On Living the Vocation to Holiness - 4th Sunday of Advent

In every cinematic presentation I have seen of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", Ebeneezer Scrooge, after a night of visitations by the spirits of Christmas past, present, and future, commits himself to "keeping the spirit of Christmas throughout the year".  To this end he begins by making a commitment to support of his employee Bob Cratchet's family, in particular - Tiny Tim; meeting the gentlemen he had berated the day before when they asked him for a donation to their charity for the poor, he made a generous donation and assured them of continued support; finally, he joined his nephew and his family for Christmas dinner.

The one thing in Charles Dickens' book that isn't included is: he went to Christmas Day church services.  This is important to point out because we, as Christians, would recognize that it is our celebration of and participation in the mystery of the Incarnation - Christ's birth - that we are then motivated to do the other three things detailed above.  Indeed, it is our weekly participation at holy Mass that carries the mystery of the Incarnation through the rest of the year.

As I was contemplating this I also took notice of the opening prayer for today’s Mass (4^th Sunday of Advent) we hear: “Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection.”  Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?  The opening prayer sounds familiar because it is the collect for the devotion we know as “the Angelus”.

It is one of the beauties of the Roman Rite that in addition to a strong liturgical life: holy Mass, the sacraments, the Divine Office (breviary), and Eucharistic adoration; there is also a strong devotional life.  Sadly, when I was growing up in the 70’s, that devotional life was intentionally sidelined; it was considered an anachronism and treated as something old, of a bygone era.

Why is it that the devotional life was so intentionally looked down upon (even persecuted) in my youth and into my early seminary years?  I think there were three principal reasons: 1) there was a drive to emphasize the importance of the Eucharistic Assembly on Sundays; 2) a view that devotions were a manifestation of a bygone era of superstition and a detraction from the worship of Christ; 3) a continuing manifestation of the heresy known as Modernism which rejected a belief in the supernatural and the accompanying belief in miracles. 

I understand and have always accepted  what the Church teaches us about the holy Mass being the font from which the Christian life flows and the summit to which it is always drawn.  For this reason Christians have considered it absolutely necessary to participate in holy Mass each Lord's Day (Sunday) and on certain days appointed by the Church throughout the year.  It has also been the practice to assist at Mass daily where and when possible.

It is sad that, in addition to the above and with the rise of scientism, the devotional life was branded as a 'detraction' from holy Mass as well as smelling of superstition.  This is sad and wrong.  It is understandable I suppose, looking from the outside in, that the devotional life could seem superstitious.  As Catholics, we can sometimes seem like we have more faith in various prayers and devotional practices than we do in God; a sort of 'works righteousness' which is rightly condemned.  However, when approached properly in faith, the devotional life supports the liturgical life.

This leads us, however, to our third issue: modernism.  Modernism is a heresy identified in the 19th century and condemned by the Church which contends that there is no such thing as miracles.  Because of this heresy we entered into a period in which anything miraculous in scripture or tradition was immediately explained away or simply discounted.  Sadly, condemning a heresy doesn't mean it necessarily goes away - even within the life of the Church.  And so we have had much to suffer over the past 150 years because of it.  Indeed, we still see its influence on our present day approach to the sacraments, our beliefs and practices, even our translations of holy Scripture.

Each of these three issues conspired to deprive the people of God of a rich heritage.  Happily, the beauty and strength of the devotional life has been rediscovered, newly appreciated, and reacquired in our present day.  Indeed, over the past 20 years there has been a resurgence in devotion to the Rosary, the wearing of scapulars and holy medals (especially the Miraculous Medal), and devotions to the saints, novenas, and much, much more.  It is such that many of our young people today almost take it for granted.

In so doing we are re-discovering the power of our Catholic faith as we once again pick up the tools given us by God directly, and through Him our blessed Mother, and the saints, and then handed on to us by our forebears who were so powerfully assisted by these gifts of grace.

Indeed, in the practice of reciting the Angelus, we bring to mind the mystery of the Incarnation - the spirit of Christmas - not only throughout the year each week (as in holy Mass), or even each day, but three times each day!  (That is why the bells ring from our church each day at 7:00 am, 12:00 noon, and 6:00 pm - the traditional times to pray the Angelus)  How's that for keeping the spirit of Christmas???  From our liturgical life, supported by a rich devotional life, then comes the true and lasting motivation for the other three ways by which Scrooge committed himself to keeping the spirit of Christmas: charity to those in need closest to us; charity towards those in need who are unknown to us; and charity towards our family.

May you be strengthened in your devotional life so as to be drawn ever more deeply into the mysteries of our Faith which are celebrated and made present to us in the celebration of holy Mass and then lived out each day in our works of charity.