Sarah Christmyer's Blog, page 7

ASH WEDNESDAY: It’s time to get clean

(Traducción en español al final)

My son was the youngest and newest member of the local Peewee football league, and as such he sat warming the bench in his spanking-white uniform while his teammates slogged through the mud.  It was a cold and rainy day but the game was exciting, and we all cheered as the running back took the handoff and ran forward.  He dove through the line then came down, sliding head first through a puddle and bringing several players down on top of him.

The coach took the boy to the sidelines to assess his injuries, and the game went on.  My husband and I watched as our son got up and walked over to his friend.  We were so proud that he would take his eyes off the game to encourage a teammate.  What would he say?  The other parents leaned in, too, to hear:

“Man, your mom is going to be MAD when she sees that uniform.  That will never get clean!”

I thought of that as I read the Responsorial Psalm (51) for Ash Wednesday, Year B.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;  in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from guilt  and of my sin cleanse me.

By the start of Lent each year, I feel bruised and battered, grimy like that young football player.  I present myself for ashes feeling how appropriate they are, a sign of my weakness and failing.

BUT GOD!  He’s not an unfeeling judge, to be angry that I’ve soiled my uniform.  He looks with compassion, calls me to himself.  “The Lord was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people,” Joel tells us in the first reading.  “Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God.  For gracious and merciful is he….”

The second reading is from 2 Corinthians.  With St. Paul, I implore you:  be reconciled to God. Whatever guilt or shame or dirt clings to your soul, bring it to the One who can make you clean and new.  “For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.”

Now, this Lent, is “a very acceptable time” to return to the One who loves you.

© 2015, 2021 Sarah Christmyer

This post was first published February 18, 2015, on this website.

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MIERCOLES DE CENIZA: es tiempo de limpiarse.

Por Sarah Christmyer (Traducción de Ana Lilia Galván de Tiscareño)

Mi hijo era el miembro mas joven y reciente del equipo local de la liga juvenil de futbol, y mientras calentaba en la banca en su impecable uniforme blanco sus compañeros de equipo sudaban en el lodo. Era un día frío y lluvioso pero el juego estaba muy emocionante, y todos echamos porras cuando el corredor tomó el pase y siguió corriendo. Pasó por la línea, luego se fue deslizando de cabeza por un charco llevándose a varios jugadores sobre él.

El entrenador se llevó al joven hacia un lado para revisar sus heridas y el juego continuó. Mi esposo y yo observábamos como nuestro hijo se levanto y fue hacia su amigo. Nos sentimos muy orgullosos al ver que apartaba sus ojos del juego para ir a animar a su compañero. ¿Qué le diría? Los otros padres también se acercaron para escuchar:

Oye, tu mamá se va a MOLESTAR cuando vea ese uniforme. Nunca se limpiara.

Pensé en eso esta mañana mientras iba a la Iglesia para recibir cenizas y orar con el Salmo del día (Salmo 50):

Misericordia, Dios mío, por tu bondad; por tu inmensa compasión borra mi culpa; lava de todo mi delito, limpia mi pecado.

Cada año al iniciar la Cuaresma, me siento lastimada y golpeada, sucia como aquel joven jugador de futbol. Voy a recibir cenizas sintiendo lo apropiado que son, un signo de mi debilidad y fracaso.

¡PERO DIOS! El no es un juez sin sentimientos, que se enoja porque he ensuciado mi uniforme. El mira con compasión, me llama hacia El. “Y Yahvéh se llenó de celo por su tierra, y tuvo piedad de su pueblo” nos dice Joel en la primera lectura. “Vuélvanse a mí de todo corazón, con ayunos, con lágrimas y llanto; enluten su corazón y no sus vestidos. Vuélvanse al Señor Dios nuestro, porque es compasivo y misericordioso…”

La segunda lectura es de la segunda Carta a los Corintios. Con San Pablo, les pido: reconcíliense con Dios. Cualquier culpa o vergüenza o impureza apegada a tu alma, tráela ante el único que te puede limpiar y hacer nuevo. “Dios lo hizo “pecado” por nosotros, para que, unidos a él, recibamos la salvación de Dios y nos volvamos justos y santos”.

Ahora, esta cuaresma 2015, es “un tiempo muy apropiado” para regresar con Aquel que te ama.

The post ASH WEDNESDAY: It’s time to get clean appeared first on Come Into The Word with Sarah Christmyer | Bible Study | Lectio Divina | Journals | Retreat.

WHOSE WORD DO YOU LISTEN TO?

Maybe Eve was deceived by the Serpent; Adam knew better.

Eve had to grapple with the devil himself. All that it took Adam to fall was another offer.

