St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

First Sunday of Advent C

(November 29, 2009)

“It is our business to see that we do right; God will see that we come out right.”

Scripture: Jer. 33: 14 – 16; Ps 25: 4-5, 8-10, 14; 1 Thes. 3: 12 – 4: 2; Lk 21: 25 – 28, 34 – 36.

Homily

Advent is a time of expectation and hope.[1] Officially, we all expect the coming into the flesh of God’s Son, the birth of Jesus at Christmas. What do we want to ask of him? What do we want to offer him?[2] This is a season for making our every desire known to God and to ourselves for a deeper appropriation and perhaps for a better perspective.

The Scriptures of this day present to us a horizon in the future where God’s power will be felt and known. In the light of this coming event, the same scriptures teach us a way to wait for the realization of the promise. Jesus indeed teaches us how to live today in holy expectation.

Our reflection bears on the healthy vision of the wonderland of promise in touch with the here-and-now of joyful but constant labor.[3] In other words, while our attention is on the Lord who is coming, our awareness watches over every step of the journey, in the Spirit of God.

1) God is coming

In the first reading prophet-Jeremiah announces the coming of the Lord in fulfillment of a promise made to David that his kingdom will not know destruction.[4] The God who comes is a God of peace and tranquility. His justice consists of restoring security to Jerusalem, and his agent is a “just shoot” from David. The coming of God through this “just shoot” does not seem to involve military power or anything else but doing “what is right and just.” Safety comes from righteousness of individuals and justice in social institutions could we push the argument to match our contemporary language, and it is a never-ending process, always forward into the future.

In the letter to the Thessalonians, our second reading, the coming of the Lord is the second coming of Jesus Christ “with all his holy ones.” [If this clause helps your understanding of the communion of the saints in the life of the Church, you may take good notice]. When Christ comes, we stand before God the Father. The future in this context is a time of revelation of holiness. Our own degree of holiness will appear in full light. It is a time when embarrassment can be huge if one is not careful now, and greatness unambiguous, if we obey now.

Finally, the Gospel talks of the shaking of heavenly powers and the roaring of earthly powers. Nevertheless, the coming of God is visible in the coming of the “Son of Man in a cloud with power and great glory.” This coming of God is now a day of “standing erect” and of “raising heads.” This coming is simply an invitation to stand before the Son of Man. Two great dangers threaten people ahead of that day: deadly fright, and tribulations or suffering. However, the Lord is clear that these tremendous signs including people’s dismay and death only announce our “redemption at hand.” Shall we then understand that every assault on our relationship with God is a sign of some form of imminent liberation coming our way? Can we then see in temptations (always imminent) the closeness of the Lord and remain firm in his word of promise?[5]

For us today, we are looking forward to the coming of the Son of Man at Christmas when we can stand before the crib to greet the baby and his parents. Again, how much can we put aside to buy him gifts? What shall we do to prepare for this day of power and glory, clouded by the humility of Jesus?

2) We live for God today

“Be vigilant and pray,” says the Lord Jesus for the strength to escape tribulations and to “stand before the Son of Man.” These two are the commandments we receive from him who has the words of eternal life, the one in whom the Father is well pleased, the one Moses announced and commended to the people.[6]

Saint Paul, on his part, exhorts the church in Thessalonica to follow the sure instructions received from him. The teaching that Paul himself had received from the first witnesses will bring forth right conduct pleasing to God.[7] Before he gives his exhortation, Paul first prays for the community, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love…” The strength of heart he invokes for them comes from the life of charity for each other, according to the doctrine and example of the apostle himself. But it is all about the Lord Jesus. The doctrine of Jesus is about a human heart fully alive to God today – every day. The only risk Jesus lists for us is “drowsy heart.” The habits leading to that kind of death are carousing, drunkenness and anxieties of daily life.[8] The various ways of preparing ourselves to receive the Eucharist are parts of this willingness of ours to stay awake. Above all, the Sacrament of reconciliation is a great help to keep constantly alert and stand prepared. I will suggest some practical ways, in case they help anyone.

