Matthew’s gospel read the first few days of 3rd week of Advent brings us to the temple in Jerusalem where Jesus should be recognized– but he isn’t. The religious leaders, representing the blindness of many, reject Jesus and John the Baptist. Jesus Christ will continue to be rejected..(Matthew 21,23-27)

By contrast, the Book of Numbers tells the story of Balaam the prophet, who’s offered a handsome pay for cursing the tribes of Israel. Instead he blessed them, recognizing God’s with them.  Even his donkey gets it right.

December 17th we turn to events preceding the birth of Jesus, reading Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, which begins with Abraham and ends with Joseph, the husband of Mary. (Matthew 1, 1-17)

December 18^th Joseph, “Son of David,” is told of the conception and birth of the Child  He is to name him Jesus, because “he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1,19-25)  In the first reading Jeremiah prophesies a return of God’s people to their own land. (Jeremiah 23,5-9=8)

Luke’s gospel, read  the remaining days of Advent, sets the stage for this world-changing event. Herod the Great rules in Palestine as the Angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah in the temples. The elderly priest is told that he and his wife Elizabeth will have a son who will be “the prophet of the Most High:” Luke 1,5-26 (December 19)

Six months later the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary in the small town of Nazareth that she will bring into the world a holy child, who will be called “the Son of God.” Luke 1,26-38 (December 20)) This happens in the days when Caesar Augustus is emperor of the Roman world, but Someone greater is coming.

Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth to share the Good News. Luke 1,39-45 (December 21) She offers her prayer of thanksgiving to God, her Magnificat: Luke 1,46-56 (December 22)

Other marvelous births are recalled in the Old Testament readings: Samson and Samuel  whose mothers – thought barren–  conceive and bear children. “Nothing is impossible for God.”

All is set for the birth of Jesus Christ.

     On December 14, 1720 Paolo Daneo wrote: “ I remained recollected and I also experienced dryness and distracting thoughts, and likewise the above-mentioned sufferings, but not so violent. At holy Communion I was recollected, making acts of love with tenderness to my Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. May He be praised and loved by all. Amen.

     Orlando’s entry: After those four intense days, Paolo seems to experience many of the same inspirations, desolations, and consolations that he has gone through before. It just seems that they have become a little less intense. Could he be falling into a routine? Perhaps our human minds and bodies just cannot keep up with the incandescent intensity of the mystical states that Paolo has gone through. I believe God is in charge of all those holy gifts. God sets the pace in His loving wisdom.     I look at my spiritual life during the past week and wonder whether I am also falling into a daily routine. My wife and I begin our shared meditations and can quickly get into a bad mood. At times we get distracted and ignore what the other person is saying, then get discouraged and offended, and force ourselves to trudge on. Eventually the Divine Arbiter calms us and brings us back to the acknowledgement of His Presence, and we experience peace and love. I go to pray and God, my loving father, once again rewards me with His Light and Hope. It feels wonderful. I am like a lucky kid, a golden boy, as He gently holds me. Do I have the right to feel this good?      Paul of the Cross writes later in his life: “Whoever looks only for consolation loses sight of the great God of consolation. Whoever remains in his or her own nothingness, distrusting himself or herself completely while trusting totally in God, will never be deceived.”…..Beloved God, I will humbly acknowledge my poverty of spirit. Whatever You send me, I’ll take it in gratitude. Thank You for being there always with me, and giving me the Faith to know it!

     Berta’s entry: Dear Jesus, today the word that kept coming to me is “humility”. I feel that I need to come to You with a humble heart, soul, and mind. I have come to understand that You, my God, are a mystery that I don’t understand. Now, one day, if it is Your will, I will reach Eternal Life in Heaven and then You will reveal Yourself to me.     One of the most important things You taught us through Your Passion is how to be humble. Here You are, the King of the Universe, the Omnipotent God, coming to our world as a baby. You faced all human discomforts, all human fears, all human emotions. You faced all of it with humility and love. Towards the end of Your Passion, when everything became evil incarnate, You turned Your eyes to You Father and allowed Him to help You keep going. You did it with all humility.     May I learn from You, my God, that when I am facing all types of suffering, disappointments, fear, anger, impatience, rebellion, I may then turn to You, my Jesus, and face You in all humility so You can help me! Thank You for Your guidance, Your sacrifice, and Your love! 

