Photo: Tree and Tabernacle

 

Poem: “To Know the Dark” by Wendell Berry

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

Photo: Church at Night during the Solstice

 

Poem: “White Eyes” by Mary Oliver

 In winter 

all the singing is in 

the tops of the trees 

where the wind-bird 

 

with its white eyes 

shoves and pushes 

among the branches. 

Like any of us 

 

he wants to go to sleep, 

but he is restless – 

he has an idea, 

and slowly it unfolds 

 

from under his beating wings 

as long as he stays awake. 

But his big, round music, after all, 

is too breathy to least. 

 

So, it’s over. 

In the pine-crown 

he makes his nest, 

he’s done all he can. 

I don’t know the name of this bird, 

I only imagine his glittering beak 

tucked in a white wing 

while the clouds – 

 

which he has summoned 

from the north – 

which he has taught 

to be mild, and silent – 

 

thicken, and begin to fall 

into the world below 

like stars, or the feathers 

of some unimaginable bird 

 

that loves us, 

that is asleep now, and silent – 

that has turned itself 

into snow.

 

Poem: A Christmas Poem from John Bell (1745-1831)

Light looked down and saw the darkness.
‘I will go there’, said light.
Peace looked down and saw war.
‘I will go there’, said peace.
Love looked down and saw hatred.
‘I will go there’, said love.

So,
the Lord of Light,
the Prince of Peace
the King of Love
came down and crept in beside us.

Photo: Red Bulb

 

Prayer: Ambrose

O Lord, you have mercy on all. Take away from me my sins, and mercifully set me ablaze with the fire of your Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a human heart, an heart to love and adore you, a heart to delight in you, to follow and enjoy you, for the sake of Christ our Lord.

Photo: Preparing for Mass

 

Poem: “Advent” by Pamela Cranston (On a theme by Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

 Look how long 

the tired world waited, 

locked in its lonely cell, 

guilty as a prisoner.

 

As you can imagine, 

it sang and whistled in the dark. 

It hoped. It paced and puttered about, 

tidying its little piles of inconsequence.

 

It wept from the weight of ennui 

draped like shackles on its wrists. 

It raged and wailed against the walls 

of its own plight.

 

But there was nothing 

the world could do 

to find its freedom. 

The door was shut tight.

 

It could only be opened 

from the outside. 

Who could believe the latch 

would be turned by the flower 

of a newborn hand?

Visitations: The Fourth Sunday in Advent 2024

                                                                    Visitations:

The Fourth Sunday in Advent 2024

December 22, 2024

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

Micah 5:1-4; Psalm 80; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45

 

When praying over the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, one’s imagination can fill in the blanks for what Scripture does not tell us. We know it to be a tender sharing of joy between two women who become linked in salvation history. It is also a recognition of the future Messiah by the unborn prophet who prepares the way. What we come away with is a series of encounters that foreshadows what God is doing: setting up the encounter between the divine and human. 

 

Christmas is a time of sacred visitations and encounters. I believe this is what Christ wants for us because, as the author of Hebrews says, he gives us his body. He does want us to worship God, the Father, the Parent, but he does not care about liturgical sacrifices and offerings, and some people yearn to return to those outdated liturgical practices. Hebrews tells us that time is over. The time for encounter is here. Real life happens in those times of visitations, and that is where the meaning of Christmas is conveyed. Encounters and visitations are our work today. 

 

Advent is about longing to return to loved ones to share a special moment of meaning, hope, and happiness because we know time is fleeting and we wish goodwill to them. Far too many people carry sadness, worry, and loneliness in their hearts, and they are begging for someone to be with them and to hear of their pain. The elderly, the grieving, and those with emotional instability simply want to be remembered and to have a moment of lightness. When we share our suffering, we experience a real moment of joy and happiness. In the midst of hardships, we have each other.

 

We often want people to affirm and encourage us, and yet, every person needs compliments, words of support, and words of thanks. We might not think our Mom or Dad needs it, but it is nice to hear. Perhaps, we overlook our bosses and people in administration, but they welcome your kindness as well. Each person wants to know that others see them as lovable, valuable, and worthy of thanks. 

 

When we listen to each other’s stories of gladness, we must embrace it the way Mary did with Elizabeth. We must celebrate one’s good news no matter how small it is because it is a sign of hope and achievement, and we seem to get good news just when we need it most. We must hold onto hope, and hope then becomes a choice that propels new realities into being. Hope is more than wishful thinking. It often emerges from the ruptures we have in life, but it is persistent and joyful. Hope transcends our suffering and keeps us walking forward because it is anchored somewhere in a future horizon. Hope is an ability to work for something greater because it is good and right, and that brings us joy. 

 

In Advent, we celebrate the ruptured emergence of hope in a visitation between Mary and Elizabeth. We know that God has remembered us and wants to be with us and has given us a human family so that we understand how important we are to one another. We know that God is aware of our mundane and special moments and that we are seen and known by God. We see God’s presence through one another: when we call a friend who we know is not feeling one’s best; when someone has been withdrawn; when we learn that a friend is worried about a family member; when we send a thoughtful card or a text to show that we know the meaningful little details of a person’s life. These are the moments joy can break forth. These are the moments of connection that tells another person that they matter. These are the moments when we know we are honored, accepted, and welcomed just as we are. And these are the moments we know deep in our heart that God is visiting us – through the words, gestures, and presence of a loved one. And just like the infant John the Baptist, our hearts leap for joy.

