God So Loved the World That He Did Not Leave It to Its Own Destructive Designs.

“O Emmanuel, you are our king and judge, the One whom the peoples await and their Savior. O come and save us, Lord, our God.”

Daily headlines report the tumult and chaos all around us. Out of fear, we tend to strike out violently even before we have all the facts. Thanks to instant communication, events are reported before people can verify that they actually happened. We prefer to think the worst. Undoubtedly, we need someone to make us sane again. Jesus Christ, the Son of Mary and the Beloved Son of God is the One Whose coming we await.

The Advent season reminds us that God so loved the world that He did not leave it to its own destructive designs. He promised that He would be the Light for the People dwelling in darkness and chaos. If only the people who are trapped in darkness and gloom would look to the East, they would see the dawning of a New Day. God has already looked at them and has been moved with compassion for them because they are so confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Cf. Matt. 9: 36).

The peace we long for cannot be bought neither can it be gift-wrapped. The peace we most long for is not a thing to be horded. The peace we desire is a relationship reestablished by Christ and confirmed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Advent calls us to focus on the fact that Jesus, the Son of Mary and the Only-begotten of the Father is the anchor of our soul. If we truly follow the longing of our heart, God who is faithful will come to our aid and raise us up. It is God’s goodness, and not ours; it is God’s mercy, and not our merit, that is the basis for our joy.

Responding to the longing of our heart, we cry out: “Come Lord Jesus, Come and save us!” We join our voices to that of the Psalmist: “O Shepherd of Israel, listen to our cry!” (Ps. 80:1) There is no salvation without God’s saving grace. Only when we acknowledge our total dependence on God, can we hope to find peace. Trusting God to stretch out His steady and guiding hand, let us make the plea of the Spirit and the Bride our own: “Come, Lord Jesus” (CF. Rev. 22: 17, 20).

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO

I Will Place My Law within Them

“I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer. 31:33). So the Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah.

God is speaking to His people, assuring them that He Himself is their teacher. All of us who are taught by God are taught to love one another by the mere fact that God is writing His Word upon our hearts. By means of this implanted Word, we discover the path to newness of life.

As God promised to His Chosen People, He now speaks intimately to each of us, calling us by name; not just any name, but a name known only between us as intimate friends.

The life of faith is not a recital of rules and regulations. The life of faith is entering into an embrace of love that brings us into communion with the Persons of the Trinity. In that embrace, we come to know that we are loved and forgiven.

In this knowledge, we will become Ambassadors of healing and reconciliation for a world scarred with violence and sin. This pardoning mercy flows from the pierced heart of Christ and is freely given to us to be shared with all who are in need of forgiveness.

Having been conformed to Christ in baptism, it is not out job to condemn sinners but to call them back to fullness of life and grace.

The mystery of grace is not that we seek to know God, but rather that we come to realize that we are known by Him.

Acknowledging this love, we can love others with the same all-consuming love. In a world that continues to seek retribution and to fan the flames of hatred, such love is absolutely revolutionary.

The message will not be written on banners or placards, but shall be etched upon the tablets of our hearts. When God pours forth His Spirit upon us, we will not burn the cities of man, but will be consumed by the fire of divine love.

I will close with a few words of Pope Francis, spoken at the prayer vigil in Krakow: “This is no time for denouncing anyone or fighting. We do not want to tear down, we do not want to give insult. We have no desire to conquer hatred with more hatred, violence with more violence, terror with more terror. We are here today because the Lord has called us together. Our response to a world at war has a name: its name is fraternity, its name is brotherhood, its name is communion, and its name is family... Let our best word, our best argument, be our unity in prayer.”

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO

The Invitation of Christ

Because we have free will, each of us becomes the servant of the master we choose. Because we have free will, we are not hapless victims of some mindless and cruel fate. We can choose either to surrender our allegiance to our disordered passions or to the God Who created us in His image and likeness.

We can decide to close in on ourselves and become slaves to our passions or we can breathe in the breath of the Spirit and enjoy the freedom of the children of God.

The world around us is filled with distractions and chaotic noise. This noise makes it very difficult for us to hear the gentle voice of the Spirit that is speaking to our hearts. It takes effort to listen. The Psalmist encourages those who pray with his words, “Oh, that today you would hear his voice. Do not harden your hearts” (Ps. 95:7-8).

Into the midst of our chaos, God speaks a word of peace. “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). If we listen to the word of the Lord and allow His Spirit to flood our souls, fear and trepidation will be transformed into holy awe.

At the heart of this meditation is the question: when God speaks, who will answer? Only those who choose to listen to the movements of the Spirit are made partakers of Christ and are thereby brought to the fullness of life. Our anchor is Christ, the God of Jacob is our stronghold, and forever will be our refuge and strength.