Application: Before Christmas, take the time to read the instructions of Luke the evangelist in the Gospel of Luke, with this simple question in mind: Lord how do you want me to be blameless before you? Through the teaching of Luke, we may know our daily traps and the safety escapes that consist of gazing at the Lord in his life and ministry and learning from him. The Eucharistic presence summarizes it all and gives us the power to do it. The Lord is the one whom we want to know more and to love more.[9]

After Easter (supposing that your first day of the year is a foundation that you can remember), take the time to read the Acts of the Apostles from the same evangelist, with another simple question at heart: Lord, how do you want me to serve you?

The whole year, take the time to do something gratuitous every day. Something with “no strings attached” to it. This good action could minimally be an attentive and insistent prayer for someone who does not suspect that you are offering him or her such a marvelous gift; therefore he/she will not return it directly to you.

Conclusion: By doing these or any good old habits or new resolutions for this new liturgical or church year, we will be responding to the two commands of our Lord. “Be vigilant” to see that there is always a door open for us to practice charity in little or big ways, and “pray” to know that it is God who saves us from this “fright” and the risks of despair in suffering. Our Advent and Year C efforts may consist of faithfully asking every morning, “How do I wish to stand before the Lord today?” And before retiring at night, “If I stood before you today Lord, what have you noticed about me?” This deep communion with the Lord in desire, practice and dialogical evaluation will keep us indeed alert, vigilant and prayerfully loving.

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[1] There is a stressful kind of expectation in the story of Verna who “was wearing a T-shirt with the words: Be Nice to Me. I Had a Hard Day. Little Eric looked at the words and said, “How can you tell this early in the morning?” Our expectation is a living hope to see with our eyes God’s righteousness at home with us. We start on a journey full of promises and surprises. As some say, “There is no way one can take an unborn child to the hairdressers;” yet we do get, (without boredom), many things ready before its birth.

[2] I may want to ask the Lord for peace on earth, harmony in my family. I may think of asking him to live in his simplicity of heart, or his courage to draw closer to someone I really wish to help, with true generosity. I may want to offer Jesus the one thing I do well in this life, in gratitude. I may want to offer him the shortcoming I have failed to overcome, in humility and trust, or my neediness. I may consider offering some social progress I feel good about, or simply my perceived decline, in truth. I will then take this Advent season to meditate (as if buying and wrapping my gift), on my intended-offer to the Lord.

[3] In his second Encyclical Letter Spe Salvi, Saved in Hope, of November 30, 2007, par. 2, Pope Benedict XVI comments on this letter to the Thessalonians. He says, “Here too we see as a distinguishing mark of Christians the fact that they have a future: it is not that they know the details of what awaits them, but they know in general terms that their life will not end in emptiness.”

[4] See 2 Sam 7: 12, “And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm.” And 2 Sam 7: 16, “Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.”

[5] A wisdom saying declares, “An untempted minister will never do us any good, and an untried man will talk over our heads.”

[6] See Deut. 18: 15, “A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen.”

[7] 1 Cor. 15: 1 & 3.

[8] Mk 13: 37 is strongly explicit about this command, “What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” Mt 26: 41 or Mk 14: 34 goes further, “Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” You may also see how Moses prepares to receive the Law for the people in Deut. 9: 9 – 10, and how Jesus prepares for his ministry in Mt 4: 2 & 10. The acquisition of any good passes through some form of hardship/work. So is it with the true joy of Christmas, and with daily communion with the Lord.

[9] Saint Augustine, in his Sermons, 256, (see second reading in the Liturgy of the Hours, week 34), says, “You have entered upon a time of trial but you will come to no harm – God’s help will bring you through it safely. You are like a piece of pottery, shaped by instruction, fired by tribulation. When you are put into the oven therefore, keep your thoughts on the time when you will be taken out again; for God is faithful, and he will guard both your going in and your coming out.”

We have a secular song that fits this new season.  “You’d better not cry.  You better not pout.  You better be good.  I’m telling you why.  Santa Claus is coming to town.”  We are in the countdown for Christmas.  However, it is not Santa Claus that we are expecting, but it is the Child Jesus, born in a poor stable.  Many of our holiday songs can help us keep the season in mind.  I love hearing these songs year after year.  However, the real Reason for the Season is Jesus.

