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A Very Good King

30/11/2022

A Reflection on the Psalm for December 4th, 2022:
The Second Sunday of Advent

Psalm 72

R. In His days may righteousness flourish, and peace abound forever.

Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.

R. In His days may righteousness flourish, and peace abound forever.

In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
May he have dominion from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.

R. In His days may righteousness flourish, and peace abound forever.

For he delivers the needy one who calls,
the poor and the one who has no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.

R. In His days may righteousness flourish, and peace abound forever.

May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him;
may they pronounce him happy.

R. In His days may righteousness flourish, and peace abound forever.

This psalm is a prayer for a nation’s new king – that his rule may be just, his judgment righteous, and his help abundant and full of mercy. Reading this psalm today, a few months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II and with the coronation of her son, King Charles III, still to come in the new year, feels very strange. As a Canadian, I don’t think about monarchs very often – they really don’t impact my day-to-day life. Sure, we have a Governor General and the Queen’s image is all over our currency, but other than that, I don’t pay much attention at all. This prayer describes a very good king – one who delivers the needy, helps the poor and abandoned, and creates a land where peace abounds forever. Who wouldn’t want a king like this?

My mind jumped straight to Jesus when I read this psalm – maybe because I don’t think about our 21st century kings and queens all that much. I read it purely metaphorically, interpreting the words as a description of what Jesus, the King of Glory, will do when He comes. If this is a prayer for a good and just king, then Jesus is the greatest and most just king of them all. We as Christians form a nation who are indeed blessed in Him – blessed in the abundance of His mercy, blessed in the forgiveness that tempers His judgment, blessed in the sacrifice of His love. I find it funny that the last verse ends with “may they pronounce him happy,” because, surely, we are the ones who should be happy for having such a wonderful king.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of our leaders – municipal, provincial, federal, world – were like this king? In light of the past couple years, the picture painted by this prayer seems almost like a pipe dream. We can certainly pray for our leaders, pray for God to give them justice and righteousness and bring peace back to our world, pray that they will end the terrible wars and persecution taking place in so many countries. But on a micro scale, we can also strive to be kings and queens in our own lives and communities – no, I don’t mean wearing crowns and expecting royal treatment everywhere we go! Instead, we can act with justice, strive to uphold righteousness, offer our help and time and money to the poor, weak, and needy, and do our best to create nations of peace – to create places for God’s love to grow in hearts and souls through what we say and do, how we live, and how we love.

Kim Tan

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Inner Peace

29/11/2022

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A Reflection on the First Reading for December 4th, 2022:
The Second Sunday of Advent

Isaiah
11.1-10

On that day:
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand
as a signal to the peoples;
the nations shall inquire of him,
and his dwelling shall be glorious.

He is coming. Isaiah said so – long before He ever came. And what hope He brings. As I initially read through this passage, it presented itself to me in chunks.

In the first chunk, Isaiah prophesies what the Son has received from the Father: wisdom, might, knowledge.
In the second chunk, Isaiah tells us how the Son will receive mankind: with righteous judgement and equity.
In the third, we hear about the Son’s effect on the world: enemies become friends; danger becomes safety.
And last, a call to attention: to receive this peace we must orient ourselves to Him.

Isaiah really drives the point home when he describes the most dangerous predators gently coming alongside the most gentle and vulnerable species. As I pondered each relationship coming together, I squirmed a bit, and wondered, Is it even possible?

I hear God saying to me, “How do you define danger in your life?”
“What would your life look like if these dangers were to relent?”

At first, I considered relationships like the ones Isaiah describes here, relationships that are exterior to me, interpersonal relationships, coming together in peace. He has done this in my life. This is God’s work. It can only be accomplished through the deliverance of His Son. This unsettling pairing up of predator with prey is a display of God’s power to reconcile, and it is a glimpse of the gentleness of His purpose.

But in deeper reflection of the question He poses to me, “How do you define danger in your life?” it would seem the danger I fear most is within me. It is when I see both the tenderness of the weaned child and the ruthlessness of the adder within me that this passage truly becomes personal. God, in His omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, makes peace between the forces within me. He joins together that which the enemy has separated. He brings light into the world so that all may see – not a shadow left to stow away in.

But I must be still.

And when I am still, praying with Him, my anxious dog lies down beside me; my house lies quiet and safe. All the tension in my muscles softens. My mind is at ease.

He quiets my inner wolf, leading her to be still beside the Lamb.

“As the waters cover the sea,” so shall Your peace be in my body. Thank you, Father.

