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Although it sounds obvious, spiritual accompaniment must lead others even closer to God, in whom we attain true freedom. Some people feel they are free if they can avoid God; they fail to see that they remain existentially orphaned, helpless, homeless. They cease being pilgrims and become drifters,  flitting around themselves and never getting anywhere…

Today more than ever we need men and women who, on the basis of their experience of accompanying others, are familiar with processes which call for prudence, understanding, patience and docility to the Spirit, so that they can protect the sheep from wolves who would scatter the  flock.

We need to practice the art of listening, which is more than simply hearing. Listening, in communication, is an openness of heart which makes possible that closeness without which genuine spiritual encounter cannot occur. Listening helps us to find the right gesture and word which shows that we are more than simply bystanders.

It’s the First Sunday of Advent. One sentence in the first reading from the Prophet Isaiah stands out: “Yet, O Lord, you are our father, we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.”

When I was in elementary school, we had art classes and one of the classes gave us the opportunity to work with clay and the potter’s wheel. Our teacher was good at shaping the wet clay, but when I tried it, I made a mess. She showed me how I had to be steady when I was trying to shape the clay and while I didn’t do a great job, I didn’t make a mess, either.

God is our potter – steady, attentive, concerned that we turn out correctly. Sometimes, we think that we can shape ourselves without God and that’s when we turn out to be a mess. Advent is a good time for us to put ourselves in God’s hands and allow the divine love to shape us.

Congratulations to our sisters and brothers in the RCIA who celebrated the Rite of Acceptance a few weeks ago. They have been attending classes each week since September and this is an important step in their moving forward. Congratulations to Joe Nuzzi and the RCIA Team for their dedication.

We hope that you nd the booklet that was given out for the season of Advent to be an inspiration as we go through this season that can be so distracting. Taking time each day to re ect on the day’s presentation in the booklet can keep us on the right track. There are also other Advent books available in the lobby of the Parish House. Check them out!

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

Leap of Faith

Today’s Gospel could be seen as an example of what St. Paul is explaining in the second reading. First, he tells us that the resurrection of Christ is not the end of God’s reign, but the beginning. Since death came into the world with the sin of Adam, Christ’s death saved us from sin and his resurrection saves us from death. Now that he is risen, he will complete his reign over all creation, meaning that everything in creation that turned away from God will now be subject to God. Since Christ had to die before he could rise, the last enemy to be subjected is death; so too do we have to die before we can rise.

When all this happens, everything will show God’s glory. God will be seen in all of creation. Jesus will be seen as equal to the Father, not just a man, but the Son of God. The Gospel gives us the image of a king on his throne, surrounded by his subjects. And then comes the final judgment.

The rest of the Gospel is symbolic description of that judgment. I always thought the point of this parable was that we recognize God in the poor, the sick, the homeless, prisoners, etc. But the people in the parable who helped all those in need did not recognize Christ in the needy. That’s why he tells them that whatever we do for “these least ones,” we do for Christ.

That is actually good news, because it is not always easy to recognize Christ in others. I used to think that once I start seeing Christ in all people, I’ll be more willing to help them. But it also works the other way. When you help someone in need, you begin to see Christ there, too. This means that we cannot use not seeing Christ in others as an excuse to put o helping them. (“Sure, I’ll help those drug addicts – as soon as I see Jesus in them.”) Whether it is a death-row prisoner or a homeless family, we need to take that leap of faith to help, not knowing if we will ever see Christ in them. Remember, God forgives and saves us because we need God, not because we deserve it.

-Tom Schmidt