Today, the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, we’ve added some holly and a small pine tree to our Mary Garden on the porch and flowers and evergreens to our chapel.“Rejoice always,” St. Paul says in our second reading at Mass. Why rejoice today? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, through whom all things were made, has come as our Savior. In 12 days we will celebrate his birth.

Who rejoices? John the Baptist rejoices today, announcing forgiveness in the desert. From ages past, the Prophet Isaiah tells us all through Advent to rejoice.  “I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul…As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise spring up before all the nations.”

Today we have statues of Mary and Joseph before an empty crib near our altar. These figures of great faith tell us to rejoice as we wait for the Child. 

The flowers and evergreens now in our chapel are voices of creation telling us to rejoice. They represent our created world joyfully proclaiming this mystery. They reach back, like the bread and wine, through time. Flowers, represented by poinsettias, came to being 200 million years ago; they prepared the way for us human beings who needed their nourishment before we could be. 

We have many evergreens on our property. After the Laurentine glacier receded from Long Island 12,000 years or so ago, the small plants that sprang up on the tundra were succeeded by evergreens, the first trees here. They wait through the winter, ever green.

Today we rejoice with them.

     Paolo Daneo finishes his long entry for December 10-13, 1720: “I know— this I also understood but in a hidden way when I was enduring a particular suffering— that to him that overcomes will be given the hidden manna, which is what holy Scripture says. ‘The hidden manna’ I understand to be the sweet food of holy Love: that is, the soul rests in deepest repose with its beloved Spouse in prayer. Thanks be to God.”

     Orlando’s entry: Paolo seems to finish those difficult four days in a state of sweet “repose” within the blessed light of the Love of his Spouse, Jesus. I am reminded of the Buddhist practice of constant meditation on a “Koan”, a seemingly contradictory sentence or paragraph, until the mind finally surrenders to its inability to make any sense of it so that thinking gets out of the way and spiritual Truth invades the soul. In a way, Paolo’s immersion into the mystery of suffering strips away his sense of self, and leads him to that blissful state of intimate closeness with God.  

   I had been trying (maybe that’s the problem) to go into this deep dark well in order to find the Light of God’s presence in prayer with little success. Suddenly, I remembered that I had spent months reading the excellent book “God and the Mystery of Suffering”, by Fr. Robin Ryan,CP. In this book he presents the efforts of a number of great writers, like St. Thomas Aquinas, Elie Wiesel, and Julian of Norwich, to make sense out of why a loving God allows human suffering. What came to haunt me in prayer was this admission  by Fr. Ryan: In spite of all the theological apologetics, theodicies, all the arguments, the inspirations, the revelations of these good people, he  feels really helpless when someone in real life comes to him in tears, beyond consolation, because they lost a spouse to COVID-19, or lost a child in a senseless accident. What do you say to them? What can you possibly say to them?….. Pondering upon this, suddenly, the “style” of the Spirit stabs my heart and I begin to cry. The deeply scarred, Resurrected Beloved, just holds me quietly.

     Berta’s entry: Dear Jesus, life brings surprises every day. Some are good, and some are bad and disturbing. Like St. Paul of the Cross wrote in his diary today, the suffering may come but if you persist in prayer and not give up, “the hidden manna” will come. St. Paul understood it to be “the sweet food of holy Love”. My soul craves that sweet manna. I crave it, and I know You, my Lord Jesus, feed me with it every moment of my day. You offer Your Love to me and I am free to accept it or ignore it. You feed my soul with Your Love, and many a time my brain doesn’t register it. Oh, my Jesus, why do I let life get in the way? Help me to let go and let You enter fully into me, without outside distractions. Thank You for the “hidden manna”. Thank You for always being there! Thank You for all! 

