by Fred Moleck
An Uncomfortable Advent
If you were paying any attention at all to this past Sunday’s readings, you might have been a little surprised to hear Isaiah proclaiming,
Behold you are angry, and we are sinful;
and all of us become like unclean people,
and all our good deeds are like polluted rags;
we have all withered like leaves,
and our guilt carries us away like the wind. (RNAB 64:4b–5)Whoa! What happened to the blossoming rod of Jesse, the lion and the lamb lying together, and Zion singing? Well, that was last year.
The tone of this past Sunday was more stern, more attuned to repenting as the Lord draws near.
Now, that does not make Advent a penitential season, but the mood is much more introspective, inviting examination of soul and heart.
This Advent might be the right time to do some serious praying—praying for our church, for our bishops, for our country, for just about every population group we know of.
What has triggered the scowl in this writing is the news of the bishops’ deliberations at the recent meeting of the conference.
I understand that they approved a request for making May 22 a special Sunday for maritime workers. Mind you, this approval occurred at the meeting where they were discerning the proposed new translations of the Lectionary and the Order of the Mass.
I also heard that there is growing lobby to make the first Sunday in June “Godparents Sunday.” The next day I heard from a friend in high places that his bishop was thinking about honoring grandparents with a special Sunday with prayers for them.
Whoa again! Is somebody missing the dictum that Sunday is supreme and really quite sufficient in itself? Has Hallmark Cards infiltrated the liturgical year?
We are facing one of the most life-changing situations in our liturgical and ecclesial lives with the new translations of the Order of Mass. It appears that the bishops are split into two minds on the translations.
The Lectionary translation is seriously flawed and defies public proclamation. There has surfaced major discrimination in the call to orders. Our country’s leadership has lost almost all credibility.
In all of this mess, someone would like to have “Grandparents Day” designated for the Sunday after Father’s Day! The folks who are promoting this movement—have they nothing else to do?
Divine intervention is necessary.
How about a national day—or season—of prayer and fasting and petition and calling every spiritual force known to us to intervene in our lives and the lives of those who make up our church?
We need help in returning to the vision that the Gospel and the past forty-plus years of church renewal promised.
How about at all national meetings of the NPM, AGO, NAAL, FDLC, and the regional meetings of diocesan agencies and offices, along with parochial organizations a large amount of time is set aside for communal crying for help because we’re not doing such a good job on our own?
We need help and we need it now. Advent would be a good time to start.
(Do you sense my scowl is pretty deep?)
If you’re wondering if the “cheery” Isaiah will return, next week’s first reading from Isaiah begins, “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God” (40:1).
That doesn’t mean we stop praying for help.You can reach Fred Moleck via email at fmoleck@earthlink.net