"Let us pray - as the family of God who share in his life.

Father in heaven, creator of all, you ordered the earth to bring forth life and crowned its goodness by creating the family of man.   In history's moment when all was ready, you sent your Son to dwell in time, obedient to the laws of life in our world.  Teach us the sanctity of human love, shows us the value of family life, and help us to live in peace with all people, that we may share in your life forever.  (ICEL 1998)

I was privileged to attend  two ordinations earlier this year,  and I recall thinking how well we catholics  do a good liturgy.

It is the liturgy that is often the introduction to the catholic faith for non-christians. Do we use the opportunity to its best advantage? How innovative are our liturgies?

I remember one lady in our RCIA team and the skill she had with fabric and simple props, turning a grey walled meeting room into a liturgical wonder where our faith came alive. An RCIA session always had that element of joy and discovery as we uncovered a new layer in our worship. I experienced that on Saturday with the blessing of our Altar Missals and their being sent forth with representatives from each local church in our parish cluster.

The symbols were simple: the Altar Missals impressive in their design, laid out on a low table, against the backdrop of the Altar with its bright candles. The quiet solemnity of the blessing was awesome. How different from the blessing of the Advent wreath and the lighting of the first Advent candle on Sunday. One could sense the air of expectation in the Assembly. It is that time of year again, when we are ready to ‘stay awake’. A lot is going to happen over the next four weeks of Advent.

There is the chance for further blessings and celebrations. In the extended period of the catechumenate why not have a special celebration of the Word of God.

• To give them instruction and experience in the different aspects and ways of prayer;
• To explain to them the signs, celebrations, and seasons of the liturgy;
• To prepare them gradually to enter the worship assembly of the entire community: RCIA 82

The structure of a celebration is suggested in RCIA 86-89, with an opening song, one or more readings, a brief homily  and  finish with a blessing. This would work well on Gaudete Sunday  or during the third week of Advent.

Or how about Advent Stations of the Cross with a Blessing of Oil and anointing [see RCIA 101B – 102].

There is also the opportunity for blessing of the Christmas tree  or the manger, or even someone’s home.

Perhaps this week as the English speaking churches turn to the New Translation of the Roman Missal,  catechumens could have the chance to see and touch the Altar Missal and gain a sense of just how well we catholics do liturgy, as they develop a love of the liturgy and its symbols.

Let's recap Sunday's Gospel for a moment: Mary, at stage one of her betrothal to Joseph, is pregnant, and he is not the father.  He loves her and sees the solution, in obedience to the Law, as a quiet divorce, avoiding shaming Mary by a public scene.  Having made up his mind, he goes to bed.  In a dream that night an angel comes to him saying 'Do not be afraid to take Mary to your home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus'.  Joseph affirms Mary's 'Yes' with his own courageous response, completing his betrothal by taking Mary to his home as his wife, offering her and the child Jesus security, love and protection.

• What major decisions have you faced in your life?  How did you make up your mind?
• Have you ever said 'Yes' to a different course of action from the one you had planned?  
• Do you believe that God is with you, now, today, whatever your circumstances?

I'm told that Joseph is the patron saint of anyone who has to change and adapt their lives because of someone else's needs.  Perhaps this week, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, we can reflect on Joseph, and thank God for all those people 'off stage'  in our own lives who have  said 'yes' for our sake, and nourished, guided, encouraged and enabled us to live out our calling.  Parents, grandparents, friends....? 

"In due course John the Baptist appeared..."

It is amazing how God sends his people “in due course”. This fills me with hope – especially when I realise that the blank page that divides the old and new testaments in our bibles has a “value” of some 400 years’ silence and hunger for the word of God… It took God only about 400 years to send John the Baptist after the last prophet before him - so why should we get impatient when some “church things” are taking a bit longer than we anticipated? And equally, if John the Baptist hadn’t recognised the “due course” and responded, we would have been living a very different “now”. But thanks be to God, he did and:

"...he preached in the wilderness of Judaea..."

