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Isaiah 40:1-11, Psalm 85, Mark 1: 1-8

John the Baptist calls us to repent, to allow a metanoia, a change of heart. How do we make that happen, though? We cannot just will our heart to change and expect a magic trick to have occurred.

The psalm offers us some guidance. The word shuv is often, as it is here, translated as repent, but in a stricter sense of the original Hebrew, it refers to the physical action of turning back to or towards (5, 6). When John calls us to repent, he is encouraging us to turn back to the Lord. Changing my heart is beyond my power but I can turn…it is a physical and spiritual action within my power. The implication is that our natural inclination, our intuition and instinct is to face the Lord; when we sin or do not live up to the ideals of scripture we have ‘turned away.’ 

To turn to the first reading, in reference to chapter 40, verses 3-11 in the Book of Isiah, the Paulist Biblical Commentary states, “Here, the revelation of God’s glory and God’s activity are not separate from each other, through the transformation of the landscape, all people will be able to see God’s glory.” This implies action on the Lord’s part… He is gathering and carrying and leading. 

The actions in these readings, taken as one whole, provide so much how-to information in regard to our repentance task list. The Lord is doing all the work… gathering, carrying, leading. All’s we have to do is turn towards Him, face Him, notice His presence… while He does all the work. We can do that, right? 

Journal Questions:

Does the idea of turning back to God resonate with me? If I am not currently facing the Lord, whom am I facing? When I speak with the Lord about it, what understandings come to me?

Mark 13:33-37

The gospel urges us to watch, wait and prepare for these three divine actions. The watchman in Jesus’ parable is waiting for his master… a man he has most probably met, served, and is already familiar with. He knows well who he was waiting for. The watchman might be tired and sleepy, perhaps out of fear he forces himself to remain awake. We do not know the watchman’s feelings towards the master, however, so his motivation could just as easily be the excitement of reuniting with someone he cares about.

Many of the writings of the prophets, the Book of Revelations, and many gospel passages are considered apocalyptic literature, a genre which explains or details the end of time. The theological term is eschatology or eschatological. These end times are typically portrayed as dark and perilous, full of angst and regret. This gospel moment, however, alludes to birth and the return of the Master as an upbeat and cheerful event.

If there is a term for literature focused on the end time, should we not have one which specifies literature about new time and new beginnings? 

TS Eliot explains the connections between beginnings and endings beautifully in his Four Quartets:

In my end is my beginning…

What we call the beginning is often the end

And to make an end is to make a beginning.

The end is where we start from.

These words are very true in reference to the Kingdom and the Second Coming, as well as our lives on Earth. These events are endings for sure. But that means they are beginnings, as well. Advent is the time to reflect on this both-and situation. What in our lives might we bring to a close? What new experiences are waiting for us?  

Journal Questions

1. When did something in my life end? Did a new beginning came from it? Looking back, what do I know now about it, which I did not recognize at the time?
2. When have I enjoyed waiting for someone or something and when has waiting caused me anxiety? Do my feelings differ if waiting for someone I know vs. an unknown person or event?

Matthew 25:31-46

We would not call a king loving just because he takes care of his subjects, but to refer to care-taking tasks as obligation or duty would also be misleading. He is being who he was born to be, fulfilling his destiny. Perhaps we too, are born to be open-hand and open-hearted: perhaps compassion is a characteristic of human genetics. Maybe urging someone to be lavishly selfless and kind is as silly as urging a bald man to be bald.

The joy and delight we find in bestowing gifts and favors on others suggests to me, generosity is a characteristic of being human. We may not always witness such an over-flow of love, sociologists and psychologists offer many explanations as to the why not. This, however, does not mean it is not inherent to humanity.

Jesus is speaking to His disciples about taking care of others. Characterized as sheep and goats, they ask the when have we done this question repeatedly. This implies they are unaware of their own behavior, whether commendable or condemnable. They could be being characteristically dim, but maybe the words describing an observable good deed did not match the internal, benevolent, overwhelming compassion which compelled such behavior.

Perhaps, sweeping and all-encompassing love, with its attending generosity, are components of our autonomic spiritual systems, which, like breathing, changes in character when attention is called to it.

In Jane Austen’s Persuasion, when thanked for caring for Louisa after her accident, Mrs. Harville responds, “It is not kindness to do what we are happy to do.” Likewise, Colonel Brandon (Sense and Sensibility) dismisses expressions of gratitude after helping the Miss Dashwoods by replying, “I am embarrassed to be thanked for what was a great privilege.” In being loving and caring, Mrs. Harville and Colonel Brandon, King and Shepherd, disciples and Church are being who they were born to be.

Naming a compassionate deed as such may accidentally serve to separate the compassion from its whole, as if it is removable from a person, as if it’s a component of, but not integral to, human nature. Such identification may alter its character. In noticing and naming selfless, instinctual, boundless love, we have given it shape, form and consciousness which makes it other than what it was prior to the identification.