Here at St. John’s, we will have a wide array of celebrations.

Besides the beautiful scripture readings and hymns, we will celebrate the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8.  Our school children will have a well-prepared Mass that day to honor Mary.

On Dec. 12, we will honor Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Saturday evening 5 p.m. Mass with lots of good music, some Aztec dangers and tons of food.

On the nine days before Christmas, we will have the Filipino celebration of Simbang Gabi.

There is something here for everyone in the family.  You will need to pick up and read our church bulletin to remember these events.  Don’t miss these opportunities of spiritual growth.

You will be pressured to buy lots of gifts, but the most important thing to remember is TO KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS.

Peace,

Fr. John

A Mass and reception in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be held Saturday, Dec. 12.

Sr. Gloria Ines Loya, PBVM, who teaches theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley and serves on the leadership team of the Sisters of the Presentation, will share some reflections at the 5 p.m. Mass.

A reception will follow in the Conference Room.

Sister Gloria’s family immigrated from Mexico. Her grandmother had to leave Mexico as a young widow with her young children during the Mexican Revolution. The family worked their way through Texas to El Cerrito, working in canneries. They saved their money and bought property on Balra Drive, where they have a long and wonderful history.

Dec. 6, we will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the ordination of Fr. Raymond Ogbemure, our priest in residence.  We will celebrate the occasion at the 12:30 p.m. Mass, followed by a pot luck luncheon in the Community Center, starting at 2 p.m.
(Fr. Ray’s actual anniversary date is Dec. 8).

For more information, contact Barbarella Magloire (669-0177) or Connie DeCuir (260-0509).

Pot luck breakdown. Last name starting with:
A − D Salads
E − J Appetizers
K − R Main Dishes
S − Z Desserts

You are cordially invited to St. John’s annual Christmas Boutique and Confirmation Breakfast.  Don’t miss it and, at the same time, help support our school and our Confirmation class. Come join us next Sunday, Dec. 6, starting at 9 a.m. in the school gym.
Bring your family and friends to enjoy:

• A hearty breakfast that will include french toast, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, milk, coffee, tea and juice; $7 adults, $5 seniors and children, until 12:30 p.m.

• Santa’s Workshop for the little ones. Let your children do their Christmas shopping where they can find nice, cute items at very reasonable prices.  At the same time, you can walk around and do you own shopping from a number of vendors.

• Raffles until 2 p.m. (need not be present to win), with a wide variety of items and a grand prize for a romantic getaway at the Golden Haven Hot Springs Spa & Resort in Calistoga.

• St. John’s Seniors and YLI will offer items for sale at their booths until 2 p.m..

Vendors: Spaces are still available. If interested, please contact Geseell Grant at 235-5859 or
gesgrant@yahoo.com.

Dear Friends,

Last week, we had our cancer healing Mass, and it was a huge success of prayer, affirmation, testimony and healing.  The Holy Spirit is working hard in our parish, touching our hearts and bodies with peace and healing of body, mind and spirit.  We continue our supportive prayers and outreach to those who are ill …  At this Mass, I read a wonderful quotation, and I will repeat it here: “If the head and the  body are to be well, you must begin by curing the soul.  That is the first and essential thing.”  This was written not by some pope, theologian or saint.  It was written by Plato 347 years before Christ …  Jesus could have said this, but Plato beat him to it.  This quotation fits in well with the fifth chapter of James, the basis of our Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick: “If you are sick, ask the church leaders to come and pray for you.  Ask them to put olive oil on you in the name of the Lord.  If you have faith when you pray for sick people, they will be well.  The Lord will heal them and if they have sinned, he will forgive them.”  Plato comes to mind: “If the head and body are to be well, you must begin by curing the soul.”  Our sacraments really work, and we can learn even from pagans.

We have a special Mass on the first Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. in which we anoint our members who are sick, elderly or struggling with health and addiction issues.  This is a perfect time to invite an ailing friend to be prayed over and to be anointed.  The prayers of healing really work.  Even Plato believed this.

