Thank you to all that helped with our celebration of the Christmas season: our Holiday Fair, Wreath Sale and Meet and Greet teams, Maureen Pond and the Family Faith Program teachers, families and students, our Music Program: Ulises Solano, Sergio Sandí, Coco Leung, Anne Bordley and our Parish Midnight Mass Choir, the Altar and Garden Committee led by Faith Burges, and our ushers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, and altar servers.
We are always looking for more volunteers for fellowship and service – talk to us after Mass in the back of the church.
Andy Warhol and the Church
Many parishioners have visited the Andy Warhol show at the Whitney Museum and left with a sense that there was more to his work than they originally believed. Some were surprised that he was a practicing Catholic and suspect that some of the paintings have a religious dimension. “Communion and Liberation”, an ecclesial movement in the Church with a commitment to adult religious formation, sponsors a weekend of Catholic thought and artistic expression every year called “New York Encounter”. This year one of the talks will be “I just happen to love ordinary things”, a presentation by Francis Greene, Art Historian, on Andy Warhol’s realism and the religious sense. Dr Greene is no stranger to St Charles. He wrote the text for the self-guided tour of the stained glass in our church and has attended Mass with us. His talk will be at 1:00 PM, February 17th at the Metropolitan Pavilion (125 W 18th) (This is President’s Day weekend). If you are interested in going as a group, please see Fr Smith. You may also wish to check the web site: http://www.newyorkencounter.org/2019-program/. There are many very interesting talks and exhibits. Speakers include Cardinal Patrick O’Malley and David Brooks and topics range from Loneliness to Pope Francis’ vision for evangelization.
First Reading
Holy Family Sunday
1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28
We have two options for the first reading this week. There is Sirach 3 which speaks of the respect and care parents deserve from their children. It contains the line “even if his mind fails, be considerate of him”. This is far too close for comfort, which leaves us with 1 Samuel 1. This tells the story of how Hannah, a woman thought to be sterile, conceived a child by the power of God and gave him to the sanctuary at Shiloh when he was 3 years old. On the surface this is not “mother of the year” material, so let us begin with its political and symbolic meaning.
After leading the Israelites out of Egypt and through the desert for 40 years, Moses ceded leadership to Joshua to enter the promised land. After Joshua died in about 1250 BC, the Israelites formed a loose confederation among themselves and would join together under a leader in times of need. This leader was called a “Judge”, but was more a general than a jurist. A judge was called by God and was not restricted to hereditary clan leaders. Thus Deborah, a woman, could be a judge. This worked well until other groups in the area began to develop a more centralized organization. Especially threatening for the Israelites were the Philistines who used their trading network to import superior weapons. By 1100 BC this had become a crisis and another way of organizing themselves was needed. A King was the obvious solution but the Israelites were quite aware of the dangers of kingship as well as its benefits. Although it would allow for a more coherent response to danger there would be a price to pay. Samuel will himself tell the people:
“These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12 and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 1 Sa 8:11–13)
This continues for quite some time but ends with:
19 The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel’s warning and said, “Not so! There must be a king over us. 20 We too must be like other nations, with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel had listened to all the people had to say, he repeated it to the LORD, 22 who then said to him, “Grant their request and appoint a king to rule them.” 1 Samuel 8:19
Note however that the people go to Samuel to find them a king, they do not make such a serious decision without the aid of a prophet. Now for the symbols:
Hannah, the mother of Samuel, was thought barren. She represents the people of Israel who did not have an authentic prophet to proclaim the word of God to them. Although there was Sanctuary in Shiloh presided over by Eli and his sons, the people felt spiritually barren. There was no one who could act in God’s name. Hannah’s conception of Samuel was a sign that prophecy has been reborn and if they must have a king, he will be chosen by God himself.
But there is more, after today’s reading Hannah says:
1 “My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.
7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts.
8 He raises the needy from the dust;
from the ash heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.
9 He will guard the footsteps of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall perish in the darkness.
For not by strength does man prevail;
This has a very specific meaning. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, and they exploited their positions as priests. Once Samuel is given to the sanctuary they are killed in battle. Eli also dies and Samuel is the undeniable leader of the People.
We may find this an odd way to write history, but it demonstrates that prophecy is irreplaceable. Samuel will be king maker and king breaker, and set the pattern for the rest of Jewish history. He will first anoint Sau,l but when he proves too flawed, he will replace him with David. David received God’s promise of eternal favor and help, but this did not mean impunity, When David ordered his officers to kill Uriah the husband of Bathsheba the prophet Nathan confronted David with his sin. David acknowledged it and repented. This is the pattern of the Old Testament. The king may be hereditary, but God will choose whoever he wants as his prophet to keep the king in line. Samuel, Nathan, Hosea and Jeremiah have nothing in common but their calling.
