45. BITESIZE CATECHISM: THIRD WEEK OF THE ADVENT WREATH - Jesus Comes to us Through Mary

 

APPETIZER: The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates the time of the fulfillment of God's promises and preparations. Mary was invited to conceive Christ in whom the "whole fullness of deity" would dwell in "bodily form".  The Holy Spirit, "the Lord, the giver of Life", is sent to sanctify the womb of the Virgin Mary and make it fruitful, causing her to conceive the eternal Son of the Father in a humanity drawn from her own. The Father's only Son, conceived as a human being in the womb of the Virgin Mary, is "the Christ", that is to say, the Anointed One consecrated by the Holy Spirit from the beginning of his human existence and manifested to the shepherds, to the magi, to John the Baptist, to the disciples who would follow him. Thus the whole life of Jesus Christ will make manifest "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power." To the shepherds, the angel announced the birth of Jesus as the Messiah promised to Israel: "To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." From the beginning Jesus was the one whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world as it Savior and Rescuer from sin and death. (see CCC 484-486) 

MAIN COURSE:   TheThird Week of Advent stands out from the other three by its color and spirit. The purple of the season gives way to pink which is the liturgical color of joy.  The week itself starts off with the celebration of the Third Sunday of Advent which is called "Gaudete"(from the Latin meaning "rejoice").  So, why the change? Because the hope of a Savior (theme of Week One) and the long centuries of expectation for Israel (Week Two) are drawing near to reaching their goal in the ;ittle town of Bethlehem. 

This Third Week signals the fulfillment of God’s promise and represents the era of the New Testament that began with the conception and birth of Jesus from the Blessed Virgin Mary. During this week we are especially invited to reflect upon the role of Mary in the story of salvation and turn to her whom we call “Cause of our Joy”, asking her to bring us to Jesus and to help us prepare our hearts to receive and live the meaning and message that his birth brings.  And it is in the Gospel stories of the Nativity of Christ that we find its meaning and its message spelled out for us.

With the shepherds of the Bethlehem fields we learn that Jesus is the Savior, Christ the Lord. Savior means "he who heals" and it is the mission of this Newborn Child to heal us of sin and bring us into a loving relationship with God. Christ means "Messiah" or "Anointed One".  This Child is the Promised One whose coming was foretold by the prophets. Lord is a Jewish title for divinity and it proclaims that this Little One is God come among us in the flesh.

With the Magi we learn that the Newborn Savior is someone worth searching to find. We are informed that he is a king, but not the kind we usually think of. The symbolism of the gifts they bring deliver a message about his identity.  Gold for his kingship; frankincense as worship of his divinity; and myrrh (a burial ointment) foretelling his saving death.

With Simeon in the Temple of Jerusalem, we learn that the 40-day old Baby he takes into his arms is the long promised Savior of Israel and of all peoples. Simeon tells us that the Child is a Sign that salvation has arrived on earth and a Light who shines on every human heart, revealing both the good and the bad that lays within.

So, during this Third Week of Advent we have a lot to rejoice about.  Not the superficial rejoicing that we call "holiday cheer" but that deep-down-inside sense of peace and contentment that comes from a heart that has found its Savior and has been reconciled with God.

DOGGIE-BAG: A little something to take with you for spiritual snacking...

THE NUNC DIMITTIS (The Prayer of Simeon)

The Nunc Dimittis (named from its first two words in Latin which mean "NowDismiss") comes directly from the Gospel of St. Luke (Lk 2:29-320 and records the prayer of praise that the elderly Simeon exclaimed upon taking the Infant Jesus into his arms.  It is prayed every night by clergy, nuns, monks and lay people as part of the Liturgy of the Hours (the official daily prayer book of the Church).  It is a would be a good custom for all Christians to join in the nightly prayer before going to sleep.

LORD, now you let you servant go in peace; 

your word has been fulfilled; 

my own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared 

in the sight of every people: 

A light to reveal you to the nations

and the glory of your people, Israel.

PRAYERS IN HONOR OF THE BLESSED MOTHER

Adapted from the Mass in Honor of Mary, Cause of our Joy

Rejoice, Virgin Mary, you have found favor with God!
Listen; you will conceive and bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus.

OR

Lord our God, you were pleased to bring joy to the world

through the Incarnation of your Son.

Grant that we who honor his Mother, the cause of our joy,

may always walk in the way of your commandments

with our hearts set on true and lasting joy.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

OR

Lord, holy Father, we honor the memory of the Blessed Virgin,

the daughter of your love, and with her we wish to  proclaim with fitting praise 

the greatness of your name.

Her blessed birth heralded joy for all the world.

Her virgin-motherhood brought forth the true Light, the source of all joy.

Her hidden life brings light and warmth to all Christians in the world.

Her passing into glory has raised her to the heights of heaven,

where, as our sister and our Mother, she waits for us with loving care.

May we be inspired by her and helped by her prayers, until we come to enjoy 

the vision of your glory for ever. Amen.

