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Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Feb 5, 2023

Light and Salt – Justice for the Poor

Salt of the earth, light for the world – the essential calling of the disciple is to live a life that shines with the goodness of the Lord, a light that shines in the darkness, so those who see it understand the glory of the Father in heaven. (Mt 5:13-16) Jesus is very clear on this point. It’s useless to live in a way that hides the light of love from others or that does not season interactions with love and care for others, because then God’s glory can’t shine forth into the world of human social life.

This insight of Jesus was not unique to him. We often think that Jesus thought up most of what he taught, but actually, there is a long tradition in Judeo-Christian thinking that focuses on the interaction between those who have the necessities of life and the power that goes with it and those who do not.

The prophet Isaiah spoke very clearly of this (58:7-10), in words that many of us first heard spoken by Jesus about the final judgement in which the “sheep” would be separated from the “goats.” “Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless, clothe the naked when you see them…” These words of Isaiah were spoken to a people returning from exile in Babylon. To the extent that they created a new society in which justice and care for the poor and oppressed were foundational, the light of that society and its people would break forth like the dawn into the world. The Lord would be present among them and be a source of protection and healing for them. “Light shall rise for you in the darkness…”

This kind of life is not to be a source of pride for Jesus’ followers. It’s certainly not a message that is easily accepted in a world in which those with power don’t easily share resources with those who have nothing to give them in return. But as St. Paul points out (1 Cor 2L1-5), the persuasiveness of the message of the Gospel is the result of the demonstration of Spirit and power that flow from the positive change that the foolishness of the message and lifestyle produces. Doing hurtful things leads to anger and revenge – an intensification of the evil that provokes them. Doing good things for others leads to more goodness being shared.

How does this play out for us today? We have a lot of social safety nets that are intended to help protect and support those who for one reason or another are unable to earn the money needed for food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, and education for themselves and their families. These programs provide essential support to a lot of people that we might not ordinarily realize are struggling.

As an insurance professional specializing in health insurance, I hear a lot of stories from people struggling to keep food on the table and a roof overhead for themselves and their children. I often work with middle-class people who suddenly find their income crashing and discover that what they always took for granted is not guaranteed for all in this country. I explain how the social safety net works, based on my own experience with it, and encourage them that it’s not the end of the world if they need to move to Medicaid (known as Medi-Cal in California) for a period of time. I encourage them to look at the supplemental nutrition programs for their families (aka, food stamps) and to take advantage of the help, so that they have a chance of getting back on their feet. Sometimes I work with people who will never be able to support themselves, due to illness or injury, including mental illness or addiction. It is a great joy to me to be able to offer help to those who are despairing of ever living a “normal life” again. On more than one occasion, I have had people react with tears of joy to know that their prayers have been answered and help is available. Not a common experience in the insurance field.

And yet, there are still folks who have even less and don’t qualify for this governmental help. We think of refugees and asylum seekers in this category. It’s not easy for them to get along and figure out how the very different legal and socio-economic systems here work. Lots of people are involved in helping and offering a welcoming hand to these new arrivals.

Once they have been here for a while, there are still obstacles. I worked with a young person the other day who is a DACA recipient. They can’t get a policy through the Affordable Care Act marketplace because we as a nation have not yet come to terms with the fact that these young people are ours just as surely as if they had been born here. We have raised them and educated them and shared our dreams, visions, and expectations with them. They have jobs and businesses and are giving back to the country which raised them. And yet some of us still want to throw them out because their parents brought them here so they could be safe from the violence or oppression in their native communities. Fortunately, my young client was able to afford insurance outside of the subsidized plans. Not all are so fortunate.

How do we react to the discrepancies in income and opportunity in our country. Do we work to make sure the hungry have enough healthful food to live a decent life? Do we complain that a homeless person has been given a cell phone so they can get medical care and other essential services? Have you tried to find a pay-phone in a telephone booth lately? Without a cell phone, it’s next to impossible to access basic services if one does not have a home.

As you may have guessed by now, these are questions and issues about which I am rather passionate! I see too many folks on a daily basis who are struggling and I know the great blessing that having folks who are willing to share their bread with the hungry, to clothe the naked, and find homes for the homeless can be.

