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The Axis of All History

Geometric Axis

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.


Among the many authoritative texts of the Church of which the lay faithful are largely unaware, one of particular beauty and interest is the Roman Martyrology, the official tome containing all of the saints officially recognized by the Church. It is organized according to the calendar year, listing each saint on the day when he or she is celebrated.

Importantly, along with the listing of the saint, there is the briefest reference to the special character of that individual.

The Roman Martyrology was revised in 2001 per a directive from the Second Vatican Council, and details that could not be historically corroborated were removed.

The following is the excerpt from the entry for December 25th from the prior version–included here, not because the more recent version is not in general superior, but because the prior version contextualizes the events of this day in a manner that is beautiful and poetic.

From the Roman Martyrology for the date of December 25th, and herewith our reflection for contemplative meditation on this most solemn of days:

“In the year, from the creation of the world, when in the beginning God created heaven and earth, five thousand, one hundred and ninety-nine; from the flood, two thousand, nine hundred and fifty- seven; from the birth of Abraham, two thousand and fifteen; from Moses and the coming of the Israelites out of Egypt, one thousand, five hundred and ten; from the anointing of King David, one thousand and thirty-two; in the sixty-fifth week, according to the prophecy of Daniel ; in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad; in the year seven hundred and fifty-two from the founding of the city of Rome; in the forty-second year of the empire of Octavian Augustus, when the whole earth was at peace, in the sixth age of the world, Jesus Christ, eternal God, and Son of the eternal Father, desirous to sanctify the world by His most merciful coming, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit, and nine months having elapsed since his conception, is born in Bethlehem of Judah, having become man of the Virgin Mary. THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, ACCORDING TO THE FLESH.”

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Remember the Darkness

Darkness

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.


Advent readings like today’s first reading go well with our external preparations for Christmas–with trimming hearth and tree, and baking Christmas cookies. There is such a warm beauty to them: “I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels.”

“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 and a day of vindication by our God.”

These are the sorts of readings that get us excited again about receiving the gift of saving and sanctifying grace with the Incarnation of the Word of God at Christmas–when God breaks into our dark lives like the dawn.

Think, though, what it would be like live before Jesus’ birth, when the world was shrouded in sin and there was no option for salvation. The world had rejected God definitively, and all there was to do was to repent and try to offend him less. He still merited a life of dedication, for He was the good God, our Creator; but the door to eternal life stood shut, due to our own definitive option for sin.

From this perspective, think of how much more still these words from the first reading hold hope and beauty. We know not how it will happen, but from the prophets we know that God has a plan to burst back into our lives and rescue us…

Today, we already enjoy the ability to choose the grace of God, won for us through the Nativity and the events that followed, and we can take it for granted. It will do us well to meditate on how that was not always the case–to place our hearts in the position of those who originally hoped in a mysterious and glorious intervention of God into history.

And then, to consider that even though we live in the years after Christ’s first coming, there is no reason that we cannot hope–and ask Him–for a renewal of grace in us this Christmas so revolutionary for our sanctification, that it is almost as if we never knew Him before, by comparison.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Imagine the times before the coming of Jesus–knowing that God would do something to rescue humanity, but not knowing what. Now, think of how we likewise hope for eternal life, and Jesus’ Second Coming, even though we don’t know just what these will be like. Ask Jesus this Advent to give you the priceless gift of joy-filled, even excited, hope in Him.

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Outfielder’s Mitt

Mitt

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.


Advent is a time when we await the coming of the Lord. Many of the readings in this season offer a beautiful, consoling picture of the Messiah bringing joy and fruitfulness back to our lives–it is a season full of joyful hope as we, who still feel the darkling impact of original sin in our lives, look forward to and pray for a new irruption of Christ’s grace into our reality as we celebrate Christmas.

But Advent, not unlike Lent, is also a time for penance. The first reading provides a hint as to why: “I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.” In order to benefit fully from what Jesus brings us at Christmas, we need to wrench our lives onto His path. We need to align our choices with His choice to redeem us.

The Gospel shows us a sad vignette of what happens when we fail to work this alignment: “We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.” The aligning of our lives to God’s will is not about earning our salvation. It is more like an outfielder’s aligning of his mitt to be ready to catch the ball, which has been struck with an almighty force in his direction.

This aligning action–the ascetic sacrifice of our inclinations to laziness, pride, sensuality, anger, etc.–is laborious, but not so laborious that it distracts from our hope. Jesus is coming. He is going to work a miracle with us that far exceeds the mere fruits of our humble ascetic action.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to open your eyes and help you identify the areas where you need to align your life more to Him. Ask Him earnestly to give you the Holy Spirit and wake you up, where necessary, to avoid the pitfall of error and misalignment in your life. And tell Him that you trust Him, that the prize that He is far exceeds the labor involved in following Him.

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Smooth Transition

Magic Kit

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.


We see a tonal shift in Scripture as we move from the last week of the liturgical year, with its cataclysmic images of the end times, into the first week of Advent, representing in a way the utter beginning of salvation history. But it is not a jolting transition. It is a smooth, nuanced shift, with some tonal aspects remaining the same, and others changing.

Today’s readings still have a focus on the end times–very much like the Gospel passages throughout the past week, Jesus admonishes us to be watchful so that the last day of our lives and of history do not catch us by surprise,

The first reading too looks toward those end days, but with a change: It is a prayer for God to hasten them, to show His face. In fact, we could do much worse than to use this particular Scripture passage from Isaiah as an ardent prayer to God for our sinful world, that He will infuse it with His grace, cleanse it, and bring it back to Him, precisely in preparation–however remote or imminent–for His return. It is a beautiful prayer, full of passion and zeal for what is good, and for conversion.

Also, though, the scriptures of this first Sunday of Advent already start to hint at what the world so long ago pined for–the first coming of the Messiah. The first reading in particular provides a beautiful meditation on the world’s deep-seated need for Him to come. And, we can use that meditation as a preparation for Christmas–begging him through that prayer in the first reading to come to us and transform our hearts like never before.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Try praying the first reading as a prayer; try putting your heart into it as you do so. You know your sins, and how sometimes your failures have a way of repeating themselves; beg of Him the grace of true conversion and healing that only He can bring. And, implore Him to visit you and transform you this Christmas like He has never done before.

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