Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Isaiah 11: 1 – 10

On that day,
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.

On that day,
The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.

The Word of the Lord.

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We are constantly reminded in scripture that God does the impossible.

When darkness seems overwhelming, suddenly a light appears.

When hope is nearly lost, a door is opened.

Or, using the imagery from our first reading, when a tree is cut down to its roots, a shoot sprouts up, a bud blossoms.

Life continues.

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These words come from the prophet Isaiah while Israel is living in exile. Their land has been invaded, their homes destroyed, their king dethroned.

As the Psalmist cries out, “You have rejected and spurned… your anointed… You have hurled down his throne to the ground… How long, O LORD?” (Psalm 89). 

Israel has been cut down like a tree to its stump. 

But the Lord promises them, “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” Life will continue. A king will come, ushering in divine justice and everlasting peace.

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We see this promise fulfilled in Jesus, the king and ruler of all. When God takes on flesh, he does the “impossible.”

And when nailed to a tree and placed in a tomb, he does the impossible again, rising from the dead.

Time and time again, when God’s people are cut down to their roots, a shoot sprouts up, a bud blossoms. Life continues.

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What’s the “stump” in my own life? What part of me seems cut down, in need of new life?

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Advent is the time for us to renew our faith in the Lord, that whenever we feel reduced to our roots, a shoot shall sprout, a bud shall blossom.

Life continues.

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Image credits: (1) www.apcwv.com (2) Babylonian Captivity, www.bookofdaystales.com (3) The Jesse Tree, Jesse Tree Devotional

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Gospel: Matthew 8: 5-11

When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”  
He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”  
The centurion said in reply,
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes;
and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. 
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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As we enter into this holiday season, each of us should have the spirit of the centurion in today’s Gospel.

Centurions were not Jews. They were Gentile officers in the Roman army who were proven soldiers, each in charge of 100 men. They were powerful and often wealthy.

Why is this centurion important? What makes him a “Christmas figure,” someone who’s example we should follow?

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He goes out of his way to care for the poor and forgotten. 

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Back in his home, one of his servants lay sick in bed. It would’ve been common practice to let the person die; servants had no legal rights. They were considered disposable by society.

But this centurion goes to great lengths, pleading before the Lord on his servant’s behalf. And once Jesus agrees to visit, the centurion makes a beautiful profession of faith.

“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant shall be healed.”

Jesus was literally “amazed” by his compassion and display of faith. In fact, it’s the only time in Matthew’s Gospel when the word, “amazed,” is used.

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What might this centurion’s example say to us?

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Over the next few weeks, we’ll be occupied with mental checklists, cooking, shopping, writing Christmas cards, and tidying up our homes, preparing for visitors.

But, like the centurion, do not forget the “sick” – the poor, the forgotten, the bedridden, the neighbor without visitors, the extended family member in a nursing home, the teenager who seems lost in their phone.

We should go out of our way to care for those whom society often forgets. Whatever we do to the least of these, our brothers and sisters, we do to Jesus.

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Image credits: (1) Lavarijewelers.com (2) Christ Healing the Centurion’s Servant, Bernardo Castello (3) Trinity Church, Vancouver, Simon Pettit

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Gospel: Matthew 24: 37-44

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left. 
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left. 
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. 
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I was at the airport recently, and as I was walking through the parking garage I noticed graffiti spray painted on the wall, which said, “Jesus is coming soon!”

I paused, then mumbled to myself, “Not if he’s flying on American Airlines.”

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus assures us that he is, in fact, coming again, but we know neither the day nor the hour. We must live in a state of readiness, or in his words, “stay awake.” 

Advent is the appointed time for us to awaken our souls. It’s the time to consider, “Are we ready for the Lord’s return?”

Jesus gives three examples, describing those who are ready versus those who are not.

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The first is Noah’s Ark.

Noah started building the ark while it was still bright and sunny. Once the darkness fell and the floods came, those who were saved were the ones already inside the boat. They prepared for the flood, even when it was nowhere in sight.

We should do the same – prepare to meet the Lord now. We’re all one diagnosis, one unexpected turn, one phone call away, from flood waters. 

Still, the temptation is to put our readiness off until tomorrow. “I’ll consider the Lord’s return tomorrow.” … “I’ll give up my favorite vice tomorrow.” … “I’ll work on my prayer life tomorrow.”

Why not today?

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Notice what happens to those who put these things off until “tomorrow.”

Two men are out in a field. Two women are grinding at the mill. In each case, one is taken and the other is left behind.

What separates them is not where they are or what they’re doing, but what’s inside their heart.

Two are living with faith and two are living for themselves. When the flood waters come, those who are ready enter the kingdom of God.

What prevents me from feeling ready to see the Lord? Or where does my faith seem weak?

Advent is the time for us to bring these things before the Lord.

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At the end of this Gospel passage, Jesus describes himself as a thief. 

“Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake.”

Why would Jesus liken himself to a thief?

Thieves are threatening figures. They try to take away what we perceive to be ours. Is the Lord really a thief?

Think of the rich young man. He approached Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life, and Jesus said to him, “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor. Then, come follow me.”

The rich young man walked away sad. He was afraid to follow the Lord. He felt like Jesus was taking away his freedom, his wealth, his future, his plans, all of his possessions. 

For him, Jesus felt like a thief.

Those who are not in a loving relationship with God see him the way the rich young man did, as a threat to their freedom; a threat to their self-expression; a threat to their desire to live life on their own terms, to make their own decisions, to chart their own destiny.

We know the Lord is not a thief. Jesus has come to give us life, not to take it away. But he uses this image of a “thief” in an ironic way, to reveal, at times, the motives of our own hearts. 

Have I ever seen God as thief? Have I ever felt that fear inside, that if I follow Jesus – if I put my heart into his hands – then he’ll take something away from me? He’ll direct me on another path? He’ll make me change some of my behavior? Or leave a favored sin behind?

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“Jesus is coming soon!”

“Not if he’s flying American Airlines,” I thought.

No. He’s coming, in his words, “like the floods of Noah, or a thief in the night.”

Advent is the time for us to be ready.

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Image credits: (1) cathfamily.org, WOJ Advent Week 1 (2) Jesus, Erokism, Flickr (3) herviewfromhome.com, A Beginner’s Guide to Observing Advent