I went to the grocery store
Thursday evening before the winter storm – snow-mageddon
– hit. There was urgency in the air amid weather reports and folks in the store
looking for bread and milk and meat and cheese, yet there was a camaraderie in
the aisles. We were friendly, sharing with one another our concerns about the
ice storm, tales of the last time we had an ice storm, and just friendly
banter. We were all going out of ourselves, genuinely realizing that we were
all in the same situation—we were about to FACE A MOUNTAIN OF ICE and SNOW – or
both. It was a wonderful sense of community in the middle of a grocery store….
Now compare and contrast this
shopping trip to the chaos and madness of Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday
shopping. In some places people were
injured fighting over products and still others were trampled for a bargain.
Our culture of prosperity and
unbridled consumerism has reduced human beings to just one more consumer good
to be used and discarded, trampled underfoot – literally – in favor of material
goods. “We have created a 'disposable'
culture…” (Evangelii Gaudium #53).
It is unfortunate that some people
behave like animals to one another. And I apologize to the decent animals out
there.
Is it any wonder then that Pope
Francis has challenged the world’s rugged consumeristic culture?
Too many Christians are indifferent
to the poor in their midst
I find it disturbing how many
Christians have reacted negatively to Pope Francis when he is merely
challenging us to repent of our greed and envy.
It’s the human heart and mind
that must be renewed this Advent Season. We must put on the mind of Christ so
that our hearts can become fleshy again,
"capable of feeling compassion” for the poor and needy (EG #54).
I have a friend who is a
UPS driver. He told me makes a regular stop at this person’s home nearly every day.
It is comical, yet sad, he says, because the homeowner just has him put the
packages with the others in the garage. The garage is overflowing with a
mountain of boxes and most remained unopened. Evidently after the thrill of
buying the product, the shopper goes on to buy something even newer, ignoring
the previous purchase.
If we look for a mountain of things
to satisfy our restless hearts, we experience unhappiness. We may believe the top of the mountain is in materialism
or consumerism, but the joy we seek is not obtained through things. It cannot
be. True joy comes “from the experience of love we share with God and others”
(Archbishop Charles Chaput).
Who shall climb
the mountain of the Lord?
The Psalms in
the Old Testament give us great insight into those who are able to climb the
mountain of God.
“ Whosoever
acts with justice…; Who does no harm to a neighbor… (Psalm 15)
He is a light in the darkness…. She is generous, merciful, and
just. The good man takes pity and lends…open-handed she gives to the poor; His
justice stands firm forever.
Meanwhile the wicked sees and is angry; grinds his teeth and
wastes away; for the desire of the wicked leads to doom (Psalm 112).
Christ will come again. He is the rightful king—the shoot of Jesse—the babe born n Bethlehem—who will
one day return and set things all right.
“Not by appearance shall
he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with
justice… the ruthless and the wicked will
no longer harass the people of God. On judgment day, people will have to render
an account for every careless word and deed (Matthew 12.36).
But justice and peace shall reign.
The wolf shall be a guest of the lamb and there shall be no harm or ruin on the
holy mountain of God.”
Christ will restore all of
creation to harmony.
And all the animals and humans
will live in peace and harmony.
We look forward to that day!
But in the meantime we are the ambassadors
of Christ; envoys of the Kingdom because we are climbing the Mountain of God.
We are called to be a people of mercy and
tenderness. The gospel call is an invitation for each of us to turn from
sin and “consumer gluttony that divides people from each other, that breaks down
our families and communities, and that deadens us to the urgent needs of
others” (Archbishop Charles Chaput).
To those who came out to John
the Baptist, he said: “Bear good fruit as evidence of your repentance.”
Jesus himself says: “A
branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine… I am the
vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much
fruit. But the unfruitful branches will be gathered and thrown into the
unquenchable fire” (John 15.9-10, 4-6).
We burn things that have
ceased to serve their purpose; they no longer have a purpose. If we are in Christ, then we will live our lives on purpose, with
a purpose and for a purpose, helping draw others to Christ and the Church.
AND if we are truly changed by the
love of Christ, we will want to share that love and hope with others.
Can we imagine if we were to
really believe this message of hope? Seriously. People would come for miles, on pilgrimage, to
the house of God, be lining up at the front to church, waiting for the doors to
open, longing to join us as a welcoming family, yearning to hear the Word of
God, hungering to receive the Eucharist!
It’s not at the Wal-Mart, the
liquor store, or at Victoria’s-not-so-Secret, and not even at the football game,
but right here at our parish!
People will be attracted to the
gospel lifestyle. And Jesus calls to us
to bear fruit through our lives.
Saint Paul says: “Welcome one
another as Christ has welcomed you.”
So besides evangelizing the
unchurched, we also need to go out and warm the hearts of our Catholic brothers
and sisters whose faith has grown cold; we need to breathe on the dying embers
of their faith, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead them back to Christ. When we live our lives in Christ we will
attract others to Christ and in the case of those whose light of faith has gone
dark, they will be inspired to once again climb the mountain of God in HOPE.
If our lives have been
changed by Christ, then our very lives can help change the lives of others!
So if we have encountered the Lord
Jesus, what are we waiting for?
We must come down the mountain of
the Lord and proclaim this Advent joy! The Lord is alive!
As Saint Paul puts it, “Woe to me
if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9.16).
“If we have a passion for Christ,
then we will also have a passion for his people” (EG #268).
“Being a disciple means being constantly
ready to bring the love of Jesus to others, and this can happen unexpectedly and
in any place” (Pope Francis) even at the grocery, the mall, or at a ballgame.
Yet as evangelizing believers
we “cannot passively and calmly wait in our church buildings” expecting people
to come to us. We must go to them. We have a mission to seek out and save the
lost (Pope Francis).
So can we imagine the joy
our communities of Christ the King and Holy Spirit will experience over the
next year if we can lose ourselves in the very mission of Christ?!
Therefore without hesitation or
fear – let us go forth from this place, with Advent Hope, bringing Christ to
others.
“Preparing the way of the Lord! Making
straight his paths!”
Let us continue to climb,
leading others up the Mountain of the Lord!
What are we waiting for?
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