Second Week of Advent
Webmaster • December 5, 2020
Our Readings place the adult John before us both this weekend and next, to block our view of the ‘baby Jesus,’ and thus remind us that the Advent - Christmas mystery is less about the child and more about the adult ‘Coming One’ and the mystery of his life, death, and resurrection that he offers us as our own mystery. We are called to make our own way to the Jordan with the hopeful and curious crowds to see this wild man. John had accepted the hospitality that the desert had offered him. Crunching on the desert food of bitter locusts sweetened with wild honey, he is satisfied with the food of the poor; clad in rough camel hair, he is dressed like Elijah (2 Kings 1:5-8); tempered in his spirit by solitude, John in his turn, welcomes the crowd with a bittersweet message in sparse words honed to a fine cutting edge for slicing through consciences and exposing them to the truth.
Son of a priest though he may be, John does not deliver his message in the Temple or anywhere else in Jerusalem, but on the banks of the Jordan River. At this busy crossing place, so significant in the history of Israel’s journey into the Promised Land (Joshua 3), John urges the people to cross over into God’s forgiveness through the waters of a ritual baptism of repentance. He invites us, too, to honest mindfulness of the water
- not of the Jordan, but of our baptism - and an examination of our consciousness about our fidelity to the Christ into whom we are baptised. Despite the crowds he draws, John’s self-evaluation has nothing of self-exaltation. At this high point of his popularity he speaks directly to the people pointing them away from himself to the stronger One who is coming, and declares that he is unworthy even to bend down and untie the sandals on the feet of this Coming One.
In the Puerto Rican city of San Juan, named after John, there is a huge stone sculpture of the precursor. It is located between the ocean and a main highway of this busy modern city. With the relentlessness of the stone from which he is carved, the Baptist stands with head bent and eyes looking down the highway. But one arm is raised high with a determined finger pointing to heaven. The statue expresses the gospel paradox of John the Baptist, the earthy man of both the wilderness and the Jordan crowds, and the heaven-directed prophet; paradox of disengagement and engagement - and so the embodiment of the paradox of the Advent season. Day after day, as surely as the waves break on the shore, our lives must be directed to heaven, and yet we must also be involved in the rush and business of daily life. The former is almost certainly the more difficult during these weeks. But it can be done if we opt to deliberately turn off the TV, to unplug our ears from iPods or mobile phones and turn to a few moments of silent reflection about the hopes and promises of Advent. If we plug our listening into some quiet reading of Scripture (Lectio Divina), perhaps a re-read of some of the Sunday texts; if we seize a few moments of prayerful repentance or awareness of the presence of God in our travelling companions along our highways or on public transport or whilst shopping - these are ways in which we can respond to Psalm 85 and “hear what God proclaims.”
Michael means, "Who is like God?" Of the three archangels mentioned by name in the Bible, St Michael the Archangel is mentioned the most. He is found in the Old Testament in Daniel 10:13-21, 10:21, 12:1, and in the New Testament in Rev. 12:7- 9 and Jude 1:9. St Michael is most known for doing battle against Lucifer (who could have been a seraph) and casting him and the other fallen angels out of heaven. Because of this feat, he is known as the leader or prince of the angels. St. Michael is the champion of God’s people and the protector of the Church. Also regarded as the angel who brings the souls of men to their judgment before God, thus being the angel of judgment. Gabriel means "Power of God." St Gabriel the Archangel is mentioned the most in the Bible after St. Michael. He is found in the Old Testament in Daniel 8:15 -26 and 9:21-27, and in the New Testament in Luke 1:11-38. St Gabriel is most known for his role in the Annunciation. He is the angel who appeared to Zachariah and the Blessed Virgin Mary announcing the birth of St John the Baptist and Incarnation of Jesus Christ, respectively. He is also believed by some to be the angel who appeared to St. Joseph and the shepherds at Christ’s nativity. Raphael means "God has healed" is only mentioned once in the Bible, in Tobit chapter 12. Here he was a companion, protector, and healer. He is also believed to be the angel who stirred the water in the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, giving it its healing properties. He therefore is regarded as a healing angel and a companion angel.