This is relevant for us in two ways: the necessity of power and the primacy of prophecy.
The contrast between the roles of king and prophet in the Old Testament is an early but by no means primitive example of checks and balances and one from which we can learn. The recent scandals in our society about the abuse of power was, as it almost always is, reflected in sexual exploitation. In virtually every case, this was aided by a failure to establish, much less implement effective controls within closed hierarchical organizations. There was no comparable power to force compliance. An oversight committee, much less an HR department is just not adequate. A group or institution must have and be seen to have real power before it can exercise constraint.
We say far too easily in the church that this will be lay involvement. Where will the power be? Recently Bishop Frank Caggiano, the Bishop of Bridgeport and formerly an auxiliary Bishop in Brooklyn, appointed a lay person to have effective administrative control of a parish. As she is appointed by the Bishop, she can only be removed for cause. This is the power of the purse strings from below and the means of constraint will develop from it. First the power, then the mechanisms.
This is not a panacea or magic bullet. If there is real power, there will be the opportunity for real corruption as well. But the inevitable tension between this level and the traditional power structure of the Church can be creative and keep both honest. The present attempt of members of the rich and motivated right wing of the church to buy it at fire sale prices is deeply disturbing. We need several locations of power.
But more than anything else, we need prophets. We have experienced sterility. The word of God is not bearing fruit and the message judges the messenger. As in the day of Samuel, we need institutional change, but as in every age whatever develops will need prophets to guide it. Change is difficult and prophets are annoying. Let us pray that we can accept both.
Monday, 12/24: Christmas Eve
Mass at 12:10 PM (weekday), 5 PM (Nativity Pageant), Midnight (with Parish Choir)
Tuesday, 12/25: Christmas Day
Mass at 9 AM and 11:15 AM (no mass at 12:10 PM or 7 PM)
Please download the bulletin for December 23, 2018 here.
Beatitudes for Politicians from Pope Francis
They were actually proposed by the late Vietnamese Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyễn Vãn Thuận, who spent 13 years in a Communist prison, nine in solitary confinement.
Christmas Mass Schedule
Monday 12/24: Mass at 5 PM (Nativity Pageant)
Tuesday 12/25: Mass at Midnight, 9 AM and 11:15 AM. (No 7 PM Mass).
Last Week’s Meet & Greets and Christmas Pageant
Thank you all for your support and donations last weekend for our Meet & Greets. At the 11:15 AM Mass, the Family Faith students performed the Nativity Pageant at the Gospel. Cantor Ulises Solano (photo above) led the children in song. Young adults from St. Vincent’s Services were our special guests. We will have an encore presentation of the Nativity Pageant at the 5 PM Mass on Monday, 12/24.
Fr. John giving the homily
Parishioner Lauren Pettiette and her support group from St. Vincent’s Services
First Reading
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Dec 23, 2018
Micah 5:1-4a
We read this week from the prophet Micah. He was a younger contemporary of the first Isaiah and reflected his concerns about Justice and society. (737-696BC). Unlike Isaiah he was from a small town and was particularly enraged about the exploitation of small farmers. Although, his words were written down after his death the “book” was edited several times to show its relevance to contemporary society. Let us look at what would have been so special and pertinent about his message.
The Assyrian empire was at its most ruthless and cruel during this time, but his emphasis was on the sins of his own people:
For the crime of Jacob all this comes to pass,
and for the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the crime of Jacob? Is it not Samaria?
And what is the sin of the house of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem? Micah 1:5
His attention is on the elite in Jerusalem.
1 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
and work out evil on their couches;
In the morning light they accomplish it
when it lies within their power.
2 They covet fields, and seize them;
houses, and they take them;
They cheat an owner of his house,
a man of his inheritance. (Micah 2:2-2)
These are people who do not work the land but own it. Micah believes that the land was obtained illegally or at least immorally. This is not only an individual sin but against the entire community, Jews, like Catholics, believe that they are connected to God by being part of his people. They believed as well that He gave this land to Jewish families and that their connection to Him would be through this land. Speculators and others who took this land were not only guilty of theft, but of breaking God’s relationship with his people, one family at a time.
Micah saw how dangerous this was and was he first to prophesize that it would end with the destruction of Jerusalem. These lines follow immediately after the denunciation of the rich found above:
3 Therefore thus says the LORD:
Behold, I am planning against this race an evil
from which you shall not withdraw your necks;
Nor shall you walk with head high,
for it will be a time of evil.