Standing with God in the Garden, with nothing to distract from the morning-new glories around him, Adam heard the word of the Lord: It’s all yours, Adam. I’m giving you this to take care of; and you can eat anything! Only note this one tree … don’t eat that fruit, or you’ll die.

Later, with God up in heaven and Eve by his side, Adam let her eat a piece and when she handed him one, ate his own.

Adam knew better.

We’re just like Adam

But before we’re too hard on him: don’t we do the same? We listen to God speak in church: Honor your parents. Forgive your enemies. Don’t steal from other people or gossip about them. We nod our heads and agree, this really is the best way to live. Thank you, God, for your word.

Then once out of church, it’s out of mind, too. With God out of the way, we sit among our colleagues or stand with our neighbors and admire the fruit they are eating. Here — take some! they offer. And we bite.

Even though we know better, too. We’re just like Adam.

Photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels.

 

Psalm 1 shows the way forward:

So what’s a poor human to do? Psalm 1 provides the answer.

What not to do …

“Blessed [happy] is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stands in the way of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of scoffers …

Notice the progression from walking along to standing and finally to sitting. Also:

To “walk in” counsel is to follow advice.To “stand in the way of” is to take your stand withTo “sit in the seat of” is to sit like a judge

 

Notice how listening and accepting counsel becomes agreeing and finally acting and being like. The blessed, happy person knows this. He doesn’t just refrain from doing evil. He is careful not to listen to the wrong-doer’s advice. He moves on, rather than taking in that way of doing things.

… and what to do, instead

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
            and on his law he meditates day and night. …

The person who would be happy, takes delight in another kind of talk and counsel: the law of the Lord.

“Law” in this verse is, literally, torah. In Hebrew, torah is not just laws as in rules, but God’s directions for how to live a blessed life. Torah is the whole of God’s communication with us, the revelation of who he is and how to live in his image, as his children. Torah is the story of his love and redemption, along with the way to get there.

Rather than taking in the words of sinners and acting on them, the happy man takes in the word of God. He doesn’t leave what he hears at church, or imagine God has left him alone in the world; he takes the Word with him, coming back to it 24/7. Then when the apple basket passes his way, he is ready. He recalls the Word … and turns the fruit down.

 

God’s word gives life!

 “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” —Matthew 4:4

God’s word gives us life. But unless we live by that word, we die.

Psalm 1 shows what that means:

“He is like a tree
planted by streams of water,
That yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. …

God’s word is like a seed that carries his divine life. Plant it inside your heart by thinking on it day and night (not just at church!) and living by it, and you become like a well-watered tree. With roots plunged into the source of life, you grow strong. Like that tree, you can withstand drought and heat. And you bear good fruit for others.

But the words of the world suck us dry

“The wicked are not so,
     but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
     nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
     but the way of the wicked will perish.”

 The wisdom of the world has no such power. It leaves you dry and rootless like a tumbleweed or dust. One puff of hardship or temptation and you blow away.

Be strong in the Word

Do you want to remain strong while you live in the world? Be well-watered by the Word.

Drink from the stream of life: through frequent reception of the Sacraments. By prayer and ongoing communion with the Lord. And by listening to—dwelling on, pondering—God’s word.

Commit Scripture to memory. Allow it to form and to feed you, to guide and protect you. Let the Word be so strong and loud within you that you recognize the Serpent’s voice for what it is … and say no.

“Stand” is amad in Hebrew (“to take one’s stand, stand” (Strong’s Concordance, H5975).
In Hebrew, yashab: “to sit down, specifically as judge” (Strong’s Concordance, H3427)

© 2021 Sarah Christmyer

 

Be strong in the Word! Get all 80 talks from The Word 2021 International Bible Summit on video and mp3 so you can watch or listen at your leisure. Among them are two talks from me: Finding the Love of God in the Old Testament and Live in Your Bible! – How to Choose (and Use) a Bible. Find out more here.

The post WHOSE WORD DO YOU LISTEN TO? appeared first on Come Into The Word with Sarah Christmyer | Bible Study | Lectio Divina | Journals | Retreat.

RECEIVING THE WORD: A Lesson from Football

COVID has put a damper on our usual Super Bowl festivities. Three years ago, when I first posted this, we crowded with family and friends into the den, feasting and celebrating an amazing Eagles win! This year, it’s just two of us. But I’ll be watching Tyreek Hill as closely as I watched Alshon Jeffery for that game: because the way they receive the ball is just as pertinent today, as a lesson in how we receive the Word of God.

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Used to be, a wide receiver wanted nothing to come between his fingertips and the football.

But it’s a fair bet that when the Eagles and Patriots file onto the field this weekend, anyone who anticipates touching the ball will be wearing high-tech, sticky gloves. And if Alshon Jeffery makes a three-fingered catch the fans will cheer! — but no one will be surprised. It’s his job to catch the ball … hang onto it … and run it downfield, if he can. And God forbid he ever lets go.

