December 5, 2017

Dec. 5

December 5, 2017:  Tuesday, 1st week, Advent

See over 20 connections with today?
Legend below
Thanks, Sr. Rosa,
today's guest dresser
Listen
For Psalm 72
Pope Francis
Homily:  Every Christian is like a shoot the Spirit rests on, the spirit of wisdom, intelligence, counsel, fortitude, knowledge and fear of the Lord, the gifts of the Spirit that grow from bud to fullness.  This is the promise, God's Kingdom, and Christian life.
You're a sprout of the root that must grow with the Spirit's power to the Spirit's fullness in us.  Our task is to safeguard the sprout, this growth, the Spirit, by adopting a lifestyle resembling Christ, the path of humility.  It takes faith and humility to believe this bud, this gift, will grow to the fullness of the Spirit's gifts, and to believe the Father has hidden these things from the wise and the learned and revealed them to little ones.  Humility means to be small, like the sprout that grows to fullness through the Spirit's power.
Being humble isn't being polite, courteous, or closing your eyes in prayer; it's being able to accept humiliations.  Humility without humiliation is not humility.  The humble can to endure humiliation like Jesus, the Great Humiliated.  Many saints not only accepted humiliations but asked for them, to resemble Jesus.  Lord, grant us the grace to safeguard this smallness towards the Spirit's fullness without forgetting the root, and by accepting humiliation.
To academics:  I hope today's awards encourage reflection the centrality of the human person and keep the concept alive.  St. Augustine took his cue from personal experience; his Confessions offers us such wisdom.  It's so important and significant to know yourself (Augustine, De vera religione and Tractates on the Gospel of John); the concept is also central to other classical writers and philosophers and essential today.  Speak to the hearts of young people.  Safeguard the Latin tradition to educate them in life and accompany them on paths of hope and trust, drawing from the experience and wisdom of those who have with joy and courage "looked within" to follow their identities and vocations.
Read
    (Animate)
  • Is 11:1-10  From the stump of Jesse a shoot shall sprout and a bud blossom.  The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.  He'll judge the poor with justice.  The wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie with the kid; the calf and the lion shall browse together, with a child guiding them.  Cow and bear shall be neighbors.  The baby shall play by the cobra’s den.  Earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord. Gentiles shall seek the root of Jesse, for his dwelling shall be glorious.
  • Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17  "Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever."  The king shall govern with justice.  He shall rescue the poor and the afflicted.  He shall save the lives of the poor.  In him shall all the earth be blessed.
  • Lk 10:21-24  “I give you praise, Father, for you've revealed to the childlike things hidden from the wise.  The Father has handed all things over to me.”  To disciples:  “Blessed your eyes; many desired to see what you see and hear what you hear.”
Reflect
  • Creighton:  God’s love is so great, it disrupts what we view as natural order - wolves and sheep, calves and lions, and cows and bears become friends.  We need to make room for Jesus; that requires willingness for things to be moved around.  How do I need to make room now?  How can I foster willingness to let God's love disrupt my order?Praying Advent
  • One Bread, One Body:  "Seeing as God sees":  Half of the animals mentioned in the 1st reading are predators (wolf, leopard, lion, bear, cobra, adder), the rest, prey (lamb, kid, calf, cow, baby).  Predators would need a new nature to not resist prey.  On God's holy mountain, in his kingdom, a new order is in place.  God gave us a new nature at our baptism; if we ask, he'll give us eyes to see it.  We'll see criminals as potential "good thieves."  The "learned and clever" assume predators will eat the prey, but the childlike, who see as God sees, see them acting with new natures, eating "hay like the ox" instead of prey; they the Lord's opponents potentially desiring unity and life and so treat them with love rather than fear.  The "wise" look at the exterior; the childlike into the heart.  Though we live in a predatory world, we're called to not be of it, to evaluate situations spiritually, not with worldly eyes. Blessed the eyes that see what we see, what the Almighty sees.
    Root of Jesse/ Sr. Ansgar Holmberg, CSJ
  • Passionist: The Christmas story unfolded in a way no human person expected.  The incarnation is more about God’s ability to enter our experience with beauty and surprise.  Those who embrace this share in God's joy and delight.  Part of Advent is about better understanding and appreciating this truth; I think it's why Jesus affirms the children in the gospel.  Their innocence allows them to believe beyond limitations which cripple us adults.  They see how wolves, lambs, leopards, kids, calves, and lions can get along together, “with a child to guide them.” Isaiah continues, “There shall be no harm or ruin....”
  • DailyScripture.net:  "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!"  Jesus remarked that prophets and kings longed to see and understand God's plan.  When David’s throne was overthrown and vacant, God promised to raise up a king from the stump of David's father Jesse to rule forever because the Spirit of God would be with him.  Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would have the gifts of the Spirit.  He'd establish God's kingdom, not by force but by offering his life.  Jesus, Messiah-King, defeated Satan, overcame death, and won pardon and reconciliation.  God's plan of redemption included everyone.  Jesus makes us citizens of heaven, God's friends.  The Lord wants us to live in hope and expectation that he'll return to establish his kingdom of justice and peace.
Jesus' prayer tells us God is loving Father and Lord of earth and heaven, Creator of all; it also warns us that pride can keep us from God.  Pride closes us to God's truth and wisdom, while the simple of heart see purely, acknowledge their dependence on and trust in God, and seek God.  Simplicity is wedded with humility, inclining the heart to grace and truth, allowing God's grace to take root, inclining us towards God, disposing us to receive his help....

Dress legend
  • 'Tree' pin:  A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse (1st reading)
  • Car pin with mouth (and lips):  He'll strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of his lips (1st reading)
  • 'Dove' pin:  The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him (1st reading); Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit (gospel)
  • 'Owl' tie pin:  The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:  a Spirit of wisdom...  (1st reading); You've hidden things from the wise but revealed them to the childlike (gospel)
  • Belt:  Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt (1st reading)
  • 'Snake' pin, 'hand' tie pin:  The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair (1st reading); "my Father 'hand'ed all things over to me" (gospel)
  • 'Scales of justice' tie:  He'll judge the poor with justice (1st reading); justice shall flourish (psalm)
  • 'Peace sign' tie bar:  Peace will flourish (psalm)
  • 'Lamb,' 'cow,' 'lion,' 'bear' pins/tie bars:  Wolf as lamb's guest, calf and lion together, cow and bear as neighbors (1st reading)
  • 'Alps' pin:  There shall be no harm on my holy mountain (1st reading)
  • 'Children' pin:  A child will lead them (1st reading); You've revealed hidden things to the childlike (gospel)
  • 'Eyeball' tie pin:  Blessed the eyes that see what you see (gospel)
  • Purple suspenders:  Advent season
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