If you ever wonder about the wisdom of the Gospels and of efforts to help those who struggle, I encourage you to volunteer with others from your Church community or other social service programs. Get to know some of the folks who serve and some who are served. There’s a tremendous richness in the encounter and a deep, deep faith among those who have nothing but faith to hold onto.

“Light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday,” says Isaiah. “Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father,” says Jesus.

Here we go on the journey together.

Readings for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A

Sunday Mass at Resurrection Catholic Community, Aptos, CA

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Jan 29, 2023

He Went up the Mountain

The Beatitudes are front and center in the liturgy today. Jesus goes up the mountain – just as Moses went up the mountain to receive the original Law, a short part of which are the 10 Commandments. Matthew’s positioning of this teaching as taking place on the mountain makes it clear that this is the new law which Jesus is bringing to all right from the beginning. (Mt 5:1-12a) It’s not given to him by God, as the Law was given to Moses. He is the one teaching them.

Yet what Jesus is teaching is not entirely new. The prophets long before the time of Jesus called the ordinary people, the humble of the earth, to follow God’s law, seeking justice and humility, speaking the truth, living in peace, and taking refuge in the name, the power, of the Lord. Jesus too speaks of the humble, ordinary folks of the earth. It’s not the rich and powerful who will make up the kingdom of heaven or make it a reality on Earth. It’s those who are not ambitious for power and fame but who are hungry for righteousness, for doing what is right and good rather than what might be more profitable. It’s those who are merciful and look at the world with pure hearts, those who work for peace and who mourn the losses caused by greed or ambition.

This is the new law Jesus brings to us, laid out right near the beginning of his public life, shortly after the call of his first disciples. Yet it’s not a law that will be easy to accept or to live by. He speaks clearly of persecution, insults, and evil worked against those who will follow this law. Still, the reward for faithfulness is the kingdom of heaven, a kingdom in which their hunger for justice will be satisfied, they will experience mercy and be comforted. They will be known as children of God. Not a bad outcome, all in all.

Easy to live this way? No. Not at all. Does it make sense in everyday life? No, not really. Yet it’s the foolish who live as he teaches who will show the way to life. It’s only through the grace, the help of God, that we can live this new way.

We have been called and have received an amazing gift, to live in the Lord and by the wisdom he brought to that mountainside. The kingdom begins as we live as he has called us to live, following the instructions he gave so long ago.

The Beatitudes are not the entire teaching from Jesus on that day on the mountain. As was the case with the original Law given on Mt. Sinai, there is much more that Jesus taught his disciples that day. We’ll be hearing more of this right into the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Here we go on the journey. Much to see and learn as we travel along the way with Jesus.

Readings for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Jan 22, 2023

A Voice Calls to You – Do you hear?

Have you ever received a phone call, a text, or a letter inviting you to an event or an activity that you would never have considered attending? It might even be an invitation to something that you didn’t know existed, something so totally out of character for you that you are surprised anyone would ever associate you with that!

My initial reaction in these moments is to decline. “No, I can’t possibly do that.” “I don’t have time.” Usually I don’t say, “Are you crazy? Why would you think I would ever be associated with something like that?” I may be thinking that, but I try to be polite as my mother taught me.

Nevertheless, there have been times when I didn’t say no to the invitation. Invariably, I have learned something important in the process.

I was never into rock and much of the contemporary music of my day as a teen and young adult. As a result, the thought of attending a Grateful Dead concert never entered my mind. Yet as an adult in the late 70s and early 80s, I was working with a group, the Seva Foundation, that was trying to combat preventable blindness in Nepal. (I discovered I was not good at fundraising in the process, but that’s another story.)

One of the folks with whom I was working knew someone from the Grateful Dead and was able to instigate the planning of a benefit concert that included some members of the Dead, along with many other folk and rock artists who were well-known musicians and activists. We were invited to attend as well.

That night, as we stood in line at the will-call ticket booth, a young woman ahead of us, clearly rather “spaced-out,” approached the booth. She went up to the window and warmly greeted Jahanara, who was handing out the tickets. Jahanara smiled and greeted her in return. It was clear the young woman was not there to pick up tickets, but it didn’t matter to Jahanara. There was a warm smile and a wish for a happy evening. Then the young woman walked away peacefully.