When you’re a receiver targeted by the quarterback, what matters even more than catching the ball is holding on to it. Hence the special gloves, which help with both!  Likewise, when you’re the target of the Word of life, what matters most is to receive (not merely read or hear) the Word; to then hold on to what you hear; and to run with it toward your eternal goal.

 

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

(St. Paul in Philippians 3:14, RSVCE)

 

How good of a receiver are you? Lectio divina (“divine reading”), that age-old practice of reading Scripture until it turns to prayer, can help improve your game.

Lectio divina is generally thought of as a process with four steps: you prayerfully read a passage of Scripture; you meditate on it, allowing it to soak in and begin to work inside you; you talk to the Lord about it, responding in prayer (and determining to practice); and finally you contemplate—you rest in the Lord’s presence. When we make a habit of reading the Word this way, it takes root. It begins to transform us from the inside out.

Thinking again of that wide receiver, it occurs to me that we can learn a thing or two from what he does.

Anticipate the Throw

To begin with, get your eyes on the QB. That’s God, our heavenly father, who longs to talk to you and who does so (in part, but very definitely) in the Bible.

 

In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them

Dei Verbum, 21

 

Like the wide receiver, who runs into position and gets his hands and eyes in the path of the ball, prayerfully put yourself in the Lord’s presence and expect him to speak. With your attention on the “QB” – God – fix your eyes on the “ball” of the word. Read the passage several times if needed. Focus. Get it firmly in your sights.

Make the Catch

A football catch often starts with the fingertips, then the hand, then the crook of the arm and the chest.

In the same way, “grab onto” the word or words that stand out to you, and don’t let it go. You might have to mull it over first. Don’t just read. Listen. What do you hear? Meditate. Allow it to sink in. Hold the word close to your chest, in your heart. Receive what it says, don’t try to direct it.

Convert the Play

Can you imagine a receiver gazing at the ball, admiring the perfect spiral, its arc through the air, then turning to another player and saying “will you look at that ball? It’s perfect!” If that’s all he does, he’ll find himself out of job!l

The QB throws the ball to a receiver who is open because he anticipates that player will do something with the ball. In the same way, God speaks because he anticipates it will accomplish something in your life.

 

…so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
     it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
     and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

(Isaiah 55:11)

 

Ask as you meditate: Why this word to me, today? What is the goal? What do you want me to know? To learn? To do?

Sometimes in football, the goal is just a catch. And sometimes our goal is simply to take the word and plant it like a seed so that later, it can germinate. Allow God to choose and direct his words. Our job is to receive, and let him do his work even though it may be out of sight.

Post-Game Review

Overall, you may not make a lot of touchdowns. But that’s OK. In fact, that’s part of the game. Sometimes the ball will sail right past you. You may fumble a few. Some throws you’ll set right down, or you’ll move just a few yards. But the more you do it, the more forward progress you will make.

When you read the Bible, try not to be just a spectator. Spectators sit in the stands (or in the comfort of a living room) and watch the action, analyze the plays. Sometimes it’s exciting, and to the fan it seems as good as being in the game! But no fan ever received the ball or ran it through the end zone. And when the game gets boring, it’s so tempting to wander away for chips and soda or to join another conversation, instead of getting back into position, eye on the QB, eye on the ball.

Be a player. Be a receiver! We’re not meant to be spectators of Scripture. The Bible is the Word of God, a personal message from the Lord of the Universe, directed to our hearts.

© 2018 Sarah Christmyer. Originally posted February 4, 2018.

P.S. Just in case you can’t tell by the photo, this household bleeds Eagles green!

 

Practice receiving the Word this Lent. This simple journal walks you through the seven penitential psalms, one psalm a week, practicing the steps of lectio divina as you go.

 

Available at this link from Amazon.com.

The post RECEIVING THE WORD: A Lesson from Football appeared first on Come Into The Word with Sarah Christmyer | Bible Study | Lectio Divina | Journals | Retreat.

3 STEPS TO A BIBLE READING HABIT

Have you ever started reading the Bible, only to give up? It’s got to rank up there with daily exercise and dieting as the most-started, most-abandoned New Year’s resolution.  It’s also as important.  Because what diet and exercise are to your body, God’s word is to your spirit:  food and strength!

Let me help you build a habit of Bible reading. 

Like that daily jog, it’s not hard, it feels good, and it gets easier with practice.  And all it takes is three easy steps:

 

 

1. GET READY — Set the time and place

The single-most effective way to build Bible reading into your life is to set aside a regular time and place.

TIME: Choose a time when you are consistently free and not likely to be bothered. Enter this daily “appointment with God” on your calendar.