     Paolo continues: “Care must be taken not to withdraw from prayer at such a trying time because suffering would not be thereby diminished; on the contrary, without gain to itself, the soul would be the more afflicted because it would see itself slipping into tepididity. However I know that God makes me understand that the soul which God wishes to draw to a high degree of union with himself by means of prayer must travel along this road of suffering in prayer, of suffering, I repeat, without any sensible consolation so that the soul no longer knows where it is, so to speak, but has the deep infused knowledge which God gives it that it is ever in the arms of its Spouse and is nourished by his infinite charity.”

     Berta’s entry: Dear Jesus, as I continue to read Paolo’s diary I’m beginning to reflect on my life during this pandemic. What I am going through is similar to being locked up in a small room most of the day trying to find ways to relieve my mind from worry, fear, anxiety, and unhappiness. Lord Jesus, I am actually retreating into myself more and more. You know that has been my tendency since I was a young girl. I’ve fallen back to old ways: not going out (I have an excuse now), not reaching out to others, getting away from reality by watching too much TV, and one that bothers me the most and I’m constantly fighting–neglecting my prayers, thus neglecting You!     St. Paul of the Cross’ diary  and the scripture readings for the last few weeks have made me aware of my shortcomings. I have many. I am a sinner. I am unworthy. But then my soul cries out. It reaches out to You, my Lord Jesus. It reaches out to her Savior! My soul won’t allow me to go into deep despair. She holds on to You, Lord Jesus, for dear life! Life with You. Life for You. Life because of You!     I’m sorry, my Lord, to burden You this way. I’ve tried to follow in Your footsteps and catch the dust from Your feet. I’m struggling now, but I know, and I have the consolation that You have always been my Savior, that You have always loved me, that You have my back now and always. I love You too! I am thankful that You won’t ever give up on me. And so I persevere in prayer.

     Orlando’s entry: Beloved Lord! Because of Your Grace I also persevere in prayer; I seek Your Face, Your Light, Your Presence. At least I have that in common with Paolo. But I am not suffering so much. What I carry with me for most of the day is Your Peace. In our shared reflection Berta tells me that I am indeed suffering. I feel so sad to be drifting away from my son and grandchildren due to the pandemic. I miss the outdoors, and sometimes I walk around this house like a caged animal. The physical ailments and limitations that come with my age frustrate me. I cannot share my faith, nor reach out to others the way I used to, in person. But, my grandchildren are beautiful and healthy, happy to see me, even if “social distancing”. Berta and I walk the neighborhood or Alley Park and find beauty at times. I have no serious physical problems yet. I keep in touch with people by phone and Zoom, and relish in their existence. I go to YOU in the Eucharist and You fill me with Your Love.      I never forget the sufferings of Paolo Daneo, Your Sufferings on the Cross, nor the multitude of sufferings that afflict Your Creation. I feel them and they break my heart, yet I approach You most of the time in gratitude and joy. That’s what You make me feel! In prayer, you give me almost complete detachment from everything except the nourishment of Your infinite charity. Thank You, thank you, Beloved Prince of Peace.

For this week’s homily please watch the video below.

On December 11,1720  Paolo continues: “Now I understand that this kind of prayer of suffering is a great gift which God grants to the soul to make it a spotless robe of purity, a rock in the face of suffering, to such a point that it no longer takes account of it. When, by God’s grace, the soul reaches such a state, the Sovereign Good will inflame it with love.”

     Orlando’s entry: According to Paolo the “prayer of suffering” cleanses and strengthens us as if it were the very Blood of the Lord, which makes us holy persons in snow-white robes or melts us into solid granite, able to face our weaknesses, and get past all impediments, to rest in the Heart of Fiery Love. For some strange reason I was reminded of my beloved passage, Hebrews 4:12-13: “Indeed the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from Him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of Him, to Whom we must render an account.” Getting split open by a sharp sword is indeed suffering, specially if this is the sword of Love and Forgiveness, hurting us with such shame and guilt, because we fall short of what He deserves from us who really strive (or do we?) to show Him how much we love Him.     So I offer Him my sufferings in penance. Except that, at this stage of my life, these “sufferings” are merely physical discomforts, fears, frustrations, annoyances, and moments of sadness, so insufficient compared to the struggles of young Paolo and most certainly to the agonies of the Man-God on the Cross. Yet He still takes the little I offer and gives me the consolation of His unconditional Love. The joy I feel is not my invention— I know, I believe it’s all Him! I refer the reader to Hebrews 4:14-16, where I find the heart of my Lord’s Love.

