Second Sunday of Advent (Mt. 3:1-12) “Point at Jesus”
Second Sunday of Advent (Mt. 3:1-12) “Point at Jesus”
“He must increase. I must decrease.” The words are those of John the Baptist. We can remember these words whenever we hear about John at a liturgical celebration. John is mentioned several times in the Gospels.
In the Gospel of John, we hear about a controversy that arose between the disciples of John and the disciples of Jesus. The disciples of John the Baptist noticed that Jesus was baptizing people in imitation of John. John’s disciples also noticed that Jesus was baptizing far more people than John. Jesus was becoming more popular. Jesus, then, seemed to be threatening John’s’ popularity. John was less influential. Jesus was attracting more attention. So, there was a kind of competition.
Unfortunately, that is what happens between ministers at times. The question must be asked, what do we owe our Christian faith to? What do we believe in? Do we put our faith in the minister who preaches the faith. Or do we believe in the supernatural influence of the God who is the inspiration for the Gospel teaching?
Competition between ministers has always been an issue in the church. We can remember St. Paul’s first Letter to the Corinthians. Paul had been an influential figure in the Corinthian church. He had baptized many. He set up church structures in Corinth.
But when he left Corinth, some other Christian preachers moved in. And they criticized what Paul taught about Jesus. Also, they tried to turn Paul’s Christian converts against him. Paul had every right to take offence, but he refused to make his ministry a cult of personality. He asked the rhetorical question, “Has Christ been divided into parts?”
Some say they follow Apollos. Others say they follow Paul. St. Paul reminds the people of Corinth that it isn’t about Paul. Nor is it about Apollos. No, it is about having faith in Jesus Christ and the Gospel message. Paul would probably have said. If you believe Apollos preaches a message that is truer to the Gospel then mine, then listen to him.
This weekend it is a good time to reflect on listening to Jesus alone. We have three major events happening in the life of the parish. The first event is the Rite of Acceptance. We have a good number of candidates this year. I have been able to speak to most of them. When we interview candidates for the Rite of Acceptance, we remind them that this is still relatively early in the RCIA journey. We tell them the discernment process continues right up until Easter.
We also try to make sure that people are committing to this next step of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults because they are fascinated with the person of Jesus. We don’t want people to be tied to a pastor. Nor do we want a person to seek entrance into the church because they want to please a friend or relative. We want it to be about Jesus.
The second event in our parish this weekend is the rite of acceptance for the first communion candidates. This rite is patterned after the RCIA process. The children are reminded that they need to know Jesus and what he taught and how he lived. The children stand up in public for perhaps the first time in their life saying that they want to be followers of Jesus. And that they want to be nourished at the Eucharistic table. Again, they are reminded that First Communion is not a reward for reaching a certain age. But it is about becoming an active follower of Jesus.
The third great even in our parish life this weekend is the ordination of two parish men as deacons. The challenge for these two men is to promote Jesus and is very important . The two of them must resist the temptation we could label as clericalism. Clericalism is a sense that once a person is ordained that they have special privilege in the church. The ministry can easily become about the deacon, priest or bishop. They can become the center of attention. The presbyter must resist this temptation if they are to be true to their vocation.
The Christian life is never strictly about privilege. No, the Christian life is about serving. We set aside our selfish desires. We live out one philosophy repeatedly which is that Jesus must increase in me while my ego must decrease. Such was the challenge that John the Baptist faced. Also, it is the challenge that we face if we want to be true to our baptismal call.
Reflection Questions:
1. How do I feel when someone gets more credit than I do? Does it make a difference when we are promoting the same ideas?
2. Does my ego ever get in the way of my pursuit of holiness? When does that happen?
Dear Parishioners,
Matt Martell and Mike Maynard will be preaching at Sunday Masses as they begin their diaconal ministry. This will be an important part of their ministry. This is not the most important part of their ministry, however. The deacon’s ministry is primarily a ministry of charity. They are most importantly to enhance the altruistic activities of the parish.
If we remember the establishment of the diaconal ministry in the Acts of the Apostles, we recall how the apostles felt overwhelmed by the constant demands of administration in the early church. The poor needed a lot of attention. The apostles did not want to ignore the needs of the vulnerable, but they did not want to neglect the role they had as liturgical leaders and pastors. Deacons were appointed to help relieve the burdens of administration and charity. Hopefully Deacon Matt and Deacon Mike will help with the administrative and charitable tasks at Sacred Heart.
The plan, right now, is to invite the deacons to preach one weekend a month. Their preaching will offer a different perspective. Both have held secular jobs throughout their lives, and they have other experiences that Fr. Matthew and I do not have.
Please pray for them as they take up their new tasks. It will be an adjustment for everyone. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly.
May Our Lady of Peace pray for our troubled world.
Fr. Mark