I have often reflected on that encounter. I don’t know that I would have had the grace that Jahanara exhibited that night. I might instead have been irritated that the young woman had wasted my time and that of the folks in line. But I think Jahanara’s response was the way Jesus would have responded. I have never forgotten that moment of grace.

Liturgically, we are in a time of hearing about the events in Jesus’ life that led to its climax with his passion, death, and resurrection. We have heard about John the Baptist’s testimony. Today we hear about what happened after John had been arrested by Herod but before his execution. (Mt 4:12-23) Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum and began his journey of preaching: “Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand.”

Capernaum is on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It’s a very big lake and many folks made their living as fishermen. As he walked along the lake, he saw Andrew and Simon throwing their nets into the lake. He called to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” That seems a crazy thing to say and they responded in an even crazier way. They left their nets right there and walked on with him. Then they saw two other brothers, James and John, in the boat with their father Zebedee. Jesus called them as well. They left their father and went off with him.

These were absolutely outrageous things to do. Totally irresponsible and unheard of. Yet because they heard the invitation and responded, they became witnesses to the greatest event of salvation history – the reconciliation of humanity with God.

Most of the time our own encounters with strangers don’t seem to have cosmic implications. Most of the people we meet on the street or in the grocery store are pretty ordinary folks, with ordinary lives and hopes. But I think we make a great mistake if we assume that because they seem ordinary, there is nothing special about them. Each of us is here for a reason. We mostly have no clue what that reason is, but God has a reason for each of us to be here. There is someone we are to greet. Someone with whom we are to share a smile. Someone who just needs to be seen by another person and treasured as one of God’s special ones.

When Jesus comes into our lives, it’s not generally going to be with trumpet blasts and fanfare. Very likely it will come in the form of an invitation to do or try something that we would not ordinarily do. Who would ever have thought the I would go to a concert and enjoy the music of the Grateful Dead? But I did and it was a wonderful experience. And in the process, I saw the Lord reaching out in kindness to a young woman who needed to hear a gentle word that night.

Jesus continues to walk among us, mostly unseen. He is present in each one of us and wants us to reach out to each other and to those we meet, sharing the great love the Father has for each of his children. We too are called to leave our ordinary “nets” and follow along with him. He will make us fishers of men, women, and children too.

A voice is calling. Do you hear him?

Readings for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Jan 15, 2023

I did not know him …

John the Baptist spoke these words about Jesus, “I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.”

The context for these words is not crystal clear when we hear them read at Mass. We are used to the stories in the first three Gospels, the Synoptics, that tell of John baptizing Jesus. We also have heard that the mothers of Jesus and John are cousins, so we expect that the boys would have known each other while they were growing up. But these assumptions aren’t necessarily correct. They come from our perspective as people from a culture in which kinship is established through the lines of both our fathers and our mothers. This was not the case in Jesus’ culture. One’s mother had to be Jewish for a child to be born a Jew, but kinship was established through the father’s line. Also, one child grew up near Jerusalem while the other grew up in Nazareth, several days’ journey to the north.

John the Evangelist, in his Gospel, also tells us about Jesus and John the Baptist, but this story has a different focus. (Jn 1:29-34) In the section of the Gospel that comes just before John identifies Jesus to his own disciples as the Lamb of God, John has been speaking with those who came out from Jerusalem to find out what the heck he was doing and to ask who was he to be doing it! That is one of the readings we typically hear in Advent liturgies. As we enter into Ordinary Time (that is to say, Counted Time), we hear the rest of the story.

John breaks his account of Jesus’ life into two books: The Book of Signs and The Book of Glory. Just before the Book of Signs, we find the Prologue, with its famous line, “In the beginning was the Word.” This is a new beginning of the history of the relationship between God and creation. Just as in Genesis, “In the beginning …” The Prologue summarizes the themes of the entire Gospel and notes that John came ahead to testify to the light so that others might believe when his identity became known.

