Christmas, for those experiencing loss(es) in their lives, can be a very difficult time to endure. I see this in the lives of those going through separation and divorce and those grieving the death of a loved one. The loneliness can feel oppressive. For others, the busyness and demands of the season can also be burdensome. In these instances, there is a temptation to mouth the words Scrooge mutters in Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. Scrooge says that the next person greeting him with Merry Christmas should be boiled in his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. This sentiment of Scrooge may ring familiar to those undergoing stress this Christmastide.
However, I would suggest that instead of harboring the “humbug” of Scrooge, witty in its own cynical way, we, instead, put into practice the words we hear from the prophet Isaiah in the first reading on Christmas Day. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, “Your God is King!”
It is easy to overlook the darkness in the lives of the Jewish people at the first Christmas. They were an oppressed people whose country was occupied by a foreign power. Mary and Joseph were coerced to make the arduous journey to Bethlehem at the whim of the Roman Emperor who ordered a census of his territories. The Jewish people were in need of hearing “good news.” The angels fulfilled this need with the Good News of Jesus’ birth. When Jesus matured, he shared the Good News of God’s love and compassion to the castoffs and desperate of Judea. Upon Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, the Apostles and their successors continued to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to all the world.
For those of us who find ourselves in darkness, may we put away the boiling pudding and stakes of holly, and open our hearts to the peace and joy of the Angels’ Christmas message. For those of us who are God’s messengers this Christmas, may we gently share by our presence the Good News of God’s love and compassion to those overburdened by loss. How beautiful, indeed, are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of God’s love to all.
In the “Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis 1 wrote this:
“Just as the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say “thou shalt not” to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills. How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?” (Pope Francis. The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium): Apostolic Exhortation (p. 15). USCCB.)
“Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting. To sustain a lifestyle which excludes others, or to sustain enthusiasm for that selfish ideal, a globalization of indifference has developed. Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own.” (Pope Francis. The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium): Apostolic Exhortation (p. 15). USCCB.)
“The current financial crisis can make us overlook the fact that it originated in a profound human crisis: the denial of the primacy of the human person! We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf (cf. Ex 32: 1-35) has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose.” (Pope Francis. The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium): Apostolic Exhortation (p. 15). USCCB.)
It was these words from Pope Francis 1 that was the inspiration behind my composing this year Psalm Offering 4 Opus 7, “for the victims of corporate greed.”
(c) 2017 by Deacon Bob Wagner OFS. All rights reserved.
In most Advent seasons, Gaudete Sunday marks the halfway point in Advent. This year with Advent lasting 3 weeks and about 10 hours, we are almost to Christmas Day. This is the time when little children begin to salivate at the thought of all the Christmas cookies, candy, and other Christmas treats they will be eating. And, yes, the presents, the little kids will salivate at the thought of those. While all of the food, the treats, and presents are good reasons to cause one to rejoice, the bottom line is that the food and treats will be eaten and disappear. The toys and other gifts received may break, or be played with and laid aside, or returned. The readings for today, however, give us the true reason to rejoice on this Sunday.
From Isaiah we hear, “The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD.” These words, though spoken thousands of years ago, have never gotten stale or moldy like food, nor have they ever been cast aside due to boredom. These words from the prophet Isaiah still excite us, still give us cause to rejoice, because we know that they have been fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. And, though Jesus has risen and ascended to the Father, we know that these words will be fulfilled again, when Jesus returns at the end of time.
To breathe in the excitement and the wonder of that first coming when the whole world had a cause to rejoice, I invite you to join our students from the Disciples of Christ formation program at our Christmas pageant at 7 pm this coming Wednesday evening, December 20th, at St. John the Evangelist Church in Union Hill. The Christmas pageant will be celebrated within a Word and Communion service, in which we will not only see the words of the Christmas story enacted, but at which we will also receive the risen Lord in Holy Communion. Refreshments will follow the pageant in Koenig Hall on the lower level of St. John’s School.
The 13th century Anchoress, Julian of Norwich, said at one of the darkest times in European history, “All will be well and all will be well, and every kind of thing shall be well.” At the time she uttered this statement, the Black Death (Bubonic plague) was wiping out close to a third of the human population throughout all of Europe. Nations were at war. Death reigned. Yet, she made this statement all the same. This statement of hers is not overstated sentimentality of simplistic optimism. Rather, it acknowledges that in the midst of the blunders caused by humanity in which death, destruction and darkness seemingly overwhelms us, an alternative reality is really present.
I was watching Ken Burns documentary on World War II. Franklin Delano Roosevelt is heard stating to the citizens of the United States at about the time of the Battle of the Bulge, that it was hard for him to greet the nation with the words, “Merry Christmas.” This was especially so when all the world was encased in darkness, war, and horrible death. Yet, he persisted to say, that while it seemed almost impossible to say the word “merry” in relation to Christmas, it was needed to be stated, especially for all the soldiers who were in the midst of the fighting and destruction. The whole notion of a “Merry Christmas” is the hope to which they cling.
