Prayer and Action

Scripture Reflection for the Second Sunday of Advent (December 8, 2013)

Scripture Readings:
Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72: 1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Romans 15: 4-9
Matthew 3: 1-12

The first words that popped into my head after reading these Scripture readings were the lyrics from an Advent song called "On That Holy Mountain": "The wolf is the guest of the lamb, on that holy mountain. … The poor shall receive from the rich, on that holy mountain."(Joe Mattingly, World Library Publications, 1990). I related these words to today's first reading from the prophet Isaiah. I then read ahead to the Gospel from Matthew, speaking about John the Baptist preaching about repentance, who "wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist." I had to link the peaceful images from Isaiah to the urgency of John the Baptist in the Gospel.

The Gospel tells us that as Christians, we are not going to fit easily into the world's categories or have popularity in this world. John the Baptist wore camel skins for clothes, ate locusts, and lived in the desert. He was unafraid to speak the truth about God's commandments, nor to upset the powers of the world. His authenticity and truth made it safe for sinners to come in humility to be baptized and to repent of their sins. Prostitutes and tax collectors were coming to see John. However, the Pharisees and the Sadducees were coming to see John after he attracted popular attention, but they did not come in a spirit of repentance. John called them a "brood of vipers." Wealth and religious and social standing did not alter his view of them, much the way that God sees the world. Isaiah states that "Not by appearance shall he judge." Their hearts were not cleansed, and they did not show mercy to others.

Most people respond to authenticity, that is, integrity between the words one says and the way one lives daily life. People have many facets and circumstances in their lives, and we are not to judge only by "appearance" or by "hearsay" alone. The sinners who heard John the Baptist listened to him because they saw how he lived his life on the margins of acceptable society. Since they also were not within the confines of polite society, they did not have anything to lose and much to gain by changing their lives. The Pharisees and the Sadducees judged on outward appearance and social standing alone; we can do that in our daily lives more than we care to admit. However, we are called to lives of prayer and action, not only high piety or constant social action. The person with tattoos up and down her arms could be very devout about going to Eucharistic Adoration twice a week. Likewise, the mantilla-wearing long skirted girl at Mass could be very active in environmental issues and simple living. We will never know the truth about our neighbors until we reach out and listen to others' stories.

A contemporary example of this blend of action and prayer is Pope Francis. This past summer, Francis asked us not to judge another's relationship with God. He held a man who had been physically disfigured by the skin disease neurofibromatosis. In the midst of all this hand-on ministry, he recently spoke of the traditional Roman Catholic devotions of the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy as "spiritual medicine." These examples give me pause to think about how I can show authenticity in my daily life.

We are called to live lives of truth, grace, mercy, and love. Not to judge, but to help one another enter the Kingdom of God.

Images: Jean-Baptiste Oudry - Le loup et l'agneau and Cristofano Allori - San Giovanni. Found on Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain. Pope Francis embraces a disfigured man on November 6, 2013.