Peace,

Fr. John

Dear Parishioners,

I feel like a broken record when I praise you for your generosity to the poor and the hurting.  Here is a new example of our Christian caring.  Our first grade teacher, Ms. Tia Luccese, and her assistant Mrs. Bertha Cooke organized a care card for the 16-year-old girl who was raped at Richmond High.  All of the students of St. John’s School wrote a note and sent prayers for this young woman.  Bad things happen in our world, and yet we are compassionate just like Jesus was compassionate and loving.  Our children have given us a powerful example of caring.  This is just one wonderful example of a good Catholic school.

I read a lot, and I came across this book by Joseph Califano: How to Raise Drug-Free Kids: the Straight Dope for Parents.  Alcohol and drugs are present everywhere, and our children are exposed to them.  Likewise, peer pressure is a strong influence for all of our children.  How do we protect our kids?  We cannot isolate them from the society we live in.  In the best of worlds, our Catholic faith gives them strength to say “No.”  However, we are frail humans, and it is so easy to slip and fall.  Perhaps this book will give you new insights and options for directing your children and young adults.  You can get this book at Barnes & Noble.

Peace,

Fr. John

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

(Nov. 9, 2009

Extract from the hymn to matter of P. Teilhard de Chardin, S.J

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‘Blessed be you, perilous matter, irresistible march of evolution, reality ever new-born; you who, by constantly shattering our mental categories, force us to go ever further and further in our pursuit of the truth.

‘Blessed be you, universal matter, immeasurable time, boundless ether, triple abyss of stars and atoms and generations: you who by overflowing and dissolving our narrow standards or measurement reveal to us the dimensions of God.

‘Blessed be you, impenetrable matter: you who, interposed between our minds and the world of essences, cause us to languish with the desire to pierce through the seamless veil of phenomena.

‘Blessed be you, mortal matter: you who one day will undergo the process of dissolution within us and will thereby take us forcibly into the very heart of that which exists.

‘Without you, without your onslaughts, without your uprooting of us, we should remain all our lives inert, stagnant, puerile, ignorant both of ourselves and of God. You who batter us and then dress our wounds, you who resist us and yield to us, you who wreck and build, you who shackle and liberate, the sap of our souls, the hand of God, the flesh of Christ: it is you, matter that I bless.

‘I bless you, matter, and you I acclaim: not as the pontiffs of science or the moralizing preachers depict, debased, disfigured – a mass of brute forces and base appetites – but as you reveal yourself to me today, in your totality and your true nature.

‘You I acclaim as the inexhaustible potentiality for existence and transformation wherein the predestined substance germinates and grows.

‘I acclaim you as the universal power which brings together and unites, through which the multitudinous monads are bound together and in which they converge on the way of the Spirit.

‘I acclaim you as the melodious fountain of water whence spring the souls of men and as the limpid crystal whereof is fashioned the new Jerusalem.

‘I acclaim you as the divine milieu, charged with creative power, as the ocean stirred by the Spirit, as the clay molded and infused with life by the incarnate Word.

‘Sometimes, thinking they are responding to your irresistible appeal, men will hurl themselves for love of you into exterior abyss of selfish pleasure-seeking: they are deceived by a reflection or by an echo.

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Dear Friends,

Holy Mother Church dedicates the month of November to a remembrance of all of our departed relatives and friends.  I think that is a very good and healthy remembrance.  We do not forget our loved ones.  These sisters and brothers have made an impact on our lives.  Personally I lift up a heart-filled prayer of thanks as I remember one-by-one my dead relatives and friends.  I recall  their faces, and almost always a special event  comes to mind.  I remember and I give thanks.

Here is a suggestion: We have started our new members program, RCIA: Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.  If you know someone who would like to join our church or is a baptized Catholic who has not received Holy Communion or Confirmation, this is the perfect program.  The group  meets every Tuesday evening at 7:30 in the Community Center.  Just come, and you will be warmly welcomed.

I have been amazed at all of the cancer survivors in our parish.  I felt rather alone when the doctors told me that I had leukemia.  Therefore, we have scheduled a special evening Mass that will include the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.  This will be a quiet, peace-filled Mass at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10.  I especially invite all cancer survivors and their care-givers to join us in a healing prayer service.