PLACE:  Find a quiet place that’s free from distractions. Prepare the space with a candle or favorite icon and your Bible and notebook. (Write your goal in the front, add a reading checklist, then prepare to journal as you read.)

NEED HELP?  Piggy-back onto an existing routine.  Add Scripture to your nightly prayers; bring your Bible early to mass or on the train to work. Begin with something you know you can do: maybe a month or the 40 days of Lent.

 

2. GET SET — Set your personal goal and plan

Decide ahead of time what to read, then write it down in your journal. Make a checklist to mark your progress.

WHAT TO READ: Here are some ideas to get you going.

Follow the lectionary and read the daily gospel for a year, using your Bible. Find charts of all the readings here, or a calendar of readings for the day here.Pray your way through a Gospel or another book. Take your time, even if it’s just a few sentences a day. For downloadable checklists to read through a Gospel, see the Resources page of this websiteRead the entire Catholic Bible in a year with this reading plan from Dr. Mary HealyRead through the biblical narrative with the Bible Timeline’s 90-day reading plan, available here as a free pdf download.

 

3. GO — Get into the Word!

Place yourself in God’s presence and ask him to be with you.  Then:

READ:  whatever you’ve decided, or pick up where you left off. How much you read is up to you.  If something strikes you, go back and read it again. Let it sink in.

REFLECT on what you’ve read. Write down what you learn about God; about life; about you – whatever strikes your heart.

RESPOND:  Listen and respond to God in prayer.

REST in his presence before going on with your day.

 

Blessings on you as you read the Word!

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© 2021 Sarah Christmyer

 

You might also like:

The 3 “P’s” of Fruitful Bible Reading

Which Catholic Bible Should I Use?

The post 3 STEPS TO A BIBLE READING HABIT appeared first on Come Into The Word with Sarah Christmyer | Bible Study | Lectio Divina | Journals | Retreat.

JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU (EVEN WHEN I DOUBT)

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a crowd, due to COVID. I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like. Maybe that’s why it stands out to me as I read through the early chapters of Mark’s gospel: people are everywhere. Jostling, asking, listening, questioning, pleading for help. They crowd into Jesus’ house so he can’t eat in peace. They threaten to crush him on shore, so he teaches from a boat. He has to get away to pray.

He had to be tired.

There’s this very human scene in Mark 4:35-41. He’s been teaching all day long, after a whirlwind tour of Galilee during which he’s under a constant crush of people. It’s evening and he suggests to his disciples that they cross to the other side of the sea.

“Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was,” it says.

That phrase struck me: “Just as he was.” How was that? Exhausted? Must be, because before you know it, he’s passed out on a cushion in the back of the boat. He’s so tired, he sleeps through the violent storm that comes up. Waves are crashing in; the wind is wild. I can see the disciples frantically bailing out the water, trying to keep the boat from going down and somebody notices that Jesus is still asleep. They shake him awake. “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing?”

I think all they expected was for him to pull his weight, maybe bail from the back or help somehow to hold things steady. Or maybe if they’re truly going down, to lead a prayer. They did not expect what he did. He raised his voice against the wind — and it stopped.

Night (and peace) falls on the Sea of Galilee. Photo by Sarah Christmyer.

 

Whoa! Who is this guy? they ask.

Maybe Mark wrote this to show that Jesus is divine. But today it’s his human side that stands out to me. He’s someone doing his best to teach and heal and help and getting worn out in the process. Overwhelmed to the point of sleeping through danger. And in his disciples’ reaction, I see him through their eyes. He’s a revered teacher, sure; but he’s also someone they take “just as he was,” who they are comfortable enough with to shake awake and ask, “don’t you care?” They presume on his compassion. His divinity and power is dawning on them, but they know his humanity as well. He is first their friend.

I want to know the Lord like that. As a friend and a brother. To have that familiarity with Jesus, that I assume that even when he seems asleep, even when my faith falters, I can call on him and expect his help — and learn that yes, he does care after all.

Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief, especially when I feel alone. Thank you that you’re never too tired to care for me.

© 2021 Sarah Christmyer

 

Related posts:

Have Faith in the Fire: A Lesson from JobTrust in God & His Power Within UsTrust God, the Divine ArtistTrust in the Slow Work of God

 

The post JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU (EVEN WHEN I DOUBT) appeared first on Come Into The Word with Sarah Christmyer | Bible Study | Lectio Divina | Journals | Retreat.

HOW TO HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD: The Example of Samuel

 

“The word of the Lord was rare in those days” (1 Samuel 3:1).

I feel like that sometimes.

Lord, where are you? Why don’t you speak? I have so many needs… I need to hear from you!

 

“The word of the Lord was rare” — that was in the early days of the prophet Samuel, when he was just a boy. It was the time of the judges in Israel, when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6, 21:25). Sounds like today! And we are reaping chaos that matches those times.

