Preferring Nothing to Christ

1 Samuel 1:24-28

I don’t think I could imagine a more poignant scene if I tried than that of Hannah leaving her child Samuel in the Temple at Shiloh. Everything about the story raises a huge question. Hannah had longed for a child and saw the birth of Samuel as the greatest blessing. And yet, she had made a vow that he would be given over to the Lord.

Perhaps we need to take a step back from the poignant details and see this episode as part of God’s overarching plan. By growing up in Shiloh Samuel is shown to have been trained from a very young age to listen to God’s word and to act open it. It is Samuel who will anoint David as King, and from David’s line the Messiah will be born. 

We can trace a thread through the stories of the Old Testament of people who were faithful to God against all odds. Each small choice and each big ‘Yes’ paves the way for the fulfilment of God’s promise. Maria Boulding, in her book, The Coming of God, expresses this beautifully:

‘The chosen people were created to be a centre of attunement, receptivity and expectation, a place of felt need and desire. They were to listen to God’s word, to long for him, and to be the womb-community which would bring forth the One who was to come.’

And still today, God longs for our whole-hearted participation in the promise of salvation. We are still called to be that place of longing for our communities, for our country, for the world.   

Read through the passage a few times during the day. How is God speaking to you through this story?

Song of Songs 2:8-14
Luke 1:39-45

There’s an air of joy and urgency that weaves through the readings and prayers of our liturgy today.

The first reading today comes from the Song of Songs. It’s not used very often in the lectionary, though is an option for Weddings and Religious Professions. The writer imagines their Beloved as a young gazelle and in poetry celebrates the dynamic of a relationship of love. There are verbs of motion and details that engage our senses:

‘see how he comes leaping on the mountains’

‘bounding over the hills’

‘he looks in’

‘he peers through the lattice’

‘winter is past’

‘flowers appear’

‘the cooing of the turtledove’

‘vines giving out their fragrance’

‘your voice is sweet’

‘your face is beautiful’

The urgency of the Beloved to meet his lover can carry us along. There’s a similar urgency in Luke’s story of the Visitation; ‘Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country’. By all accounts Mary’s journey to Elizabeth won’t have been easy. Whatever we imagine the terrain to be like, the journey was long and not without danger for someone Mary’s age. Luke gives us none of these details. His focus in on the joy to two women meeting. Mary and Elizabeth have lived lives of faithfulness to God’s Word. Their faithfulness has made them so open and ready to receive that God can find a home in them. On the Feast of the Visitation we sing a hymn written by one of our Sisters. This verse always strikes me:

Virgin mother, childless wife,
Vessels of his will;
In their flesh his kingdom grows,
Secret, holy, still.

Lets make our homes and hearts a place this Advent where God’s kingdom can grow, secret, holy, still.

Isaiah 7:1014

As Christmas draws closers our readings focus on the key figures in God’s plan for humanity. The text from Isaiah 7 in the first reading provides the background to Gospel story of the Annunciation. Isaiah’s words speak directly to the political situation of 736 BC.  In the face of the growing power of Babylon, Judah is tempted to make an alliance with Assyria. Isaiah warns against this and when King Ahaz requests a sign this is what he hears:

‘The Lord himself, therefore,
will give you a sign.
It is this: the maiden is with child
and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel,
a name which means God-is-with-us.’

Isaiah’s message is very clear: trust in God and don’t be tempted to organise things yourself. From our vantage point the words are very comforting. In the turmoil of our daily lives we need to know that God is with us. The image of a pregnant maiden also tells Ahaz that there is a plan and the difficulties will pass. God’s plan will unfold in months and not years.

Over the past year we’ve had to trust that our government has a plan and it hasn’t been easy. More than ever we have needed to believe that God is with us. We’ve been pretty much powerless in the face of the big issues but perhaps have learnt the value of doing the small things consistently.

Let us pray that we may be open to God’s promptings and ready to trust in his plan for our lives.

Micah 5:1-4
Luke 1:39-45

We’ve become so familiar with the elements of the Christmas story that they can lose a little of their impact. We sing ‘O little town of Bethlehem’ perhaps without realizing just how insignificant this little town was. It was a small hilltop town, just 5 miles south of Jerusalem. In today’s first reading the prophet Micah promises great things for this little town. From Bethlehem a new king will be born and his leadership style will be quite unlike that of previous kings. He will guard and defend the people like a shepherd. There’s none of the worldly power and might that some had expected, instead God chooses people and places that others may have considered too small and insignificant. It is in these choices that God’s great power is revealed.

