December 15
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Some Thoughts on the Liturgy JOHN THE BAPTIST’S JOB + Balaam was one of the prophets of the Torah, the Hebrew Scriptures who is part of the literature of the book of Numbers - here he prophesied that a star shall advance from the family of Jacob and a staff shall rise from Israel - prophesying about Jesus, of course, who was from the house of Judah, one of the sons of Jacob
+ The immediate forerunner of Jesus, namely John the Baptist, is one of the concentrations of the Advent season - John is the person who pointed to Jesus, telling others that he was the Messiah to come - Jesus here refers to the fact that John was truly regarded as a prophet by all the people except the religious leaders of the time - probably because John was so direct with them, telling them exactly what their problem was
+ As we listen to Jesus extol what John did, it might be good to look at two of the main characteristics of John’s character, and learn from them in our own lives - one, he was a man who was able to recognize the problems and address them as best he could - he knew that the spiritual life of the people of his time was not what it should have been, and so he addressed the problem - he told the crowds that followed him that they had to change their ways, that they had to repent and begin again - one of the approaches to our spiritual life must be that we recognize that our spiritual lives are not what they should be - and we should move ourselves to do something about it—more time for prayer, more time for God
+ Secondly, John knew his place - he knew that even though he was very popular among the people, his popularity meant nothing in the scheme of things - what was important was Jesus and his message - and so he tells the people to follow Jesus - you and I must listen to his words - Jesus must be a true force in our lives, something that should be very clear especially at this time of year - we do a lot of preparation for Christmas in the natural realm - perhaps we need to progress more in the spiritual realm, listening to the words of the Advent and Christmas readings, and learning from them
+ Jesus had great respect for John with good reason - John knew what he had to do to accomplish his goal in life. |
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MEDIA PRESENTATION Song: "Bang!" -- AJR TIME TO GROW |
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The Gospel |
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LUKE 2:39-40
When Mary and Joseph had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child Jesus grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Gospelthink: I grew into adulthood finding favor with God. Jesus's growth is an example to imitate for me.
"I get up, I get down and I'm jumpin' around. And the rumpus and ruckus are comfortable now. Been a hell of a ride but I'm thinkin' it's time to grow (bang! bang! bang!) So I got an apartment across from the park, put quinoa in my fridge, still I'm not feelin' grown. Been a hell of a ride but I'm thinkin' it's time to go (bang! bang! bang!) Here we go."
It is axiomatic in our age that
the role of parents in their children’s lives is of the highest
importance. If the parents of a child are responsible,
showing that they are capable of providing education and direction
to their children, the child will grow up well. In fact,
psychologists suggest that children who grow up in a healthy
environment will turn out to be mentally healthy adults.
If
anyone would have asked Joseph or Mary whether they felt that they
had provided a “healthy environment” for Jesus, they probably
would have said “no” because of the severe circumstances in
which the family grew up. But the Scriptures attest that
Joseph and Mary did provide a healthy environment when they
finally could settle at home. In that environment Jesus was able
to become strong and be filled with wisdom.
Wisdom is
not exactly the operating word as the group AJR describe the
growth of the adolescent in their song "Bang!" It
is, as they wrote about the song, a time to feel "weird."
In explanation they said about the song, "It is about the
weird middle ground between being a kid and becoming an adult: a
time when we're doing all the things adults are supposed to do,
but we don't yet feel grown up. The fact is, adulthood is bound to
hit us at some point, so the plan we made in the song is to 'go
out with a bang'."
The word "wisdom"
should be the word used as an adolescent grows into maturity. The
evangelist Luke used it to describe how Jesus grew. It implies
that the young person will indeed feel the anxiety of becoming an
adult--when they are supposed to do the things adults do, but they
do not want to. But to make this world be a better place, it is
exactly what the young person must do--give up the things of
"children" (even if the person leaves with a bang) and
become an adult who is aware of what must happen in their adult
lives.
As Jesus, that adulthood can be described as
"finding favor with God." It means as St, Paul described
to the Galatians, putting on the virtues of "love, joy,
peace, patience, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). it is not easy, of course,
and our human natures rebel against it, but it is what a Christian
is called to do.
PRAYER
Good and gracious God, you have called us to imitate Your Son as we continue to grow into maturity. Give us the grace to leave the selfishness of youth, and embrace the adulthood that You want us to have. Be with us, we pray.
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GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM
PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
Theme: Like it or
not, we must grow up, and with maturity.
DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS:
1. What
does the song "Bang!" teach young people?
2. What
are the characteristics of maturity?
3. What is quinoa and
why is it important in the song?
4. What makes up a "healthy
environment" for young people to grow?
5. Give your own
definition of "wisdom."
6. Studying the
virtues mentioned from the letter to the Galatians, what is the
most difficult to attain and why?
©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr.
Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin
Province of Mid-America