Friday of the First Week of Advent

Seasonal collect of the day
may also be used to close the
Prayers of the Faithful

Lectionary: 179


Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of, nor shall his face grow pale.
When his children see the work of my hands in his midst, They shall keep my name holy; they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob, and be in awe of the God of Israel. Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding, and those who find fault shall receive instruction.




The prophet Isaiah promises sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and justice to the oppressed. He also promises -- perhaps specifically to parents of this generation -- that we "shall have nothing to be ashamed of nor shall (our faces) grow pail when our children see the work of my hands." 

Daybreak, Thanksgiving 2013 

Observers long ago noted how a nation that makes a virtue of individuality creates children who want nothing but to disappear into the herd of their peers. They suffer overwhelming, unbearable shame when they are singled out as pious or virtuous. They dare not publicly keep my name holy; reverence the Holy One of Jacob or be in awe of the God of Israel. Well into adulthood the typical American fears that stigma.

We may not admit it but we long for that vindication which must come when the Lord appears to give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and justice to the downtrodden. More, we long for the freedom the prophet Zechariah promised in Luke 1,74: 

without fear we might worship him in holiness and righteousness... all our days

When he does appear in the person of Jesus, however, doing precisely those works that Isaiah had promised, he and his disciples must suffer the contempt of their own people. 

I don't know why but it's better this way. Saint Paul pleaded three times that he might be relieved a certain "thorn in the flesh,' "But (the Lord) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” 
And so Saint Paul concluded, "I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.

Daybreak, Thanksgiving 2013

Carmen Bin Laden, the sister-in-law of Osama Bin Laden, in her book, Inside the Kingdom, my life in Saudi Arabia, tells how uncritical the Saudi people are of very pious behavior. Her brother-in-law could demonstrate absurd piety and never be criticized by his own brothers. They didn't pretend to be half as devout, but neither did they object to his extremism. Of course they didn't invite him to fly to Paris with them, where they ate pork and drank alcohol with high-priced prostitutes; but they didn't mind his spending millions on his own lunacy. Where men controlled every thought, word and deed of their women, they gave unconstrained liberty to their brothers. 

The Christian practice of freedom suspects too much piety. We know the sounding gong and clashing symbol don't necessarily demonstrate holiness. We know that some who promise to go to Bethlehem to pay homage to the Child harbor deep wickedness. 

The gospels solemnly warn us against hypocrites and hypocrisy. The Catholic Church even has a "devil's advocate" to check out candidates for sainthood. Not everything that glitters is gold. 

We pray for the eyes to see and the ears to hear and the wisdom to know the Truth when we meet him. If some people suspect our piety, we understand their skepticism. We wonder about it too.