The Friar Podcasts - preaching prayer and spiritual reflections

In today’s Gospel, we hear the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Jesus presents a sheep which leaves a flock of one hundred. Many would assume that the shepherd would not leave the ninety-nine in pursuit of the one that has gone astray, but Jesus suggests just the opposite. Furthermore, the Gospel says that the shepherd greatly rejoiced upon the finding of the one that was lost. How often are we the sheep that goes astray from Christ, the Good Shepherd? Do we recognize the deep desire Christ has to reunite with us?

The gospel doesn’t say why the paralyzed man was so insistent on seeing Jesus. This squares with my own observations; people can tell you a lot about what they believe, but not as much about why. In The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan, an intellectual, can explain his reasons for his atheism far better than Alyosha, the young, saintly protagonist, can explain his reasons for believing.

The readings this weekend are very rich. But to experience the depth of what we hear, we need to unpack them, for the meaning is not immediately obvious. For to understand what we hear, we must think about how we got here. To understand the images Isaiah presents to us we need to understand what God intended for the world he created.

We live in an age and a time where history is very short. It can be hard to remember an event from last year, let alone from last century or from a number of centuries. It seems all too important to think about now. Progress. Moving Forward. It is all about today. Not about yesterday or tomorrow.

Today we celebrate a great Jesuit missionary, Saint Francis Xavier. He was one of the first companions of Saint Ignatius and was present for the founding of the order. Given his proximity to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and his role in being with the first to profess vows in the Society, it was unlikely Saint Ignatius really wanted him to go off to the missions of Asia. But sometimes when things do not go our way, when we feel lost and alone, it is then God can act in our lives.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the gloom and darkness of this world. There are so many problems and so much pain that I can become discouraged – will things ever get better? How will we survive this?

If you are going to build something important, it is very important to choose the right foundation. That is true for buildings, but it is also true in our lives. What is the foundation of our lives? Do we focus on making a lot of money? Are we obsessed about what others think of us? Are we overwhelmed by anxiety and stress in terms of areas of life we cannot control?

In the first reading and in the gospel, we are encouraged to build our lives on God, and more specifically about doing his will. We can believe in God, but if we are unwilling to listen to what he says and to live how it is he wants us to, what good is that?

This time of year can feel overwhelming. What is it we do when it feels like absolutely everything feels like it just cannot get done? When things feel overwhelming, and this time of year they usually do, we need Advent more than ever. We need to take a step back to find that place where God dwells in our hearts.

Advent is a time we are challenged to slow down, to open our eyes, to listen attentively to God's word, and to seek out God's presence more clearly. It is the time when we need to be ever more patient and eager to find the presence of God in our lives.

Advent Reflection. Several years ago my brother and I got dinner so I could listen to him share about his 30-day silent retreat. He was thoughtful and deliberate when describing what had taken place; a little more than a week had passed since its conclusion. “I guess the thing is,” he said, “the most profound, important truths are the ones you learn in 2nd grade. ‘God loves me exactly as I am.’ ‘Love people.’ Stuff like that.”