4 On that day a satire shall be sung over you,
and there shall be a plaintive chant:
“Our ruin is complete,
our fields are portioned out among our captors,
The fields of my people are measured out,
and no one can get them back!”
Many scholars believe that he thought this would happen in his lifetime. As we noted the Assyrian Empire was at its most aggressive. They had already destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 721 and attached Judah (Jerusalem) in 701. That attack was called off by the Assyrians and Jerusalem was spared. A hundred years later when Jerusalem was being attacked by Babylon, these verses were retooled for that occasion.
This was seen as more than merely updating but a clearer revelation of God’s will. The next section presumes exile and return:
1 In days to come
the mount of the LORD’S house
Shall be established higher than the mountains;
it shall rise high above the hills,
And peoples shall stream to it:
2 Many nations shall come, and say,
“Come, let us climb the mount of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
that we may walk in his paths.”
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Micah 4:1–2
Because of their faithfulness they will be able to share their way of life with other people including the law and worship. Also, as we have seen before this will be without the traditional leadership.
Hear this, you rulers of the house of Jacob … who abhor justice and pervert all equity, who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with wrong!… because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins” (Mic 3:9–10, 12)
And thus
6 On that day, says the LORD,
I will gather the lame,
And I will assemble the outcasts,
and those whom I have afflicted.
7 I will make of the lame a remnant,
and of those driven far off a strong nation;
And the LORD shall be king over them on Mount Zion,
from now on forever. Micah 4:6–7 (NAB)
The section that we read today brings many of these themes together:
1 But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah
too small to be 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. Micah 5:1 (NAB)
Ephrathah is the ancient name for the area around Bethlehem. It is miles outside of Jerusalem, and is rural and not contaminated by the sins of the city. It is the town of King David. Micah is telling the Jews that to prosper, they must go back to the beginning of the reign of King David and start all over again.
Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel. Micah 5:2
It will literally require a rebirth. This resembles Isaiah’s famous lines:
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 .
Yet note the difference. The Message is the same: injustice and idolatry has forced God to begin again, but Isaiah is a man of the city talking to a king. This is court politics. Micah is a man of the provinces and speaks as an outsider.
This reminds us of the thought of Pope Francis. There is always a tension between the center and the peripheries. There must be both, but progress comes from the outside in – from those who the “system” or the establishment are not serving. We see the effects of globalization in our world and gentrification in our own community. Like Isaiah, we know that it has mixed and problematic consequences but at second hand. Micah knew the social and indeed religious effects as well as the financial of the activities of the rich and prosperous of his day and his prophesies were more powerful for it. We need the testimony of those in our own time and community who experience the negative aspects of expansion as well as the reports and analyses of those who will experience the benefits. The former may be the truly prophetic. Let us take the most famous lines of the book of Micah to ourselves:
8 You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 (NAB)
Listen to 3rd Sunday of Advent (12/16/2018), featuring the Children’s Nativity Pageant. Celebrants: Fr. John, Fr. Bill.
Meet & Greets + Children’s Nativity Pageant
This Sunday, we will have our monthly Meet & Greets after each of the Masses. We will serve breakfast after the 9 and 11:15 PM mass, and wine and cheese after the 7 PM Mass. The Children’s Nativity Pageant will be held during the Gospel at the 11:15 AM Mass – this is a highlight of our Family Faith Program each year. Our special guests will be young adults from St. Vincent Services. Please join us for fellowship and good cheer in this special season!
Connecting at St Charles
Do you work insane hours? Do you travel so much you don’t know where you will be next week much less where you will attend Mass? Do you feel that you really don’t belong to any Parish and want to feel more connected to St Charles? Please join us this Monday, Dec 17th, 7:30 PM at 31 Sidney Place (The Rectory) Parlor Floor
Fr John Gribowich, a resident at St Charles who is continuing his studies in media at the University of California Berkley, will assist us in developing ways to connect with each other. He will be joined by Davd Plisky from DeSales Media.
I hope and pray that you will be able to attend.
Christmas Collections
Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens was recently featured in the New York Times Neediest Cases column for its Intern and Earn program, which gets 16-24-year olds back on track in their home, school, or career lives. Read more at https://nyti.ms/2zG3cJW (free article). The second collection at Christmas will be dedicated to Catholic Charities.
We are also continuing to have the following collections:
Thank you very much for your support!
Fr William Smith
Pastor
Third Sunday of Advent
Dec. 16, 2018
Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Today we read from the Book of the prophet Zephaniah. He is rarely quoted directly but will be somewhat familiar to classical music enthusiasts for providing the opening words to the Dies Irae, a hymn which was part of the old Requiem Mass.