But back to the word of the Lord being rare. Samuel marks a change in that situation and I wonder what we can learn from him. I sat this morning with 1 Samuel 3, and this is what I found.

Some observations about God:1. God hears

It can’t be coincidence that “Samuel” in Hebrew is sh’ma Elohim — “God hears.” God heard the cries of the barren Hannah and gave her this boy. But he also hears the cries of his people, knows they are ill-served by their priests, and listens. And answers them through Samuel. God speaks a word into their troubles, but before he speaks: “God heard.”

God’s word is more than him telling us things. It is rooted in relationship, in conversational give and take; he hears our cries.

2. God doesn’t give up on us

The Lord calls Samuel four times. He persists, but he doesn’t force it. He calls, then waits. He sends help through Eli when Samuel doesn’t recognize his voice. And he waits again. God meets Samuel where he is and keeps on calling. Can you hear him calling you?

3. God comes close to us

When Samuel is finally primed to listen, “the Lord came and stood.” He’s no longer just a voice, he comes near. The message turns out to be a hard one, but God doesn’t hide behind a tweet or send a text. He goes and stands beside Samuel to deliver it. God wants to come close to us and speak to us directly, too.

4. God sticks around and follows up

The Lord doesn’t just speak and run, leaving Samuel to cope. Verse 19 says the Lord was with Samuel. And he “let none of his words fall to the ground.” In other words, what God says to Samuel, that Samuel proclaims in turn, comes true. God’s words are not empty, they have purpose and they take effect. And God stands by Samuel even when asking him to say hard things. He does the same for us.

Some observations about Samuel:1. Samuel does the right thing

Samuel is ministering to the Lord even though the word is rare (vs. 1), even though he doesn’t yet know the Lord, whose word has not yet been revealed to him (vs. 7). Samuel is faithful to the light which he’s been given. We can be tempted to think God only speaks to other people. Why would he speak to me? Don’t let feelings of your inadequacy (even those that are deserved!) make you doubt God. Do according to the light you’ve been given. Go ahead and minister to the Lord: go to mass. Pray. Be faithful in small things. Be patient. And know that God hears.

2. Samuel is ready

Samuel is in bed when God calls him, he’s lying down in the Temple. But he is alert enough to jump up when he hears his name. His ears are pricked up, ready to hear. Ask yourself: Am I listening? Am I alert, hoping to hear God’s voice? Or is my attention elsewhere? Am I filling my ears with other things, attending to other voices? When the word of God does come: will I be ready to hear it?

3. Samuel doesn’t give up

At first, Samuel doesn’t know God’s voice. He keeps thinking it’s Eli, and he keeps getting up to respond. After being twice sent back to bed, you’d think he’d stay there! But Samuel, always ready, keeps on responding. God is able to use Eli (worthless priest that he is!) to direct Samuel back to himself. God’s persistent pursuit of Samuel is met by the boy’s untiring response.

4. Samuel prepares to listen

Over time, Samuel’s response shifts from “Here I am” (to Eli) to “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” It may not seem like much of a difference, but his interior posture moves from activity to receptivity. Similarly, our activity must grow out of first receiving God’s word and allowing it to work in us. Sometimes we just want to “do.” Don’t short-circuit the process. Listen first.

5. Samuel ponders and proclaims the word

God’s first word to Samuel is doom to Eli. No wonder he can’t sleep. “Samuel lay until morning, then he opened the doors to the house of the Lord” (vs. 18). The boy is afraid to deliver his message. But he spends the night well: pondering what he heard, allowing the word to take root. And then he passes it on. When Samuel “opened the doors to the house of the Lord” that day, he did so in more than one way. God’s word is once more being heard in his temple and it will be open to all.

A final thought…

1 Samuel 3 ends: “the Lord revealed himself…by the word of the Lord.”

The Lord wants to reveal himself to us by his word, as well. Jesus is calling you! Wake up from the things that keep you from hearing. Put yourself in God’s presence, be faithful to the light that you have. Turn your ear toward him and be patient. Listen. Ponder. Proclaim what you hear.

And may the Lord be with you as you read his Word!

© 2021 Sarah Christmyer

 

You may also like this post about Samuel’s mother’s experience with answered prayer:

The Who, What, When, Where, & Why of Powerful Prayer

 

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The Catholic Edition is available here from the Augustine Institute.

Images by Magda Ehlers from Pexels (listening deer); Greg Rakozy on Unsplash (man looking into space); and Carolyn V on Unsplash (open Bible).

The post HOW TO HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD: The Example of Samuel appeared first on Come Into The Word with Sarah Christmyer | Bible Study | Lectio Divina | Journals | Retreat.

