1. The Savior must have been

    A docile Gentleman—

    To come so far so cold a Day

    For little Fellowmen—


    The Road to Bethlehem 
    Since He and I were Boys 
    Was leveled, but for that 'twould be
    A rugged Billion Miles—

    by Emily Dickson, "The Saviour must have been a docile Gentleman"


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  2. A Line an Advent Day to Ponder on....
    Read the line. Savour its good news. Sit with it in silence for a bit. Then, share your thoughts and feelings about it with the Lord and listen to what the Lord wishes to share with you this Advent day.

    Monday, 24 December
    "In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace." (From Morning Prayer / Luke 1.78-79)

     Sunday, 23 December
    "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." (From the day's Gospel reading / Luke 1.45)





    photo: love by emily weaver brown


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  3. Year C / 4th Sunday / Advent
    Readings: Micah 5.1-4a / Ps 80 (R/v 4) / Hebrew 10.5-10 / Luke 1.39-45

     Lord, make us turn to you,
    Let us see you face and we shall be saved.
    These are the words of our response to today’s Psalm.

    They might also express our deepest desire
    as we stand at the threshold of Christmas.

     They may do so because it can be hard (isn’t it?),
    now and again, to see God’s face amidst
    -- the same struggles and temptations we repeatedly face,
    -- the pressing concerns our families have,
    -- the continuing troubles in our neighborhood,
    -- and, of late, the horror of the tragedy in Newton, Connecticut.

     In these moments, 
    we might have cried out,
    "God, where are you?"

     And yet, here we are, 
    turned towards God,
    believing as we do that Christmas 
    proclaims God’s coming into our world.
    We will see again 
    in the gurgling, smiling face 
    of baby Jesus, in the crib,
    God come to save us,
    and we will confess God is truly Emmanuel, 
    God-with-us.

     In today’s gospel reading, Luke invites us to mediate
    on the Visitation, 
    on a pregnant Mary, traveling with urgent haste, 
    and probably some amount of discomfort,
    to visit Elizabeth and to care and console her 
    in her unexpected pregnancy.
    In their greeting and comforting each other,
    Luke also invites us to ponder on their embrace.

     Visitation and embrace:
    These are two images 
    of care and concern,
    of compassion and love.
    These are images 
    that can help us contemplate, 
    on this 4th Sunday of Advent,
    God’s coming to be present in our midst.

     The Visitation is a story of two women 
    making sense of God’s surprising actions 
    in the midst of what cannot be, 
    their unexpected pregnancies.
    In caring for each other,
    they find God’s consolation amidst their confusion.
    In comforting one another,
    they better understand God’s plan for the world.
    And in welcoming Jesus, Godself in human form,
    they embrace the promised joy of God’s coming salvation.

     Perhaps, this is why the visit of another into our lives 
    is like this Visitation: 
    in a friend who repeatedly assures us with faith in our loneliness,
    in a parent or a sibling who cradles us with love 
    into life again in our sadness,
    in a stranger whose words offers hope 
    that enlightens us in our confusion, 
    we find ourselves visited by no other than God.

     God visits us
    because God always remembers us, 
    counts us worthy 
    and loves us beyond all telling,
    to be with us.

     This is the message of the Visitation:
    God is always present, always laboring for our good.

     This is more so the joy of Christmas 
    today’s gospel reading directs our advent yearning towards.
    It is joy because God reaches out to visit us;
    and it is truly joyous because God visits to stay with us.
    God stays and lives with us, in no other place 
    but here in our earthly space, 
    so often soiled, broken and messy. 
    Yet, in this very same space, 
    God loves us into the fullness of life 
    as God’s own.

     God’s love however is not abstract, theoretical or heady.
    It is not a long ago event 
    we sentimentally remember at Christmas,
    nor a future promised second coming 
    we can only pray for.
    No, God’s love has concrete form; 
    it can be felt and known in the present. 

     No experience of this is more palpable I believe than
    when we embrace each other, like Mary and Elizabeth did.
    In this deed, more than words, God’s love is real.

     If there is a deep longing we all pine for as human beings,
    it is to be touched, to be held, to be embraced. 

     We yearn for this from another whom we love, 
    because this makes their love and concern, their friendship 
    real for us and alive in our lives. 

     This is why a mother cuddling her baby girl warms our hearts,
    why a man cradling his dying brother moves us to tears,
    why a couple’s forgiving embrace makes us smile,
    and why the hearty hug of friends and strangers at the sign of peace warms our hearts.

     In each of these embraces, we experience something of God:
    of God giving birth to us and caring for us, 
    of God forgiving us and laughing with us, 
    of God loving us to no end.

     In these moments, God’s love is 
    far more manifest, far more true, 
    than any homily, catechism or song can convey.



     What we truly desire most 
    in another’s embrace, then,
    is not satisfaction of a physical want 
    or gratification of an emotional longing. 