A day of wrath is that day
a day of anguish and distress,
A day of destruction and desolation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
A day of thick black clouds
Zephaniah 1:15
He does however have much to teach us that is particularly suited to the Advent season.
He gives us a brief autobiography at the beginning of his book.
The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah.
Zephaniah 1:1
He is very well connected – a descendant indeed of the good king Hezekiah (716-687 BC), he also dates himself to the reign of the reforming king Josiah. (640-609) This would make him a slightly older contemporary of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. As we have seen before this was a time when the military power of Assyria was diminishing. The Jews were able to take some breathing room not only to attempt to obtain greater political autonomy but also greater religious independence. During the reigns of Manasseh and Amon (687-640) many foreign elements were added to Jewish worship and practice. This was good politics but bad religion. Zephaniah was the first prophet since Isaiah, and he encouraged King Josiah to purify religious practice. Much of the first chapter of Zephaniah is virtually incomprehensible to us because it speaks of pagan religious practices that were successfully purged from Jewish worship. For instance, “the Lord will punish all who leap over the threshold”, (Zephaniah 1:9) This refers to the worship of the pagan god Dargon. The effect however is familiar:
12 At that time I will explore Jerusalem with lamps;
I will punish the men …
Who say in their hearts,
“Neither good nor evil can the LORD do.”
Zephaniah 1:12 (NAB)
Once worship is adulterated and tradition weakened, ultimately belief is surrendered and God may seem irrelevant. It is Zephaniah’s message that the Lord is always a player.
For Zephaniah, the fish stinks from the head down.
1 Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted,
to the tyrannical city!
2 She hears no voice,
accepts no correction;
In the LORD she has not trusted,
to her God she has not drawn near.
3 Her princes in her midst
are roaring lions;
Her judges are wolves of the night
that have had no bones to gnaw by morning.
4 Her prophets are insolent,
treacherous men;
Her priests profane what is holy,
and do violence to the law. Zephaniah 3:1–4
A fairly comprehensive list and a realistic evaluation. Bad leaders bring bad ends. Realistic also is Zephaniah’s address to the poor:
2 Before you are driven away,
like chaff that passes on;
Before there comes upon you
the blazing anger of the LORD:
Before there comes upon you
the day of the LORD’S anger.
3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth,
who have observed his law;
Seek justice, seek humility;
perhaps you may be sheltered
on the day of the LORD’S anger.
Zephaniah 2:2–3
This reveals a unique feature of the Old Testament. The Lord is concerned about the poor and the marginalized, and calls those who are rich and prosperous to task for the means by which they obtained and maintained their prosperity and position. Characteristic as well is that – as we have seen before – the prophets will call down God’s wrath on foreign nations.
4 For Gaza shall be forsaken,
and Ashkelon shall be a waste,
Ashdod they shall drive out at midday,
and Ekron shall be uprooted.
Zephaniah 2:4
It goes on for quite a while and is very comprehensive, but is balanced by the oracles against the Jews themselves. As the history of the Jewish people clearly shows being the Chosen people is not a free pass. All are subject to the justice of God, but also his mercy. After He has shown His wrath on the nations, He will make them His own:
9 For then I will change and purify
the lips of the peoples,
That they all may call upon the name of the LORD,
to serve him with one accord;
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
and as far as the recesses of the North,
they shall bring me offerings.
Zephaniah 3:9–10
The Jews will be the means he will use to accomplish this:
11 On that day
You need not be ashamed
of all your deeds,
your rebellious actions against me;
For then will I remove from your midst
the proud braggarts,
And you shall no longer exalt yourself
on my holy mountain.
12 But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD;
13 the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths
a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and couch their flocks
with none to disturb them. Zephaniah 3:11–13
Here we see an important theme in the first testament. The Jewish people are not chosen for themselves, but to be the light to the nations and the means by which all people will come to know the Lord. Thus, Zephaniah speaks of a remnant that will live in Jerusalem after the others have been removed.
This is where our reading today begins. Before examining it, we need to look at a bit of editing. As we have seen before, the final editing of many of the books in the first testament was after the exile about 500 BC. Most scholars believe that this section was added as a fitting conclusion to the book.
It is a shout of joy for the saving work of God. It is also a very realistic one. We believe that God has entered into history and reveals himself through it. It takes time to see that those who live as if God matters will be vindicated. That what may have seen immediately as disaster was a means of holiness and that the God who is in our midst will:
18 as one sings at festivals.
I will remove disaster from among you,
so that none may recount your disgrace.
Zephaniah 3:18 (NAB)
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