[Propertalk] 1 Advent c Part 2

[Robert P Morrison]

	 Now THAT I find scary – and wrong! But we’re still left with the
question about what’s called the apocalyptic portions of the
Gospels. The word apocalypse suggests that things are “hidden”.
They happen, or are about to happen, but we don’t know the cause or
the purpose. So, this morning, in addition to silence, we’re asked
to struggle with what we see and hear all around us – noise,
disagreement, power struggles, destruction, all of which make the most
impact, especially on the broadcast of news. For some reason, we
don’t hear about the quiet, patient, compassionate, trusting actions
of people and nations. Is that because, dare I say it? these things
are more unsettling that the first set? When we see things go wrong we
can turn to blame others. We can allow suspicions to run rampant. We
can accentuate all the differences between one culture and another,
one religious group and another, one – well, for instance, between
Oregon and Oregon State. Maybe that’s a good comparison, because we
can get so wrapped up in following one team or school that we don’t
admit to the value of the other. 

	 So on this first Sunday of the new year, with one foot inside the
door, we’re asked to face up to whatever it is that troubles us,
keeping a firm hold on to the prophet’s encouraging word that God
said, “I WILL fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and
the house of Judah.”  

	 There’s absolutely no doubt whatsoever that God’s will WILL be
done; that God’s Love WILL triumph. THIS is why we can put our trust
in God, no matter what happens around us, whether it’s uncomfortably
quiet and there seems sometimes to be a dearth of pointers to God
being in control. 

	 Being uncomfortable is, I think, part and parcel of being an Advent
people. There should be a bit of an air of lack of satisfaction to us.
When we think we know what’s going on; when, for instance, the menus
of last Thursday and Friday’s dinners ere published ahead of time,
with nothing left for surprise; when we believe that we know how
everyone is going to act and to react, then we run the risk of being
brought face to face with the unusual, the unexpected, perhaps what we
may think of as unwelcome, and be so unprepared that we’re bowled
over. 

	 THIS is the gift of Advent. It’s an invitation from God and from
our sisters and brothers to discover that change is what we need, AND
that change is inevitable. 

	 This isn’t the easiest thing in the world to hear, or to be. The
known, however disturbing, sometimes, seems so much more comfortable
than the unknown. How do you prepare when you don’t know what’s
coming? How do you and I brace ourselves against further wounds being
inflicted on ourselves and the world, whether on our doorstep or
anywhere else in the world? 

	 The prophets seem to suggest that listening, being silent, REALLY
listening to one another, as reports and cries come in from all over,
the prophets seem to suggest that listening without feeling the need
to give an immediate answer; listening with patience, compassion and
trust may be exactly what is needed now. This way, the temptation to
finish God’s sentence, when we may not actually know what God is
going to say; the temptation to put words in God’s mouth, may prove
to be less of a problem – IF we’re willing to listen, even as
chaos seems to reign.  

	 The anthropologist, archeologist and Jesuit priest, Pierre Tielhard
de Chardin, wrote near the beginning of the last century about the
difficulties of facing this time of waiting and being uncertain, and
whether or not we’re being completely honest. 

	 “We persist in saying that we keep vigil in expectation of the
Master. But in reality we should have to admit, if we were sincere,
that we no longer expect anything. The flame must be revived at all
costs. At all costs we must renew in ourselves the desire and the hope
for the great coming. But where are we to look for the source of this
rejuvenation?” 3 

	 Where do we look? Now THAT’S an Advent question, if ever there was
one.  

	 de Cardin suggests that when we find our faith challenged by the
activities of the world, when we may wonder about our faith, we can
hold on to those glimmers of light that we encounter. We can use them
as we continue on our journeys through life. 

	 As encouragement, we can face the challenges by thinking about what
the Talmud says: “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s
grief. Do justly now. Love mercy now. Walk humbly now. You are not
obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon
it.” 4 

	 de Chardin partially answered his own question about where we should
look for the source of our rejuvenation. He suggested that, no matter
how noisy, how difficult things may appear in our world, we need to
continue to look for our renewal in the small signs of Jesus’
coming, and, as often as not, this may well come most clearly in
silence.  

	 So, in case any may think I do not want to be asked about any
silences I may make, the answer is “No. I do want your questions,
your concerns. Maybe the silence is me trying to listen.” 

	 Earlier in the week, I’d wondered about whether an ending,
mid-sentence break might be the best way to give another sense of
waiting, of listening, of being uncertain …… 

	NOTES: 

	[1] _“The minute of silence in France stretched to many emotional
minutes [1]” _PRI's The World [2] _November 16, 2015 “_In the
neighborhood where the attacks took place, one minute stretched into
two, four, six. It was as if no one wanted this moment to end.
http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-11-16/minute-silence-france-stretched-many-emotional-minutes
[3] 

	2 “_At the Edge of the Enclosure: Soulwork Toward Sunday:
Self-Guided Retreat - Advent 1 (Year C) ‘The Portal’” _Suzanne
Guthrie 23rd November, 2015
http://www.edgeofenclosure.org/advent1c.html [4] 

	3 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, 1881-1955 quoted by Suzanne Guthrie in
“_At the Edge of the Enclosure: Soulwork Toward Sunday: Self-Guided
Retreat - Advent 1 (Year C) ‘The Portal’”, _23rd November, 2015
http://www.edgeofenclosure.org/advent1c.html [5]  

	4 Rabbi Rami Shapiro’s interpretive translation of the Talmud in
Wisdom of the Jewish sages, via “Unfundamentalist Christians” on
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UnfundamentalistChristians/ [6] 

Links:
------
[1]
http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-11-16/minute-silence-france-stretched-many-emotional-minutes
[2] http://www.pri.org/programs/the-world
[3]
http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-11-16/minute-silence-france-stretched-many-emotional-minutes
[4] http://www.edgeofenclosure.org/advent1c.html
[5] http://www.edgeofenclosure.org/advent1c.html
[6] https://www.facebook.com/UnfundamentalistChristians/

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