Advent Reflections 2022

In today's readings, there is a central theme of acceptance and universalness in the people's faith that Jesus wants us to have. In the first reading from Isaiah, he says that "the mountain of the LORD’s house" would be the tallest mountain, and people of all nations would come to it to climb towards the house of God. From this, I see God and the faith acting as beacons for which people can come together and unite in something despite differences.

The Gospel reading had similar connotation to me, in which Jesus says that a centurion had greater faith than all those he had met in Israel because the centurion states that he is not worthy for Jesus to enter his house, and instead asks him to heal his servant with the power that he knows Jesus has, showing respect and trust in God.

Jesus also says that people would come from the East and West to "recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven". This ties into the ultimate message of unity and the universality of the faith as it calls to people from all places in the world.

--Samuel Unnerstall, Class of 2022

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Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Today’s reading is from Romans 10:9-18 and in it, Saint Paul tells us to put all our faith in God. He says this: “Brothers and sisters: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

God always has our back. When things are going great it is so easy to thank God but when adversity hits that’s when it gets tough to understand the blessings in negative situations.

But there is always a blessing in every situation. Often, we never see or appreciate the bad lessons. We should learn how to thank God and believe in God no matter our circumstances.

-- Ayden Robinson Wayne, Class of 2021

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In today’s reading, we hear about John the Baptist and his prophetic ministry to “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” When I think about John the Baptist (and really any historical or modern prophet), the phrase, “comfort the afflicted but also afflict the comfortable,” always comes to mind. John served as the “voice of the desert,” crying out that the world is not as it should be, and we as a community are called to repent and put on “the cloak of Justice” (from Baruch).

In a straightforward and loud way, John calls those who are comfortable to see the afflicted in our community and do something about it. This time of year, the Post-Dispatch shares stories from “100 Neediest Cases,” and people are compelled and encouraged to help when they hear the following:

Ms. R is a 59-year-old woman who lives alone, is visually impaired and has eight grandchildren. She’s on a fixed income and has nothing to spare, considering her meager disability payments. She’s barely able to pay her bills and hasn’t been able to afford Christmas gifts for her grandchildren for years. She wishes for help in providing them with a bright holiday.

Only the most cold person would not want to help Ms. R and her family in some way. The sad truth is that there are THOUSANDS of cases each year, and they must limit the number to 100. Are we able to hear the cry of those seeking comfort? Or is our comfort more important? How will we as a community of faith be changed by the call to action?

--Mr. Timothy Halfmann-Morris, Religion Teacher

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The Church presents us with the stories of two women – Mary and Eve – both conceived without the stain of original sin but with two entirely different responses to what God is asking of them. First, we look at Eve’s response to God when the serpent questions her about the limits God has put on her and Adam. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.”  She thinks that God is trying to control her - that He does not have her best interests at heart. That she could not trust God. Contrast that with Mary’s response to what God is asking of her. First, she is frightened and confused. “How can this be since I have no relations with a man?” She did not understand, but still she stepped out in faith. “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.”  She decided to trust God even though she did not understand, because she knew that God was trustworthy.

Because of Eve’s sin, death entered the world and condemned us. Because of Mary’s trust, Love entered the world and saved us.

God’s Mercy is unfathomable. And for this I am eternally grateful.

-- Mrs. Lynn Kelly, registrar

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Once again, O LORD of hosts,
    look down from heaven, and see;
Take care of this vine,
    and protect what your right hand has planted,
    the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Psalm 80:15-16

The ancient world is filled with kings who claimed not only absolute power but even divinity.  And yet this psalm (written to be sung in the court of King David) is a reminder that not only is the king of Israel unlike all those other kings, his kingdom is ultimately not even his!  The vine he tends is not a vine he planted.  In other words, his task is not to govern according to his own will, but rather to ensure that he acts in accord with the will of the true King, the one who planted the vine in the first place.

At our Baptism, each of us was invited to participate in the kingship of Christ, meaning that like Jesus (and like King David) we are made stewards of God’s people, albeit in a different way.  Maybe this means we are entrusted with the care of our family, our friends, our class, or our business.  Maybe we are called to roles of civic leadership or to serve in our local faith community.  Whatever “vine” we are charged with tending, we have to remember that our royal charge is not to impose our own will on others—it is rather to uncover and get out of the way of the will of God.  We’re vine-tenders, not vine-planters.

During this Advent season, as we prepare for the coming of the King, let’s commit to doing a few things.  First, let’s be grateful for all those God has put into our lives, like our students, our friends, and our family.  Second, let’s remind ourselves that it is indeed God, the Vine-Planter, who has appointed us to be vine-tenders.  Caring for those entrusted to us is therefore a holy task.  And finally, let’s join in the prayer of the king and ask God to strengthen us as we do this: “Take care of this vine, Lord, and protect what your right hand has planted.”

--Mr. Tom Eichwald, Director of Mission and Ministry

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     As an English teacher, I am interested in the creative processes of the writers I like to read. Before I actually studied the matter, I imagined that a writer, struck by the muse, would retreat from normal life to some secret, perhaps exotic location, enter a world of magical, uninterrupted creativity, and emerge with a flawless, profound utterance. But then I read that Shakespeare would frequently compose in bustling taverns, mostly because of the free lighting at night (candles and lamp oil weren’t cheap), but also to keep an eye out for a possible colorful character sketch or conversation that might work its way into a play. Stephen King writes daily for the same amount of time, as if he were punching the clock for a job, and Jonathan Franzen, one of my favorite living writers, writes in an office with only a desk, a lamp, and a computer with just Microsoft Word on it. Many writers note that they wrote their best material when they weren’t feeling particularly inspired. I read an interview with another writer who sums up all of this nicely:  “I do my best work and am most creative when I am connected to the business of real daily life.”

     John the Baptist, who is featured in today’s Gospel, is viewed by the people with the similar hyperbolic image I once had of writers. The crowds gather eagerly around John, whom they suspect may be the Messiah, the truth bearer, their new moral and spiritual compass incarnate.  They question him as if he were an oracle:  “What should we do?”

     I could almost hear John sighing peevishly before he answered. He seemed overwhelmed and irritable about having to address their inflated expectations. His answers, and I paraphrase:  “Be charitable. Don’t cheat or bully people or gossip about them. Be thankful for what you have.”

     Later on, Jesus, particularly in his parables, provides similarly un-glamorous commands for living a life pleasing to God:  The Good Samaritan:  be compassionate; the Prodigal Son:  forgive people even when they screw up royally; The Persistent Widow:  be steadfast in prayer.  

    Writers eventually have to deal with the critics, some of whom will pan even their best work. But Jesus has taught us just a few simple qualities to make the story of our life an enduring masterpiece in God’s eyes, and they are nothing more profound than love, humility, kindness and compassion.  

-- Mr. David Brumfield, English Teacher

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