The Book of Signs presents key events in the life of Jesus that point to his divine origin. Thus, the Book of Signs picks up the story with John’s testimony to those from Jerusalem: “There is one among you whom you do not recognize – the one who is to come after me..” The very next day, as Jesus came towards him, John suddenly exclaimed to those around him: “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! … I did not know him …”

In the Synoptic Gospels, written by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we are told that John baptized Jesus. In Matthew’s account, John demurs, but Jesus insists that they do it that way. Immediately afterwards, the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus like a dove and the words, “This is my beloved son” are heard coming from the heavens. John the Evangelist also speaks of this event, but with a different focus and in more detail. In his account, John the Baptist declares a second time, “I did not know him.” It was only when “the one who sent me to baptize with water told me” that the descent of the Spirit like a dove from heaven would be the sign of the chosen Servant or Son of God that he was able to recognize Jesus as the one.

John the Baptist immediately testified to what he had seen, telling his disciples that this man was the one, the long-awaited Lamb of God.

Isaiah also spoke of one or ones who would be Servants (or Sons) of God. (Is 49:3, 5-6) The terms were used interchangeably. These were ones called by God from among the people to be faithful to the covenant and lead their nation back to a right relationship with God as their nation was rebuilt. The rulers were not necessarily going to be the ones who would do it right. Yet God would call people from among the community and through them Jerusalem and her people would become a light to the nations and salvation would reach to the ends of the earth.

Paul too makes it clear in his greeting to the people of Corinth (1 Cor 1:1-3) among whom he had lived for over a year, that all of them, Jews and Gentiles alike, had been called to holiness in Jesus. To them and to us comes his greeting: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Today, I invite you to pray with me for the grace to see God’s servants among those I meet each day. In seeing ordinary folks who are living witnesses to love and grace and forgiveness in their lives, we begin to see the face of the Son of God among us as well. We don’t always recognize him. It’s way too easy to get focused on our tasks and responsibilities, our concerns and our worries. Yet he is there among us, day to day, in the middle of it all. At the grocery store. At school. At the office. Walking along the beach. Playing in a puddle. Helping someone shovel water out of a flooded home. All the many activities of our lives.

“I did not know him…” With God’s help and prompting, may we say with John, “Now I have seen and testified …” The Son of God is here with us now.

Readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Jan 8, 2023

Epiphany – The Light Shines Forth

A great light shining forth in the darkness. A manifestation of something unusual. A new understanding of something. All are included as meanings of the term epiphany and are not mutually exclusive. More than one meaning can apply to any particular situation.

Since ancient times, Christians have referred to various events in the life of Jesus of Nazareth as epiphanies. He was born. He was visited by wise men from the east. He was baptized. He was seen after the resurrection. All of these events have been described by the term Epiphany.

The Epiphany of the Lord, celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church on the first Sunday following January 1, is the day we remember the visit of the sages from the East. These scholars watched the skies for signs that something important was happening somewhere in the world. Each part of the sky, each constellation, carried a meaning. If something changed within that section, it meant something was changing for humans too. Accordingly, when they noticed a new light appearing in a region of the sky related to the land of Israel and to royalty, they went to see who had just been born. (They lived close enough to this event to go for a visit!)

St. Matthew (Mt 2:1-12) tells of their visit and gives us an historical time frame that also tells us approximately when Jesus was born. “In the days of King Herod …” Herod was king from 37 to 4 BC, so Jesus was born during that time. The travelers stopped at the royal palace to inquire for the new child, a reasonable thing to do, given that the child was born to be a king according to the stars.

The wise ones were sent on to Bethlehem, where indeed they found the child and his parents, no longer in a stable, but in a house. Their gifts were shared and they returned home without checking in again with Herod. An angel had warned them in a dream that Herod was not to be trusted.

This event was and is seen as the first time non-Jews were welcomed into the new manifestation of God’s kingdom of love for all humans. In the past, it had been understood that people would come from all over the world to Jerusalem, to the house of the Lord. But the full meaning of the prophecy of Isaiah (60:1-6) was not totally obvious. “Nations shall walk by your light … your sons come from afar and your daughters in the arms of their nursemaids.” These words originally were spoken in terms of the return from Babylon to Israel. But the early followers of Jesus understood them to refer to people of all nations who would become part of the people of God, children of the covenant centered in Jerusalem.

On this day we celebrate that we are included among the many nations that rejoice at the light dawning with the coming of Jesus. We bring the gift of ourselves to the community of faith. Together we offer our gifts and talents along with the bread and wine on the altar. We sing of three kings coming to visit a baby. May we also sing with reference to our own lives. “Star of wonder, star of night … guide us to the perfect light.”