All three readings today give advice and encouragement for every person to live an upstanding life. The first reading from Ezekiel does this by way of a threat that was in keeping with how the ancient Jews thought of life and death. The idea of everlasting heaven and hell hadn’t developed yet, so they didn’t believe in the afterlife as we do. They thought that if you don’t live a just and virtuous life, your punishment would be an early death. On the flip side, if you lived well, you would earn yourself a longer life. It’s not hard to imagine how that thinking developed into the Christian understanding that how we live on earth will determine our fate for the afterlife. Jesus, and later St. Paul, expanded on this idea by stressing that God’s mercy and grace reach beyond human behaviour. We don’t earn our salvation - God grants it. Jesus’ parable seems straight-forward. It’s better for a child ultimately to do what he or she was asked, even if they didn’t agree to it initially. The chief priests and elders knew right away that is the preferred outcome compared to a son who promises something but doesn’t follow through. So what is the point of the parable? It seems so obvious. The kicker comes when we think about who Jesus is addressing here. He is talking to the chief priests and elders, the ones who thought they were the good ones, the righteous ones, the virtuous, chosen ones who deserved to be handed the Kingdom of Heaven because of their good behaviour. Yet he points out that when John the Baptist came preaching repentance, inclusion, and economic and social justice, they dismissed him and ignored his message. On the other hand, the tax collectors and prostitutes (people looked down upon and ridiculed by the chief priest and elders) listened and heeded John the Baptist. They had the humility to recognize they needed to ask forgiveness and change their ways, and they did. Suddenly, Jesus’ point becomes clear - it’s never too late to change our ways, ask for forgiveness, and be welcomed into the Kingdom. On the other hand, if we say we want to do God’s will, but never get around to it, we are no better than the hypocritical chief priests and elders. Questions of the Week Who do you usually relate most to - the first or second son? Why? Is there something God might be asking you to do that you are putting off or resisting?
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . We are now eagerly looking forward to the ordination of Fr Stephen Wang as the sixth bishop of Arundel & Brighton. The ordination will take place at Arundel Cathedral on Monday 19th October (the feast of our patron St Philip Howard). We look forward to working with him in the mission of proclaiming the Gospel. No doubt his ‘in-tray’ is going to be rather full to begin with, but we can expect, in due course, to his thoughts on the priorities for the Diocese and in particular on the Pastoral Plan. Also at more or less the same time Fr Charles Howell will be leaving the area to undertake a sabbatical. Our Diocesan Administrator (Canon Jonathan Martin) has explained to us that there is no plan for a priest to be appointed to Effingham and Fetcham and that the Deanery Clergy will need to work out together how pastoral provision should be offered to these communities, and indeed all the communities in the area. Although we have not yet been formally re-constituted as one single parish, served by all the priests together, we have been encouraged to think and plan in this way. This is what is meant by the concept, rooted in Canon Law, that the clergy serve in solidum. Simply put, this means that all the priests are individually and collectively responsible for the pastoral life of all, working with our deacons and lay faithful. The clergy together become the Parish Priest, or perhaps better put, the parish priests. The benefit of working together in this way is that it promotes an approach that builds collaboration and support, and where the gifts and talents of each are offered in service to the whole area. This willingness to think across the board has been evident in the discussions that the clergy have been having in the past three months about pastoral provision and the generous sense that we, and the people in our communities, should share the impact of change. As thoughts about Sunday (including Saturday vigils) Mass timings began, it seemed both sensible and wise to acknowledge that, at some point in the not-too-distant future, some of our priests will be moving into a well-earned retirement (though no dates have yet been mentioned). The clergy’s task, then, was to draft a schedule of Masses for the area that was capable of being served by eight priests (it is hoped that there will continue to be retired priests able to offer supply on occasion but this cannot be relied upon). Finally, rather than make the changes piecemeal - some this Autumn, and then more in the next couple of years - it was decided that the whole schedule should be worked now. The new Sunday schedule (due to commence on the first weekend of Advent this year 5/6 December) will be announced next weekend.
Pope Leo appointed Fr Stephen Wang as sixth bishop of our Diocese on 2nd July. In a video recorded recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnVi7K8bWJE Bishop-elect Stephen offers a simple, practical introduction to prayer. “Prayer is wonderful,” he says, “prayer is so important, but prayer can be hard as well. How many times have people come up to me as a priest and said, ‘Father, I want to pray, but I don’t know how to start. I don’t know what to do, and I feel a bit stuck…’ “I remember the first time I prayed as an adult, I didn’t really know what to do, but I was in my bedroom. I closed my door. I sat on the edge of my bed and… just talked to God and said something like, ‘Dear God, I’m not sure if you're there. I hope you’re listening. These are the things on my heart, on my mind…’”
People across our diocesan community of faith welcomed the result of last Friday’s parliamentary vote on Assisted Suicide, which saw the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill defeated by 286 votes to 270, a majority of 16. Every year, our diocesan Trustees approve a financial contribution to each and every hospice within the Diocese to support the care that they offer to the terminally ill.
