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The Pilot Light is Burning Brighter Now¹
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS
A few days before Gaudete Sunday (3rd Sunday Advent) I had a visitor. Father Nicholas of my Parish came to bring me Holy Communion. That is because I am a homebound parishioner. He also administered the Sacrament of the Sick, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. So my Gaudete, which means “Rejoice” came a few days early as Gaudete Sunday is on December 13th. It was very easy to smile after that. During this COVID-19 crisis where going to Church is not advisable for me due to age and health concerns, I have become homebound but not unhappy. Frequent readers of my reflections know I was a monk for almost five years, and my self-isolation due to the pandemic is for me a very prayerful and contemplative time. I am in my element, so to speak, and friends tell me there is still a lot of monk left in me. My monastic experience ended in 2002, but it feels like yesterday because I loved my cloistered experience. Reasons why it had to end are too complicated to explain but that order of monks no longer exists. For me, the Secular Franciscan Order has taken its place and I have been a Franciscan for 26+ years.
The time from Gaudete Sunday to the Nativity of the Lord, about two weeks this year, is a holy time for me. Older people "often reflect on the many Christmas feasts they have celebrated to realize that they have indeed attained the joys of their salvation. They may become aware that all is gift…” (cf. usccb). I remember many Advent Sundays and Christmas feasts, particularly those in religious life, and my deepest meditations have occurred during that time and in Lent. The "O Antiphons," which are found from 17-23 December, refer to the seven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the Magnificat during Vespers (Evening Prayer) of the Liturgy of the Hours. They are listed below and the definitions of these titles of the Lord are a good stimulus for meditation:
· December 17: O WISDOM, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: COME, and teach us the way of prudence. Amen. "O Sapientia..."
· December 18: O LORD AND RULER of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: COME, and redeem us with outstretched arms. Amen. "O Adonai..."
· December 19: O ROOT OF JESSE, that stands for an ensign of the people, before whom the kings keep silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: COME, to deliver us, and tarry not. Amen. "O Radix Jesse..."
· December 20: O KEY OF DAVID, and Scepter of the House of Israel, who opens and no man shuts, who shuts and no man opens: COME, and bring forth the captive from his prison, he who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death. Amen. "O Clavis David..."
· December 21: O DAWN OF THE EAST, brightness of light eternal, and Sun of Justice: COME, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Amen. "O Oriens..."
· December 22: O KING OF THE GENTILES and their desired One, the Cornerstone that makes both one: COME, and deliver man, whom you formed out of the dust of the earth. Amen. "O Rex..."
· December 23: O EMMANUEL, God with us, Our King and Lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Saviour: COME to save us, O Lord our God. Amen. "O Emmanuel..."
"This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. Mt 1:18-23.
Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus Christ, for whom our Pope Francis has just opened a year of Jubilee and reflection, was present at the Birth of Jesus with Mary so this goes back a long way. Mary and Joseph with newborn Jesus is the center of our Faith. The Holy Family. May this Advent-Christmas time bring you closer to your loved ones for the right reasons: to celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord in going to Church and in prayer, if possible.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Fred Schaeffer, OFS
Dec. 11, 2020
Notes:
1.The Pilot Light is Burning Brighter Now – taken from “Going My Way”, a 1944 movie with Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald, where Barry, sick in bed is treated by Bing with a snort of the spirits – and Barry says: “The Pilot Light is Burning Brighter Now” – a very likeable scene in a great movie from yesteryear.
2. Second Coming of the Lord.