If you have time and are so inclined, it’s fun to make a Kings Cake / Rosca de Reyes to share with family and friends on this day.

Illustration: The Adoration of the Magi in the Snow – 1563 by Pieter Bruegel the Elder – Look for the magi in the lower left corner of the painting!

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Jan 1, 2023

Mary of Nazareth – Mother in Faith

The first day of each new calendar year we celebrate the wonder of God’s blessing in becoming one of us. Without the consent of a young woman, barely past girlhood, it could never have happened. This is not a case of a deity forcing himself on a woman or seducing her. The child is not a demi-god. This child, born of this young woman, is fully human and fully divine. It’s a mystery that we can’t explain and it took many years before it was established as the formal, uncontested, belief of the community of Followers of the Way, the Christians.

We hear the blessing the Lord God instructed Moses to bestow on the people. (Num 6:22-27) “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” And how does God do that? In the fullness of time, God comes among us as a child, his very own Word made flesh, a son. And because of this great gift, we too share in the reality of being children of God. (Gal 4:4-7)

Was this just for the rich and powerful of the world? No. It was first announced to a teenage girl, who agreed to become the mother of this very special child, then to the man who would be his earthly parent, and when he was born, to shepherds. Shepherds were not admired or particularly respected folks. They lived with their sheep. But they heard the words of the angels and believed. They visited the child and his parents, then returned praising God for this gift. (Lk 2:16-21)

The Gospel today concludes with the statement that on the eighth day after his birth, the child was circumcised (making him a member of the Jewish community) and given the name Jesus, as instructed by the angel before his birth.

“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

We too are called to reflect on them. Mary became Mother of God. She wasn’t protected from the hardships of daily life. She didn’t always understand what was happening. She certainly didn’t expect this baby to grow up to become an itinerant preacher and miracle worker. Her heart was broken as she saw him die. Yet from the beginning, she agreed to be his mother, raising and loving him, reflecting on it all in her heart.

We honor her today and imitate her faith in our daily lives.

Readings for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 30, 2022

Family In Its Many Facets

Families come in many shapes and sizes. It’s something of a cliché to say that, but it’s true. We are each part of a family. Some are born into the family in which they grow up. Others are chosen and adopted into a family. Some are sheltered and loved by a family into which they were not originally born. But families are an essential part of the healthy development of any human being.

And about that many shapes and sizes part – there’s a lot of variation there too.

In some cultures, only one’s father’s side of the family are considered to be relatives. In others, it’s mother’s side. In a few (our own included), both sides of the family are relatives.

Then there are the “fictive kin” – the folks with whom relationships are established by choice of adults in the life of a child, or later by the individuals themselves. Godparents are fictive kin, for example, considered to be sharers in the responsibility of raising the child.

There are folks to whom we give kinship titles simply because they are older adults in our community or the network of friends of our relatives. We had several older women whom we called Grandma when I was growing up. One was the mother of an uncle by marriage. Another was the mother of friends who generously shared her love with us too. In some cultures, adult men and women are addressed as Uncle or Aunt.

And then there are the families that grow together in close friendship through many years spent together. We shared our lives with another family as children. Our parents became very close friends over the years. We traveled to see each other often and spent Thanksgiving together nearly every year. (The roads were too dangerous for regular travel again until February or March after that weekend.) When they moved to our community, we shared meals and time together at least a couple of times a week. We are still fond of each other and enjoy our time together.

These thoughts come to mind as we celebrate the Holy Family. Jesus was born into a family. When Joseph accepted Mary as his wife, he became the legal and social father of Jesus. How the conception of Jesus occurred didn’t matter. Joseph became Jesus’ father, responsible for loving him, teaching him, raising him to be a good man. Joseph did a fantastic job of being a father, just as Mary did a marvelous job of being a mother.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were not an isolated family. They lived, loved, and grew together within a community of other people in their village. This foundation prepared Jesus to go out when the time came and share the news that each of us is loved as a child by the Creator of all. We are so loved that we are to call that creator Dad/Daddy/Papa/Father. The term he used is Abba and is used by children to this day to speak to their fathers.

On this Feast of the Holy Family, let us rejoice in the gift of family and pray that in our lives we too will grow in wisdom, age, and grace through our days spent in ordinary activities and the special times that we share. May we each become part of a Holy Family too, dancing our way into eternity.