We are presently living in a world that is topsy-turvy. We have a president, an administration and a Congress that is very comfortable about issuing lies one after another. There are so many lies uttered by all involved that we do not know who to believe or what to believe. The world is on the brink of nuclear annihilation, so much so, that we are almost at the point of the Cuban Missile Crisis of the early ’60’s. The Congress is about to make into law a tax bill that will impoverish most of the middle class, destitute the elderly, and annihilate the poor, taking away, health care and all the other safety nets provided by the government, in order to please and enrich those who are already incredibly wealthy and who wish to control everything. All the protections put in place to remove the poisons in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land in which we plant our crops, has been stripped away by presidential decree or by presidential dupes. Not one living thing is safe anymore, anywhere.
It is tough enough for people to tolerate this time of natural darkness, at least in the northern hemisphere. To add on top of the personal losses suffered by people, these governmental assaults on humanity by the very people who were elected to serve us and protect us, can push people to the very brink of the abyss of despair. How can one believe the words that Julian of Norwich uttered so many, many years ago? It is very tempting instead to follow the advice of the 1960’s drug guru, Dr. Timothy Leary, to “turn on, tune in, and drop out.”
In the scriptural reading from the prophet Isaiah (41: 13-20) from this past Thursday’s Mass, God speaks at the very beginning of the reading, ‘” I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand; I is I who say to you, “Fear not, I will help you.”‘ This is the true reality of which Julian of Norwich experienced. This is the true reality the soldiers sensed as the Battle of the Bulge raged around them. The bottom line is this, trump, mcconnell, ryan, and all the other destructive forces that are presently in Washington D.C. and the rest of the world will not prevail. They are not the ones who are truly in charge. Ultimately, they will have to answer to the LORD God, who IS in charge, for all the sins of greed they are exacting upon our nation at this time. They will have to answer to the LORD God for all the lies they are spreading, and all the false creeds they espouse.
It is in the LORD God that our trust is anchored. If our trust remains anchored in the LORD God, the present powers will be vanquished and God’s justice will prevail. “All IS well, and all IS well, and every kind of thing SHALL be well!”
My deacon ordination class, September 24, 2994. Top row left to right: Jerry Ciresi, Tom Semlak, and Bill Beckfeld. Bottom row left to right: By Rudolphi, Tom Coleman, John Mangan, Dominic Ehrmantraut, Me, Dick Pashby
I gave this homily this weekend on the occasion of a parishioner, Mickey Redfearn, receiving the sacrament of Holy Orders. Mickey was ordained a permanent deacon on Saturday by Archbishop Hebda at the Cathedral of St. Paul.
HOMILY FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B, 2017
On this 2nd weekend in Advent, Mickey Redfearn, our brother parishioner, received the sacrament of Holy Orders at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Today he is now an ordained deacon. Fr Kevin thought it important for me to preach today and speak about the ministry of the deacon.
Remembering my own ordination to the diaconate 23 years ago, there were three ritual actions that stand out for me. The first was kneeling before the Archbishop Roach and as placing my joined hands in his, I promised my obedience to him and to his successor bishops. The second, was the actual ordination itself, as the Archbishop placing his hands on my head and prayed the prayer of consecration. And the third, was the Archbishop coming to me and placing the Book of the Gospels in my hands and saying to me, “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” It is appropriate that that today’s scripture readings are about being heralds of the Good News for that is what the deacon is called to do.
What does it mean to be a herald of Christ? As a deacon, it is more than proclaiming the Gospel and occasionally preaching when assisting liturgically at Mass. The deacon is a living sign of Jesus Christ, the Servant of God. I have found in my 23 years as a deacon that it means ministering to people in places I never would thought I would find myself. There are times as a deacon you are a herald in a place where you are welcomed by the people. There are times you find yourself being a herald in places where you are not welcome. As deacons, we find ourselves ministering to people living and suffering in darkness. You will find deacons ministering in prisons, as chaplains in police and fire departments, in nursing homes, hospitals, hospices. Deacons minister to those in our immigrant communities, to those caught up in addictions, to those who are homeless and mentally ill. You will find deacons teaching in faith formation, the RCIA, and, some function as administrators of parishes.
Within my first year as a deacon I found myself the Catholic chaplain for the Carver County jail. I have ministered to the homeless and the mentally ill on the streets of South Minneapolis. I have ministered to men and women in the gay and lesbian community. I have ministered to the Mexican and Ecuadorian immigrant communities in South Minneapolis, learning Spanish so that I could baptize their babies, officiate at their weddings, and preside at their funerals, and preach at Masses in their own language. For the past 23 years I have ministered to women and children suffering from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, trying to remove them from dangerous living conditions, and, at times advocating for them in court. I minister to people going through separation and divorce, to families grieving the suicide of a loved one. I am present to pray with and accompany people in their illnesses, both physical and mental, and to pray the prayers of the dying at the death beds of people. I help prepare and officiate at the baptisms, the weddings and the funerals of our parish community. Steve and Mary Frost often call on me to do the funerals of people who have been unchurched most of their lives. This is some of what the deacon does as a herald of the Gospel. This is the life into which Mickey Redfearn is ordained today.