A dilemma… if we notice and name generosity and mercy as such, we change them into something else altogether: from something sublime and spiritual into something chunky and clunky resembling charity. We strip the generosity of its the divine, limitless, lavish love… the love scripture invites us into. But if we don’t notice and name it, we miss the open-hand and open-hearted goodness and generosity woven into genetic make-up of the people we encounter every day. A divine paradox and puzzle indeed; one that is a privilege and happiness to ponder!

 Journal questions:

1. How do I thank the Lord for the privilege and happiness of having opportunities to fulfill my autonomic, genetic disposition towards generosity and compassion?
2. Not all global citizens have the opportunity to fulfill this genetic propensity towards generous, benevolent care of others. How do we help others find opportunities to do so?

Proverbs 31: Matthew 25:14-30

Chapter 31 of the Book of Proverbs is the last and is an acrostic poem centered on the wisdom of the ideal woman. While there are twenty-two stanzas that detail such idealism, among other things, the ideal woman uses what she has, proficiently and efficiently, and is delighted to do so. In other words, she uses both the supplies and materials at hand, as well as her own skills and talents, to provide for others, mainly her family. 

To Jesus’ parable of the talents and the servants… We do not know if the servants proved themselves worthy of the opportunity to invest the landlord’s talents, but nonetheless, the landlord took a risk in trusting his money to them. We are told by the third servant he is greedy and demanding, however, he does not take away the servants’ existing or earned money. The landlord instead provides them each with the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of greater trust and responsibility: ultimately sharing his joy in their success with them.

Jesus tells this parable after He and the disciples have journeyed to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover; immediately before the Passion. While we consider our life an odyssey to the Eternal Wedding Banquet, it is first a pilgrimage to the Cross and one we travel with others.

It is safe to say, the Lord gives gifts to the one to benefit the all. He bestows specific gifts and talents intentionally; they are sufficient and significant regardless of proficiency. In other words, we might not think we are the best at something, but our talent will be enough for the Lord to use to fulfill His intentions. Like the wise woman in Proverbs, we are to apply our gifts and talents, insights and knowledge. We are to use them to connect others to Jesus’ Passion, to help us overcome the personal crosses we bear, and to benefit and build His Kingdom on earth.

In this day and age, we know about the living situations of others around the world, the disparity between opportunities afforded to some but not most, and the Church’s social teachings. Therefore, for the sake of others, discovering our gifts, developing them to the fullest extent possible, and using them as often as opportunity presents itself is an urgent imperative. While we must notice and thank God always for these opportunities and the gifts themselves, should we not use them to inspire, create and encourage similar opportunities for others as they pilgrimage with us to Cross and Kingdom?

Journal Questions:

• How might I use my gifts and talents differently if I considered my life a pilgrimage to the Passion?
• What opportunities have I been given to discover and develop my gifts and talents?
• Keeping in mind we pilgrimage together to Cross and Kingdom, how do I employ them to inspire, create and encourage similar opportunities for others?

Wis 6:12-16: Matthew 25:1-13 

Our first reading is from the closing of the first section of the Book of Wisdom, and is primarily descriptive praise of wisdom. The writer is clear that pursuing wisdom is easy and enjoyable. She is transparent and easily seen, therefore, if one doesn’t see her, one is looking away and not paying adequate attention. Secondly, she will be there when one seeks her. 

Similarly, in this gospel moment, Jesus is explaining the need to pay attention and the ultimate consequence of not doing so. Of the ten maidens waiting and watching for the bridegroom, half run out of oil for their lamps, but they do not give up, slink home and crawl into bed. They travel to town, despite the late hour, in hopes of buying oil. The wailing and gnashing of teeth seems a harsh punishment for poor organizational skills and does not present a patient and merciful, compassionate and forgiving Lord.

Jesus invites us to wait and watch for Him, to ultimately join the wedding feast. While exclusion from such a day may lead us to question the Lord’s forgiving nature, He wired into our spiritual DNA the desire to be with Him. To allow us to do so is the ultimate act of mercy.

We cannot accept such an invitation, however, if are not paying attention. Attention, like time, is one of God’s gifts to humanity that is often underrated. But it is one of the gifts given so we can understand both His love and His Kingdom. Because the concept of God’s love and the Kingdom are communicated with common metaphors and language, it is easy to lose sight of the epic and magnificent mystery of ‘life’ within the Kingdom. We also face the danger of forgetting the profoundly generous nature of the invitation. 

These readings remind us to pay attention: like the maidens we must pay attention so we can perform our expected duties, and like those seeking Wisdom in the first reading, we must pay attention so we can see wisdom and what is right. Jesus suggests, as well, that we need to be paying attention to the ways in which the Kingdom is Here and Now. The phrase Already Not Yet is used to describe the Kingdom. We need to pay attention to the Already, so we are prepared for the Not Yet. 

Journal Exercise:

Recall and recount, with as much sensory details as possible, three experiences in your life of the Already nature of God’s Kingdom. Conclude by exploring the similarities and patterns in each of the three moments.