Readings for the Feast of the Holy Family

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 23, 2022

Sometimes things don’t go as expected.

Have you ever had one of those days when you get up in the morning with all sorts of plans and almost immediately they start getting derailed? I think they happen to all of us from time to time. Sometimes the plans can be picked up again the next day. Other times they are simply gone and we have to move on to the next step.

This kind of experience is not unique to people of our time. Ahaz in the eighth century BC was king of Judah. The Assyrians were moving south, conquering any nation that wasn’t willing to be one of their territories. Ahaz had to decide whether to ally his kingdom with that of Israel to the north, which was planning to resist Assyria, or whether to trust God to help and protect his kingdom and its people. The Lord told Ahaz to ask for a sign, anything at all, to indicate that the Lord would be with Judah in the days to come. Ahaz refused to ask for a sign and Isaiah spoke a prophecy of what would be the sign. “The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.”

Many generations later, a young woman was visited by an angel and agreed to become the mother of a child. The challenge was that she was only engaged, not yet married. The man to whom she was engaged cared about her enough that he didn’t want to denounce her to the authorities as having been unfaithful before she was even married. He decided to end the engagement quietly, so she could go away, have the child, and continue to live. The penalty otherwise could have been stoning.

Joseph went to sleep after making that decision and was visited in a dream by an angel, a messenger of God. The angel reassured him that Mary had not been unfaithful. The child had been conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. The angel told him the name he was to give the child. It was the same name given to Mary for her child when Gabriel visited her with God’s request. Jesus. The angel quotes the prophecy from Isaiah in which the child is called Emmanuel. The name Emmanuel means “God is with us.”

Joseph believed the words of the angel. He took Mary into his home as his wife. This descendant of David became the father of Jesus by choosing to accept him as his son. The ancient promise made to David that the Messiah would come from among his descendants was to be fulfilled. The sign given to Ahaz was also fulfilled.

Like Ahaz, Joseph, and Mary, we don’t always know what will come of the unexpected in our lives. We can only trust that somehow, God is in charge and will make things right.

Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle A

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 11, 2022

Here is Your God

Today is the Sunday known as Gaudete Sunday – Rejoice Sunday! The Third Sunday of Advent. The readings all point towards the coming of God’s kingdom.

Isaiah (35:1-6a,10) speaks of the God coming with vindication and recompense to save the people. When that happens, “the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will be cleared.” The lame will walk freely and those who are unable to speak will sing. Those ransomed by the Lord will return singing to their land. These words were spoken to a people invited to return to exile from captivity in a foreign land. Many needed a lot of convincing. They are in invitation to us as well. Will we need as much convincing?

Here is Your God.

Where? A question asked through the ages.

St. James (5:7-10) encourages the people of his time, “Be patient … until the coming of the Lord.” Farmers must wait for their crops to grow and mature. We too must wait for the kingdom to grow and mature. Don’t complain. The Judge will be here soon. Remember the prophets. The words they spoke reflected a reality that was to come, not a reality they were already experiencing. We too must be patient.

John the Baptist’s disciples asked Jesus point blank, “Are you the one who is to come?” (Mt 11:2-11) John had preached repentance and the coming of one who would judge wrongdoers. Was Jesus this one?

Jesus responded by referring to the words of Isaiah: “The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, … and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” This is the sign. These are the things that will happen when the Lord comes to rescue all of us.

Jesus did not repudiate John. He praised his cousin for his faithfulness to his calling – to be the one calling from the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord.

Jesus concluded his answer to John’s disciples with the words, “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

How do we recognize the coming of the Lord? Will it be through the advent of great signs and wonders in the sky, or floods and earthquakes, or other frightening things? No. It will be as we see God’s little ones receiving care and attention. Healing, education, shelter, adequate nutrition, and the chance to live with the dignity of the children of God.

Blessed are we when we do not take offense at the efforts of our sisters and brothers who work to bring social justice and peace to our world.

Rejoice! The Kingdom of God is near! The Lord is coming into our midst!