In Christ, God has called us to hear His Word. As servants of the one true king, we are to listen to the voice of the Spirit and surrender to His Word. Hardness of heart is at the root of spiritual deafness.

Fashioned as vessels of clay by the hand of God, we are made to contain the treasure of great price. Only when the clay is fired in the kiln of divine love can our hearts become hearts of flesh rather than of stone.

As heirs of the Kingdom, we should ponder God’s Word and make it the rule of our lives and the well-spring of our consolation. In Christ and in Him alone, do we find joy and peace. Nothing else matters if we are not subject to Christ.

Submitting our wills to Christ changes us and alters the way we look at ourselves, at the world and at other people. Saint Paul was willing to do or to suffer any thing, to attain the glorious resurrection of saints. This hope and prospect carried him through all difficulties he had to endure in the service of the Gospel. He did not hope to attain it through his own merit and righteousness, but through the power and righteousness of Christ.

When the Spirit of the Lord descended upon the apostles, He came in the appearance of fire. The desire of Christ’s heart was fulfilled in that gift.

In the Spirit, the Fire of Divine Love engulfed the earth. This transforming flame gives both light and heat. It enlightens the path the People of God are to follow and warms their hearts with love for all that God loves.

Jesus, the Love of God made visible and tangible, invites us to accept this transforming fire. By nature, invitations are offered and received with freedom on both sides. There is no force or coercion. Are we willing to accept it?

--Fr. Jerome Machar, OSCO

Unity and Peace: Gifts of the Holy Spirit

On the Feast of Pentecost, we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church; an event of grace that first filled the Upper Room in Jerusalem and then spread throughout the world. If only everyone who hears the sound of the rushing wind and sees the flames of divine love would be of one mind and heart! The Holy Spirit is given to us to heal the wounds of division. The Spirit sanctifies, and makes us pure and holy, purges away the dross of sin, error and superstition; and enlightens our minds and gives us knowledge of divine and spiritual things; and fills us with zeal and fervor for the glory of God and Christ, and the good of the Church. It is essential that all Christians agree to love one another; for where brothers and sisters in Christ dwell together in unity, there the Lord manifests His glory and majesty.

For Israel, Pentecost - celebration of the harvest - had become the celebration marking the ratification of the Covenant on Mt Sinai. In wind and fire, God made his presence known to the people and then gave them the gift of the Ten Commandments. In this singular way was the work of liberation, begun with the Exodus from Egypt, brought to fulfillment: human freedom is always a shared freedom, a "togetherness" of liberty. For us, Pentecost constitutes the baptism of the Church. It is the seminal event that gave the Church the shape and thrust of its mission.

Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth.

Gathered in prayer, the disciples found themselves in the midst of a driving wind and an all-consuming fire. When we speak about wind and fire, we are talking about vitality, excitement and energy. The Jerusalem Disciples were overpowered by the presence of God. They were consumed by the fire of divine love and were driven out of their comfort zones. Moved by the Spirit, in the bond of love, like them, we are called to bless and praise the God Who created us with our lives. Faith tells us that God is light and in His light we see light because in Him there is no darkness. Through the regenerating water of baptism and outpouring of the life-creating Spirit, we have been grafted into Christ and, with Him, we have been transformed into the Light of the world. We are to be a light of hope for those caught in the destructive vortex of darkness. We are the first fruits of the new creation for people who have lost touch with their humanity and are groping to rediscover the radiant glory that is theirs as the handiwork of God.

My brothers and sisters, we are created from the dust of the earth, and into these earthen vessels God has breathed His Spirit. The Lord Jesus overcomes our fears and calms our anxiety by lovingly and reverently entering into our lives. It is a comfort to know that nothing can keep the Lord from pitching His tent in our hearts. Each of us has been gifted by the Spirit in a unique and personal way. From the one Spirit comes a diversity of gifts and talents. These gifts may differ from person to person, some greater and some lesser but each one is necessary for the building up of the kingdom of God. The message of Pentecost is that we are never alone and no wall is too thick for the Holy Spirit to penetrate or too tall for Him to surmount.

The evangelist John tells us how the vision of the risen Lord brought joy to the hearts of the disciples who had barricaded themselves in the upper room because of fear and sorrow. The Lord came to people who were too afraid to come to Him. Into that space filled with stale and lifeless air, Jesus breathed the breath of the Holy Spirit. Those who had been dead were brought back to life. As they breathed in the Spirit, they were transformed. The Spirit of God made them all that the Father created them to be. It was no longer they that lived, but Christ the Risen Lord was living in them. The members of the Body of Christ should endeavor to build up one another in their faith, both by repeating what they have heard to those that were absent, and by making known what they have experienced. The newness which God brings into our lives is something that actually brings fulfilment, that gives true joy, true serenity, because God loves us and desires only our good.