A TALE OF TWO KINGS

Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of a king, the Son of God. Did you know that the day he was born, many thought he had already come?

 

“He” was not a simple child of Israel. “He” was Caesar Augustus, who had already ruled for nearly 30 years.

 

The adopted son and successor of Julius Caesar, who had proclaimed himself God, Augustus became known as the “son of God.” Caesar worship was then the official religion. He was celebrated everywhere for saving the world and bringing unity and peace and prosperity.

 

SOUND FAMILIAR?

Here’s what the ancient Priene Calendar inscription had to say about Caesar around 9 BC:

“Since at a time when everything was falling apart and turn ing out disastrously, Caesar Augustus restored it and gave the whole world a new look …. The fact of his birth was an end…to our misery, and we may rightly account it the beginning of real life….

“Whereas the providence which divinely ordered our lives crea ted with zeal and munificence the most perfect good for our lives by producing Augustus and filling him with virtue for the good of all mankind, blessing us and those after us with a savior who put an end to war and established peace;

“and whereas Caesar A ugustus when he appeared exceeded the hopes of all who had anticipated good tidings … And whereas the birthday of the god [ie, Augustus] marks for the world the beginning of the good tidings through his coming …

Therefore, the inscription continues, the birth of Caesar Augustus is to be seen as the beginning of the year. And his birthday is to be proclaimed as the Euangelion, the “good news,” the “gospel” for the entire Empire (OGIS 458; emphases mine)

WILL THE REAL KING PLEASE STAND UP?

Into this world came a public announcement from God (the real God), delivered by an angel to shepherds as they watched their sheep one night near a little town called Bethlehem:

“Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ [Messiah] the Lord. … Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:10-14, emphases mine)

 

Angels holding the four gospels; Vatican Museum.

 

It’s worth noting the parallel because the world continues to put forward new “Caesars,” men and governments who style themselves like sons of God and proclaim good news to all. Like Augustus, they impose peace for the advantage of those who toe the line, and promise pain to those who don’t.

 

The Roman government was feared by those who longed for the Messiah. Still, a baby in a manger was not the kind of king that they expected. Jesus attracted a loyal following but was cut down in his prime, rejected by his people, and crucified as a criminal with the words “king of the Jews” nailed to the wood over his head.

 

Some might say he failed. Meanwhile, Augustus lived to be 75. At his death he asked, “Have I played the part well? Then applaud as I exit.” He was celebrated with enormous fanfare.

 

Two kings, two saviors, two bringing good news and peace on earth. Both died, but only one still lives today, guiding our feet into the way of peace.

 

 

Come, let us adore him!

 

© 2020 Sarah Christmyer

 

Photo credits: Caesar statue by iam_os on Unsplash. Crown of thorns by blenderfan, gold crown by Annie Hara, both from Pixabay.

 

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Receiving the Gaze of Jesus: An Exercise in Visio Divina

 

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4th SUNDAY OF ADVENT: SHHHH…..!

Hush…. It’s time!

Time to finish the buying and wrapping, time to set our troubles aside. Our cares will still be there next week, after all, and we don’t want to miss the peace that’s promised by the season.

One Christmas hymn keeps floating through my mind, helping me focus. A friend sent me this instrumental version on video (it’s her playing the autoharp) and it’s hauntingly beautiful. I’ve sung it so often, the words come to me wrapped in the tune.

 

Click the picture to hear Lucille Reilly playing her arrangement of “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” at Montview Presbyterian, Denver. Image clipped from Youtube video. Song begins at 20:02.

 

Here’s the first verse in case it’s not familiar:

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;

Ponder nothing earthly-minded,

For with blessing in his hand,

Christ our God to earth descendeth,

Our full homage to demand.

 

“Let all mortal flesh keep silence.” That’s you and me—“mortal flesh.” Be silent and stand in awe and godly fear. Imagine: God took on our mortal (ie, subject to death) flesh … so he could die.

 

Maybe that’s why this song that originally (and still is) sung on Holy Saturday, was made a Christmas hymn. Both life and death (a death that leads to life!) are part of the promise of his birth.

 

The words are drawn from the Eucharistic Prayer in the ancient Liturgy of St. James. Here’s the second verse:

 

King of kings, yet born of Mary,

As of old on earth he stood,

Lord of lords, in human vesture,

In the body and the blood;

He will give to all the faithful

His own self for heavenly food.

 

I love that. Our Lord’s incarnation tied to the food we receive from the altar at Mass.

And so, as Christmas nears, Hush! Await his approach in reverent fear … and approach him with grateful praise. Join your voice with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, as we read in verse 3:

 

At his feet the six-winged seraph,

Cherubim, with sleepless eye,

Veil their faces to the presence,

As with ceaseless voice they cry:

Alleluia, Alleluia,

Alleluia, Lord Most High!


