Third Sunday of Advent
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13th Jn. 1: 6-8, 19-28 “A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.”
- We are a little more than half-way through Advent. Let us recall that Advent is a time of silence, of waiting, of expectant preparation –for He comes… Let us persevere in our preparation for the long awaited Messiah prophesied of old, the Savior of the world, and our own personal Savior.
Part 1: Pastoral Letter on the Season of Advent by Saint Charles Borromeo
Part 2: ADVENT: TIME FOR GREATER SILENCE AND PRAYER by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
PART 1: Pastoral Letter on the Season of Advent by Saint Charles Borromeo (+1584)
Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent. This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced at last to see.
This is the season that the Church has always celebrated with special solemnity. We too should always observe it with faith and love, offering praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the mercy and love He has shown us in this mystery. In His infinite love for us, though we were sinners, He sent His only Son to free us from the tyranny of Satan, to summon us to heaven, to welcome us into its innermost recesses, to show us truth itself, to train us in right conduct, to plant within us the seeds of virtue, to enrich us with the treasures of His grace, and to make us children of God and heirs of eternal life.
Each year, as the Church recalls this mystery, she urges us to renew the memory of the great love God has shown us. This holy season teaches us that Christ’s coming was not only for the benefit of His contemporaries; His power has still to be communicated to us all. We shall share His power, if, through holy faith and the sacraments, we willingly accept the grace Christ earned for us, and live by that grace and in obedience to Christ.
The Church asks us to understand that Christ, who came once in the flesh, is prepared to come again. When we remove all obstacles to His presence He will come, at any hour and moment, to dwell spiritually in our hearts, bringing with Him the riches of His grace.
PART 2: ADVENT: TIME FOR GREATER SILENCE AND PRAYER by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
Advent is a season of very special graces! It is time of waiting, hope and joy. Waiting—for the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; Hope—because Jesus came to save us; and finally Joy—because Jesus’ birth, life, death and Resurrection is a promise of eternal life for those who obey His commandments and love Him.
SILENT NIGHT. On Christmas Eve, it is most appropriate to sing the hymn Silent Night. In the profound depths of that most special night Jesus was born in silence. How important silence is for those who truly are seeking the presence of God. The prophet Elijah sought God in his mountain experience. This mysterious God was not found in the earthquake, nor in the peals of thunder, nor in the flashes of lightning. Rather the Almighty God could be found in the gentle whispering of the wind, in the gentle breeze.
NEED FOR SILENCE. In the midst of a world so absorbed in noise—you might even call it “noise pollution”—there is an urgent need for silence. Indeed, there are many positive fruits that flow from silence. We will mention just a few so as to encourage us to seek out times in our day for silence.
1. CLARITY OF THOUGHT. For us to have great clarity in our thought process we have an absolute need for silence. Bombarded by a constant onslaught of noise as we are, having a period of silence allows a clear, transparent, and honest thought life to blossom and bring forth fruit. The sublime theological writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas were written in silence. The literary expertise of the writings of Shakespeare were born of silence. The penetrating depth and insight of the theory of relativity discovered by Albert Einstein took place in the aura of silence. The greatest mystics, contemplatives and saints encountered God in silence. So may all of us seek and relish moments of silence in our daily lives!
2. DETECTING THE TEMPTATIONS OF THE ENEMY. In our lives, we are constantly bombarded by negative thoughts and the source of these thoughts is the enemy that we call the devil. Saint Ignatius calls him “the Enemy of our salvation”; Saint Thomas Aquinas calls him “the Tempter”; Saint Peter compares him to a roaring lion on the loose seeking to devour us. (1 Pt. 5:8) If we do not have moments of silence, even zones of silence in our life, then it will prove almost impossible for us to discern and detect the ugly tail of the devil who is always seeking ways to tempt us, manipulate us, and coax us to fall into sin. Silent reflection gives us a more acute awareness of the strategies and manipulations of the enemy of our salvation. In the desert, Jesus was in silence as He prayed and fasted. The devil attacked Jesus, but He rebuffed the enemy relying on the power and efficaciousness of the Word of God. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Mt. 4:4) Spiritual warfare must be engaged in through silence and prayer.
3. HEAVENLY INSPIRATIONS FROM ON HIGH. Not only can we pick up the tactics of the enemy in the depths of a silent and discerning heart, but even more important, we can pick up the Heavenly vibes—meaning, the inspirations that come from the Holy Spirit. As a point of fact, God is always present; His whole being penetrates and permeates the whole universe. God is never absent from us, but we can so easily become absent from Him. A dogmatic atheist who categorically denies God’s existence, cannot alter or modify to the slightest degree the reality of God’s existence. Saint Paul quoted the Greek poet with reference to God’s omnipresence: “In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) This being said, the Holy Spirit desires to speak to our hearts but He respects our liberty to the max! If we are too busy, engrossed in noise, frenetic activities, non-stop movement and constant chatter then there is no room for the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts through His heavenly inspirations. Never forget, the Birthday of the Church—Pentecost was preceded by fervent prayer, fasting, the presence of Our Lady (Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit) and silence. Therefore, only with silence and a recollected heart can we pick up those Heavenly vibes and be transformed by God Himself—the Holy Spirit!
4. DISCERNING THE WILL OF GOD IN OUR LIVES. Discovering the will of God in our lives and striving to implement it, this is indeed the key to holiness, as well as peace of mind, heart and soul. If we are running a mile a minute, if we are moving like a chicken with its head cut off, if we are in a constant state of agitation, if we have fallen into a perpetual state of activism putting our activities above God Himself, then it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to discern God’s will in our lives. Discernment of one’s vocation or one’s state of life is possibly the most important decision in one’s entire life. Marriage or the single life, priesthood or the religious life—the choice one makes in this vocational arena is of paramount importance. A wrong choice due to excessive noise, little or no reflection, bad advice from worldly friends can prove to be nothing less than a disaster. For this reason, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who bequeathed to the world the Spiritual Exercises, offers a series of reflections or meditations, so as to help the retreatant discern what is his/her state of life. This Ignatian process of discernment done in SILENCE and reflection with a well-trained spiritual director can prove to be invaluable in choosing one’s vocation, giving honor and glory to God, and pursuing one’s own personal conversion and sanctification. Moreover, there may be other times in our lives when serious discernment must be made regarding major life changes related to employment, relocating one’s famiy, health related issues, etc. This too requires the Ignatian process of discernment done in SILENCE and reflection with a well-trained spiritual director. Again, it must be emphasized, this cannot be done without silence!
5. EXAMPLE OF SAINT JOSEPH. Great Saint Joseph is the earthly father of Jesus, the Eternal Son of the Father. Saint Joseph is also the husband of Mary, the Queen of the angels and saints. Theology gives to Saint Joseph the cult of protodulia—first in veneration among the saints. A very interesting note about the great Saint Joseph is his profound silence. We have no recorded word of Saint Joseph in all of Sacred Scripture. The silence of Saint Joseph speaks very eloquently. He was silent as an example to us, so that we would learn in silence to listen to the Word of God and put it into practice.
In sum, may we all appreciate and value SILENCE. If done with an attitude of prayer, God will speak to us most eloquently in the depths of our hearts, for our salvation and the salvation of many others!
Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