     Berta’s entry: Dear Jesus, I don’t enjoy or even like any type of suffering. St. Paul of the Cross’ entries in his diary have been all about suffering lately. It made me wonder what could be the sufferings of a 26-year old Paolo Daneo. Well, Jesus, what about loneliness, hunger, cold, guilt, disappointment, sickness. There they are, enough sufferings to last a lifetime. Enough sufferings to take him straight to the Cross. We all look for a connection to You, my God! After we’ve found You we don’t want to let go. I also reach out to You through Your Cross and Passion. You, my Jesus, are my example of love, humility, compassion, kindness, and living this life of suffering. 

     From December 10 to December 12,1720, Paolo did not write anything. On December 13 he made a long entry which we have divided into four parts which we reflected on for days 18-21 of our retreat. Paolo wrote: “ I was dry, distracted, tempted; I had to force myself to stay at prayer. I was tempted to gluttony and hunger came over me. I felt the cold more than usual and the flesh wished for some comfort, and on that account I wanted to run away from prayer, by the grace of God the spirit held out but the violence and the assaults kept coming from both the flesh and the devil. For my part, I believed that the devil entered into it because I know he has a special grudge against anyone who prays. Then, as I have said, my resistance made my heart jump. I kept trembling from head to foot; my bones and my back ached all over. But, by God’s mercy, I kept on saying that I wanted to hold out even if I had to be carried away in little bits. This happened because the flesh wanted to have relief before the fixed time that I had planned to stay at prayer. When the prescribed time came for me to leave, I remained on in peace and tranquility wishing always for more suffering, so that I asked God never to take sufferings away from me. This also happened to me on other occasions and often; blessed be God for it.”

     Berta’s entry: Dear Jesus, St. Paul stated in his diary entry that he was being distracted and tempted both by the flesh and by the devil. He believed, as many Catholics do, that: “ the devil entered into it because I know he has a special grudge against anyone who prays.” I always considered my distractions and temptations as my own problems. I’ve never considered that the jealousy of the evil one would be causing many of these temptations and distractions. From now on, when I can’t concentrate on prayer I’m going to stop and turn to You , my Jesus. I’ll ask You to help me by covering me with Your Precious Blood and filling me with Your Holy Spirit. I will remain in that moment until I feel the peace of Your Love and Mercy reigning over me. Then You will continue, Lord Jesus, leading me in prayer. Thank You, my Triune God for guiding me to You and always showing me a new way.

     Orlando’s entry: We could not do our shared prayers in the morning because I had to go on a food drive with my fellow Knights of Columbus. In front of a store we basically “begged” for money or groceries for the hungry. The fellowship I felt with these men was so great. I am not a personal friend with any of them but I felt as if the front of that supermarket was located in a suburb of heaven, praise God. I got home so satisfied, tired, and hungry (I still had hours of fasting left in the day!) that I was in no mood to do the reading and reflection with Berta. I got into it grudgingly. If it were not for our 40-day retreat I would have found any excuse to avoid prayer.      I feel so fortunate compared to Paolo Daneo, who is getting “cabin fever” in that cold, little room. Yet, across the centuries, he inspires me to persevere in prayer. Eventually, as Berta and I struggled with our task, “peace and tranquility” entered our hearts. As for physically fit, twenty-six-year-old, saintly Paolo asking God to bring him “more suffering”, I just can’t fully join him there. My afflicted, 70-year-old body rather revels in thanking God for any relief I get.      It’s O. K.; the Passion is coming for every one of us sooner or later. Either way, “blessed be God for it!” 