(Source: Musixmatch)

 

May your Christmas be filled with holy reverence and great joy!

 

© 2020 Sarah Christmyer

 

You might also like:
Find Peace this Advent

 

You can find Lucille’s music and more about her at Lucille Reilly: the Dulcimer Lady.

The post 4th SUNDAY OF ADVENT: SHHHH…..! appeared first on Come Into The Word with Sarah Christmyer | Bible Study | Lectio Divina | Journals | Retreat.

3rd SUNDAY OF ADVENT: REJOICE!

Twice a year, on Gaudete and Laetare Sundays, the priest dons rose-colored vestments for mass. In spite of what he might think about wearing that color (and there’s always someone cracking a joke about it) — I love seeing it. I love its rosy warmth and the way it breaks into the somber violet of the rest of the season with a note of joy.

Detail of a rose chasuble

During Lent, “Rose Sunday” comes as an obvious relief. But why do we need it in Advent? I wonder, because even though Advent started as a season of penitential preparation for Christmas, we tend to make our way through it in anticipatory joy.

That’s the idea, anyway, whether reality lives up to it or not.

It’s mid-December. Are you having fun yet?

I tend to turn purple like the other advent candles with the exertion and stress of buying gifts and decorating and planning celebrations. So on Gaudete (gow-DAY-tay) Sunday, rose comes as a reminder that Christian joy is another thing altogether. As Pope Francis put it,

“What is this joy? Is it to be happy? No, it is not the same. To be happy is good, yet joy is something more. It’s another thing. It is something which does not depend on external motivations, or on passing issues: it is more profound. It is a gift. To be ‘happy’ at all moments at all cost, can at the end turn into superficiality and shallowness. This leaves us without Christian wisdom, which makes us dumb, naive, right? All is joy… no. Joy is something else; it is a gift from the Lord.” 

The pink candle reminds me that the happiness I get from the season (from seeing lights and trees and mangers … from giving and receiving gifts … from being with friends and family) — as wonderful as all that might be, it’s only a picture of joy. Two weeks into Advent, I see rose and push the reset button, make time in my schedule and in my heart to enter that still place where I can ponder the true meaning of Christmas. I try to open a space inside myself where the Lord can enter and be born in a new way.

Two ways to foster joy

One reliably good way I’ve found to do that is to meditate on the Sunday mass readings. Here’s a link, or you can read them in a missalette. Read them slowly, prayerfully, multiple times:

Readings for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday

Try to read them with your heart more than your head. Everything in the liturgy this Sunday is tailored to lead us to joy: from the entrance antiphon that gives this Sunday its name (it begins “Rejoice in the Lord always,” Gaudete in Domino Semper) … to each of the readings … and to the solemn blessing at the end. Even the Gospel, which is not obviously about joy, leads to joy because the voice crying in the desert proclaims the coming of Jesus, source of joy.

Rejoice in the Lord always, I shall say it again: rejoice!
… The Lord is near.
(Phil 4:4-7).

Another way to open your heart to joy is to actively rejoice. Turn on your favorite praise music and sing along, or pray some joyful psalms out loud. Mary’s Magnificat, which is the Responsorial “Psalm” for the day, is perfect for this. (Here’s one from John Michael Talbot that someone has paired with a slideshow.)

Then there’s the 16th-century Gaudete carol, with words that explain why to rejoice at the same time as the song leads the rejoicing. There are lots of versions on the web. Here’s one I like from The Mediaeval Baebes. And of course there’s the “classic” version of this 16th-century carol that Steeleye Span made popular in the 70s.

Here are the lyrics of Gaudete together with the English translation:

Gaudete, Gaudete!

Christus et natus

Ex maria virgine,

Gaudete!
Rejoice, Rejoice!

Christ is born

Of the virgin Mary,

Rejoice!



Tempus ad est gratiae,

Hoc quod optabamus;

Carmina laetitiae,

Devote redamus.
It is now the time of grace

That we have desired;

Let us sing songs of joy,

Let us give devotion.



Deus homo factus est,

Natura mirante;

Mundus renovatus est

A Christo regnante.
God was made man,

And nature marvels;

The world was renewed

By Christ who is King.



Ezechiellis porta

Clausa pertransitur;

Unde lux est orta

Salus invenitur.
The closed gate of Ezechiel

Has been passed through;

From where the light rises

Salvation is found.



Ergo nostra cantio,

Psallat iam in lustro;

Benedicat Domino:

Salus Regi nostro.
Therefore let our assembly now sing,

Sing the Psalms to purify us;

Let it praise the Lord:

Greetings to our King.




O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. (Psalm 34:3)

Here’s to an Advent filled with true joy!

 Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent; Laetare Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent.

