Month: December 2023

Greetings this fourth Sunday of Advent. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. This is the shortest Advent season possible in our church calendar. The fourth week of Advent is limited to just one day, and although we only have a few hours remaining until the eve of the feast of the Incarnation of our Lord, it is worth considering the important message we are presented with in the lessons appointed for this last Sunday in Advent.  

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Such simple words, yet profound. This statement of the Blessed Virgin Mary is known as her fiat. Not her car, although Fiat cars are also nice, but rather as the moment of her willing submission to the will of God in her life. In Latin, the word fiat means let it be done, and it has come to be used in representation of the attitude we see demonstrated in our lesson from the Holy Gospel this morning.

The Blessed Virgin Mary serves as a wonderful example to the rest of us, especially as we seek the grace of God to live out our life of faith in this season of history. We can learn a great deal from her, and we should give careful consideration to how she responded to the will of God in this exchange. Mary provides for us an example of cooperation with God, of willful submission to His will. Her simple response had extraordinary consequences in bringing about the salvation of mankind. As we consider the implications of this passage, we should also consider how do we respond to God’s will?

The message the Angel Gabriel brought to Mary is extraordinary, literally, it is well outside of what is ordinary. The idea that she, a virgin, would conceive a child, is extraordinary. Now she does show some curiosity here, when she asks, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” This should not be taken as a statement of disbelief or doubt as in Zacharias’ response to Gabriel when he announced that Elizabeth would conceive in her old age. He did not believe it was possible, he doubted the message from God. Mary is not showing doubt here, but curiosity, which I think is very much appropriate.

I am sure she knew the normal way in which babies were conceived, and if an Angel appeared to you and told you that you were to conceive a child, I would think you might be curious as to the method as well. It is something we might be interested in knowing. Now the response from Gabriel only furthered the miraculous nature of this announcement. You will conceive a baby and remain a virgin. And that’s not all, your old barren cousin Elizabeth has also conceived in her old age. Now Mary could have responded in disbelief like Zachariah, and said something along the lines of: Yeah right? That’s not happening. How often are we guilty of thinking such things?

I was once told that if your dreams are something you can achieve all on your own, they are not big enough and they are probably not inspired by God. We are called to be people of faith. A people who do not see the limitations of this world, the likely outcomes, the probable trajectories as finite. We know that God can and does operate outside of those limitations. To Him, they are nothing. Now that does not mean we can just do whatever we want to do with no thought to natural law, that is obviously not true. If so, our children would probably be flying all over the sanctuary right now. But it does mean that when God calls you to something, even something that you cannot conceive a path to achieve, we should trust Him.

We should say yes, let it be to me. We should have our own fiat moment. In fact, our lives should be lived in fiat to God. This attitude we see from the Blessed Virgin Mary, should be the attitude with which we approach each and every day. Let it be to me according to your word. Do not allow yourself to be limited to only those things you can conceive of, only those things that make sense to your mind, or align with your experiences.

God can do wonderful things through you if you will just trust Him. There are so many things in my life right now that I would have never thought possible. If you had asked me as a teenager what my life would look like two or three decades later, I would not have been able to describe anything like what God has done. We must be willing to submit to Him, to His will, to the journey He has called us to, to tasks He has ordained for us. We must not allow doubt or logic or our perceived limitations to get in way.

Will you cooperate with God, will you say yes to the things he is calling you to? Let it be to me according to your word. Now this will certainly not always be easy. Imagine what must have been going on in Mary’s mind as she pondered Gabriel’s message. She was old enough to know what happened to young women who found themselves pregnant when they were not supposed to be. She knew that saying yes would come at a price.

Now, she could have said to Gabriel, are you crazy, do you have any idea what this will do to my reputation? I will be ruined; they may even stone me. And how often is that our response? To dismiss the thoughts and dreams God has placed in our hearts as crazy notions that will lead to our ruin or destroy our reputation, our precious image we have worked so hard to build. Do not let your image, your façade become an idol that replaces God as the object of your devotion. It happens far too easily and to more Christians than we might imagine.

Mary could have opened negotiations with God. Something like, yeah sure, but let’s talk about this. That all sounds great and all, but could we maybe think about having this happen in a couple of years. I’ve sort of have a lot going on right now and I’m just not sure if the timing is right. If we wait, people won’t talk as much, I’ll be in a better place to give this project the attention it deserves. Could you imagine the absurdity of such a thing? But how often do we do just that?

How often do we negotiate with God as though our feeble little minds could see some perspective that He does not? We often negotiate ourselves right out of His will and right back into our own comfort zone. But we are not called to be comfortable. There is nothing really comfortable about Gabriel’s message to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Even with his explanation, there is still much she does not know. But still, she says yes. She cooperates with God in simple willful submission to His will. Let it be unto me according to your word. May that be our attitude—our prayer each and every day. Let it be unto me according to your word.

