1210 Reflection -- 2 Peter 3:8-15a

Epistle

10 December 2017

   Second Sunday of Advent                      2 Peter 3:8-15a

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

This reading is a powerful reminder that God’s time is not our own time.  That can be a difficult thing to remember.  We are accustomed to things taking place on our time table.  But Advent is a reminder for us that we wait for God to act in God’s own good time.  God has not forgotten his promises.  Sometimes it may feel that God has.  But as Christians we are called simply to wait.  How difficult this is.  There is a reason why the most common prayer of humankind has been said to be this: “God, give me patience, but give it to me right now.”  In the days of Advent, indeed in all the days of our living in between the First Easter on which Christ was raised from the tomb and the coming day when the tombs of the faithful shall be opened and those who sleep in the tomb will be resurrected in the body, we wait for God.  Some days it feels as if this waiting is unnecessary.  But we will see eventually that God’s time is always the best time.  This Advent, let us be bold enough to wait upon God no matter how long we must wait. 

Father Timothy+

1217 Reflection -- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Epistle

17 December 2017

       Third Sunday of Advent                      1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

Today we celebrate Gaudete!  The color rose reminds us that the theme of this midway point of Advent is joy.  Even as we await the fullness of our salvation, we rejoice in God, knowing Christ to be in our midst already.  It is this joy that enables us to press forward in the midst of all things.  Only remember that joy is not the same thing as happiness.  Too many people think that they cannot be joyful if they are not happy and free from worries.  Joy is an emotion of faith.  It is an emotion that gives us strength, specifically the strength that we need when life is difficult.  Today, in the midst of a difficult world, we can rejoice because we know that Christ is always bigger than the troubles of the world and of our lives.  When we serve a big God who is always bigger and more powerful than our troubles, we can rejoice because we know that these troubles are only temporary, and that in God’s own good time they shall be no more.

Father Timothy+

1224 Reflection -- Romans 16:25-27

Epistle

24 December 2017

    Fourth Sunday of Advent                      Romans 16:25-27

Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith-- to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.

As Advent draws to its close, and the celebration of the Incarnation draws near, Paul models for us how we as Christians worship God by the giving of our praise to God.  It’s a very short reading, but the power of these few verses exceeds the number of those verses.

Father Timothy+