Hitting the Mark
by Fr.Gus Carter
12/4/05

Most of us may remember hearing that the root word for sin in the Old Testament means "missing the mark." That seems like an idea worth pondering during Advent. The description of John the Baptist in today's Gospel reminds us of the whole prophetic tradition. The preaching of the prophets enabled the Jewish people to look forward to redemption for all. However, the wrong ideas that came to surround the meaning of "Messiah" made it impossible for Jesus to preach directly that he was the Messiah. In their expectations of the "Messiah" the people warped their sense of what salvation should be. They thought mostly in terms of political power, prestigious jobs and enormous wealth. Even Jesus' own disciples were infected with these ideas. The Gospel of Mark emphasizes how easily we miss the mark.

The opening prayer of today' s Mass asks for Advent blessings that will continue throughout the Church year. "May the lure of greed not impede us from the joy which moves the hearts of those who seek Jesus. May the darkness not blind us to the vision of wisdom which fills the minds of those who find him." Our baptism calls us to communion with God through Jesus. A major obstacle to entering the life we are invited to is the possessive spirit. Our vocation is to live our lives for each other. Wanting to accumulate is basically ego centered, caring about oneself first and foremost.

Jesus coming in the power of the Spirit means giving us the capacity to share in God's love. To enter into this love Jesus tells us over and over in the Gospel, we must give up the desire to accumulate. We begin to become less possessive when we are grateful for what we have. Gratefulness always adds a note of joy to our lives. We realize that someone cares about us, that life is about sharing. The sadness of the possessive urge is typified for me in small children crying about what they do not need and cannot have. We all have that small child in us, making us unnecessarily restless. Mature individuals realize that there are many things we do not really need. This is a very liberating experience. We give up many nagging demands that make us unhappy.
The prophetic tradition that Jesus clarified and emphasized is that we are intimately loved by our Creator. Jesus own dependency on the Father teaches us that our God cares deeply about our welfare. Relying on the Lord, we are never without help or hope. We are called to live lives that bring joy and peace to others and to ourselves. St. Paul recounts the qualities that are found in those who live in the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. One of the constant themes of the Church's Christmas liturgy sings, "0 wonderful exchange, God became human so that humans may become divine!" The glory of God shone around Jesus' crib. In following Jesus as disciples we share in his glory. He gives us the power to love in God-like ways. When we act lovingly, we begin to experience the power of God's love in us. We sense the effects on ourselves, and we observe the power of love on others. Pursuing ever greater possessions distracts us from the true reason we live. The God who made us tells us that fullness of life means fullness of love. Making God's ways our guide to the pursuit of happiness makes much more sense than chasing our own way. We must pray always to see straight so that we do not miss the beauty our God holds out to us.