Advent Reflection, December 17: Life Lessons at a Coffee Bar

Third Sunday of Advent

Scripture Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/121706.shtml
Zephaniah 3: 14-18
Isaiah 12
Philippians 4: 4-7
Luke 3: 10-18

We are enjoying life and work in a new academic center here at Catholic Theological Union this year. My office is on the same floor where there is a lovely atrium that lets in the sunshine through a skylight (on the days when there is actually sunshine during a Chicago winter!!). When school opened in September, there was a section of the atrium where coffee was available for anyone who needed that morning or after-lunch lift. You just poured yourself a cup and left the money in a box. A few weeks ago, this self-serve system was transformed into a real coffee bar, with an attendant, good service, and an assortment of kinds of fair trade coffee. I went down for some coffee the first day the bar opened and noticed that the price for a cup had increased. Fair trade coffee costs a bit more than most of the commercially marketed varieties. My initial reaction was one of dismay. I wondered why I should have to pay more for coffee, and I was skeptical about how successful this new venture would be.

I thought about my reaction after my first visit to the new coffee bar. Needless to say, I have been back every day since, and the coffee bar seems to be doing just fine with sales. Fair trade coffee represents an effort to ensure that coffee growers in other countries -- many of them developing countries – receive a just price for their product. Often the free market price falls so low that coffee growers in Latin America and other places cannot survive on what they are being paid. In addition, the fair trade coffee movement encourages growers to produce their crop with methods that are more ecologically friendly. In reflecting on my initial reaction to the higher price, I realized how programmed I am to focus only on the consumption side of things. With that very narrow focus it is easy to miss out on some of the bigger issues that are related to justice.

We are coming closer to Christmas. It is eight days from this Sunday. On December 17, the liturgy makes a shift. It leads us into more immediate preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ. The last eight days of Advent are meant to prepare us more directly for our annual pilgrimage to Bethlehem. In the Gospel for this Sunday, John the Baptist speaks an important word about preparation for the coming of the Messiah. The preparation that he proclaims is one that immediately involves our neighbor. The coming and presence of the Messiah, the Lord who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire, involves an urgent call to turn toward our neighbors. In order to be prepared to meet the Lord, each of us needs repentance, a heartfelt turning of our eyes toward Christ. The fruits of that repentance should be a more faithful care for others and a commitment to justice for our fellow human beings. “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” These are prophetic words that still hit us between the eyes 2000 years after John spoke them.

There are many fine Christmas traditions of special giving and charity in our communities. They have become an essential part of our Christmas preparation and celebration. These include everything from the Giving Tree in our parish churches, to Salvation Army representatives in malls and on street corners, programs like Toys for Tots, Saint Vincent De Paul food baskets, and countless others. In many ways, Christmas brings out the best in all of us. I believe that the Gospel for this Sunday invites us to see these customs of giving and heightened concern as more than simply holiday charity or nice gestures of good will on our part. The meaning of such actions lies deeper than just buying an additional gift or food item after we have bought all our other gifts. Rather, we need to see these activities as an indispensable part of our preparation for the coming of Jesus into our lives and as expressive of our effort to build justice in the world.

John the Baptist tells us that if we wish to celebrate the presence of Jesus at home or in church without turning to our neighbor, in whom we discover Christ’s presence, we have fooled ourselves. And the Gospel reminds us that this turning is not simply a matter of charity. It is an exercise of justice, an expression of our willingness to share the world’s goods that are on loan to us with those who share less in these goods, often much less. God has given us stewardship over the material possessions and other resources we have been given. An integral part of that stewardship is a commitment to work for a more just sharing in the goods of this world among all people. Our Catholic tradition of social justice teaching reinforces this call.

The passage from the prophet Zephaniah and the section from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians that are also read this Sunday evoke the theme of the joyful anticipation of the Messiah’s coming. Zephaniah is exuberant: “Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!” Paul exhorts the Christians at Philippi to give witness to the joy that life in Christ brings us: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” All of us have experienced the deep joy that comes with sharing our resources and ourselves with others in ways that are truly life-giving. We cannot do everything or help everyone who comes our way. But we can take real steps, however small they may seem, to make this world a kinder and a more just place for all of our sisters and brothers. We discover that as we turn toward our neighbors in their needs the Messiah comes to us, rejoicing over us with gladness and renewing us with his love.

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Suggestion for Advent Prayer and Reflection for the Week of December 18:

Last week we prayed with Mary as we reflected on the Magnificat, her song of praise to God extolling the great things God had done in her life. This week we turn to the figure of Joseph as we continue to prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The Gospel reading for Monday, December 18 is Matthew 1: 18-25. I would suggest that you read this Gospel passage slowly, a couple of times, and allow it to lead you into prayer.

When we think of the “Annunciation” we usually have Luke’s Gospel in mind and picture the announcement of the birth of Jesus to Mary. But in Matthew’s Gospel Joseph receives the message from the angel. Mary is already “betrothed” to Joseph, meaning that the first part of the marriage has been celebrated. Infidelity after betrothal was considered adultery and was subject to a severe penalty. Joseph is depicted as a “righteous man” – a devout observer of the law of Moses. But he is also a compassionate person who does not want Mary to suffer from shame and punishment when he discovers that she is expecting a child. When assured by the angel that Mary has conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit, Joseph is obedient to God and takes Mary as his wife, which also entails adopting the child into the family of David.

As you pray with this Gospel text, try to imagine Joseph’s feelings at this moment. Think about the confusion he must have felt. Do you think that he felt fear about what was happening to him and fear of what the future would hold? What is the level of trust that Joseph exhibits in his response to the word of God? What does this text have to say to you at this moment in your life? Are you experiencing a time of fear or confusion? How is the Lord calling you to a deeper “Gospel righteousness,” i.e., a fidelity to God’s commands that is suffused with compassion?

Robin Ryan, CP