In The Silence Of The Night

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” The Word is ever becoming flesh in each living being, present as we lovingly surrender, cooperate, attend to his presence. Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds: simple souls gazing in silence, hearts filled with wonder, awe, gratitude. The busy world does not stop to stoop down, to look into the manger. You are here now. So is the one you are seeking in the stillness of your heart.

                                            The peace of silence quiets troubled souls,

                                            It bathes the spirit, concentrates the mind;

                                            It stills the passions, consecrates, consoles,

                                            Refreshes energies, restores, refines.

                                            How much of me I spend in idle speech,

                                            And restless listening to programmed sounds;

                                            Yet all the while I'm longing to retreat

                                            Away from all distractions, to reground:

                                            To keep the body, soul, and mind at peace,

                                            To dive beneath the ocean's crashing waves,

                                            To wake alone when all the world's asleep,

                                            To still distracting thoughts and simply gaze.

                                            In silence I am happy, one, and free;

                                            In silence what becomes begins to be.

                                            Merry Christmas to each and to all.

                                            Fr. Wm. Paul McKane

                                            Christmas 2015

Waiting And Fulfillment

John the Baptist waits for the Jewish Messiah, without a sense that God is present here and now in a decisive way, except in his prophesying: for John, the “Kingdom” is in the future. For the Apostle Paul, a contemporary of both John and Jesus, the ultimate fulfillment is “coming,” but the reality of God’s Kingdom is already present in all the faithful. What is the difference?

The Baptist has the kind of faith in God common among ancient Jews, and later seen in Muslims: God is wholly beyond the world. The Incarnation of God is inconceivable to Jesus’ contemporaries, and to Mohammed when he began his Islamic political-religious movement six centuries later. For professing faith that God was present in Christ, and therefore in his people, the earliest Christians were expelled from synagogues, prevented from worshipping with their fellow Jews. The Quran of Mohammed went much further. The “prophet” declared that anyone who says that Jesus is “Son of God” is guilty of blasphemy, and deserving of death. There is no way for either ancient Jews or for Koranic Islam to admit the possibility of experiencing the presence of the living God. The God they proclaim is fully transcendent, that is, beyond the world and time. Note: Judaism and Islam were later modified through the influence of Christianity and other mystical movements, such as the Sufis from Iran.

The Apostle Paul’s experience, and that of the other authors of our New Testament, was radically different. Even though they waited for ultimate fulfillment beyond death (documented in Paul’s letters), or through Christ’s complete coming “at the End,” Paul and other early Christians were intensely aware of the presence of God in them. And that is the decisive meaning of “faith in Christ.” The God to whom they surrender in faith actually lives in their spirits, in their consciousness, and they are lovingly aware of God’s presence as “Christ” (personal) or “Holy Spirit” (impersonal, as in love, joy, peace).

In faith-union with Christ present to him, the Apostle gives the practical advice we hear today from Paul’s great Letter to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” That means, “Christ is present; rejoice in his presence.” Joy is the experience of the presence of one’s beloved. “Your kindness should be known by all; the Lord is near.” Because of Christ’s nearness, his indwelling presence, one should act in and with Christ, with love, kindness, mercy. “Have no anxiety at all.” God is with you; chill out! “With thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God, surpassing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in union with Christ Jesus.”

Here you see the living difference in the spiritual experience of ancient Israel, waiting for its Messiah; and Koranic Islam, limiting its presence of God to prophets, especially to Mohammed, whom he himself declares to be the last and greatest prophet, greater than Jesus.

The good news of the Gospel is that the living God dwells not just in a few select prophets, but in every man, woman, child who allows God to reign in his or her heart and mind. Through faith in Christ, God’s Kingdom has come, is coming into hearts, will be fulfilled in God’s time and way.

The Joy Of The LORD

Advent is not Lent. The blue or purple on Advent vestments and altar cloth is for divine majesty, for the Coming of God, the true Ruler of humankind. The purple of Lent is for penance, for “repenting in dust and ashes.” Advent is the season of patient waiting for the Coming of God, and yet, we wait in joy. The first two readings today bring out the theme of joy, of rejoicing in the LORD, of praying with joy. John the Baptist has a more sober message of repenting as God comes, but we are to take these readings as a unit: Repent, indeed, and also let your hearts rejoice, as salvation draws near.