     No, what each one of us seeks deep within ourselves
    is an experience of God’s love through another’s embrace.

    This is why Mary and Elizabeth’s embrace
    cannot speak of anything less 
    than the surprising, gratuitous gift 
    of God visiting us 
    by embracing human form.
    In Jesus who lived amongst us, 
    loving us as we are,
    we see the face of our God who saves.
    And in Jesus, we can turn towards God
    gratefully embracing God back 
    in a loving return of ourselves.

     Indeed, in Jesus 
    -- who Mary bears to Elizabeth
    and whom Elizabeth welcomes in the Visitation --
    we can hope
    because in him
    heaven and earth do embrace. 
    And, we can hope, more so, 
    because in him 
    is the Christmas truth
    that we are created 
    to be in touch with God,
    with God who only desires 
    to love us into the fullness of who we are, 
    God’s beloved.


    preached at Blessed Mother Teresa Parish, Dorchester, Boston
    painting: the visitation by jacopo da pontormo (1558-29)

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  4. A Line an Advent Day to Ponder on....
    Read the line. Savour its good news. Sit with it in silence for a bit. Then, share your thoughts and feelings about it with the Lord and listen to what the Lord wishes to share with you this Advent day.

    Saturday, 22 December
    Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked upon his lowly servant." (From the day's Gospel reading / Luke 1.46)

     Friday, 21 December
    "Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and our shield, for in him our hearts rejoice; in his holy name we trust." (From the day's responsorial psalm / Ps 33.20-21)

     Thursday, 20 December
    "Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel." (From the day's first reading / Isaiah 7.14)

     Wednesday, 19 December
    "O God, you have taught me from my youth, and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds." (From the day's Responsorial Psalm / Ps 71.17)

     Tuesday, 18 December
    "Behold the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel." (From the Gospel reading of the day / Matthew 1.23) 

    Monday, 17 December
    "Rejoice, O heavens, and exult, O earth, for our Lord will come to show mercy to his poor." (From the entrance antiphon for the day's Mass / Isaiah 49.13)

     Sunday, 16 December
    "The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals." (From the day's first reading/ Zephaniah 3.17-18a)







    photo: joy by emily weaver brown
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  5. A Line an Advent Day to Ponder on.....
    Read the line. Savour its good news. Sit with it in silence for a bit. Then, share your thoughts and feelings about it with the Lord and listen to what the Lord wishes to share with you this Advent day.

    Saturday, 15 December
    "Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved." (From the day's responsorial psalm / Psalm 80.4)

    Friday, 14 December
    "Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go." (From the day's first reading / Isaiah 48.17)

    Thursday, 13 December
    "The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness." (From the day's responsorial psalm / Psalm 145.8)

    Wednesday, 12 December
    "See I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord" (From the day's first reading / Zechariah 2.14)

    Tuesday, 11 December
    "Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care." (From the day's first reading / Isaiah 40.11)

    Monday, 10 December
    "I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord--for he proclaims peace to his people." (from the day's Responsorial Psalm / Psalm 85.1)

    Sunday, 9 December / Second Sunday of Advent
    "The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God" (Gospel reading / Luke 3.5b-6)





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  6. A Line an Advent Day to Ponder on.....
    Read the line. Savour its good news. Sit with it in silence for a bit. Then, share your thoughts and feelings about it with the Lord and listen to what the Lord wishes to share with you this Advent day.

     Saturday, 8 December
    "And coming to Mary, the Angel Gabriel said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." (Gospel reading / Luke 1.28)

     Friday, 7 December
    "Then Jesus touched the eyes of the blind men and said, 'Let it be done according to your faith.'" (From the day's Gospel reading / Matthew 9.29)

     Thursday, 6 December
    "You, O Lord, are close, and all your ways are truth." (From the Entrance Antiphon to today's Mass / Ps 119.151)

     Wednesday, 5 December
    "On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines." (From the day's first reading / Isaiah 25.6)

     Tuesday, 4 December
    "Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever." (From the response of the day's responsorial psalm / 72.7)

     Monday, 3 December
    "In days to come, the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills." (From the day's first reading / Isaiah 2.2)

     Sunday, 2 December / First Sunday of Advent
    "..stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand" (From the day's Gospel reading / Luke 21.28)





    photo: hope by emily weaver brown


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  7. Year C / 1st Sunday / Advent
    Readings: Jeremiah 33.14-16 / Ps 25 (R/1b) / Thessalonians 3.12-4.2 Luke 21.25-28, 34-36.
    Your redemption is at hand.
    We hear Jesus say this to his disciples and to us 
    in today’s gospel reading.

     And isn’t it fitting 
    that he says this as we begin Advent?

     In our gospel reading 
    that speaks of the end of the world,
    of a time when the heavens will be shaken
    and the nations on earth will be in dismay,
    we hear about the promised coming of the Son of Man. 

