Displaying items by tag: Celebrating At Home

Stay awake!

Our Advent journey begins today. “The Advent readings form a rich tapestry of images centered on the truth that God has come among us. In Advent we do not pretend that we are waiting for Jesus to be born in a stable. That happened once in history and it will not happen again. We remember that birth as we remember our own birthdays. The God who came among us is still among us. Advent’s invitation is to become aware of the all-pervading presence of the risen Jesus as Emmanuel – God among us.” (Break Open the Word. The Liturgical Commission, Brisbane.)

This week’s Gospel calls us to ‘Stay awake’, to be vigilant and attentive so that we do not miss the moment when God breaks into human history once again. The God who came among us is still among us. In Advent we train our eyes to see the reign of God more clearly so that we may be totally caught up in God’s action in the world.

We live in the ‘in between’ time – between the first and final comings of Jesus. This excerpt from the Gospel urges us to stay awake, alert, watchful and ready not only for the ‘day of the Lord’s coming’ at the end of time, but also for when the presence of God breaks in our lives and our world.

• Celebrating At Home 1st Sunday of Advent 29 November
• Celebrating At Home 1st Sunday of Advent 29 November EPUB
• Lectio Divina for 1st Sunday of Advent 29 November
• Lectio Divina for 1st Sunday of Advent 29 November Epub
• Celebrando en Familia - Primer Domingo De Adviento
• Celebrando in Casa - Prima Domenica Di Avvento

Reflection - Being the living presence of God

Only Matthew tells us this story of final judgement in the Kingdom of God. He paints a picture of the glorious arrival of the King and the assembly of all the nations of people who are then separated into two groups, sheep and goats.
Judgement is then pronounced - not on the basis of physical beauty, wealth, power, status or even religious practice.

What determines who will inherit the eternal life of the Kingdom are the works of service done to fellow human beings in need: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison.

Perhaps surprisingly, there is no mention in the list of religious duties like prayer, liturgical worship, fasting, giving tithes or indeed any identifiably religious practice.

Very likely these things are presumed to be present in all the assembled people. But, the difference between the two groups is how they responded to fellow human beings in need.
At the end of the day, the disciple is called to be the Kingdom (living presence) of God in the world and to transform the suffering of its people into joy by deeds of loving kindness. The goats appear to have made horrible situations suffered by human beings worse by their neglect, their lack of love.

The virtuous disciple is the living presence of Jesus in the world. He or she realises that Jesus has entrusted the kingdom into his/her hands. In the Kingdom of Jesus, the disciple is not master but ‘servant’ - remember how frequently we have heard about the first being last and the last first?

The whole idea of ‘kingdom’ has been thoroughly re-written in the teaching of Jesus: there is only one master and you are all brothers… The disciples are indeed kings – they have the power of Jesus’ spirit in them. But this power is not to be exercised in the classical sense ‘having power over others’, but by being true servants. The power of the spirit of Jesus fuels deeds of loving kindness for the brothers and sisters of Jesus – reversing horrible human conditions, and bringing healing and salvation.

This is, once again, a ‘warning’ parable for disciples to make sure that they are living the life of the Kingdom properly. It is not meant as a ‘prophecy’ about the last day. It is meant for careful consideration by the disciples in their attempt to live the life of the kingdom which has been entrusted to them.

Disciples of Jesus are not to repeat the mistake of the Pharisees in objectifying faith in God and reducing it to external observance.

Disciples are to seize the life (grace) of the Kingdom within them, to work industriously with this great gift so that the life of Jesus at work in them overflows into deeds of loving kindness; so that, becoming one in heart and mind with Christ (as St Paul puts it), the disciples becomes Christ in his/her moment of history - seeing, thinking and acting as Jesus would.

• Celebrating At Home for Christ the King PDF
• Celebrating At Home for Christ the King EPUB
• Lectio Divina for Christ the King PDF
• Lectio Divina for Christ the King EPUB
• Celebrando em Familia - Jesus Rey do Universo Comum Carmelitas Português
• Celebrando in Casa - Festa di Cristo Re - Carmelitani
• Celebrando en Familia - Jesuscristo Rey del Universo - Carmelitas