Peace,
Fr. John

All Saints (November 1, 2009)

“We praise you God in the company of your saints!”

Scriptures: Rev. 7: 2 – 4, 9 – 14; Ps 24; 1Jn 3: 1 – 3; Mt 5: 1 – 12a

Homily

Introduction

God’s congratulations go forth to: 1) The poor in spirit, 2) They who mourn, 3) The meek, 4) They who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) The merciful, the clean of heart, 6) The peacemakers, 7) They who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, You when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you -falsely- because of [Jesus].

God recognizes/knows such people as his own, less for the external signs as for the disposition and spirit that consistently animates the living person. For the Lord Jesus, the sign contains in seed the certainty of the anticipated glory. This is an incredible blessing and amazing word of promise.

Question: What signs allow you to say that you truly know another person? And, what have you ever passionately or strongly noticed that needed attention/change in your area, church, society?

Blessed are you for noticing what you have seen. May God support and fulfill your longing for change, as Jesus promises today!

From the few selected holy ones (144 thousand), to an uncountable number of elect, we see the increasing of inclusion in the book of Revelation, our first Reading. Ps 24 sings the praises of the Mighty God who organizes life in its various dimensions. The first letter of John defines holiness as being “children of God,” and “incapable of sinning.” This idea of incapacity to sin tormented our fathers in the faith in the first centuries of Christianity. Today, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation to bring us back when we sin after baptism. Jesus lists for us eight signs of “holiness,” to say, everything you truly notice may lead you to God who is thus paving your way into his Kingdom. We shall break the word in two steps of meditation: 1) some signs from our predecessors in the faith; 2) the indications that they were from God.

1. Some signs of holiness in history

Congratulations to, happy, blessed are those who “won victory through their perseverance” against poverty, grief, violence, iniquity, hatred and harm, temptations of idolatry, brokenness, persecutions for doing what is right, and rejection!

[Dr Martin Luther King was a Baptist minister who is however close to many among us, as a model of courageous truthful and authentically inclusive living in the twentieth century United States. He has peace-making brothers and sisters, and even mentors who, all, persevered against violence and rejection, in the name of the common love that comes from God the Creator, who is ultimately the One we reject when we groundlessly exclude others. King thirsted for justice, and thus preached the gospel from the down side of social reality. The blood and moral martyrs of faith likewise, live as signs and call to go higher towards God. They come from all continents and from all ages of history. We know just a few.]

St. Juan Diego of Mexico (1474 – 1548, canonized in 2002) and St Rose of Lima/Peru, Patroness of the Americas (1586 – 1617; canonized in 1671), persevered against misunderstandings and rejections, showing an example of humility devotion and love. The Ugandan martyrs of Africa (1885 -86) persevered against idolatry immorality and persecutions. They are 22 Catholic young men who are pure of heart by relying on God in time of need. Some Anglican converts also shared their fate in Christ. Charles Lwanga is the name of the head-person among the Catholic new converts. Pope Paul VI canonized them in 1964 and we celebrate their feast on June 3, every year.

1. The indications that these blessed people were of God

a) The one thing no one can take away from them

The “dream,” the light of God and the courage of faith are their strength. St Rose of Lima was very beautiful in soul and body and very devout. St Ignatius Loyola (1491 -1556) held creation by God in ways that no advanced theologian or antagonistic authority could take away from him from a vision he received at the Cardoner River in Manresa. Littleness cannot be taken away from St. Juan Diego: “I am a nobody,” says Juanito. The Ugandan martyrs had joy and serenity. One of them named Joseph had his father among the executioners, and he chose Christ over against the local king and that biological father. From St Joseph, you could not take away the habit of acting with justice and love. And, from the Mother of Jesus and our Mother, you could not take away the Word of promise delivered by the heavenly messenger. The specific way in which God’s love is engraved upon our hearts leads our action in shaping our habits. Love is a big Reality with various smaller names. For us to recognize these names, we have to know God as Mystery and Presence of Love. Then we can read God’s mark on his creatures and on his elects. The saints are people who know this God, even from a tiny partial vision of God’s glory. What do they see?

