We don't desrve you, but we want you

Rend the Heavens

Catholic Daily Readings 12-3-2023: First Sunday of Advent

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,

with the mountains quaking before you,

This is a people yearning for the Lord. We don’t just want the Lord to come down. We want the Lord to do violence to heaven in order to come down! In the OT this word means like a lion tears apart its prey, or when Reuben rent his garments at dismay.

Joel 2:13 NABRE

Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God, For he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting in punishment.

Violence from above to meet us, violence to ourselves to prepare Him room.

Jesus says elsewhere, Matthew 11:12

Matthew 11:12 NABRE

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.

What does this mean? What is this violence that we are asking of God and that He is asking of us?

But we don’t deserve you

Catholic Daily Readings 12-3-2023: First Sunday of Advent

Indeed, you are angry; we have sinned,

we have acted wickedly.

5 We have all become like something unclean,

all our just deeds are like polluted rags;

We have all withered like leaves,

and our crimes carry us away like the wind.

6 There are none who call upon your name,

none who rouse themselves to take hold of you;

For you have hidden your face from us

and have delivered us up to our crimes.

This is the season for leaves falling. We fall because we sin, because we like sinning. The leaves fall, the wind comes, that beautiful leaf that was once, is now gone and somewhere else. That can be a metaphor for our life.

So because we are more than a leaf, we have a chance to change our fate. But we don’t, we continue sinning. Why? because we like the things of this world over God.

We are like polluted rags. When I used to work on my car I asked, “When do I get a new rag?” Carl the mechanic would say, “When the rag makes your hand dirtier than they were before!”

We sometimes get in ruts that we just can’t seem to escape!

Our world is a mess, I myself am a mess.

Bombs, Wars, presidential debates, persecution of Catholics in Nicaragua and Armenians …Church news… what a mess! my kids, my spouse, my house, Christmas stuff, I’m still tired from Thanksgiving…what a mess!

I’ve said this before, other’s have said this before. What’s wrong with the Church? What’s wrong with the world?

I AM! I stay up too late watching things. I eat and drink too much. I don’t keep guard of my tongue! I don’t trust in God enough. I don’t pray enough. I don’t have patience. I get angry easily. I think about that other life that I could have chosen. Is there even a God?! Wait… I am talking about you, right?!

But what did St. Paul say?!

First Sunday of Advent)

in Christ Jesus, 5... you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, …that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Cor 1:5-7)

That means that you can offer God and be with Him even now. That you are not lacking Christ as you live and move. This allows you, not to offer polluted rags, unpleasant things, but rather, dirty rags that you have used in all of your labors of love! Cleaning up and the daily chores, but also our clothes and our bodies that are worn out from sacrificial love! We can do the work that Christ has assigned to each of us, uniquely!

Mk 13:34 He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work

I will come

Is 64:4

Would that you might meet us doing right,

that we might be mindful of you in our ways!

Mk 13:36 May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.

[Do] not delay the salvation of your soul to some future date... It is better to make timely provision and to acquire merit in this life. And if you have no care for your own soul, who will have care for you in time to come? The present time is most precious; now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.(2Cor.6:2) .... The time will come when you will long for one day or one hour in which to amend; and who knows whether it will be granted?

[This is the violence that we must do to ourselves. We must deny ourselves all sorts of things so that we can say yes to the one thing that really matters, our eternal salvation with the Lord!!!!! God will rend the heavens because you are worth it! But who will He find waiting and watching for His return? Excited for His return!?]

Dear soul, from what peril and fear you could free yourself, if you lived in holy fear, mindful of your death. Apply yourself so to live now, that at the hour of death, you may be glad and unafraid. Learn now to die to the world, that you may begin to live with Christ.(Rom.6:8) Learn now to despise ail earthly things, that you may go freely to Christ. Discipline your body now by penance, that you may enjoy a sure hope of salvation.Chapter 23, A Meditation on Death, Imitation of Christ.