(For the audio version of this blog, please visit: https://brothersinchristcmf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Mass-Blog-for-the-Second-Sunday-of-Advent-2024.mp3)
Sunday’s responsorial psalm was turned into a hymn that would eventually give our pop culture the raw materials it needed to stereotype Christians and Christianity. It did so through a wide variety of negative characters in films and TV—from the evil phony preacher played by Robert Mitchum in the film “Night of the Hunter” (shown above) to the nice but dopey Ned Flanders in the TV sitcom “The Simpsons.” But shining Advent’s light of hope on that old Protestant hymn they sang—“Bringing in the Sheaves”—mayhelp us Catholics better appreciate the joy the psalmist was able to find in real life’s tragedies.
“Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze;
By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.”
Psalm 126 inspired Knowles Shaw to write this hymn in 1874 (Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6.).Like the people who wrote this Sunday’s scripture readings, Shaw discovered how to resurrect divine joy from human tragedy. HIS raw materials were redemption, hope and gratitude. Biblical scholars believe Psalm 126 was written by Ezra, leader of Israel at the time of the Israelites’ return from Babylonian captivity. Pay special attention this Sunday as we read:
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
We’ll then respond, “The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.”
Sunday’s first reading offers the joy of Baruch, scribe for the prophet Jeremiah, who shared in that prophet’s vision of worshippers gathering together from the east and the west (Bar 5:1-9). These escapees from various imprisonments voiced gratitude for God’s bringing them home to Jerusalem. The routes they took required various strategies to reach the level ground that would let them all see the light of God’s face.
“For God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God.”
Christ’s apostle Paul shared in that prophetic vision, despite immersion in the darkness of a prison cell from which he wrote Sunday’s Letter to the Philippians (Phil 1:4-6, 8-11). His message is full of joy, encouraging his church to rejoice in God’s word, despite the suffering and anxiety of their own prison cells.
“I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now.”
Finally, we have John the Baptist, whose prison was the desert. Temperature and topography were no match for his joy, though, because he and his followers were in the rewarding business of sheave harvesting and distribution.
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” (Lk 3:1-6)
We all know how John the Baptist died. The head of Christ’s cousin was delivered to his enemies on a silver platter, from a chopping block in or near his prison cell. But the Baptist’s words survive, as do Knowles Shaw’s—who died in a train wreck. Before that derailment, Shaw managed to save the life of a fellow passenger. This minister reported the last words Shaw said to him in a conversation they were having just before their railcar crashed and Shaw pushed him to safety:
“It is a grand thing to rally people to the Cross of Christ.”
The birth of Christ in our hearts lets us share the joy his cross made possible for all prisoners of this world.
–Tom Andel
While the many negative stereotypes about Catholicism are frustrating, they are just that – stereotypes and misperceptions. I’m reminded of the following quote from Fulton J. Sheen:
“There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.”
Our role remains to cut through the misperceptions and reveal the beauty of what our faith really is.
Agreed, Andy. It’s not just Catholics, but Christians in general and people of faith in particular whom our pop culture often mocks. We often give them plenty of material, but then again, being human offers more than enough comic fodder to make God laugh. But God laughs with joy, not condescension, and then helps us out of whatever fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.
As for Bishop Sheen, he used his Irish upbringing to tell this story about how God perceives humanity’s perceived differences among faiths:
“The German people, who love pomp, might see Christ return as a glorious king, Sheen said, while Spaniards, who love the beauty of religion, could see Jesus with a face radiant like the sun, with garments as white as snow. He will come to the people of India, who love mortification, showing scars on hands and feet and side. But to the Irish, he will show something he showed no other people. He will show them His gratitude for their humor — he will show them His smile.”
Stereotypes don’t have to be mean.
It is a grand thing to rally people to the cross of Christ, and I’d add it’s the only thing. Scripture tells us over and over again how we must find our salvation through that cross. The challenge lies in taking up the cross ourselves as a witness to others.
William Penn wrote while in the Tower of London – “No cross, no crown.” The roadmap to heaven is in the Bible.
The Cross is the vehicle to get there.
The Cross is a reminder of Christ’s Victory.
The Cross is the source of salvation.
The Cross is a demonstration of God’s love.
The Cross!!
Scripture also teaches us that even Christ needed help carrying his cross. We are called to play a dual role in living the Scriptures: not only to carry our cross to our goal line. as Christ did, but to help others carry their cross as Simon of Cyrene did for Jesus. Thinking we’re alone in our struggles makes the effort seem like a slog to a finish line. Knowing we’re here to accept and offer help makes our lives seem more like a journey to a universal goal than to a solitary finish.