Or more precisely, in the wilderness at the far side of Jordan (John 1:28; 10:40). But why is this son of a priest (Luke 1:5-25) hanging around in the desert instead of serving God in the Temple? Why is he “out there,” in the barren land just behind affluent Jericho, far from the main focal point of the religion of his time? Perhaps because the river Jordan is a natural boundary and there is something about being immersed in it by another human being that brings home the striking message of John…

The Israelites crossed the river Jordan under the lead of Joshua (which we could equally transcribe as “Jesus”) in order to reach the Promised Land (Josh 3:15-17); and Elijah would cross the same river also dry-shod before he ascended into heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11), making room for a double portion of his spirit in Elisha (2 Kings 2:9). So is John telling people that they first of all need to retreat from the known religious “landscape” in order to wholeheartedly re-enter the Promised Land with full and conscious commitment? Is he telling them that by doing so they will iron out the path for Elijah’s doubly-zealous spirit to rest on them in the baptism of fire that was to come?

"...and this was his message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’"

Certainly, something amazing is about to happen… Like the dust stirred on the horizon by the hoofs and wheels of a king’s carriage, the certainty of God’s reign drawing near is almost tangible - and so people cannot go about their business as usual. How invigorating it would be if such a sense of expectation and urgency could soak our Advent time like the water must have soaked the garments of those seeking John’s baptism... What is more, even Jesus was happy to preach this is message (Mt 4:17) after the arrest of John.

"This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said:
A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight."

This is a quote from the Second Isaiah which was originally addresses to the Jews who had been exiled to Babylon after Jerusalem fell in the 6BC. This was the in-between time when the First Temple was already destroyed and the Second one was waiting yet to be built. Therefore the restored connection between God and his people required a “highway” at that moment in time, a straight path of communication that allowed for the “flow” of God’s presence into human history.  And once again a “divine highway surveyor” enters the scene of human history to mark out the path in the wilderness.

"This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey."

In a certain sense, John the Baptist reminds me of a hippo… Quite a grotesque creature out in the open - but extremely dangerous, especially when plunged in its element. He is cut as a prophet in his camel-hair outfit and leather belt accessory (2 Kings 1:8), feeding on a radical diet of clean (Leviticus 11:21, 22), wholesome and providential food. He thus walks in the footsteps of Samson, Samuel and Elijah. No wonder he attracts some curious attention. In fact, he is a magnet that pulls the whole region into a movement towards the most significant river in his people’s history: the river Jordan.

"Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins."

So why is it that John often gets just a cursory glance from us? Why is it that we often overlook the fact that he was such a powerful magnet that he drew even Jesus out of his “hidden” life into the “public ministry” as his call echoed “righteousness” in the heart of the Son of God (Mt 21:23-27 & Mt 3:15)? It is perhaps because the realm of water is where John becomes dangerous…and that is perhaps something that does not sit easily with us because the font of baptism contains water too. At any rate, John turns out to be a “wild beast,” defending the territory marked out for God from any sinister trespasser:

"But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming? But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit, and do not presume to tell yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father,” because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees, so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire. I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’"

And maybe John is not so far off the mark when he claims that God can raise Abraham’s children even from stones. There is a master-builder coming soon, known as the carpenter’s son (Mt 13:55) – where carpenter (tekton) means also a stone mason or builder.  He will also refer to himself as a cornerstone by the words of Psalm 118 (Mt 21: 42-43), and he will be on an outrageous mission to build a new temple (Jn 2:19). So perhaps the most pertinent question is: do I let myself be chiselled by the master builder this week?

Further afield, though, and the seasons are mixed - trees still in autumn colours, thick snow on the ground and the sun sparkling on snow in the branches and sending a shining river of light across the surface of the lake. A glorious day, a day for standing in the surprising warmth of the sun and remembering the presence of God, everywhere.

On the first Sunday of Advent, the seasons also seem mixed. We have gone into purple and lit the first candle on the wreath, but the Scriptures at Mass are still looking towards the Second Coming and the end times, just as they were during the last weeks of Ordinary Time. And today's reading from Paul - 'let us appear in the light' - is something which we would not be surprised to find during Lent. So the beginning of our new liturgical year is not a clear-cut new start, new ideas, new life, new resolve, but a continuation of something we are used to, with a sharper focus brought by a change of scenery.

That's as it should be, because for most people the work of conversion is not a single, all-or-nothing event but something which takes time and many restarts. Snow when it falls looks clean and unmarked ('so relaxed!' cried the Franciscan sister from Kenya), but after a couple of days it's trampled and worn through, melted in patches, its perfect surface disrupted - the way we can so often feel when things aren't going well. But under the snow, there's work going on, and when the time comes, our new growth will be seen...

Christmas is coming                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Christmas cards have been on sale for several weeks. I’ve already seen a garden centre advertising Christmas trees and a shop selling all you need to make a crib. All around us the world of commerce is gearing up for Christmas.