God’s power is similarly seen in the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth in our Gospel text. Here again God’s promise is being fulfilled through two ordinary women who are prepared to put their full trust in the God whose praises they have sung their whole lives. Mary and Elizabeth hold a special place in the story of salvation as they are identified with a group known in the Old Testament as the ‘anawim’. These are the poor and the humble, the marginalized and those easily forgotten. The Hebrew word means bowed down, lowered. These people know their need of God and so can act as channels of his love and mercy.

As Christmas draws closer, God calls us to draw deep on our courage and to allow ourselves to be used as channels of his love and mercy. God calls us to know our need of all that the Christ-child brings.  

What do you most need and desire this Christmas?

Jeremiah 23:5-8

Matthew 1:18-24

The theme of kingship looms large in the story of our salvation. The transition from the people of Israel living as 12 tribes to their anointing of a king involved twists and turns. They were influenced by what they saw around them and began to long for a king:

“We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.” 1 Sam 8

The King had a huge responsibility in terms of faithfulness to the Torah and the well-being of his people. The writers of the history of Israel would evaluate each king and many were found wanting. Our first reading from Jeremiah today speaks from the perspective of the Exile where the harsh reality of the failure of many kings must be faced. Into this deep despair Jeremiah speaks a word of hope as he promises a new king:

See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David,
who will reign as true king and be wise,
practising honesty and integrity in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel dwell in confidence.
And this is the name he will be called:
The-Lord-our-integrity.

This new king will embody the love and faithfulness of God and ensure the well-being of his subjects. I am always struck by the name ‘The-Lord-our-integrity’. So many of our day to day experiences can lead to a sense of fragmentation. I believe that the human heart is always searching for wholeness and integrity. We were made for this.

The Gospel account of the angel appearing to Joseph links in several ways with the text from Jeremiah. The angel gives Joseph a message of hope and by quoting Isaiah reminds us of the whole theology of promise and blessing. Joseph stands here as a man of integrity. He is a loving and faithful keeper of Torah. It’s through Joseph’s everyday observance that Jesus will be shaped and nurtured too.

We may not always stop to think about our day to day responsibilities and how they shape those around us. We are perhaps more likely to notice how others fulfill their roles.

Take some time today to pray for someone whose leadership role has shaped and nurtured you.

The Church now silently selects its top liturgical gear as we move towards Christmas Eve. At Vespers we will sing the first of the Great O Antiphons, O Sapientia. At Mass the prayers and readings are tightly focused.

Today our text is from Genesis 49. Jacob in his old age asks his twelve sons to gather and gives each a blessing. Blessing and lineage are key intertwined themes in Genesis. In today’s reading we hear the blessing on Judah. It’s likely that the text was part of an oral tradition where the tribes would characterize each other by short sayings, often linked to the tribal name. Judah is given a lavish blessing. Using the imagery of a lion cub and a lioness Judah’s supremacy is promised. Judah will enjoy a period of prominence over the other tribes. Even the surrounding nations will be in Judah’s jurisdiction.

Nowadays it’s relatively easy for us to do research on our family trees. Deep in the human heart is the desire to know where we came from and how we connect to the world. Connection is why we are here. The Biblical writers set great store by being able to trace lineage. The biblical lineage is our lineage too. There is a sense in which we share spiritual DNA with all of the biblical characters.

As we move to the Gospel reading the focus is again on lineage. Matthew’s Gospel begins in way which most modern writers would counsel against: a long list of names, some complex and some unfamiliar. Matthew has a particular purpose. In his genealogy we see clearly the ability of God to ‘write straight with crooked lines’. God has used the twists and turns of each person’s story to fulfil his plan.

Spend some time today thinking about the people who have played a role in your faith journey. Thank God for these people.

Today’s reading from Isaiah 54 is also used in the Liturgy of the Word at the Easter vigil. In the light of the Paschal candle this reading speaks to the promise of rescue from death and the hope of new life. In our Advent liturgy we can hear it as a text of eager longing for ‘the Holy One of Israel’.

Through all of the complexities of Israel’s covenant relationship with God the prophets make appeal to the faithfulness of God, in Hebrew, ‘hesed.’ It’s a word which encompasses steadfastness, loyalty, mercy and love. Israel must face the painful reality that she has wandered from the path of God’s ways. She has not shown herself faithful. In some vivid images Isaiah imagines a new reality for Israel. I am always struck by the image of a tent.

‘Widen the space of your tent,
stretch out your hangings freely,
lengthen your ropes, make your pegs firm,
for you will burst out to right and to left.’

I love the idea of making space for something that God is promising. Every care is taken that the tent is robust and sturdy. There are no half-measures when God acts.

After the trauma of Exile Israel can dare to hope that God can do something new. Israel is no longer to feel abandoned but, cherished, protected and loved. So powerful is God’s promise that even if mountains were to disappear, God’s love will never leave the people of Israel.