Readings for the Third Sunday of Advent – Cycle A

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 4, 2022

“A Shoot Shall Sprout from the Stump of Jesse”

Redwood trees in California grow to tremendous heights and can live for thousands of years. Their bark is highly fire resistant. Even when fires come, the trees historically have lived on, scorched, but still standing. They have very tiny cones for such large trees. Folks who visit redwood forests sometimes assume that these giant trees must have very deep roots in order to continue to stand tall through the centuries, sometimes supporting other trees and plants that grow high in their crowns. They wonder how such small cones can lead to the sprouting of such massive trees.

In actual fact, redwood trees have shallow roots. Their roots intertwine with those of the surrounding trees and together, they hold each other up. Their cones and tiny seeds are not essential to the continuation of the forest either. Though some trees can grow from seed, most do not. More commonly, new shoots sprout up from trees that have reached the end of their days and fallen to the ground. These new baby trees grow to new heights of their own. The fallen trees are sometimes called nurse trees.

Redwoods came to mind when I read the words of Isaiah (11:1-10) about the coming of the one who will restore peace among all creatures and with the Lord who made them. “On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.”

Jesse was the father of David, the shepherd who was secretly anointed to become the second King of Israel. Many years had passed and the kings of Israel were not always faithful to the Lord in their role as leaders of the nation. It was as if the tree of Jesse had been cut down or had fallen and died. Nothing remained but the stump – descendants of Jesse and the promise that the messiah would come from his line.

Isaiah reminded the people that the promise still remains. A new leader will arise from Jesse’s line. This new person will not be a corrupt king. No, the spirit of the Lord will rest on this one, bringing gifts that will set him apart from others. Wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, awe in the face of the wonder of the Lord. This person will judge justly, care for the poor, strike down the ruthless, do away with the wicked, and bring peace to the world. Even the world of the animals will become a place of peace in this vision. When this time comes, the Gentiles will see the signal set up from the root of Jesse and seek out the dwelling of the Lord.

It’s a wonderful picture, one which is still in the process of development. Like the growth of a redwood tree sprouting from the root of a fallen mother tree, it takes time and patience. Fortunately for us, the Lord has all the time in the world!

St. Matthew describes the mission of Jesus’ cousin John. (Mt 3:1-12) John was born about six months before Jesus. As an adult, he spent time in the desert. When he emerged from that sojourn, he began to call the people to repent and turn back to God. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He spoke of himself as a voice “crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord.” People came from far and wide to the Jordan River to hear his message. He baptized people there, symbolically washing away their sins by plunging them into the water of the river.

Religious leaders came out from Jerusalem to see what he was doing, and probably to tell him to stop. But he spoke out against their assumption that because Abraham was the father of the nation, God would not hold them to account for the wrongs they had done. “God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.” What was really needed was repentance for wrong-doing and a choice to live justly.

John spoke of the coming of his cousin, the one who actually was the promised messiah. “The one who is coming after me is mightier than I … He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.” A new day is coming. A new presence of the divine is coming into the world. Be ready. The shoot has sprouted and the Spirit of the Lord is upon him.

Many years later, St. Paul encouraged the Romans to endure in hope and in harmony as they live as a community of faith. There is to be no distinction between those who are Jewish and those who are Gentiles. Christ welcomes all. He came first to the Jews, in fulfillment of the prophecies and promises made over two thousand years of their history. But that doesn’t make the descendants of the first Israelites better than those who were not the children of Abraham, Isaac and his line. It simply means that the ultimate goal has now been reached. Gentiles are drawn to “glorify God for his mercy.” God’s actions among the Jewish people have borne the long-promised fruit. Humans are unified as one people again and all sing praise to God.

We are in the second week of Advent now. The coming of the Lord among us is both a remembered historical event that we will celebrate at Christmas and a daily event in our lives, as we meet him in the people with whom we interact each day. One day, we will also meet him when the angels lead us into the eternal kingdom.

How are we preparing? Are we taking time to notice the Lord’s presence? Are we rejoicing in the little things? Can we trust that everything that truly needs to be done in the next days and weeks will get done and what doesn’t get done is maybe not all that important?

Let’s promise each other that we will try to stop for a few minutes each day to reflect on the ways in which goodness sprouts from roots hidden deep in the ground, high in the trees, or within each person. May we be blessed with a recognition of the presence of the Lord in each day of our lives.

Readings for the Second Sunday of Advent – Cycle A

Here’s a good article on Redwood trees.