What is joy? It is the heart-felt response to the presence of the one you love. When your beloved is with you, you feel joy. To wait for the ultimate Coming of God with joy, and for the Church to encourage us to feel this joy, is possible for one reason: We are waiting for the One we love, and for the Lover who is already present with his people. We are not wailing and crying in our season of longing, but even now, rejoicing that the God we await is with us, waiting with us. He who is Coming is He who is already here. Otherwise, we are not waiting for God, but for someone else, something else. The LORD of all is present, and in him we rejoice; and yet, we long to become all the closer to God, for our ultimate joy to flood us completely.

Christians ought not to be an essentially mournful, unhappy, dismal people. Yes, we will suffer, and there are times for mourning, as when a beloved has died. We mourn with those who mourn, as we do with John Hill’s family now. But the Christian attitude remains hopeful in the midst of suffering, trusting that God the liberator is at hand, and as we surrender our hearts and minds to the God who is present here and now, we truly do “enter into the joy of the LORD.”

“Rejoicing in the LORD shall be your strength.” Take courage in the God who comes, and yet is with us every moment of our journey home. “Behold, I AM with you always, even to the End…”

I believe that Pope Francis would approve this message. He encourages us to be a joyful people, and to help others live in God’s peace and joy. Our Pope seeks to share joy, because he knows the healing power of the joy of the LORD—something the world cannot give.

Advent: The Coming Of God

Despite popular belief and practice, despite shopping and parties before Christmas, the season of Advent is not primarily a time to prepare for Christmas, for the birth of Christ, the feast of the Incarnation of God. As Christmas approaches, this theme comes to the fore, and then in the several weeks following Christmas, we celebrate and reflect on the mystery of God with us. And we will surely give this focus its due, once Christmas arrives.

Advent is intended to encourage each of us to get quiet, to sit still, to pray, and to turn the gaze of our minds towards the God who comes. This “Coming of God” is the meaning and focus of Advent. What does “coming of God” mean? It means something other than Christ coming at Christmas, as just noted. It does not mean expecting some cataclysmic “end of the world” at the so-called “Second Coming of Christ.” That belief is an apocalyptic expectation, quite divorced from reality, and not a matter of faith as trust in God. How or what God will do in the future, no one knows, and all claims to know the future are arrogant and foolish. 

So what might mean the Coming of God? I can think of two main meanings, both of which are relevant for Advent. First, God comes to you, to me, if we open our minds and hearts to Him from moment to moment. God breaks in. Of course, God is ever-present, but we are not. This breaking in takes us back to Incarnation, and reminds us of the Eucharist, in which Christ comes to His people sacramentally, and really for those who open their minds up. God is ever available, ever breaking in, and so always “coming” to the poor in spirit—to those longing for God’s goodness, beauty, truth, salvation. Second, the expectation of the Coming of God should remind us of our ignorance, and that God may come any moment, as He wills. It is His creation, and we are His. In Advent, the Church moves us to long for God, to hope in God, to wait for God, even though we do not know when or how God will come. No one knows. This attitude of humble waiting is vastly different from fundamentalists babbling about “the Second Coming,” as if they know what they are talking about. They will quote Scripture, but on what basis does one maintain that the Apostles and evangelists were right in their understanding of future events? No one knows what God will do ultimately, and what form his “Coming” may take. That is why one must exercise trust, hope, love for God and neighbor.

LORD God Almighty, help us to wait for You with longing, love, humility. Help us to know that we do not know, that we surely do not have You figured out. Free us from our religious and secular illusions, that fill our minds with wild speculations, and not with empty stillness. You come to the little ones who know their need for God. Make us aware of how spiritually and humanly needy we really are, that we may turn off the TV, keep quiet, sit still, and gaze towards You in loving silence. Let this be our Advent, our season of longing for You.