b) The one thing they see

St Rose of Lima saw God’s beauty through the Blessed Sacrament; this beauty is worth leaving everything aside to pursue with great penance and severe discipline. St Faustina saw the inexhaustible Mercy of God as the one unforgettable truth. St Juan Diego saw that the Virgin Mother was a native woman who spoke Nahuatl, who could heal his diseased uncle and who provided during winter (December 9, 1531 on Tepeyac Hill), flowers that grew only in Castile/Spain. She was the bringer of God’s salvation. The African martyrs from Uganda saw obedience to God as unconditional. One cannot compare or reverse this order where God is Supreme. St Ignatius Loyola saw God in everything, thus denying the enemy all claims to ownership over creation and over our lives. The Queen of all saints, our heavenly Mother saw loving service to God in everything and in all people as the ultimate truth on earth. The one necessary thing bears the name of our calling. It is special and unique, but it is connected to all other callings and mission-nings of people from God. These saints have developed the “one necessary thing” into multiple opportunities for others, all originating in this one word or one vision. We may look at some examples of manifestations of God’s gift in them.

c) The Manifestation of Grace through them

In St. Juan Diego, there was a surplus of energy and vitality, to the extent that he seemed to be serving in more than one place at given times – oral tradition says. In the Ugandan martyrs, the light and straight affirmations of truth confounded their 19^th century royal court and convinced the people of their blessing and approval by God. They sang songs until the fire consumed them out of earthly life – tradition says. Those of you who heard of Padre Pio also hear about his bi-location ability – as tradition narrates— the zeal to serve God through others is so pure that it becomes tangible and visible to people. All these external signs refer to the more fundamental side that is a burning love of God that also makes of many of them unsettling friends to live with. The miraculous side is certainly not the most important, but the daily humble devotion to God that uplifts others around, making them freer to love and serve their God. Through the saints, God attracts many souls to salvation. We can even make our own the following fragments of the words of the Blessed Mother to Juan Diego and to his church community: “I vividly desire [to] be present and give my love, compassion, help, and defense. [As your] most devoted mother [I will] hear your laments and [ ] remedy all your miseries, pains, and sufferings.” The saints are signs of God’s love. They affirm concretely “God is with us,” Jesus-Christ.

Conclusion

Most often, we affirm knowing someone when we can securely anticipate and predict about him or her in the best sense. As we often say, “I do not recognize you in this,” or “From what I hear, I recognize this person in this particular pattern described to me,” God, the Loving Father of Jesus Christ recognizes our spirit in what we pray for and why we do so. Let us join the company of all the holy men and women, keeping in mind our favorite saints, friends in heaven in praising God.[1] As much as memory is selective about what to keep and what not, our soul is also selective about what we notice and otherwise. Our friendship with particular saints comes from the same selective source. Many people who understand passionate love or the power of the little way take Theresa of Lisieux for model. Other virtues make different spiritual relations, which the Church always encourages in upholding the communion of the saints. The things we therefore notice are clues to our life-story with God if we allow ourselves to look at them intentionally. This is what the saints did, and they can help us sort out and order our values.  They took time to notice what God was doing in their lives.  Juan Diego hears the song of birds and the voice of one like an “Aztec princess” on his 15 mile-way to Church; he believes and follows the signs. We now share his graces from our Lady of Guadalupe.  St Rose of Lima sees the source of all beauty in the work of the self-donating God; she places all her satisfactions in the Eucharist as she embraces the cross of her Lord. The cloud of witnesses to God’s love – the saints— celebrated today, “saw and believed,” and practiced love. This is what we are called to do, as if we were just praying, “May your Kingdom Come!” – praying Just for love of our God.

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[1] Psalm 4 asks, “How long will you people mock my honor, love what is worthless, chase after lies?” Envy/jealousy is a mockery to God’s honor. The innumerable types of blessings and people acceptable to God states this clearly. Let us work out new incentives for excellence, positively based. It is often said, “Envy is the bitterness of the heart just as, by contrast, love is its sweetness.” May sweetness prevail in us and in our world!