SCRIPTURE VERSE TO MEMORIZE: "Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb." (Lk 1:26, 42)

44. BITESIZE CATECHISM: THE SECOND WEEK OF THE ADVENT WREATH - THE OLD TESTAMENT ERA

 

APPETIZER: In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of his goodness God speaks to them in human words. In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, but as what it really is, the word of God. In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them. The Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its books are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value, for the Old Covenant has never been revoked. Indeed, the message of the Old Testament was deliberately oriented so that it should prepare for and declare in prophecy the coming of Christ, the redeemer of all people. It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books. This complete list is called the canon of Scripture. It includes 46 books for the Old Testament and 27 for the New. (see CCC #101-120)

MAIN COURSE:  We pondered the first era of human history beginning with Adam and Eve during the First Week of Advent.  We learned during that week that from the beginning, God promised to send a Savior who would undo what those first two humans had done in causing a spiritual alienation between mankind and God. As we light the second purple candle for this Second Week of Advent, the Wreath calls our attention to the Old Testament of the Bible.  It is in this first part of the Sacred Scriptures, which we hold in reverence together with Judaism, that we see the unfolding of God's promise through those who were chosen to be the ancestors of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. So, let's take quick journey through this phase of the salvation story.

The story begins with Abraham who is the first to be called by God in special way for very special mission. He lived about 4,500 years ago and was asked to trust in God and become the father - literally and spiritually - of the Chosen People who who were known as Hebrews and would come to be called "Israel".  Because he believed God, to this day Abraham is honored by Jews, Christians and Muslims as an outstanding example of faith. It is important to remember that in all of Scripture the word "faith" can also be equally translated as "trust". Abraham trusted in God even when what was asked of him seem impossible or even ridiculous.

Isaac and Jacob were respectively the son and grandson of Abraham.  Together with Abraham, they are called the Patriarchs or Fathers of the Chosen People. They receive the highest reverence and praise in this regard by us Christians as well. Like him they carried on the promise and the prophecy with trust, although they faltered here and there. It is from Jacob that the Hebrews became known as Israel (which was his nickname) and it was on the foundation of his 12 sons that there came to be the Twelve Tribes of Israel.  

Jesus, in his incarnate humanity, was a descendent of Jacob's son Judah.  We can say this because tribal lineage came from one's paternal line and St. Joseph was of the Tribe of Judah. We must remember here that in Jewish law adoption bestowed all legal rights and family ties as for a biological child. So Jesus, the adopted son of Joseph, and thus of this tribe.  There is some ancient evidence that the Virgin Mary, too, was of this tribe on her father's side while her mother was of the Tribe of Levi.  You might find it interesting to know that one of Jesus' titles is "Lion of the Tribe of Judah" and for this reason author C.S. Lewis made Aslan, the lion to be the major Christ-figure in his Chronicles of Narnia.

After the Patriarchs the most important persons of the Old Testament are Moses, King David and the Prophets.  Moses, of course, is first among these heroes and holy ones of Israel's history since he was the one to lead them out of slavery in Egypt, received he Ten Commandments from God, and brought them to the borders of the Holy Land. This happened about 3,500 years ago. Moses was a prefigurement of the Savior who would free the people from slavery to sin and its consequence of death by his Cross and Resurrection.

While there were several kings of Israel, David of Jerusalem was the second and most beloved. He was at first the shepherd boy who slew Goliath with a slingshot and through this victory became a servant  and friend of King Saul.  He had musical talent and is said to have written most of the hymns of the Jews that we call the Book of Psalms so, you see, we still pray his inspired words to this day in our Liturgies.  David slipped into some pretty awful sinful tendencies as king.  But he repented and became such a awesome leader that after his death he was held up as an example and model of the Messiah to come.

Finally, the Prophets of Israel stand our among all the Old Testament figures during Advent.  It is their inspired words that we read and proclaim in this holy season which foretell and describe the message and mission of the Messiah, the Savior.  There were about 48 significant prophets but the chief ones among them to whom we turn in our liturgy are Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. The Messianic Prophecies of these men foretold that the Savior would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem.  A star would announce his coming and worshippers from afar would come to him bearing gifts.  He would carry out a ministry of healing the blind, lame and sick and would bring about a kingdom rooted in peace and justice. Finally, he would be rejected by the people, suffer and die but God would not permit him to remain in the grave.

DOGGIE-BAG: A little something to take with you for spiritual snacking...

ICON OF MARY, VIRGIN OF THE SIGN

One of the most ancient icons (religious images) of the Blessed Mother is the one called "Virgin of the Sign" or "Mother of God of the Sign".  It is an illustration of the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah which says that God will give a SIGN of his promise and it will be that a VIRGIN will give birth to a SON. This icon is especially popular among Eastern Rite Catholics and Orthodox Christians, but it is an Advent favorite for all. There are many versions of it, but they all show Mary with outstretched arms welcoming Jesus who is conceived within her womb.  The one below is a copy of an ornate beaded and gold-plated icon.

An Advent Prayer for Peace

Lord, in a season when every heart should be happy and light, many of us are struggling with the heaviness of life—burdens that steal our joy. Threats seem to be all around us at times and an inner voice whispers, “Be afraid!”  But you have said, "Do not be afraid. I am with you always." We need your peace, Jesus. We confess that our hearts are too often filled with worry, not peace. Stir up within us the Good News once again. 

