Sunday 8 December 2024
Second Sunday of Advent - Year C
Collect
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Collect
Almighty and merciful God, may no earthly undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet your Son, but may our learning of heavenly wisdom gain us admittance to his company. Who lives and reigns…
We seem to be in a hurry again. Last Sunday’s Collect spoke about running eagerly - this time we are setting out in haste. Both prayers come from an ancient book of prayers used at Mass in the parishes of Rome about 1300 years ago.
It seems that the people of Rome saw Advent as a time to be in haste. We are to be eagerly pressing forward to meet Jesus. To do this we quickly slow down. Like last week, we remember that Roman saying, ‘hurry slowly’.
There is another idea in this Collect which is echoed in the Prayer after Communion. We pray that we may learn heavenly wisdom.
This is a wisdom that will help us avoid being hindered by the things of this world. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be active and involved with things around us. Christians are called to live among others as humble witnesses with open hearts and open minds.
The word ‘wisdom’ is connected to ‘wit’ – having your wits about you. This is something to do with being aware. So easily we can blunder through things without being aware of the needs of others or the impact of our own words or actions. True wisdom involves being sensitive to what is going on around us.
There is more to wisdom. We translate it from the latin word ‘sapientia’ which has an interesting origin. The root meaning of the word is ‘taste’ as in being able to distinguish the taste of different things.
Again it takes us back to sensitivity and beyond.
If I have wisdom I can appreciate the taste of things. This is about valuing the good things of this earth and wonders of creation.
Just as a connoisseur can recognise the depth of flavour of a great wine so we are called to delight in what God has given us. It also helps us identify those things that are unsavoury and damaging.
As we engage with the issues of today it is important that we have a sense of direction; to understand true value. We ask God to teach us wisdom so that we may be able to work out what really matters. In the Season of Advent this is especially important because we can be so distracted by glitter so that we miss the real gold of eternity and the treasure of everlasting love.
The Prayer after Communion prays that we may judge wisely the things of earth while holding firm to what is of heaven.
Originally, this prayer said something slightly different. It asked that we might ‘despise the things of earth’. This seems strong language to us. To be fair when it was first written ‘despise’ had a softer meaning, more like, ‘look away from’, ‘not be distracted by’ or ‘turn away from’.
The Church in modern times changed the word ‘despise’ so that we do not misunderstand. Again, it takes us back to a real appreciation of the world and recognising our need to care for it. We are not supposed to hate the world; after all it is God’s creation. If God made it, then we know that indeed it is very good. But there can be the temptation to worship the things of this world and not the one who made them. So now we pray that we may ‘judge wisely’; back to wisdom again.
How do we get this wisdom? The prayer tells us that the best way is partaking in the mystery; by sharing in the food of spiritual nourishment. This is about taking part in Mass and receiving Jesus worthily and well. Jesus feeds us with his Word and with his Body and Blood so that we may learn to appreciate things of heaven and weigh wisely things of earth.
Advent is a time to grow wise. In a way the bright lights and times of making merry give us a special opportunity of learning how to enjoy ourselves and how to control our appetites; knowing when to join in and when to say ‘no’.
Enjoy Advent! But do so wisely.
Prayer after Communion
Replenished by the food of spiritual nourishment, we humbly beseech you, O Lord, that, through our partaking in this mystery, you may teach us to judge wisely the things of earth and hold firm to the things of heaven. Through Christ…
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