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

First Reading: 

Monday: (Judges 13) A barren woman was visited by an angel to receive the message that she would bear a son. She named him Samson and the spirit of the Lord stirred within him.  

 

Tuesday: (Isaiah 7) This is the sign that you will be given: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and he shall be named Emmanuel.

 

Wednesday: (Isaiah 9) The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils.

 

Thursday: (Acts 6) Stephen worked great wonders among the people and adversaries debated with him fiercely. They threw hit out of the city, stoned him, and laid him at Saul’s feet.  

 

Friday: (1 John) What we heard, and saw with our eyes, what we looked upon, and touched with our hands, concerns the Word of life.

 

Saturday: (1 John) God is light and in him there is no darkness. We have fellowship with him. Walk in the light as he is in the light.  

 

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Luke 1) Zechariah, on priestly duty, and his wife, Elizabeth, prayed fervently. An angel visited them to announce that they would bear a son, who was to be named John. 

 

Tuesday: (Luke 1) The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear a son who would become the savior of the world. He shall be named Emmanuel.

 

Wednesday (Luke 2) Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.

 

Thursday (Luke 7) Jesus asked: Why did you go out to see the Baptist? He is the greatest of men born to women.   

 

Friday (John 5) The Baptist was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his lift, but I have greater testimony than John’s.

 

Saturday (Matthew 1) The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus.

 

Thursday: (Matthew 10) Jesus said, “Beware of men who will hand you over to their courts and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be led before governors and kings.  

 

Friday: (John 20) Magdalene ran to Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciples to tell the news that Jesus has been removed from the tomb. In fear, they ran to see the tomb.

 

Saturday (Matthew 2) When the magi departed, an angel told Joseph to take his wife and child to Egypt because Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.  

 

 

Saints of the Week

 

Saints are not celebrated during the octave leading up to Christmas.

 

December 22 - O King of all nations, and their desire, and keystone of the church: come and save us, whom you formed from the dust.

 

December 23 - O Emmanuel, our king and giver of the Law, the hope of the nations and their Savior: come to save us, Lord our God.

 

December 24: ERO CRAS

In the Roman Catholic tradition, on December 23, the last of the seven “O Antiphons” is sung with the “Alleluia” verse before the Gospel reading at Mass and at Vespers – Evening Prayer in the Divine Office/Breviary. Most ordinary Catholics, however, are more accustomed to hearing these antiphons as verses in the Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

But the literary construction of these wonderful antiphons is arranged in a unique and surprising way: The order of the seven Messianic titles of the “O Antiphons” (and the seven verses of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”) was fixed with a definite purpose. 

In Latin, the initial letters of the antiphons – Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia – form a reverse acrostic – a play on words – ERO CRAS, which translates into English as “Tomorrow, I will be.”

So, in the silence of Christmas Eve, we look back on the previous seven days, and we hear the voice of the One whose coming we have prepared for – Jesus Christ – speak to us: “I will be here tomorrow.”

 

December 26: Stephen, the first Martyr (d. 35), was one of the seven original deacons chose to minister to the Greek-speaking Christians. The Jews accused him of blasphemy. Though he was eloquent in his defense, Saul of Tarsus condoned his death sentence. 

 

December 27: John, Apostle and Evangelist (d. 100), was the brother of James and one of the three disciples to be in the inner circle. He left fishing to follow Jesus and was with him at the major events: the transfiguration, raising of Jairus' daughter, and the agony in the garden. He is also thought to be the author of the fourth gospel, three letters, and the Book of Revelation. 

 

December 28: The Holy Innocents (d. 2), were the boys of Bethlehem who were under two years old to be killed by King Herod in an attempt to eliminate the rise of the newborn king as foretold by the astronomers from the east. This event is similar to the rescue of Moses from the Nile by the slaughter of the infant boys by the pharaoh. 

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• December 22, 1649. At Cork, Fr. David Glawey, a missionary in the Inner and Lower Hebrides, Islay, Oronsay, Colonsay, and Arran, died. 
• December 23, 1549. Francis Xavier was appointed provincial of the newly erected Indian Province. 
• December 24, 1587. Fr. Claude Matthe died at Ancona. He was a Frenchman of humble birth, highly esteemed by King Henry III and the Duke of Guise. He foretold that Fr. Acquaviva would be General and hold that office for a long period. 
• December 25, 1545. Isabel Roser pronounced her vows as a Jesuit together with Lucrezia di Brandine and Francisca Cruyllas in the presence of Ignatius at the church of Sta. Maria della Strada in Rome. 
• December 26, 1978. The assassination of Gerhard Pieper, a librarian, who was shot to death in Zimbabwe. 
• December 27, 1618. Henry Morse entered the English College at Rome. 
• December 28, 1802. Pope Pius VII allowed Father General Gruber to affiliate the English Jesuits to the Society of Jesus in Russia.