‘for the mountains may depart,
the hill be shaken,
but my love for you will never leave you
and my covenant of peace with you will never be shaken,
says the Lord who takes pity on you’.

I chose this text for the entry procession for my Solemn Profession. It seemed to be to sum up my hope in my monastic journey. 22 years on and my hope still holds.

Can you put your hope in God this Advent?

Isaiah 45:6c-8,18 21b-25
Luke 7:18b-23

We’re back to the Prophet Isaiah for our first reading today. Our anticipation of the coming of the Messiah gains momentum and Isaiah contrasts God’s powers with those of the popular Babylonian gods:

Apart from me all is nothing.
I am the Lord, unrivalled,
I form the light and create the dark.
I make good fortune and create calamity,
it is I the Lord who do all this.

Throughout the story of salvation what distinguishes the God of the Israelites from the gods of the surrounding cultures is action. The God of the Israelites makes things happen. When the Israelites found themselves in Exile they began to lose heart and to wonder if God would act again on their behalf. God’s message is clear: if the people turn to him, then they will be saved.

‘Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth,
for I am God unrivalled.’

The Gospel text for today, Luke 7:19-23, picks up the theme of the longed-for Saviour. When John the Baptist sends his disciples to ask Jesus ‘Are you the one who is to come?’, Jesus can point to his actions as proof that the Messianic Age has begun. In the person of Jesus God’s Kingdom breaks through into every sphere of life. For Luke’s hearers, community is the place where God’s incarnate love is made manifest.

It’s easy for us today to miss those signs of the Kingdom. Sometimes all it takes is for us to consciously look for those tiny glimmers of hope. I’m a great believer in the cumulative effect of small acts of kindness. Today’s readings challenge us to put our full trust in God as Saviour, the God whose actions transform the world.

How can you be a bearer of God’s incarnate love today?

Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13

The third week of Advent continues to offer us challenging texts, texts that don’t yield their meaning on first reading. Today our text comes from the prophet Zephaniah. Zephaniah is called, as all prophets are, to see the world as God sees it. There is a crisis looming for the people in Jerusalem as Babylon gains power and threatens to destroy all that is held sacred. In words that are not the easiest to hear or understand, God takes Jerusalem to task for her lack of faithfulness.

Trouble is coming to the rebellious,
the defiled, the tyrannical city!
She would never listen to the call,
would never learn the lesson;
she has never trusted in the Lord,
never drawn near to her God.

I am put in mind of my school days when some misdemeanour had occurred, the teacher got angry and then the whole class was punished. It was a heavy feeling that certainly coloured the rest of the day and possibly the rest of the week too. There was no such thing as negotiating with the trouble makers and letting them know that they had spoilt things for everyone. You just had to hope that they didn’t do it again.

Thankfully the Zephaniah text is not all gloom. The last few verses give us at least a glimmer of hope:

‘In your midst I will leave
a humble and lowly people,
and those who are left in Israel
will seek refuge in the Lord.’

So God knows that at least a few have lived in faithfulness. This is a theme taken up by several of the prophets: God sees and honours the faithful remnant. Perhaps we would all hope to be considered part of that remnant? There is a similar theme at work in the New Testament where the lowly find a special place in the heart and mind of God.

Holding on to what we know to be true and right isn’t always easy. Our desire to follow the right path can be strengthened each day by our small choices. Choices that may seem too tiny to matter can build a solid foundation for that day when God asks us to make a leap of faith and say ‘Yes’.

How can you be faithful this Advent?

Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17
Matthew 21:23-27

Today’s first reading is a rather unfamiliar text from the Book of Numbers. We hear one of the oracles of the prophet Balaam.

How fair are your tents, O Jacob!
How fair your dwelling, Israel!
Like valleys that stretch afar,
like gardens by the banks of a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters.

The poetic language has resonances with the Psalms. It’s likely that the Book of Numbers was edited during the period of exile in Babylon. Balaam’s oracle reassures Israel that deliverance is at hand:

‘A hero rises from their stock, he reigns over countless peoples.‘

This text finds a place in our Advent liturgy as Christian writers interpret this as a reference to Christ. This idea is further reinforced a few verses later:

I see him-but not in the present,
I behold him- but not close at hand:
a star from Jacob takes the leadership,
a sceptre arises from Israel.

What’s special about Balaam is that he is a Gentile. He is held up for us here as an example of one who interprets the signs and acknowledges the coming of the Messiah.

You might be starting to feel a sense of urgency with your Christmas preparations. I always imagine that I have slightly more time than I actually do. The challenge each year is to be open to those glimpses of the Messiah in the ordinariness of our lives.

Where can you see God’s love made incarnate?