Almighty and loving Father, without Your grace, we cannot hope to respond to Your holy will, but we trust that your grace and mercy are bountiful. Help us to cooperate with You, to respond to You as Your servant Mary did, in willful submission to Your will and trust in You, that we may serve You faithfully in each and every task to which You have called us. We ask this through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and evermore, Amen.

Blessings,

Kenneth++

Abbot, OSC

Gaudete!

Blessings to you this third week of advent. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. This week many of us light the rose-colored candle in our advent wreaths and may even notice rose colored vestments and paraments in our parishes. They are indeed rose, in case you are wondering, not pink. As our preparations of heart and mind, hearth and home, continue during this most blessed season of hopeful anticipation we pause to recognize the joy of this season. 

Some, however, may be wondering, is joy even still possible in the midst of my current circumstances. There are many throughout our communities, our parishes, and throughout this world, who continue to suffer in fear, sickness, loneliness, and depression. As we prepare for another national election in the coming year we are faced with how divided and polarized our national is. Is joy still possible? 

It may seem as though, here in midwinter, is not the best time to consider Joy, but I would argue it is especially appropriate. Is joy still possible? 

Yes, and not only is it possible, it is expected. We are children of God, and that means we have an eternal hope. Hope which is not dependent on our circumstances. It is from this hope, that our joy is derived, not from our circumstances, not from the conditions of the day. 

As we review the lessons from Holy Scripture appointed for this third Sunday in Advent, there is much to consider. The Prophet Isaiah adds his voice to the chorus which foretells of a time of great peace and blessing, a time when the circumstances of this age are replaced with the peace of God, a time of rejoicing, joy, and gladness. This is echoed by Saint Paul in his epistle to the Church in Thessalonica when he tells them, and us, to rejoice always. 

In fact, he gives a set of instructions to them, which are surly profitable for us as we consider this season of hopeful anticipation, of readying ourselves for the coming of our Lord. “Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”

This list of 14 instructions, is our marching orders. This is what is expected of us, and how we hope to find peace in this life and live with Joy. How many of these instructions align with our current cultural norms? Not many—which is why our culture is so lost in hopelessness and despair right now. 

We have become a society which has lost sight of God and who has idolized happiness. Throughout our nation’s military culture, we are fixated on building resilience; it is worked into almost everything we do. How does this activity, this initiative or effort contribute to resilience and readiness? 

The reason this is such a focus for us is because it is clearly absent in our formations and in our culture at large. We are not a ready and resilient culture, because we have lost sight of the source of resilience and have become fixated on the very thing that often undermines it. 

There is not genuine resilience outside of God, period. Every other attempt is a cheap imitation and temporary fix to a problem that so many just don’t understand. Human beings were not meant to live separated from God, that was not the intent, that is not how we were designed, and there is absolutely nothing we can do get around that. 

No matter how many esteemed celebrities, politicians, and billionaires may try find some other way, the truth remains, there is but one way, and that is Jesus Christ. They are lost because they have lost sight of God and have replaced him with the idol of happiness. This is what is often confused with Joy, but not only is it a cheap imitation, it is often the very thing that robs us of our joy. 

To idolize happiness is to chase after what makes you feel good. To prioritize the moment. It is short-sighted and self-focused. Lost in the promise of instant gratification.  

Joy, on the other hand, often comes at the denial of happiness. We are happy eating the doughnut, but then depressed looking at ourselves in the mirror a week later. Some may be happy to go out partying with friends, to live for the moment, but then depressed just a few hours later, locked up in jail for drinking and driving.  Many are all too happy to jump into bed with whomever has caught their attention, only to be depressed when diagnosed with some STD or unwanted pregnancy. 

There is not much good that comes from chasing happiness. The pursuit of your immediate happiness often robs you of your lasting joy. As Christians, we are called to a disciplined life. We do not just eat and drink what we like, when we like. We do not just chase after our own indulgences and disordered affections. We realize that often joy comes from sacrifice. 

The joy we feel when we are able to truly help others. The joy of a parent who spends years sacrificing their own instant gratification, to see their children become honorable men and women. The joy of community, good health, and faith which comes from daily sacrifice and discipline. We are called to joy, but more importantly, we are called to live our lives in such a way that conditions are set for joy, and that is the true value in Saint Paul’s instructions.

So yes, joy is still possible today, it is possible, and it is expected as part of a life lived consecrated to Christ. As we consider how we might follow in the example of Saint John the Baptist, to be a voice in the wilderness of this time and this culture, to make straight the path of the Lord, let us do so with Joy. May our focus be in making ourselves ready for our Lords return so that, like Saint John, we might find our joy complete in hearing the voice of our Bridegroom, Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Lord, may we truly be found a people acceptable in Your sight at Your return. Grant us the grace to repent, to reorient ourselves to You in every aspect of our lives. To not become lost in the pursuit of fleeting happiness but rather grounded in the joy of Your perfect love. We ask this in Your most honored name Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and evermore. Amen.   

Blessings, 

Kenneth++

Abbot, OSC