Harry Potter films do Christmas well – a flurry of snow, Hagrid dragging in a huge tree (presumably from the creepy forest), everyone riding in horse-drawn sledges and that magic happy snow music. To many people looking forward to Christmas is to chase a fantasy of lost childhood which often fails to meet the expectation. What kind of Christmas did you have? ‘Well you know, um, quiet. It’s nice for children though isn’t it?’ To say Christmas often turns out to be an expensive anticlimax has been said many times before. For many people it’s the looking forward to the great day that matters, rather than the day itself. To me the best bits of Christmas are not fantasy at all – seeing the family together again, and celebrating the birth of the Redeemer at Midnight Mass.  

Advent is coming                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Advent does involve preparing to celebrate the birth of the child Jesus 2000 years ago, but the first two weeks are about staying awake for the Lord’s second coming when we shall meet him face to face. On the third Sunday we do commemorate the earthly life of Jesus but the Gospel is about John the Baptist sternly exhorting us to ‘repent for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand’.  Only on the fourth week do we hear about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem but even this is  full of harsh realism, a typically heavy handed piece of bureaucracy which sends a young pregnant women on a stressful journey and a birth in completely unsatisfactory circumstances because there was no room at the inn.  

The second coming of Jesus Christ will not be as a baby but as King and Judge. The scriptures speak of difficult times with a final assault by the powers of evil before the final fulfilment of the Kingdom and they speak darkly of the antichrist and end of the world. The Church’s teaching is neatly summarised in the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 671 to 679). I explained some scripture to someone to whom I take Holy Communion recently by saying that one day we shall meet the Lord face to face and she said, searchingly ‘and do you believe that?’. It was Jesus who taught us the ‘Our Father’ and he included the line ‘thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven’ and we often say ‘he will come in glory to judge the living and the dead’. The real meaning of Advent is very challenging to catechists as well as catechumens and candidates. Do we look forward to him coming in glory and majesty or do we secretly think to ourselves ‘well that probably won’t happen just yet’. When we say ‘thy Kingdom come’ do we not only believe it’s going to happen – but are we looking forward to it. And what we are looking forward to is the ultimate opposite of an anticlimax. It is about that which lasts even after heaven and earth have passed passed away. This is our faith.

How literally are we to take the details?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The word Armageddon appears only once in the Greek New Testament. Some of the events prophesied in the New Testament, such as the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD70, have already happened. Members of the New Testament Church seem to have expected the Lord to return within their own life time which he clearly didn’t.  Does time have any meaning in eternity? Prophesy may contain deep truth but it may be attempting to describe the indescribable. St Paul observes that we ‘prophesy imperfectly’ (I Corinthians 13:9) and that ‘now we see only reflections in a mirror, mere riddles, but then we shall be seeing face to face’ (1 Corinthians 13:12).

In a recent Gospel (33^rd Sunday of the year, Luke 21:5-19) Jesus

• Warns people not to rely on things like the Temple which will pass away
• Warns them not to try to predict when the end will come and not to be taken in by dangerous distractions like false messiahs
• Warns his people not to be afraid when disasters happen
• To use every opportunity to witness to the Gospel and to trust him in it. He promised to give them the eloquence and wisdom they needed to witness
• Reminded them that not a hair on their head would be lost
• Pointed out that endurance would save them their lives.

And how anxious should we be when we meet the Lord face to face?                                                                                                                                                                                       If we are in Christ then we are adopted sons and daughters – we are members of the family. We are not relying on perfection produced by our own muscular spirituality to justify us but on the sacrifice of the One who was crucified. His warning to stay awake is really about staying close to him and not being distracted by things that will not last, by fantasies and by false messiahs. When we meet him we shall be aware of our unworthiness and developing such an awareness is a feature of the life of faith.

 I once had the privilege of briefly meeting Her Majesty the Queen. I remembered that, at the age of six, making red, white and blue decorations for her coronation. I had followed the events of her life ever since then and so I already knew her when I finally met her face to face. She looked at me thoughtfully and kindly and I wanted to be polite and respectful. During my life of faith I have slowly been getting to know the Lord and one day I shall meet him face to face. One of the ways that this meeting will differ from that with Her Majesty is that he will already know me and will have known me since before I was born.

