As we light the last of the four candles of our Advent wreath, it is up to us, disciples of the Light of the world, to catch fire from Christ’s mystery and bring something of this fire and light into our own lives and, especially, into the lives of those for whom Christmas may not be a feast of joy but a time of darkness. May the fire we catch from Christ be our readiness to be consumed like him in the flame of loving service of our sisters and brothers.
The Liturgy of the Word puts the adult John before us today and next Sunday to block our view of “baby Jesus”, and so remind us that the Advent-Christmas mystery is less about the child and more about the adult Coming One and the mystery of his life, death, and resurrection that he offers to us as our own mystery. We are called to make our way down to the Jordan with the hopeful and curious crowds to see this wilderness man.
“Be watchful! Be alert!” are the first words with which Mark greets us at the beginning of this new year of the church. They are also the last words spoken by Jesus in Mark’s gospel (Mark 13:37) before the vortex of violence begins to suck Jesus into the passion and death that he will conquer by his resurrection. So even as we begin Advent, we are reminded we are reminded of the paschal mystery of Christ, the hub of the liturgical year.
It is a bold thing to identify with Christ, Self-sacrifice, love of the other, and service are central to the identity of a Christian. How mortally dangerous it is, then, to call oneself Christian, to claim the role of disciple, without performing the required actions. It would be better not to claim the title at all. The will of God is caring for the poor and for the stranger. There are not merely kind acts, but the basis of salvation, for Christian and non-Christian alike. Let us keep before us the awesome call and responsibility to express our faith in action, not merely in words.
Today’s parable can move us to action, investing ourselves more fully in the Christian life. And for the Gospel of Matthew that means service of others, especially the less fortunate. Though there can be freeloaders, contributing little to no effort of their own, the parable today reminds us that there will come a time when God will take stock of each person’s efforts. May this gospel motivate us to continue serving without counting the cost, investing fully of ourselves and our talents. When there is an accounting, we want to hear the words, “Come, share your master’s joy.”
The parable we read today should be a clarion call to “be prepared” for the coming of Jesus at the end times. And even if we think the end times are far, far away, my own personal end (death) may come when I least expect it. Am I prepared for that? Such a question can clarify your own priorities and behaviors. Jesus reminds us that the fools are the ones who were not prepared for the coming of the master. Let us be like the wise ones, attentive to the coming of the Lord, for we know now when that day might be.
As so many “official saints” have been priests, religious, and celibates, it’s critically important that we have the words of the Beatitudes in today’s gospel to remind us of what holiness looks like. Nowhere in the Beatitudes is there a word about celibacy. There is certainly nothing about one’s vocational state (priest, sister, etc.). Instead, we have attributes such as “poor in spirit,” “meek,” and “merciful.” These are the hallmarks of sanctity. And they can be practiced by anybody, religious or lay, Catholic or Protestant, even Christian or non- Christian. We recall that the Gospel of Matthew is much more about actions than words.
We recall that Jesus’ teachings were rooted in Mosaic Law and the prophets. Yet he emphasized or combined aspects of each that made them seem to come alive, or to be read and understood in a new way. It’s certainly true that loving God and loving one’s neighbor were commandments in Mosaic Law. But who had ever combined them like this before? All of our actions ought to flow from this twofold love. Loving God and loving neighbor go together, and they cannot be reduced one to the other or one over the other.
In the modern, rather individualistic world in which we live, there is a temptation to believe that what we have, we have earned, a result of my own hard work or that of others, such as a family. But today’ gospel is a reminder that all we have is from God. As such, we should not be hoarders of God’s good gifts. Even money itself should not be thought of as ours. Let us die to the notion of possessions, what is mine versus yours, and let us instead engage in a lifestyle of discipleship that shares what we have with the least among us.
In a gospel story filled with such violence, it might be easy to forget we are dealing with a merciful God! As indicated in several parables, Matthew’s church had the wisdom and experience to have learned that there were some in the church who did not belong. There are weeds within the wheat. Sadly, our modern experience reflects this too. Simply being in the church does not make one holy, God’s chosen, or a paragon of virtue. Only God has the authority to externally expel such a person. The sobering reminder that “many are invited but few are chosen” should cause us to pause, reflect and reexamine our lives.