Yes!

"May it be done to me according to your word."  Lk 1:37

In a remarkable and evocative homily about Mary's response to the angel Gabriel, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, an 11th century Benedictine and reformer, speaks for us all in urging Mary to say yes to God and yes to us. Bernard asks Mary:

Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Believe, give praise, and receive. Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident. This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence. In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous. Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary. Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator. See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter. If he should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow you would begin to seek him afresh, the One whom your soul loves. Arise, hasten, open. Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word.(1)

Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving. Bernard's challenge to Mary is actually addressed to all of us. Advent is not a time to dally or delay, not a time for virginal simplicity. It is a time to say yes without fear.  God needs to be born in us again today, not tomorrow or in the New Year.  God depends upon us in our weakness, fear and sin to accept his hand and assurance that with God all things are possible. Unless we ask for the grace of going beyond our imagination, we cannot hope to arise, hasten and be open.  With God all these actions are not only possible but necessary and Mary's yes assures us of this.  May it be done to us according to your word!

Today, even if you are living in darkness, say Yes to God. The desired of all nations is at your door.

Nehemiah, Model Leader

“How could I not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been eaten out by fire?" (Neh 2:3)

The book of Nehemiah offers us a wonderful map for leadership even today. The prophet’s first task was to face the reality of Jerusalem’s destruction in the context of prayer. After acknowledging his pain and desire to help, he approaches King Artaxerxes, who he was serving as cup bearer, to ask for a “leave of absence” so he can return to Jerusalem and help the people rebuild the holy city. More, after Artaxerxes grants his request, he asks for letters of protection on his journey to Jerusalem which the King also grants. Finally, on arriving in Jerusalem, he quietly surveys the damage to the city and realizes he cannot address the devastation by himself. Consequently, he organizes the people already there and assures them that if they work together they can both rebuild the city and protect themselves from their enemies. Miraculously, Nehemiah and all his compatriots rebuild Jerusalem in 52 days.

Nehemiah’s steps as a leader are clear. Pray, reflect, assess and discern what can be done, organize those most affected, and act together. For those of you experienced in community organizing, these steps are self evident, but they have not always been followed carefully in our church and nation. While I do not think we can impose prayer on our civil leaders, surely it must be the foundation of church leadership. Only with prayer can we come to terms honestly and openly with the struggles our church is experiencing in the United States today. Without prayer, which can free us of the strangling fear that makes new initiatives die on the vine, we will be using old models and paradigms which are overly hierarchical and clerical to address the needs of our church in the 21st century. The Second Vatican Council was clear when it urged bishops and pastors to seek out qualified lay women and men, who are called by baptism to serve the entire church, (Lumen Gentium, Chapter 4, #31) to take their rightful place alongside the hierarchy in leading the church. (1)

My own experience in leadership inside the Capuchin community makes this abundantly clear.  Without the marvelous men and women who have joined our efforts at renewal and used their considerable skills and resources to energize us, we could not have faced the issues of declining numbers and diminishing monies with openness and creativity.  With them we have hope.  When we pray, face the reality of our situation, discern carefully what can be done and work together, we build God's reign in powerful new ways.

Today ask Nehemiah for honest hearts with which to face our problems as a church and work together to address them.

Padre Pio

"But who do you say that I am?" Lk 9:20

One of the most important and uncomfortable steps in the spiritual life is letting go of the ideas and practices with which we grew up.  As a child I was taught, or believed, that morning prayers, prayers before class in the parochial school, meal prayers and night prayers were all I needed to learn and do as a good Catholic boy.  Of course, I was also expected to go to Mass on Sunday, confess my sins most Saturday's (as long as I could avoid Fr. D who was loud and harsh!), and learn to serve mass. But none of  these practices were my prayers. They were obligations  I had to fulfill, not celebrations to enjoy.  To be a catholic, I thought, was to wait upon God's grace and be thankful when it came.  I went to mass, waited for the priest's word to which I would respond and waited for his absolution, all actions done to me, not something I initiated.

Of course, these practices and my attitude were supposed to change as I grew into adulthood, but it was difficult.  Becoming responsible for myself, not just in the prayers I spoke or recited, but for finding time to pray quietly and entering more deeply into the mystery of God's love was a stressful transition.  Like most of us, I imagine, I preferred that mother church prepare and serve the evening meal, and I would eat gratefully and joyfully.  But the church pushed me, especially after the Second Vatican Council, to learn how to cook, to take responsibility for feeding myself and others.  It was difficult, and sometimes still is but clearly it is our personal responsibility to gather with other people of faith, reflect on the scriptures and mysteries of the church, and live an active and responsible Catholic life. We are not called to be passive recipients of grace, but active players in the mystery of salvation.

Today I want to suggest that Jesus' question to the disciples was hard for them to hear.  Jesus asks them who they think he is, but, I suspect, they wanted and expected him to tell them.  They would receive, respond and react to Jesus as he led them into Jerusalem. They were happy to be his foot soldiers and do the grunt work, but he would be the general and give the orders.  Nevertheless, perhaps out of his own anxiety, Peter responds quickly that Jesus is the Christ of God,  only to have his answer met with a rebuke not to speak too quickly for as yet he did not understand that the Lord would have to suffer much and would call upon him to bear heavy burdens. 

The joy in all of this is that, over time,  Jesus slowly revealed to Peter, his disciples (and us) the fullness of his identity and role, which allowed them to grow in responsibility, understanding and strength. Slowly they would not only understand but become the body of Christ on earth,  the hands and feet, the eyes and ears of Christ for others.  Most probably the disciples could not have even imagined this when they were new in the service of God, but it is clearly what they and we are challenged to be.

Letting go of the God who will do everything and allowing the Lord to shape us into the body of Christ on earth is not something that happens passively.  We don't simply sit and wait for God to act upon us. Rather, we are expected to be active participants in the life of God on earth.  Like all changes, this is not easy, but the Lord himself reminds us that "for human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible," (Mt 19:6), even that a camel could pass through the eye of needle. Don't be afraid.