 

© 2017, 2020 Sarah Christmyer (Updated article originally published 12/17/17 as This Sunday, Turn Pink with Joy!)

You might also enjoy these:

Rejoice with me! (Psalm 118)
I Choose Joy!
Seven Reasons to Rejoice When Things Go Wrong
Advent 3, Proclaiming Joy: “Joy to the World!” (Psalm 98 and the song of that title)
Advent Joy: the Third Sunday (Bible verses on joy to meditate on)

 

 

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2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT: PREPARE AND PROCLAIM!

Christmas preparations are looking very different for me this year. Normally, I’d be baking and planning parties and strolling with friends through winter-lit gardens. But I find myself staying home to avoid unsafe contact and searching out COVID test sites, investigating state travel restrictions and counting isolation days. Because what kind of Christmas will it be, if our boys can’t come home?

There is a good side of all the restrictions, though. Instead of stuffing my heart with Christmas-y doings and hoping to find satisfaction in them, I find my heart filled with longing. Longing for my boys, yes. But I find that longing opens my heart to long for the Lord. And the work I must do to ensure their safe passage home sheds light on the readings this Second Sunday of Advent.

Let’s Work to Prepare

A voice cries out:

In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!

Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!

Every valley shall be filled in,

every mountain and hill shall be made low;

the rugged land shall be made a plain,

the rough country, a broad valley.

Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

and all people shall see it together;

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 40:3-5)

Image composed of photos by LoggaWiggler (angels; background removed) and CSalem (Judean wilderness). Both from Pixabay.

 

As Isaiah pleads: Prepare the way of the Lord! Maybe it’s wilderness between you and him. Maybe there’s no way forward in sight. So build a highway for him to come in on. Fill in the valleys, level the hills. Get rid of any obstacles that stand in the way — whether it’s unconfessed sin, or busy-ness, or anxiety, or worldly distractions. Spend time this week and deal with them. For then you’ll be able to see the Lord coming, in all of his glory.

That’s what I want! More than anything, in this crazy year of stripped-down lives and fear and deprivation … I want the Lord here with me. I want to see him when he comes. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get him here, like I’ll do to see my sons.

Let’s Go Out and Proclaim

Which takes me to the second theme of these readings. If the first was “Prepare!” the second comes from it: “Proclaim!”

Go up on to a high mountain,

Zion, herald of glad tidings;

cry out at the top of your voice,

Jerusalem, herald of good news!

Fear not to cry out

and say to the cities of Judah:

Here is your God!

Here comes with power

the Lord GOD,

who rules by his strong arm;

here is his reward with him,

his recompense before him.

Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;

in his arms he gathers the lambs,

carrying them in his bosom,

and leading the ewes with care. (Isaiah 40:9-11)

As soon as arrangements are set for the boys to get here, I’ll be telling everyone they’re coming. In the same way, Isaiah urges us (and John the Baptist modelled for us): get up on your bandbox, get out your megaphone, and tell everyone around you: “Here is your God!” As St. Mark writes, this is “the beginning of the gospel [literally, ‘good news’] of Jesus Christ the Son of God” (1:1).

This is good news indeed, and it should be told. The PC crowd might insist that we shush our public “Merry Christmas.” But let’s find ways to  announce Jesus, who is this season’s reason. Don’t be afraid to cry out! the prophet says. God is coming in strength, his reward with him. Ready to feed and gather and lead us with care.

As we enter this second week of Advent, listen to the Word: Prepare his way! Proclaim his coming! Consider whether you’re ready to receive him. Is your heart cluttered with cares or with sin? Are you afraid to tell others about him? Take it to prayer; set a time for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. And prepare and proclaim with joy. For here comes your God!

+ + + + + + +

Take the readings to heart

Be watchful this week by continuing to meditate on the readings of the second Sunday of Advent. Download the reading checklist and instructions at this link:

Advent Reading Plan – Free download

Here are a few additional things to consider as you read:

First reading (Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11)

The Judean wilderness is not a flat desert but a rough expanse of hills and valleys and deep crevasses it would be easy to get lost or to hide in. How does that impact your understanding? How might it apply to your life?

 

Responsorial Psalm (85:9-11, 11-12, 13-14)

What is the good news proclaimed in this Psalm?  Describe what is promised, that the Lord will bring.

 

Second reading (2 Peter 3:8-14)

What “day” are we waiting for, that Advent and Christmas point forward to?
How does St. Peter say to prepare?

 

Gospel (Mark 1:1-8)

What kind of preparation did John the Baptist proclaim?
To get to the Jordan River from the Judean countryside or Jerusalem required planning and effort. Yet “all the inhabitants” went to him. How can you prepare your own heart to respond as they did?

 

God bless you — and help you prepare and proclaim him — as you read his Word!

© 2020 Sarah Christmyer

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