A businessman once approached Mark Twain with a false sense of piety and said:
“Before I die, I intend to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I want to climb to the top of Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments aloud.”
To which Twain responded, “I have a better idea. Why don’t you stay right at home in Boston and keep them?”
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis Xavier, a priest of the 16th century who travelled extensively throughout Asia, baptizing over 40,000 people.
While that’s a remarkable feat, baptism was simply the first day of these Christians’ journeys.
Like that businessman from Boston, they’d be challenged to not only accept the faith, but also to live it out day by day.
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We face the same challenge.
As we move further into this season of Advent, how is the Lord inviting me to live my faith in a deeper way?
Maybe that means becoming more aware of other’s needs. For example, most of us don’t need another sweater or an extra pair of socks for Christmas.
But there are plenty who do.
What if we spend more on the poor than on those with plenty this Christmas?
Or maybe we’re being invited to grow in patience; to be intentional about letting go of a grudge or a lingering habit; or more deliberate about spending time in prayer.
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As Mark Twain might say, “Whatever the Lord is inviting us to do, why don’t we stay right here and do it.”
“In days to come, The mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: “Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!”
The Word of the Lord.
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Over the last century, more than 100 million people have died in war. If only we would drop our weapons.
But there are currently 40 armed conflicts raging across the world as people fight over politics, theology, and access to scarce resources like land, water, and food.
Even in our own families, we can argue over things like: who gets the inheritance, who keeps the kids, whose fault it was that the marriage ended.
Conflict, it seems, is written into our DNA.
Yet, the prophet Isaiah foretells in our first reading: “One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again…They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”
“Swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.”
That’s God’s promise to us: global peace.
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Advent is a time for us to help make that dream a reality by considering where we need to beat our own swords into plowshares.
For example, maybe we’ve become short-tempered; we need the Lord to transform our words of anger into words of comfort.
Or maybe we need to wield a grudge into an act of forgiveness. Or selfishness into selflessness.
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This is a season of grace, a time to beat swords into plowshares.
May it begin with us.
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Image credits: (1) Sergey Ivanov, Fine Art America (2) Reluctant Xtian (3) Anglican Compass
Jesus said to his disciples: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.
“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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When is the world going to end? How is it going to end?
Does it end in fire? Does it end in ice?
Such questions have fascinated people from the beginning of time.
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“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,” Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “and on earth nations will be in conflict.”
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, plagues, and the persecution of Christians. It’s a frightening image that has happened in almost every generation, causing people to question:
“Is the world coming to an end?”
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Think of how many times we asked ourselves that question in the 20th century.
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For example, it must’ve felt like the end of the world for those millions of soldiers who fought in World War Two. Those muddy fields and bloody beaches must have looked like the apocalypse.
Hitler was systematically wiping out an entire people, while taking over large swaths of Europe, drawing nation after nation into conflict.
Many wondered if the decisive battle between good and evil had begun.
We know now it wasn’t the finale.
But the experience of World War Two teaches us an important lesson about the end of the world – and our role in it.
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Remember what happened in the summer of 1944. On June 6, Allied troops landed in Normandy where they began their slow, heroic march towards Paris.
Weeks later, as American boots marched through the Arc de Triomphe, many felt that the war was coming to an end. But our troops couldn’t put down their weapons just yet.
It would take nearly another year to reach Hitler. Our generals knew that we could win the war if our troops persevered.
And persevere they did.
On September 2, 1945, World War Two officially ended.
Finally, peace was felt around the world.
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Similarly, we Christians are called to see ourselves like the Allied troops marching through the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. We know that this battle between good and evil can be won.
In a sense, it has been won.
When Jesus conquered death on Easter Sunday, he dealt the devil a decisive blow.
But, there is still work to be done. While Jesus has been raised from the dead, God’s peace isn’t reigning from sea to shining sea just yet. So, we must continue our march.
Think about how many of our brothers and sisters are living in conflict, dying from poverty and the pangs of hunger, and how many more are struggling to find inner peace.
We must continue our march.
Even in our own families, there can be conflict – grudges, poor communication, loneliness, and severed relationships.
We must continue our march.
As Christians, we’re called to bring God’s peace into these areas around us: into our homes, into our Church, and into the world around us.
But that march for peace always begins within.
As one Russian novelist put it, “If only it were all so simple! But the dividing line between good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”
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This is what Advent is all about: celebrating the decisive victory that Jesus has won for us, while also acknowledging the fact that there is still work to be done – in the world and within ourselves.
As we enter this prayerful season of waiting for Christ’s return, how can we work for greater peace within ourselves and in the world around us?
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Like the Allied troops marching through the Arc de Triomphe, we are on the right side of history, so long as we persevere in living out our faith.