This Advent, make the Good News real in our hearts. Never have we needed Your joy and peace more than now. We not only need Your peace and joy; Lord, we crave it. You’ve promised rest for the weary, victory for the battle-scarred, peace for the anxious, and acceptance for the broken hearted—not just at Advent, but every day of every year. Your name is still called “Wonderful,” “Counselor,” “The Mighty God,” “The Everlasting Father,” and “The Prince of Peace.” We know that peace on earth can only come when hearts find peace with You. So please grant to me, and to all who are worried or burdened, the Joy and Serenity that your Bethlehem manger promises. Amen.

SCRIPTURE VERSE TO MEMORIZE: "The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel (which means God-is-with-us)." (Isaiah 7:14)

43. BITESIZE CATECHISM: THE FIRST WEEK OF THE ADVENT WREATH - JESUS OUR SAVIOR & MESSIAH

APPETIZER: Jesus means in Hebrew: "God saves." At the annunciation to Mary, the angel Gabriel gave her Child the name Jesus as his proper name, which expresses both his identity and his mission.Since God alone can forgive sins, it is God who, in Jesus his eternal Son made man, "will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).   The word "Christ" comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Messiah, which means "anointed". It became the name proper to Jesus only because he accomplished perfectly the divine mission that "Christ" signifies. It was necessary that the Messiah be anointed by the Spirit of the Lord at once as king and priest, and also as prophet.  Jesus fulfilled the messianic hope of Israel in his threefold office of priest, prophet and king.  Jesus' messianic consecration reveals his divine mission, "for the name 'Christ' implies 'he who anointed'. The one who anointed is the Father, the one who was anointed is the Son, and he was anointed with the Spirit who is the anointing. "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power that he might be revealed to Israel as its Messiah. His works and words will manifest him as "the Holy One of God"(see Catechism of the Catholic Church, #430-438)

MAIN COURSE:  During the First Week of Advent our prayerful thoughts and meditations go back to the primordial Garden of Eden, to the first stage of human history.  We light the first purple candle which calls to mind the creation of the original human couple. The Book of Genesis calls the man Adam (which simply means "man") and the woman "Eve" (which means 'mother').  God created them in goodness and full of holiness.  

As a free gift from God, they enjoyed a personal relationship with Him, sharing in his love and also in his  divine life. This was something above and beyond the natural capabilities of human nature. Adam and Eve - and all humans who were to descend from them - were intended by God to also live in this intimate relationship.  But love is, by its very nature, a free choice and so God gave the first humans the freedom of the will to choose to love Him and share his life. 

This is where the enemy of God and the human race, Satan (which means "Adversary") enters the story. He along with other fallen angels also had a free choice to love and live with God. However, they chose to love and serve themselves instead.  Filled with envy and motivated by hatred that God would allow humans to be raised higher in glory and happiness than them, Satan set about his sneaky plan to tempt Adam and Eve and mislead them to make the same choice that he had made.

As we know from the Book of Genesis, the first human did exactly this and disobeyed their Creator. But God love's is merciful and unconditional.  Though Adam and Eve no longer live din intimacy with Him, He promised to send a Savior who would make up for their selfishness and disobedience. Through perfect love and generous obedience, this Savior, called the Messiah, would lead the human race back to God. 

In order to make perfect love and obedience possible for a human being, God the Son himself chose to become human, for only a human who is also divine could fully and truly make-up to God for the original sin of Adam and Eve.  Because he is both fully divine and fully human, Jesus could heal and reconcile in his own person the division that sin caused between God and humans.  And he would bring about this same healing from sin and union with God in those who unite themselves to him by faith through baptism. This is why we call him our Savior because salvation means "healing".  We call him Messiah (which is translated as "Christ" in Greek) because he is the promised Anointed One who would come to set us free from the ancient enslavement of humans to sin.

This first candle invites us to join in the story that began in the Garden of Eden. It calls us to become part of the solution to sin by preparing our hearts and lives to welcome and follow the Messiah, the Christ, the Promised One. 

DOGGIE-BAG: A little something to take with you for spiritual snacking...

Reflection for the First week of Advent: As we read in the Appetizer above taken from the official Catechism of the Catholic Church, Jesus is the promised Messiah, a Hebrew word which is Greek is translated as "Christ" and in English it is "the Anointed One".  At Baptism we each were anointed with the holy oil of Chrism and became intimately and spiritually united with Jesus the Anointed One as prophets, priests and kings.  How well are you living your mission as a prophet, priest and king with the Messiah?  A prophet is an instrument of God'd Word to others - do you read the Scriptures? A priest offers praise and worship to God - are you praying daily and speaking to God from your heart? A king in the Messiah's kingdom is someone who serves the people unselfishly - how are you interacting with and treating others?

SCRIPTURE QUOTE TO MEMORIZE: "Born for  you in King David's City is the Savior who is both Christ and Lord." (Gospel of St. Luke 11:1)