by Sister Karen M. Cavanagh, C.S.J.
“IT’S A BROOKLYN thing!” In my day (that’s a giveaway), children dressed as ragamuffins on Thanksgiving morn. We visited neighbors, knocking on doors and begging: “Anything for Thanksgiving?”
We received an apple, an orange, walnuts in their shell or maybe some pennies. We imagined the experience of those who had little of the world’s goods. We learned the value in sharing our “goods,” receiving with thanksgiving and caring for a neighbor. It was a lesson in gratitude for God’s good earth, God’s blessings in our lives and our responsibility for our neighbor. I’ve only heard Brooklynites recount this way of learning the simple teaching of God’s generous blessings in our lives. We still remember to give thanks for simple gifts.
Stay Awake! Be Ready!
Fast forward to this weekend and to the beginning of Advent. It is time to ready our hearts and spirits. St. Paul proclaims in this Sunday’s Scripture readings a call to be vigilant and hopefully, attentive. He tells us: Wake up! Don’t be caught sleeping! Jesus Christ has become one of us – Emmanuel – and He will come again. It’s a call to keep our attention focused and our hearts open with welcome. We are reminded powerfully, vividly and very clearly how lavish are God’s blessings and how responsible we are to use them in our lives to bring the love of God, in Christ Jesus, to all others. Isaiah invites us: “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain” … let us be instructed in God’s ways, let us walk in God’s path.
But almost drowning out this call and the reminder of Advent’s purpose were the cries and clamor of sales on Black Thursday and Friday, of “today-only” offers, of a vigilance and sleeplessness needed, of a pushing, grabbing and sometimes angry haste with which could be purchased the coveted gifts. It screamed of an urgency which only grows and at times, becomes hostile.
What a different message we hear as we recover from the shopping mall and gather in our churches this Sunday!
In the first reading, Isaiah proclaims a message of hope and unity, of a united people processing toward their God. There is talk of peace and weapons being melted into tools to tend the land and feed the hungry … war no more … light and goodness in homes and on the earth. St. Paul tells us most vividly of the importance and urgency of our living in such a way that we might always be ready for Christ’s coming among us: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.”
“Our salvation,” he says, “is nearer now than when we first believed … the day is at hand.”
I think this helps to remind us that we can become so immersed in the ordinary business and busyness of our everyday lives that we might lose sight of the bigger picture. We might become confused as to that what is urgent and what is important.
Believe me, I’m a lover of presents, given and received. I will enjoy receiving cards and greetings in the weeks ahead. With Bing Crosby and the Mormon Choir, I sing along with all the carols, love the lights and decorations (although I dread the decorating) and so look forward to celebrating with friends and family.
Urgent vs. Important
What does, at times, dim the way as we prepare for Christmas is a conflict between what we feel is urgent with what is truly important. Culturally and spiritually, we need to prepare. There can be a sense of urgency in the shopping. However, when Christmas comes again, and long after the presents are forgotten, it will be the quality of our relationships with our families and friends that will be important. So will it be in our relationship with God. Will God and that needed relationship be given our attention and vigilance in the weeks ahead?
It might be urgent that we send greetings to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Might we make it equally important to say a prayer for the person as we address the envelope? Or could we include another person who doesn’t receive many greetings, prayers or attention at this time?
We may have already begun decorating (or even finished), but others of us will soon pull out those boxes of decorations and lights. With some urgency, we will make our homes and our environments look warmer and prettier.
In light of Christ’s Advent, again it might be very important that we let God’s light into the dark places and corners of our lives. Who we are at that time and how we brighten another’s day will be far more important.
Open to Transformation
As we gather in Church this weekend, Matthew’s Gospel speaks of “end times.” It also speaks of something more immediate and urgent. (Not that the “end times” aren’t important.) We are called to see the activity, challenge and presence of God in our everyday lives and allow it to transform us and to transform our “walking on this earth.”
Here in our Brooklyn Diocese, we walk our streets with people of every nation and faith. We are all reminded that God’s care and love reach to the ends of the earth and into our communal as well as our individual lives. It has the power to transform us.
May we walk God’s path and await Christ’s coming in hope, peace and thanksgiving. Let’s make it “a Brooklyn/Queens thing!”[hr]
Readings for the First Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 2:1-5
Psalm 122: 1-9
Romans 13: 11-14
Matthew 24: 37-44[hr]
Sister Karen Cavanagh, C.S.J., a trained spiritual director and retreat facilitator, is a pastoral associate/family minister at St. Nicholas of Tolentine parish, Jamaica.