d be nice to go with him.
After
I’d concelebrated the Mass
and gone to confession,
I
was walking out of church
right
past the rack
of Lighthouse Catholic Media CDs—
much
like the racks we have
in each of our churches.
(I
like to see if there’s anything new
that we ought to order for here.)
And
one of the CDs there caught my eye:
of Duluth, Minnesota.
This
wasn’t only the best find of the day:
it
was also the best deal…
...because I took the CD without leaving a donation.
...because I took the CD without leaving a donation.
(Sorry,
Msgr. Duprey!
Maybe
I already need to go to confession again…)
While
talking about Baptism to a group of college students,
Fr.
Mike made a few points that we all ought to consider
at
the beginning of this Advent season.
In
the last few minutes of his talk,
he
asked a question that keeps ringing in my head:
In the last seven days, have
you lived any differently
than you would have if you
weren’t a child of God—
if you’d never been baptized?
It’s
only one question…
…but
it’s just about the best examination of conscience
I’ve
ever heard anywhere!
Fr.
Mike points out that most of us look at our faith
a
lot like we look at the IRS.
We
treat Jesus like the big taxman in the sky.
“I’ll
pay what I’m supposed to…
…but
don’t ask for a penny more.
And
if I can find a few loopholes…even better!”
No
one ever says to the IRS, “Here’s my account number.
Just
take whatever you need!”
We
don’t say it to the taxman…
…and
we often fail to say it to Jesus.
We
try to give Jesus just enough…
…but
that’s not what Jesus asks for,
that’s
not what Jesus wants: he wants it all.
My
personal relationship with Jesus Christ
can’t
just be another "thing" in my life—
one
more item on a long, long list,
fighting
to get a piece of my time and attention.
We’re
very busy people!
Too
busy, I’d say, and getting busier all the time.
Consider
all the many things
that
occupy your day and your week:
spouse,
kids, parents, friends, house, job, school, sports,
health,
hobbies, Church, car, bills, volunteering…
...and on and on.
My
relationship with Jesus
can’t just be one of the many things I do.
It’s
not even enough to put it at the top of the list.
Jesus
needs to be at the very center of everything.
He
needs to be the Lord of my entire life—
not
a part of my life, but the heart of my life.
Modern
technology comes with many blessings.
But
smartphones have a particular pitfall
that
I see again and again:
they
tempt us to lead very distracted lives.
We’re
always trying to do a few things at once:
answer
a call, read a text, respond to email,
look
up something on the net—
all
while not being fully present to the moment we’re living
or
the other person who’s right there in front of us
(maybe
on their smartphone, too).
All
the hustle and bustle of this so-called “holiday season”
only
increases our high level of distraction.
How
desperately we need Advent—
to
hear Jesus say, Be watchful! Be alert!
What
real difference does it make in my life
that
I am a Catholic? that I am a
Christian?
that
I’m a follower of Jesus?
Can
my life be distinguished at all
from
the lives of people who aren’t?
In
the last seven days, have I lived any differently
because
Jesus Christ was born, lived, died, and rose
than
if he hadn’t?
In
the last seven days, have I lived any differently
because
I’m waiting for Jesus Christ to come again
than
if I weren’t?
In
the last seven days, have I lived any differently
because
I have met Jesus Christ,
and
he has touched and transformed me?
Our
first reading on this first Sunday of Advent
is
a plea for God’s help:
We’ve made a mess of things! We’ve gotten off track!
Lord, come and save us!
In
Advent, we’re reminded of our deep need for God.
Left
to our own devices, we tend to lose our way.
But
the Lord does not leave us on our own.
“God
is faithful,” St. Paul reminds us.
God
once came in human flesh in times past.
We
await his future coming in glory.
And
in the meantime, he keeps on coming to us:
in
the sacraments, in the scriptures,
in
serving the needs of one another—
even
in a CD stolen from another church.
But
we need to be watchful.
Despite
so many distractions,we
need to stay awake and alert.
Don’t
let Jesus become just another part of your life;
make him the very heart of your life.
Jesus isn't only "the reason for the season";
he's come to make a difference in everything.
he's come to make a difference in everything.
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