The Monks Of Norcia:

December 23, 2011

                Christmas is almost here, and Fr. Cassian and the Monks of Norcia would like to share a final meditation with you before the birth of Our Lord.  May this Christmas season be filled with every grace and blessing for you and your family.  Know that the monks will pray for you in a special way during this Christmas season.

A Final Preparation Before Christmas
by Fr. Cassian Folsom, O.S.B.
Prior
Monastery of San Benedetto, Norcia, Italy

                The beginning of the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Lk 3:1-6), sounds like Greek to us!  There are many unknown names, complicated geographical references, and allusions to historical events which date back to ancient times.  Yet what is their function?  In a time in which the calendar which we use today wasn’t invented, they didn’t have a very precise system of calculating months and years, so these references serve to establish in a more precise way the historical moment.  This is important.  Holy Scripture wants to clarify that the Divine Word was made flesh in a specific historical moment, in a specific geographic location.  The presence of Jesus Christ in the world is historical, not merely romantic or mythical.

            St. Gregory the Great meditates on this passage and offers us a spiritual interpretation.  Notice, says Gregory, that the authorities mentioned are in two categories:  civil and religious.  The kings are named because Jesus is the true King.  The chief priest, Annas and Caiphas, are mentioned because Jesus is the true Priest.  In what sense is Jesus a King?  Not in the temporal sense of the word; Christ, in fact, is the King of hearts, a meek King, who rules not from a throne, but from the cross.  In what sense can we say that Christ is a Priest?  He doesn’t come from a line of priests.  On the contrary, Christ offers the supreme sacrifice of Himself on the cross and therefore substitutes the entire sacrificial system of the Old Testament, effectively changing it.  We should make an examination of conscience.  Do we let ourselves be guided by Christ the King?  Does He reign supreme in our lives?  Regarding Christ the Priest:  do we imitate Him?  Do we offer our life with Him to the Father every day?  It’s the most beautiful thing that we can do, but it’s also the most difficult.
 
                Then, St. Gregory analyzes a list of the civil authorities.  He notices that the first person named, the Emperor Tiberius Caesar, had a united kingdom, one that was not divided into different parts.  For St. Gregory, this fact represented the unity of the Gentiles who were among the numerous converted to the faith in Jesus Christ.  On the other hand, the Jews, who did not accept Christ, were divided into four smaller kingdoms, who at that time were called Tetrarchs:  one was governed by the delegate to the Romans, Pontius Pilate, the second was governed by Herod Antipas (the son of Herod the Great), the third was governed by Herod’s brother, Philip, and the fourth was governed by someone named Lysanias.  Gregory cites that concerning this the Gospel says: “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste” (Lk 11:17).  Isn’t this the same for us?  Our faith unites; God is the great unifier.  Without this faith, we are reduced to small groups which promote their own interests, one against another.  And divided in this way, we are ruined.
            In the second part of that Gospel passage, we heard the invitation of St. John the Baptist:  conversion and preparing the way of the Lord.  But convert from what?  From our sins.  Behind this affirmation, there is the presupposition that we can no longer take for granted:  the fact that we recognize that we are sinner and in need of God’s mercy.  The monastic tradition looks at man with great realism (for this, St. Benedict is a true teacher, since no one can cheat himself).  A realistic assessment made by each one of us leads to the conclusion that there are reasons for us to convert.

            Finally, there is the image of road construction:  “make straight his paths.  Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth” (Lk 3:4-5).  In the Valnerina (the geographic area near Norcia), we are used to roads of this kind, but according to the spiritual sense, it would be talking about our hearts, which are full of winding roads.  The great work of our life consists in the straightening of these interior roads and in preparing, in this way, the way of the Lord, who will come to dwell in us.
 
                This Gospel passage, which can seem a bit dry, offers in reality a synthesis of the spiritual life.  The Word of God became flesh in a specific place and in a specific historical moment.  He manifested himself as King and Priest, exercising these roles “pro nobis”, for our salvation.  In front of this historical fact of Christ, we are called to respond to his invitation to believe, responding “Yes” or “No”.  Whoever says “Yes” will find unity; on the other hand, whoever says “No” will be separated.  The “Yes” response, though, is not limited to one moment, but requires a certain journey, one in which we must cultivate the interior attitude of conversion and must dedicate ourselves to the interior work of straightening the ways of our winding hearts.
 
                This is the necessary preparation to worthily celebrate Christmas, so that the birth of Christ may inspire a rebirth of the Christian.