The importance of grown-up thinking                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    I am writing this blog on the Feast of Christ the King. The second reading (Colossians 1:15-20) emphasises that Jesus is King - the first-born of all creation whilst in the Gospel (Luke 23:35-43) he is a man being crucified with two thieves. One of them recognises his own unworthiness in the presence of someone special yet feels he can say ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom’ and Jesus replies ‘today you will be with me in paradise’. The fact that Jesus is both King and someone with whom we have an intimate relationship is so truly awesome that we shall never fully understand it until we meet him face to face’.

I tried to explain this to someone on my Holy Communion round, although it might just as much have been someone in the RCIA group. She replied thoughtfully that it was quite a difficult idea.  Do we have to understand it? No, I don’t think so. If it’s getting complicated we only have to go back to Jesus the carpenter of Nazareth – for he is ‘the image of the unseen God’ (Colossians 1:15). What a wonderful thing for God to reveal himself through a person. You don’t need to be able to read or talk theology to understand a person. The ‘good thief’ was able understand what Jesus was about. In fact, Jesus likened himself to a ‘good shepherd’. Sheep cannot read and neither can they talk theology but they know a good shepherd when they see one and all they have to do is trust him. The potentially fatal mistake a sheep can make is to wander off to where it can’t hear the Good Shepherd’s voice. The Shepherd will leave the others and come and look for it – but a roaring lion might have found the sheep first.

 So does it matter, trying to understand some of the huge ideas in scripture? If it’s starting to confuse and is leading catechumens away from the shepherd it is better to avoid it. But the understanding that is pitched at just the right level can deepen faith, release praise and promote faith sharing. St Paul exhorts ‘Brothers, do not remain children in your thinking; infants in wickedness – agreed, but in your thinking grown-ups’ (1 Corinthians 14:20).

But my real life is the faith I have in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2: 19-20

This 3rd Sunday of Advent, Gaudete/Rejoice Sunday, we light the pink candle to deliberately mark the advent and approaching celebration of the Incarnation.   For some this might symbolise how quickly the time is passing while counting the many tasks on the list which are to be done before Christmas.  Advent reminds us that this is a time of preparation, of considering how quickly time does pass, and the many ways we could be ready for the coming of Christ.  During this season we sing in the familiar hymn 'Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.'  Shall come to you, shall come to me, shall come for all.  I rejoice each time I consider that our Lord chose to 'come', to manifest his love and trust in us, to marvel at and with humanity.

This Sunday we have also celebrated the Rite of Acceptance for our catechumens and the Rite of Welcome for our candidates.  The RCIA team, liturgy committee and the parish priest prepared a leaflet based on the combined rite (found in the American publication of the Rite) #507-528.  The prayers speak of joy and rejoicing, of preparation and the time spent in coming to know Christ more fully.  They speak of how God has 'sought and summoned' them in many ways and acknowledges how in response the catechumens and candidates are seeking to know more about and are turning toward God.   The assembly were asked if they were ready to help the catechumens and candidates 'follow Christ' and we answered 'We are.'  Now that is really something worth adding to the task list.

Like the pink candle of Advent, this liturgy marks a stage in time within the journey that both catechumens and candidates are on in the company of our communities.  In the Gospel this weekend we hear of others who were 'filled with expectation and were questioning in their hearts and who wanted to prepare themselves for the Messiah.'  Lk 3:10-18 They ask John the Baptist 'What then should they do?'  John speaks to them of charity, of acting justly and with integrity and to live faithfully as they prepare for baptism.  Echoed in the Rites of Acceptance and Welcome the catechumens, candidates and assembly reflected on the how we are to listen to the Word, to come to know God, to love our neighbours, to gather for prayer and to participate in the service of others.

I thought this was a very appropriate time to celebrate this combined Rite which clearly resonated the Advent message of preparation, prayer and expectation.  It is a time to rejoice for all who are chosen to follow Christ.  'Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.'

The second reading is particularly apt to the period of the catechumenate as Paul writes to the Philippians how confident he is

‘that the one who began a good work in you, will continue to
complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.’
That is being experienced by each one now at this very time.

The season offers a special chance for all to experience parish gatherings, whether it is Advent Stations of the Cross, special seasonal small groups, prayer groups, or the practical side of helping with the Bazaar or Fayre. This is a busy time for the SVP and church charities, and don’t forget local initiatives in the neighbourhood for helping those in need. These also offer a chance to work in co-operation with other faiths and people without belief: allow your catechumens to evangelise by their witness.

Perhaps your candidates have creative talents and will help in decorating the church or arranging the flowers. They may help in the organisation of parish social events, or those involving the elderly and the sick.