Lori MacDonald

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Be Ready

25/11/2022

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A Reflection on the Gospel for November 27, 2022:
The First Sunday of Advent

Matthew
24.37-44

Jesus spoke to his disciples: “As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.

“Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

I’m someone who likes to always be prepared. I keep a fully stocked hurricane kit in our apartment. When I travel, I have a schedule that runs down to the minute with all my plans. I make lists for everything from Christmas shopping to meal plans. But even I feel overwhelmed thinking about how to prepare for the end of all things.

Jesus warns us that no one knows when the end will arrive. This means that those who claim they’ve got the secret – 2012! Or is it 2000? Or was it 1881? – have all been wrong so far. I do understand the desire to be in control, to know what’s coming, to be able to predict the future. I love spoilers – it drives my husband crazy sometimes when I get curious about a movie we’re watching and just look up the plot summary. We know that one day, Jesus will return and the world as we know it will end. What’s missing is when, and that’s deliberate. We can’t put this off – we need to prepare now.

The readings for the first week of Advent often seem strange. While the world prepares for Christmas by shopping and decorating, we as Catholics prepare by reflecting on the end of the world as we know it. It’s a reminder to keep things in perspective and avoid getting so caught up in our day-to-day tasks and busyness that we forget what is truly important. I found myself thinking about how much work I put into getting ready for Christmas as a holiday – the hours spent making gift lists, shopping, choosing outfits, planning gatherings with family and friends. These aren’t bad things, but they can distract me from time spent preparing for the birth of Jesus.

It's common for people to see Lent as a spiritual reset – people give up something they feel too attached to, add a new prayer habit, take up a fast, or give alms. Advent is a great opportunity to do the same. In past Advents, I’ve spent more time reading scripture, added ten minutes of prayerful listening to my prayer routine, or received the sacrament of Reconciliation. These are just a few of the many ways we can prepare our hearts for the birth and eventual return of Jesus. By drawing closer to Him, we remind ourselves that the many worries and stresses of this world are temporary, but His love for us is forever.

This year, I’ve decided to commit to praying a daily Examen – a Jesuit form of prayer that is prayed at the end of each day, reflecting on the ways my actions that day brought me closer to or further away from God. It takes me about ten minutes and is a wonderful way to reset at the end of each day and recommit to starting fresh tomorrow in my faith. I encourage all our readers to find their own way to make space for spiritual preparation this Advent.

Jenna Young

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Putting on Christ

24/11/2022

2 Comments

A Reflection on the Second Reading for November 27, 2022:
The First Sunday of Advent

Romans
13.11-14

Brothers and sisters, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy.

Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

“Salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers.” Do we believe this? For me, it can sometimes feel like all I do in my faith life is backslide. When I remember the passion of my youth, of when I first came to know the Lord, I can’t help but think that I must have been closer to salvation then than I am now. I remember those days of wanting to spend all my time in the church, of wanting nothing more than to be in God’s presence. Every moment with God was so full of mystery and intensity and fervour.

Prayer now is still a wonderful experience, but it is a much quieter one for me. My relationship with Christ no longer has many words, and is lived out much more often in relationship and in service to those around me. The temptation is to believe that because this is less intense, less transcendent, it is therefore somehow less real.

Looking with eyes of faith, I see that St. Paul’s words here are true for me. They are true for all of us, as every moment inevitably brings each of us closer to the moment when we will meet God face to face. But they are also reflected in my life of faith. Christ continually draws closer to me, and draws me closer to Him in all those I meet. We “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” as we come to know Him and to follow Him. It seems logical that as He comes closer, our words fall away, the distance between me and Him is diminished, and our relationship becomes part of the fabric of every moment, not just those of high intensity and prayer.

As we enter into this season of Advent, we are invited again to draw closer to Christ. To dress ourselves in Him and to enter into the time of silent waiting as we watch for the day when we will be completely one with Him.

Sr. Gemma MacLeod

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A Very Good King

A Reflection on the Psalm for December 4th, 2022:The Second Sunday of Advent

Inner Peace

A Reflection on the First Reading for December 4th, 2022:The Second Sunday of Advent

Be Ready

A Reflection on the Gospel for November 27, 2022:The First Sunday of Advent

Putting on Christ

A Reflection on the Second Reading for November 27, 2022:The First Sunday of Advent

Archives

A Reflection on the Psalm for December 4th, 2022:
The Second Sunday of Advent

A Reflection on the First Reading for December 4th, 2022:
The Second Sunday of Advent

A Reflection on the Gospel for November 27, 2022:
The First Sunday of Advent

A Reflection on the Second Reading for November 27, 2022:
The First Sunday of Advent