     A coming in power and great glory
    of he who first came to us, 
    poor and lowly, vulnerable and human,
    as Mary’s boy child, Jesus
    whose birth we look towards again 
    -- if you like me, with cheerful glee--at Christmas.

     This future coming fulfills what Jesus’ first coming
    two thousand years ago 
    announced to us as our salvation:
    the reign of God in our midst;
    the reign of God we are called to help build for one another;
    the reign of God that is our rightful inheritance 
    of being eternally one with God
    -- no matter our successes or failures;
    -- no matter what we have done or what we have failed to do.

     Indeed, this reign of God has began;
    We live and move and have our being in its midst:
    -- where an NYPD policeman 
    buys boots for a poor, shoeless streetperson;
    -- where countless people feed, clothe and shelter 
    those who’ve lost everything because of Tropical Storm Sandy;
    --  where warring countries stop their wars and begin to talk.

     In these instances 
    of justice and compassion, 
    of love and concern, of reconciliation and peace,
    we glimpse, we experience, we may even partake of
    the reign of God in our lives,
    in our ordinary everydayness 
    as well as in the extraordinary milestones of our life.
    In these times, redemption is at hand.

     The Church is right then to invite us in Advent 
    to look back gratefully to the one
    -- our First Reading speaks of--
    the one who will do what is right and just in the land,
    the one from David’s line, 
    the one called Emmanuel, God-with-us: Jesus.

     He has indeed come and saved us, 
    given us his Risen Spirit,
    made us God’s new creation
    to live fully in love with God and with neighbor.

     But this story of salvation
    God began in Jesus is not complete; 
    it awaits its fulfillment as today’s gospel reading reminds us
    and as it also calls you and I to equally prepare for.

     We are to be vigilant, to pray, 
    not to be drowsy from carousing and drunkenness.
    We are to prepare ourselves 
    to stand before the Son of Man
    who will come to judge us.

     Blessed are we 
    that he who comes to judge
    is not only God 
    but also one like us in 
    one who knows what and how it is to be human.
    One who is truly concerned about us 
    as only a human being can be
    loving what is human in each of us 
    and hating inhumanity.

     How hopeful it is then
    --this hope that Christmas directs our gaze towards-- 
    that when we will be judged
    it will be by one who will question us about our lives
    with the sympathy of having lived 
    amongst us and with us.

     This judgment to come 
    is why the Church also rightly calls us 
    to Advent preparation.

     In these next four weeks,
    we will busy ourselves
    shopping for presents, 
    baking our cookies and sweets,
    trimming the Christmas tree with friends and family,
    even charitably bringing Christmas cheer 
    to the lesser among us.

     But these weeks are 
    also a graced time of conversion and renewal.
    The Church invites you and me 
    in this time 
    to make right the wrongs in our lives,
    to make room within each of us, and between ourselves,
    to welcome Jesus again at Christmas time
    but, more so, to prepare ourselves
    to stand before him at judgment time.

     And, I believe, 
    we can stand before Jesus, 
    before his face in which we will shall 
    one day read our judgment,
    because he will have first gazed upon us
    from every human face
    -- the face of an innocent babe gurgling at us
    -- the weary, anxious faces of the poor thanking us for our help
    -- the tear-streaked faces of sinners we’ve embraced
    -- even the surprised faces of enemies we’ve forgiven
    from each and every face, loving us.

     And from his countenance, 
    we shall see all these faces,
    whom we have been good and kind and gracious to,
    looking back at us,
    and loving us too.

     Then we will hear him say,
    “you did this and this and all that is good
    for the least of my sisters and my brothers.”

     This, his voice,
    coming from a face like yours and mine
    will not fade away. 
    It will fill our very being 
    from here to eternity.

     How can we, then, 
    not lift up our faces this Advent 
    -- with the confidence of the forgiven and the living --
    towards that face of the Son of Man, Jesus, 
    this beloved Son of God in whom
    our redemption is indeed always at hand.



    preached at Blessed Mother Teresa Parish, Dorchester, Boston
    photo: dusk at advent time  by adsj (st joseph's trappist monastery; spencer, massachusetts, december 2010)
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"Bukas Palad"
"Bukas Palad"
is Filipino for open palms
Greetings!
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Peace and welcome, dear friend.
I hope you will find in these posts something that speaks to you of the God who loves us all and who always holds us in the palm of his hand. Blessings!
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Fall in Love, Stay in Love
Fall in Love, Stay in Love

"Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute way final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything."

Pedro Arrupe, sj, Superior General, 1965 - 1983

About Me
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is a 50something Catholic who resides in Singapore and works for the Church. He is a priest of the Roman Catholic Church.
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©adrian.danker.sj, 2006-2018

The views I express in these pages are personal. They do not speak for the Society of Jesus or the Catholic Church.
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