SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
8 DECEMBER 2019
In
writing to the Christians in Rome, Saint Paul knew that he was writing to a
divided community. Some members had
grown up as fellow Jews like Paul himself.
But unlike Paul, they had trouble letting go of their customs. As the first people to receive the promises
made to the Patriarchs, they regarded themselves as better than the rest. They regarded eating with Gentiles as
defilement, making communal meals impossible.
The other members had grown up as pagans, knowing nothing of Jewish laws
and customs. They had no use for any
dietary laws. They made no effort to be
sensitive to their dietary restrictions.
There was a great divide, and it weakened the witness of the community
in the hostile environment of the city of Rome.
Saint Paul
directly addresses this lack of harmony.
He confirms that the Jewish Christians have received the promises made
to the ancient patriarchs. But he also
insists that these promises have been fulfilled so that the Gentiles might
glorify God. He urges both Jewish and
Gentile Christians to welcome one another, precisely in the way that Christ had
welcomed them. Christ had welcomed them
when they entered into the waters of baptism and emerged completely united with
him and with each other.
In this new liturgical year, we
will hear from the Gospel of Saint Matthew on most Sundays. He will recount the message of Jesus, the
Messiah. Jesus offers the gift of
salvation first to his fellow Jewish brothers and sisters. Then he offers that gift to the Gentiles, the
rest of humanity. When we celebrate the
Epiphany during the Christmas Season, Matthew will remind us that the first
visitors to the newly born child are not fellow Jews. They are the Magi, pagan visitors from the
east who bring gifts that identify the child:
gold for the king, frankincense for the Son of God, and myrrh for the
Suffering Servant. At the end of the
Gospel, which we will hear during the Easter Season, the risen Christ
commissions the Apostles to proclaim the Good News of salvation to the ends of
the earth, to the entire human family.
Jesus had called these Apostles from a group of people who had little in
common with one another. Matthew was a
tax collector, and Simon was a Zealot.
They should have been enemies. But
they decided to lay aside their past and their politics to work together for
the common good.
Through the
living Word of God, Saint Paul speaks to us.
We live in a deeply polarized world of sharp divisions. We tend to identify those who disagree with
us as enemies. We have familiar labels
for the “other” side, and we hold them at arm’s length. This is true both in our society and in our
Church. Saint Paul challenges us to
welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us.
Like Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot, we need to reach
out, say a kind word, and sit down and talk with one another. When challenged about our beliefs, need to
spend time to study and pray about our beliefs.
We need to speak the truth with love and respect.
During this
Advent Season, we prepare to celebrate the first coming of the Lord at
Christmas. He came as a tiny child and
was crucified as an adult. We also
prepare for his second coming in glory and majesty. Between those two comings, we are called to
recognize the hidden ways in which he comes to us now. Hidden in the forms of bread and wine, he
feeds us. Hidden in the words of
Absolution, he frees us from our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. John the Baptist speaks directly to us and
demands that we repent from our sinful ways and turn more completely toward the
Lord. If we take time to examine our
consciences and acknowledge the hardness of our hearts, perhaps we can more
readily find Christ, hidden in those we consider enemies or polar opposites.
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