The Holy Spirit does not leave the disciples comfortable, safe, locked away in a sheltered world. He continues to push them beyond their accustomed boundaries. As He said to Abraham, our father in faith, He says to us: "Go from your country and your relatives and your father's house to a country that I will show you" (Gen. 12:1). We heard earlier that the Holy Spirit unites, breaks down barriers, leads us one to the other. The strength that overcomes isolation and resentment is the strength of forgiveness. Jesus can grant forgiveness and the power to forgive because he himself suffered the consequences of sin and consumed them in the flame of his love. Forgiveness comes from the Cross; He transforms the world with the love that is offered. His heart opened on the Cross is the door through which the grace of forgiveness enters into the world. And this grace alone is able to transform the world and build peace. Nothing can improve the world if evil is not overcome. Evil can be overcome only by forgiveness. Peace can only spring from reconciliation.


Sequence — Veni, Sancte Spiritus


Come, Holy Spirit, come! And from your celestial home Shed a ray of light divine!
Heal our wounds, our strength renew; On our dryness pour your dew; Wash the stains of guilt away: Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen, warm the chill; Guide the steps that go astray.

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO

O Antiphon for December 22 -- Desire of Nations

O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust. (Antiphon for Evening Prayer of December 22)

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind'
Bid every strife and quarrel cease
And fill the world with heaven's peace. (Verse for December 22 from O Come, O Come, Emmanuel)

 And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. (Psalm 118:22)

The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ (Luke 1: 30-33)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ (Mark 15: 16-18)

What does every nation desire? Peace. What does every human heart desire? Peace. Imagine a world where every human being was at peace with oneself; then every nation would be a peace with one another as well. The disordered stirrings of the human heart lead to disagreements, factions, and war. Peace in the heart can only lead to love, forgiveness, and justice. 

Christ is the Keystone of the arch of man; He holds humanity intact by giving it the model of who humanity should be. If the keystone (cornerstone) is removed, the entire structure weakens and will eventually collapse. No human being, no ideology, no nation can be the cornerstone (keystone) of humanity. No human being, no ideology, no nation can know and meet the needs of every individual. 

Only God can fulfill the Desire of every nation, only God be King of the universe.The King of all creation cannot be part of that creation; the King must be the One Who created it. In the King is the power of creation, the full knowledge of every aspect of creation, and the wisdom to know what is best for the future of creation. To find fulfillment, all creation must look to the Creator Who alone is the Keystone of it all.

Lord, God, Desire of every nation, Desire of my heart, let peace begin with me, in my heart and soul. I give to You every bitter feeling, every hurt, question, betrayal, violence I have suffered and ask You to redeem it all for me, to cleanse me of all that lingers to hold me back from fully loving, fully living. How can I fear to approach a Baby Who coos at me? Open me to You, Lord, and give me Your peace. Amen. 

He Shall Be Peace

But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, least among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne,^* Then the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel. He shall take his place as shepherd by the strength of the LORD, by the majestic name of the LORD, his God; And they shall dwell securely, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth: he shall be peace. (Micah 5: 2-5)

This familiar passage from the Old Testament book of Micah predicts the coming of the Messiah Savior. When we hear this passage, we often focus on the words “ruler” and “shepherd,” both terms of which apply to Christ. But the often overlooked line in this translation is the last one: “he shall be peace.” Not he shall bring peace. Not he will make peace. But he shall be peace.

St. Francis of Assisi seems to have grasped the meaning of this passage. His greeting, and the one that he wanted his Friars to use, was pax et bonum, which means “peace and all good.” Jesus told his apostles that, when they entered a house, they were to say, ”Peace be to this house,” and if a person of peace lived there, peace would descend upon that house.

“Peace to this house.” “He shall be peace.” The apostles were blessing the house with another name for Jesus. It was as if they said “Jesus be in this house.” And if the people in that house were good and moral people of peace, the Spirit of God, that is the Spirit of Jesus, would come to rest on the people in that house.

St. Francis knew this when he greeted everyone with “peace and all good” for who is all good but Jesus, and who is peace but Him?

At Christmas time, the thoughts of many people turn to peace. We long for peace in our world that is torn by war and violence. We call Jesus the Prince of Peace meaning that His kingdom is peace, but He is Peace Himself. What would the world be like if everyone embraced the teachings of Jesus? We would not have to wish that peace would come. We would have peace in our midst, and we would recognize Him by name.