When I settled into my seat on the airplane and the crew were preparing to shove off from the gate, the announcements began about safety aboard the aircraft. It is a familiar recitation to many frequent flyers and so, it seemed, many ignored the instructions about seat belts, life vests, and rafts … Later the captain of the plane announced some specifics of the flight and lastly explained that the main reason there is a crew moving around the cabin is for the safety of the passengers.

Somehow, that emphasis on safety jumped out at me as I wondered about people everywhere who found themselves frightened and unsafe. Some of those cases are in the headlines of the newspapers. Yet, I am certain, the majority of those who are unsafe live in obscurity. They may be the invisibles living on the streets of our cities; the women who are abused in relationships behind closed doors; the children who are neglected, unwanted and unloved among the rich and the poor; the elderly who live alone with the uncertainties of care and security for their tomorrows; and those struggling with mental illness, addiction, and imprisonment.

The plane reached its prescribed altitude and I heard it was now safe for me to move about the cabin. However, I continued to wonder.

How do Christians adequately respond to the desperate fears of so many who long to be and feel safe in an unsafe world?

Today we begin the Advent Season – that special set-aside time of preparation for the Birth of the Messiah. Jesus, Son of Mary – Son of God, was born into a people who lived in desperation and fear. In their homeland occupied by Roman soldiers, they were oppressed, overly taxed, and humiliated. They longed for freedom and for safety as they looked for the promise of the Messiah to be realized.
They knew well the words of the prophet Jeremiah we hear this Sunday:
I will raise up for David a just shoot; He shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure;

The God who created the beauty of the skies and the loveliness of the lands and the sea below that aircraft sent into this world a Savior. And this Savior is not offering the world a philosophy, an economic system, a military empire or anything of the like. He offers Himself – a relationship that transforms and fulfills persons who accept the invitation. The invitation is one of radical love – both to receive this love and to share it; to be the “crew members” who walk about to ensure the safety and well-being of one another, thus creating a world in which the inherent dignity of every person is recognized, and the basic human rights to live in freedom, safety, and security are valued.

This first Sunday of Advent in 2018 opens before us a world filled with frightened, hungry, suffering, and lonely people. For Christians, those yoked into a true relationship with Jesus, the Savior of the world, it is the season to unleash the longed-for well-being in a world desperate for relief. Employing the radical love and justice of our faith are the prescriptions for working towards a world in which the words of the Prophet Jeremiah can be realized.

Fr. Ronan

Some years ago the popular spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen took a leave from his position at Yale Divinity School and went to Peru for a year. Nouwen worked and lived among the poor in the outskirts of Lima. Upon his return, he wrote a best selling book entitled, GRACIAS. He titled the book “Thank You” for he found the sentiment of gratitude so prevalent among the poor that he was both astonished and edified by them. Fr. Nouwen witnessed the poverty and sufferings of the Peruvian people while, at the same time, their sense of gratitude for everything.

The word “gracias” permeated not only their life style but also their view of life and God. Often the “gracias” was spoken as “Gracias a Dios”. The simplest act was completed with a prayer of thanks to God. Fr. Nouwen laid bare the irony that those who have little are often very grateful while those who have much more are often less grateful. Naturally, one would think the reverse would be true. In fact, the irony is often carried even to the extremes: sometimes those who have abundance want more and feel entitled to more and those with very little are grateful and content.

This week, we North Americans celebrate one of the most cherished of our national holidays, Thanksgiving. Surely we are a blessed people and it has been my experience that most Americans embrace this holiday with a deeply sincere sense of gratitude. Our gratitude is felt at many levels: to family, loved ones, our nation, and most importantly, to God. All of us agree that the day is so important. And, like you, I recall memories of childhood celebrations that I cherish of families coming together and, at a table laden with abundance, pausing in a formal and beautiful way to thank God for all blessings.

Our reality is that the day comes and goes and the busyness of life can so distract us that our sense of gratitude can become dulled. We can fall into the trap of forgetting and not acknowledging God’s blessings in our life. The worries and challenges can draw us away from the truth that we are first and foremost God’s most precious children and blessed beyond measure. When I re-capture this truth, suddenly everything is reordered. I see things in a new light and priorities are re-established. My sense of the rightness of seeing God as the giver of so much is both freeing and humbling.

Next Thursday, we will gather with our loved ones and, even in the midst of the worries and challenges of these times, we know we have so much for which to be grateful. I will spend this beautiful day with the Rostro de Cristo community in Guayaquil, Ecuador. There with 13 North American volunteer missionaries, we will have Mass together and dinner. This year 24 students and 4 faculty from St. John Paul High School in Hyannis will be on retreat with us. Turkey is hard to find in the tropics, so we will likely have chicken! But the sentiments will be as profound as ever, as we echo Gracias – Thanks be to God for all we have and especially for the love that surrounds us and gives us hope.

Fr. Ronan

It seems like this autumn has been intense and stressful for many of the people with whom I have been speaking. Maybe this time of year is always like that – not  certain. Yet I am sure I see and sense the anger, angst and maybe fear of many. Some who work in financial services speak about the uncertainty of the markets. Families share the pressures of children’s schedules, the amount of homework, and range of commitments everyone in the house seems to have. Finding balance seems
harder.
Young adults with whom I speak do not know what a 40-50 hour workweek looks like; it is more like 50-70. And am I imagining it or is the terrible traffic making everyone more edgy and exasperated, consequently causing drivers to be less patient and more careless?  I have not been in a conversation in these past weeks that has not referenced the wrenching case of the confirmation hearings for Judge Kavanaugh. All of social media and print media, as well as radio and television have focused on the issues until America seems exhausted and drained.

Last week, I met with most of the priest pastors in the city, and we spoke about our respective parishes and faith communities. Obviously, this moment in the Church is yet another exposed nerve in this October time. This past weekend I was in Chicago at a reunion retreat for alumni volunteers of Rostro de Cristo. Fifty young men and women who have served for one year in Guayaquil, Ecuador came together to pray and reflect on their experience and their way of life as a consequence of their year of service. For me, these meetings and gatherings are always very powerful and enriching.

Today these individuals, having lived in an intentional Christian Community in one of the most impoverished regions of South America, continue to live their faith and are agents of light and hope in these times. They are examples for me and perhaps for you too, of how one can grow through challenging life experiences by embracing
more completely one’s faith in Jesus Christ.

For my brother priests and ministers in the city and beyond, for the young veterans of Rostro de Cristo, and for all of us in our parishes and communities in Charlestown, these stressful days can bring us clarity about what truly matters. For there is a platform on which I stand, as do many others, which is uncontaminated
by the stresses and worries of these days, yet at the same time, inspires how we live in the midst of all of it. The platform is our faith. God is bigger than anyone can ever imagine; more merciful; more compassionate; more loving; more accepting and resourceful.
Take a deep breath; enjoy the beauty of autumn in New England, and be assured, deep down, God is Good.

Fr. Ronan