Christ wins!

Readings: Isaiah 6:1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28

This advent, I have been struggling to emotionally engage with this season's spiritual demands, and it was only yesterday, after I took a long walk and watched a basketball game for the spirit to open my heart. About three weeks ago my knee went out on me, and after Doctor prescribed, icing, crutch, leg resting, and Naproxin™ medicine taking, the pain in my leg gave way to healing. During those three weeks this body of mine was pretty much home bound unable to walk much, do much, nor get out of the house. So last night, around 4:30, with the final realization that the knee pain was totally gone, and stir crazy from cabin fever, I decided to go for a walk to Rookwood Commons for dinner, and to visit Joseph Beth's book store, all with the goal to be back home before the cross-town shoot out's tip off.

As I was walking I sensed within me the anticipation of really wanting to watch the game. While walking through the neighborhoods on the other side of Montgomery road this excitement grew as house upon house sported on their porches Bengal and Cincinnati Red flags, bearcat flags, wild-cat flags, and being a Jesuit here at Xavier, the team that I am a fan of, the team that has my heart, 'the power of X'™ musketeer flags. And although I am a cheerleader of all the sports teams here at Xavier, for me, last night belonged to men's basketball and the cross-town shoot out. I anticipated an awesome game and I think Xavier fans will agree with me, we were not disappointed. And to the Bearcat fans here, I give my sincere and heartfelt condolences.

Since I was walking home and not physically at the 5/3rd arena last night, my mind start to recall the many times that I had been to a Xavier game – the noise and excitement of the crowd, the extreme fans painted blue and white amidst the sea of Xavier blue sportswear, the lights that shine off the boards on the arena floor, the sportscasters in place and announcers ready to announce, and as I recollected those times my current excitement built as I imagine myself sitting in that arena. I further saw in my mind's eye, the lights dim, the spotlights and laser show starting, the energy of the team as they were announced, and the frenetic jump of the tip off as the game's play started, and felt my walking pace to get home quicken.

At home, as the game began, bowl of popcorn in one hand and beer in the other, I felt this excitement now within me grow. I felt the roller coaster gut wrenching feeling as the athletes plied their craft on the floor, the exhilaration as the musketeers pulled ahead, and then the stomach dropping feeling as the bearcat's board work brought the score close, and then the game's ending, which for me, this Xavier fan, was met finally in jubilation and rejoicing – Xavier wins! Xavier wins!

The psychological and emotional feelings in our life that flow out of great events like sporting events, or curtains that rise on great theater, or lights that darken before a critically acclaimed drama, underscores, in and through that anticipation, excitement, and emotionality, something that matters to us, something we value, something that we hold in our hearts, something we rejoice in. And in my soul, in my spirit, in my body, as I savored this one basketball event, my heart spoke to me and said, if one can feel anticipation, excitement, and joy here in one basketball game, then how much more so during this advent season, when we praise this Christ who is and this Christ yet to come.

And so, this third week of advent night, as the event of Christmas draw nears, we listen to the message of our readings. We hear the words of Paul, of the prophet Isaiah, and of John the Baptist in our gospel, and are challenged to feel, really feel, the anticipation and excitement of the coming soon of Christ, to feel the impact in our hearts of a loving God and of a Christ who saves, and why, ultimately, this upcoming Christ birth event matters. We learn this night, no matter what life's journey has given us, of a God who cares, a Christ who saves, and a spirit alive in our hearts, calling us all to anticipation, excitement, and jubilation.

So, Paul in our reading from Thessalonians, reflects on the human condition, and how in body, soul, and spirit the experiences of our life find meaning. This Paul, speaks of the experience of faith in Christ, of a God who has created us in goodness, and so gives us the emotional foundation in which we can ground our advent experience. In our reading to the Thessalonians, St. Paul categorizes the human person into body, soul, and spirit, in order to theologically discuss not only the beauty of who we are but the complexity of all our human experience as well. Our bodies, our physical beings, experience a great many and wonderful things, but unfortunately, we also face limitations and diminishment, we experience pain and suffering, illness and death, cruel words and cruel deeds – things that hold us back.

Yet, the spirit within us is a force that despite whatever the body may experience, wants to grasp passion and to soar, to reach for the stars, to look out from our human condition, and feel a deeper reality, greater possibilities – beauty and joy beyond compare. Finally, our soul is that wonderful interior space, that place between the body and spirit, where we long for something, where we ache in anticipation and anxiousness, where, especially during this advent season we long to connect up with something mysterious, something much more transcendent. Here, in the interplay of our own experiences – as body limits, as spirit soars, as soul waits – we find our advent emotion.

And so our reading from Isaiah this evening, (as the red-bull™ commercials would say) gives our spirit wings. We are given a life filled with favor, a life filled with good things, a life that despite some of the hard experiences we face – of hatred and injustice, of cruelty and violence, of physical and mental suffering, of loss and death – a life also and truly filled with many good things: with life, with friends, with communities of care, with people we can call family (biological or otherwise), with people who are kind to us, with people we are kind to, with love given and love received. God indeed graces us with so many good things, and so we connect with the Prophet Isaiah, who, with heart filled with emotion cries out 'I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul'.

Finally, our Gospel this night highlights John the Baptist's life and ministry in relation to this Jesus, this one who is coming, who is the "Christ", the anointed one of God. John's life and ministry finds its power as the "announcer", for he points to the dynamic intervention of God in human history in the life and ministry of Jesus. John's power, is that he gives us, if you will, a play by play, of this Jesus who is to come. John points away from himself to the action on the floor, this Jesus who is "light of the world", and because of him, we sit on the edge of our seat in excitement and anticipation and cry come Lord Jesus.

Our readings and gospel this night then highlight the uniqueness of God's breaking into the world, in the life and ministry of Jesus, who announces not just a year of favor from the Lord, but an entirely new existence of life in the Spirit. We bring, hurt knees and hurt bodies, our hurt hearts and souls, to this arena of faith, and we await in anticipation, excitement, and joy, the story to enfold, the Christmas tip-off, the end-game of salvation to play itself out.

So as the darkness of advent gives way to the light of Christmas, as John announces the coming event of Christ, as Jesus is born once again to bring us the good news of God, as Christ assembles the team of disciples and followers that will bring the world glad tidings of healing and peace, as we enter this arena of our faith and we look out from the edge of our seat, we join our life of faith to God's love for us alive in Christ, and know from the depths of our waiting soul the end of the story – that our God has not only gifted us with many good things, but in Jesus, and Jesus' resurrection, we all have been graced with salvation. And so, we rise from our seats as our emotions find voice, for we know, Christ wins! Christ wins! -- And our spirit's soar and our heart's rejoice.

Peace,

Fr. Kent Beausoleil, S.J.