In the Gospel we are introduced to John the Baptist, who comes out of the wilderness ‘proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins’. Luke records that John son of Zechariah, came at a very precise time in Caesar’s reign: fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah. For our catechumens and candidates it is this precise time that is marking out something great in their life journey: perhaps to be written or drawn in their journal.

This is a time to show how we Catholics look forward to the end of time, and prepare for the coming of Christ, turning what many see as a secular occasion of spending money for one’s immediate friends and family, into a time of celebrating with praise and gladness the joys God has given us.

Here is an idea I heard this week in our small group. Turn the chore of writing Christmas cards into an opportunity to think lovingly of each intended recipient, offering a prayer to them as you sign the card.

And I see it on the faces of those being 'Welcomed' or 'Accepted' into the Order of Catechumens - they are such witnesses to patient waiting for me!  One Enquirer has been coming to Mass with her little nephew for 6 years (since his mother died - she made a promise!).  She is actively taking that first step now, and says it feels so exciting, and so natural.  Her enthusiasm is catching - the whole parish seem to be full of advent expectation, really loving this 'new' catechumen who brings new life & hope to us  - God is bringing order and beauty amidst the chaos, beginnings and endings, death and birth, dark and light, despair and hopem so in a nutshell, love one another and trust God.

I hope Advent starts well for you - enjoy Thom Shuman's poem:

Every evening it's the same: put the key in the deadbolt, turn and lock; check the windows; put out the cat; leave a light on...

all those routines to feel safe and fall asleep in peace.door open ajar

But some night, in the midst of my security, you will tiptoe into my house,

rearranging the furniture, cracking the combination of my heart, and ransacking all my fears.

Then, softly whistling 'Come Thou Long- Expected Jesus' you will slip out, leaving the door standing wide open

that I might follow you into the kingdom.

Come Lord Jesus!  Amen!

On the first Sunday of Advent we heard the pleading of Isaiah: “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down…” Is 64:1.  On the last day of the Christmas season we hear the words of Mark: “...just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart…” Mk 1:10. The feast of the Baptism of the Lord takes us away from the child of Christmas to the adult at the threshold of ministry. Heaven is torn apart, barriers are removed and God claims the Beloved and is well pleased with him. 

At our moment of baptism (which is an ongoing reality now!) the union of heaven and earth becomes real too and each is ‘the beloved’ of God with God’s favour resting on us – what marvels! Jesus told Nicodemus that, ‘unless he be born again of the water and the Spirit, he could not enter into the kingdom of God’ cf John 3:5.  The General Introduction to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults says:

“Baptism, the door to life and to the kingdom of God, is the first sacrament of the new law, which Christ offered to all, that they might have eternal life…. That is why the Church believes that it is its most basic and necessary duty to inspire all… to that true and living faith by which they hold fast to Christ and enter into or confirm their commitment to the New Covenant.” n3

Advent and Christmastide 2008/9 could not be just a routine or familiar journey for us at the start of another year’s liturgical cycle because the covenant is ever new and the Word of God living and active. The presence of those that we accompany on their journey to baptism or to full communion makes the familiar ever fresh. So I ask: what have I as a Christian and as a catechist experienced and learned in this time? What have been the challenges presented by the self-giving God-with-us and needs of people nearby and faraway? Isaiah’s invitation to “come to the water” Is 55:1 seems to challenge me to discern again how I live my baptism now, how to keep on the road of on-going conversion so as to be awake to the disciples of Christ who seek baptism or full communion with us.

Liturgically we arrive at the waters of the Jordan and the verge of public ministry and a return to ‘ordinary time’.  Like Mary we have pondered mysteries in our hearts and continue to ‘wonder at all that is said about him.’

On this journey in faith with inquirers and candidates I need frequently to check my bearings along the road. There’s no sure satellite navigation for this journey! Is it the way of Jesus in the gospel: Baptism followed by ‘desert’ time, then announcing the Kingdom of God, going about doing good and proclaiming forgiveness?  Can it really be that just by being, each person is the ‘beloved of God, and we can know ourselves to have God’s favour, having God’s Spirit.’ (cf Mk1 Baptism of the Lord)!  Isaiah recommends that journey “to the waters…” and to “Seek the Lord…” (Is 55, Baptism of the Lord). If I can be faithful to that journey and recognise when I veer off course perhaps I may be used as some kind of signpost on the roads others follow.