The Diocese has updated its admissions policy so that, if a Catholic school is oversubscribed, Catholic applicants may be ranked using a ‘Certificate of Catholic Practice.’ These certificate are issued by a Parish Priest to confirm that a child comes from a Catholic family regularly attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation over a substantial period. Catholic families are encouraged to be actively involved in the life of the Parish as part of their own and their child’s faith journey, rather than solely for the purpose of securing a school place. Therefore those who will be applying for their child to have a place in a Catholic Secondary School in September 2028 (and beyond) will need to bring along a passport sized photograph of their child to obtain a ‘Celebrating Attendance at Mass' card from the Parish Office. To celebrate attendance, these cards will need to be stamped after each Sunday Mass (including the Saturday Vigil), starting with the Holy Day of All Saints on Sunday, 1st November, and continuing for one year.
OUR PARISH SUPPORTS THE COBHAM AREA FOODBANK Please can you help local people in crisis by purchasing items on the list below and placing them in the Foodbank’s collection point in the narthex when to come to Mass at the weekend?
ARUNDEL PILGRIMAGE - Saturday 26th September 10.00-16.00. A walk in Arundel in honour of Our Lady and St Philip Howard, starting and finishing at the Cathedral, and stopping at the remains of the ancient religious foundations of Arundel for short prayers. The pilgrimage will commence at 10.00 with Mass in the Cathedral followed by a short period of Adoration. We will then meet outside the main door of the Cathedral and walk across to the Fitzalan Chapel, pray by the new statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, pass the site of the Maison Dieu and leave through the Mary Gate into Arundel Park. The lunch stop will be at Swanbourne Lake and we will then walk along Mill Road to the remains of the Dominican Priory next to the Museum. We will visit St Nicholas Church before returning to the Cathedral for prayer at the Shrine of St Philip Howard. There will be an opportunity for Reconciliation and the day will conclude with tea and cake in the Cathedral Centre. All are welcome, no charge. Join for any part of the day. Please bring along a packed lunch and wear suitable clothes and shoes/boots. Part of the route is over uneven ground and country footpaths. Walk length approximately 3 miles. To book please phone Lindsey Stratford (01903 884567) or email: admin@arundelcathedralfriends.uk
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Another full week again for Fr D as another set of parents (Tuesday evening) and candidates (Saturday morning) sessions for our First Reconciliation Programme took place . . . . . Also this week, on Wednesday evening, another meeting of what Fr D calls the ‘Shadow (New) Parish Pastoral Team’ took place at St Anne’s, Banstead. At the meeting the clergy present presented their agreed plan on the distribution of the celebration of Masses for the Parish. As reported earlier in the Summer the communities of Effingham and Fetcham will, from November, be left without a resident priest as Fr Charles Howell is leaving to go off on a sabbatical and will not be replaced. Our local clergy had in fact already started getting together to discuss the provision of Mass across the area under the new Pastoral Plan (with meetings in June, July and September) and the news concerning Fr Charles demonstrated how important and timely these discussions were. Whilst there are many aspects of our pastoral life that will need to be considered in the coming months, an important issue that needs addressing early is that of Sunday Mass times. The Mass is the greatest prayer that our Catholic community offers together; practically, for many people, it’s an important weekly moment of contact, albeit often brief, with a priest. As thoughts concerning this began it was important to acknowledge that, in the not too distant future at least two of our priests will move into well-earned retirement, and that this should be factored in. The task was to work on a schedule of Sunday Masses that could be served by eight priests; and after prayer and reflection together, to factor in a little breathing space to allow cover for holidays, retreats, pilgrimage and sickness. It was hoped that there would still be the possibility of retired priests being able to supply but this is not something that can be relied upon. The clergy were also bearing in mind, and trying to include in the schedule, the greatly valued connection between people, place, and priest. Please do pray for bishop-elect Stephen, Fr Charles and each other; that guided by the Holy Spirit, we have the strength and courage to look to the future with confidence as Change Is Coming . . . . . .