What must be made clear is that being a herald of God is not confined to those of us ordained to Holy Orders. Each and every one of you are called to be heralds of God. At your baptism, when you were anointed with the oil of Chrism, you were anointed priest, prophet, and King. From that moment on, you, the baptized, were given the mission of being heralds of God. As the prophet Isaiah states in the first reading, you are to go to the highest mountain and crying out at the top of your voices proclaim the Good News to the world, “Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him.”
You don’t have to be clothed in camel’s hair and eat bugs and honey, like John the Baptist, nor do you have to be dressed in an alb and stole like a deacon or a priest to be a herald of God. You are to go forth into those places of the world in which you live and by word and example proclaim the Good News of God’s salvation to all people.
Your ministry as heralds of the Gospel is vitally important to the mission of the Catholic Church. In the past, we use to say that this was the job of priests and nuns. That was a false idea then, and it is very false today. The number of priests, deacons, and nuns are dwindling. There are not enough priests, deacons, and nuns to do this job today. I was at the funeral of two more of my deacon classmates this year. There are only 3 of us left from my ordination class of 9. All of us have serious health issues. I stand here falling apart in front of your eyes. I tell my kids that if an arm falls off, pick it up before the dog plays with it. The job of being heralds is all our job. My brothers and sisters, you can go into places and reach people in ways in which priests, deacons, and nuns cannot. The Catholic Church needs you to be heralds of the Gospel in the places in which you work. The Catholic Church needs you to be heralds of the Gospel in your community and neighborhoods. The Catholic Church needs you be heralds of the Gospel in the grocery store, the gas station, the bowling alley, the coffee shops, and the saloons. Most importantly, the Catholic Church needs you to be heralds of the Gospel in your own homes.
Brother and sister heralds, we, like John the Baptist, are to go forth and prepare the way for our Lord Jesus Christ. Today and every day, let us go forth as the prophet Isaiah says, and “make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!” Let us go forth as heralds so that every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be made low. Let us go forth as heralds so that the glory of the LORD may be revealed and that all people see it.
REPENT! THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NOW!
We encounter John the Baptist and his message of repentance on this second Sunday of Advent. It is human nature to procrastinate and delay repenting because the second coming of Christ seems to be a far-off event. St. Augustine, the penultimate procrastinator in regard to repentance, is quoted praying to God, “”Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.” John the Baptist is saying, “Don’t procrastinate. The time for repentance is now!” Why?
In the hymn, “Gather Us In”, the fourth verse begins, “Not in the dark of buildings confining, not in some heaven light years away, but here in this space new light is shining; now is the Kingdom, now is the day!” We often think of the Kingdom of God as some place in a galaxy far, far away. Quite to the contrary, in the Gospels, Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is all around us. Though our physical eyesight cannot perceive it, by faith, we know that the Kingdom of God is over, around and through us, NOW! We are just unaware of it or choose to prevent ourselves from seeing it. St. Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, writes that as our health declines and we get closer to death “we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor 4:18). The Kingdom of God is here, right now! This is why in last week’s Gospel, Jesus us tells us, “Be watchful! Be alert!”
The fact that the Kingdom of God is present in the here and now is a hard truth to grasp. As people subject to living in chronological time, our minds find it difficult to think of future events already happening in the present. As St. Peter writes in his second letter, “with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day.” The “time” of God’s Kingdom is not subject to the rule of years, days, minutes, and seconds in which we live. John the Baptist calls us to repent because the future is happening now. May our Advent be one in which we sharpen our awareness, repent of that which encumbers us, and live fully in the presence of God’s Kingdom.
I have just completed 6 Psalm Offerings written for my grandchildren. The first 5 songs were dedicated to all of the grandchildren. However, the 6th and final Psalm Offering I dedicated to “Baby Wagner.” Between the pregnancies of my grandsons, Aidan and Ollie, my daughter-in-law, Olivia, lost a baby due to a miscarriage. This song is for that beautiful baby that I never knew. The composing of this Psalm Offering evoked very powerful and overwhelming emotions within me. Perhaps, I finally was allowing myself the freedom to grieve the death of this little child. The music for me is laden with a profound beauty and sadness. As I completed the music I found myself weeping. Perhaps, you, too, will find yourself moved by the music.
Psalm Offering 6, Opus 8. (c) 2017 by Deacon Bob Wagner OFS. All rights reserved.
