BROTHERS

           Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Andrew, the Apostle.  He is the brother of another Apostle, Peter.  Andrew was born in Bethsaida and was a disciple of John the Baptist, who is featured predominantly in this Advent season.  He became a follower of Jesus when, as we hear in the Gospel of Matthew today, they were called by Jesus to follow him.  They did so without hesitation.  Andrew preached the gospel in many lands and was put to death by crucifixion at Achaia (his cross was placed in the direction of an X.)

     I had the honor of being the celebrant for our early morning Mass at Neumann House, our residence for retired priests.  We take turns as celebrant.  I spoke of the example that Andrew and Peter give us as brothers: in ministry as well as in the familial sense.  The Apostles give us another example in James and John, the sons of Zebedee.  One of our priests at Neumann House joins that group - Father Al Pleban, a retired priest of Greensburg.  He and his brother, Father Leo Pleban, a retired priest of the Youngstown Diocese who lives in Mt. Pleasant, share a priestly brotherhood and a familial brotherhood.  Both are great men and fine priests and good brothers to those of us who share the gift of priesthood.  [Please offer a special prayer for Father Leo who is ailing.]

     I mentioned in my homily a passage from a homily of Saint John Chrysostom on the feast of Andrew from the gospel of John.  The line I mentioned is: "To support one another in the things of the spirit is the true sign of good will between brothers, of loving kinship and sincere affection."

     This applies not only to familial ties of sisters and brothers, not only to the fraternal ties of ministerial priesthood but also to all of us who are brothers and sisters in the name of Christ.  Support one another, with loving kinship and sincere affection in the name of Christ Jesus, our brother.

A SIGNAL TO THE NATIONS

 Behold the Lord will come, 

and all his holy ones with him, 

and on that day 

there will be a great light.

     The first reading for this Tuesday in the First Week of Advent is of the first ten verses of Chapter 11 of the prophet Isaiah. I encourage you to get out your Bible and read it prayerfully.

    Isaiah describes the coming of One who is a shoot from the stump of Jesse.  He will be filled with God's Spirit - a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.  

     When this One comes things will never be the same - "the wolf will be the guest of the lamb", "the leopard shall lie down with the kid", "the calf and the young lion shall browse together" ... "with a little child to guide them".

     We are not there as yet, for we have not given our lives totally to the One who was promised, the One who has come, the One who will create anew what was lost to sin and the One who will come again.   So we wait and hope and trust and follow Him.

STAY ALERT

     The entrance antiphon for the liturgy for this Monday of the First Week of Advent is this:

     "Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, declare it to the distant lands: Behold, our Savior will come; you need no longer fear."

     Our Advent time is one of listening, of being even more attentive to the word of the Lord.  This Advent finds us continuing on the trend of not listening, of losing our focus and lessening our attention to what is most important, and of floundering in our mediocrity, our homelessness, our fear.  Generations have strayed from the way and come to count as insignificant the call to conversion and the path that leads to the Lord.  We have become complacent.  And much worse, we are okay with simply getting by.

     But that is not enough ... it will not suffice ... if we are to prosper.

    The Collect Prayer of the Church today prays: "Keep us alert, we pray, O Lord our God, as we await the advent of Christ your Son, so that, when he comes and knocks, he may find us watchful in prayer and exultant in his praise."

     Take time every day during this great season of Advent to stay alert and to be ready.  Paul yesterday in Romans 13 told us that "it is the hour now for you to awaken from sleep."  May we heed his words. 

ADVENT

      "Jesus Christ is the joy and happiness of all who look forward to his coming!  Let us call upon him and say: "Come, Lord, and do not delay'."

     These words introduce our intercessions in the Prayer of the Church, the Divine Office, for the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Church year and the renewal of our journey toward the Lord and our fulfillment and happiness.

     ADVENT - the word and spirit of this season of expectation comes from two Latin words - the verb VENIO meaning "to come" and AD meaning "toward" or "to".  It is a time of seeking and encounter.  It is a time of waiting with hope.

     Advent's twofold character is our preparation for Christ's coming at Christmas which celebrates that moment in time when Emmanuel - God With Us - took flesh in the person of Jesus and was born in Bethlehem of Judea.  It also invites us to prepare our hearts and souls for his second coming in glory at the end of the age.  It is a time of expectation.  Christ has come and renews himself in our lives as we celebrate his birth and the belief that he will come again.

    Come, Lord Jesus, and do not delay!  We await you with open hearts!

     There is a third "coming" to be recognized and celebrated.  It is the invitation that we have all received in our Baptism to "come to him".  He opens his heart to us ... he longs for our closeness ... he desires our return from the sinfulness and darkness of self to the blessing and light of his embrace ... he rejoices to find us seeking him.

     Advent begins/renews/rekindles a movement, a journey into the mystery of life.  Like the wise men that we will meet at Christmas we are searchers for truth and seekers of that which brings fulfillment.

     I love the words of the Collect Prayer at the Mass for this day.  The Church prays: "Grant your faithful, we pray, Almighty God, the resolve to RUN FORTH to meet your Christ!"  The emphasis is mine - "to run forth to meet your Christ".

     This Advent, let us resolve to run forth in one direction - toward the One who has already come toward us - Jesus the Christ.