     On December 9,1720 Paul Daneo writes:” I was greatly troubled and molested by thoughts. At holy Communion I was recollected, then dry, and again molested by thoughts. In petitions made to God in prayer by night I was very fervent, especially in praying for the conversion of sinners.”

     Berta’s entry: Dear Jesus, I can so commiserate with the way St. Paul was feeling today. Trying to pray, yet only burdening thoughts would come.I understand that so well, my Lord! Sometimes as I try to sit and listen to Your Word my mind is pulled away by all the troubling situations we have to deal with in life. Here I am trying to empty myself of all of this so You would have an empty canvas to work with, and what happens is that the canvas all of the sudden becomes black— no room for You! How do I get back to You? Maybe some days are not for reaching out to You in a personal way, thinking only of myself. Maybe those days are meant for interceding for others in prayer. It could be that what You are looking for from me is empathy and compassion for others! Yes, Lord Jesus, those days of dryness or negative thoughts I will dedicate to others through intercessory prayer or a visit, a phone call, a ministry. Yes, those are days not concerned with self. They are days dedicated to You and what You need for me to do. Thank You, my God, for opening my eyes and my ears to You. Our relationship is not an easy one, my Lord. Slowly I am learning!!!

     Orlando’s entry: Day 17 was another tough day for Paolo. This morning at breakfast Berta declared to me that she was not looking forward to today. She felt weak and nauseous. I was not doing too well myself, getting into that strange, unexplainable bad mood as I found the honey in my cereal cloying. I remembered this later when we read the Bible reading from Rev. 10: 8-11. The scroll, the Word of God, tastes like sweetest honey, but sits bitterly in the stomach. Suddenly we were feeling the most powerful craving for the Eucharist, so we took our masks and dragged ourselves to Mass at Our Lady of the Snows. I had a most anointed, recollected time, in God, during the whole Mass; thank You, Lord. My Berta finally experienced relief and peace after receiving Jesus. We went for a walk in the beautiful day. We called friends in need. Slowly, we were healed. Our God is with us.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you,” Jesus says in today’s gospel.  Notice Jesus speaks to the “crowds” in Matthew’s gospel, not just to his disciples who know him or to the Jewish Christian church Matthew wrote for at the end of the first century. 

 God’s love and God’s promises reach far beyond the circle of disciples or the church. Jesus Christ reaches out to refresh the world that labors and is burdened, even if it doesn’t know him.

Scholars say today’s Old Testament reading is from Second Isaiah, not from Isaiah the priest who spoke in Jerusalem as Assyrian armies threatened the city in 8th century BC. Second Isaiah is an unknown prophet speaking to Jewish exiles in Babylon centuries later, urging Jews to return to Jerusalem and build it up. He uses Isaiah’s name and language instead of his own probably to avoid trouble with Babylonian’s leaders for suggesting such a thing.

But not many Jews answered his call to return to Jerusalem. historians say. Some did, others were not interested in the invitation. Taken captive to Babylon centuries before, Babylon’s now their home. They’re part of the place; they have families and jobs there. Jerusalem is far away and its future uncertain.

Still, many remain faithful Jews in Babylon, and later as part of the dispersion in Rome and other parts of the world. Centuries afterward the Christian church became established in the world through them. 

We need to study Judaism more fully as a template for our own church, especially the mystery of Exile. Today we’re experiencing an exile in our church– in the United States for every one person who join’s us, six leave. We need to study the exile of the Jews. 

Will those we lose be a way to become a more universal church?

The unknown prophet in today’s readings warns Jewish exiles not to abandon God for Babylon’s gods. 

“To whom can you liken me as an equal?

says the Holy One…

Do you not know

or have you not heard?

The LORD is the eternal God,

creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint nor grow weary,

and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.” (Isaiah 40, 25-31)

We have to pray for our own exiles. God still holds them in his hands, sustains and comforts them, even if they do not know him or seem to care. God’s Spirit is still within them.