Bethlehem BeckonsA Spiritual Guide for Advent 2016

Sister Carol Perry, S.U.

1 West 29th Street, New York, NY 10001 / MarbleChurch.org

ach Advent we find ourselves in this sameplace: about to seek a tiny town we do not know andto start a long journey in order to understand theincredible plan of God who wanted to come amongus. And yet, each year, we return there. Why?

There is a word of unknown origin in ourEnglish vocabulary which is “hobo”, best definedas a “vagrant” or a “traveler with no destination”.That might be true, but one origin suggests thatit is a corruption of “homeward bound”. I likethat and I suggest we think of our Advent journey this year in those terms.

We have a journey to make, so we areBethlehem bound. It is a bit elusive as a goal sincewe do not know what our Bethlehem will look likethis year. Jesus is waiting at journey’s end, but thatpilgrimage must come first. Travel is never easyand a spiritual road trip carries fears and demandsfor gifts we might not be sure that we have.

However, we will not travel alone. That is bothcomfort and, in some way, an additional challenge.We have to think back to the original travelers, thewise men from afar, a pregnant young woman, hertroubled husband and a group of amazed shep-herds. We will meet them during these weeks.

We have nothing to pack and no supplies toshoulder. We come as we are and we step forth withfaith, love and a great sense of adventure. TheAdvent Journey of 2016 has never happened before.

I’ll meet you on the road. Bon voyage!

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Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

November Sunday

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,who are one of the little clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for meone who is to rule in Israel.

– MICAH 5:2

et us put our destination front andcenter. We are not heading to the brightlights of a bustling city, but to a townalmost unknown to history. However, weset our sights on it, despite its lack offame. Many of the great cities have dis-appeared through the course of history,but little Bethlehem stirs in the heart ofevery Christian.

Let us take a moment to reflect on greatness as the world knows it and asGod perceives it.

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November Monday

“Take nothing for your journey.”

– LUkE 9:3

his advice which Jesus gave his firstdisciples applies to our Advent journeytoo. What can we bring that is packable?He will need nothing tangible from us.He will ask that we come with willinghearts, ready for the rigors of the trekand docile to the graces waiting forthose who travel.

In order to kneel humbly before him atthe end of this trip what changes do Ineed to make in how I approach eachday? Am I willing, reluctant to face thenew, patient with others…? What comesto the fore?

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November Tuesday

If I go forward, he is not there;or backward, I cannot perceive him.

– JoB 23:8

e all have days when our spiritualGPS sputters to a halt and we are lost.The words of Job ring so true. There aretimes when we seem paralyzed by ourinability to see. God is asking only onestep at a time, one pace forward withtrust that he has not abandoned us.

We pray this day for the faith to be thatkind of traveler.

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November Wednesday

But he knows the way that I take;when he has tested me,

I shall come out like gold.

– JoB 23:10

t is this kind of faith we need in orderto find our way to Bethlehem. We arenever far from the eyes of God, eventhough we don’t physically perceivethat. Job is the persistent optimist whobelieves it. What a faith model he is foreach of us.

Let’s look today in prayer at the falsephrase that “seeing is believing”. Whatdo I need to do to live in a clearer faith?

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December Thursday

Prepare the way of the Lord,make straight in the deserta highway for our God.

– ISAIAH 40:3

he prophet is reminding us that weare all part of the “road crew” of theLord. Just as the roads were madesmoother for the visits of important personages after the winter’s rains, so wetoo have holes to fill and bumps to level ifour highway is to be passable. It is almosta contradiction that we are doing bothroad repair and travel at the same time,but that is what Advent is about.

Let us reflect on a spiritual hollow orhillock that needs some attention beforewe reach our goal and let us work on ittoday.

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December Friday

A highway shall be there,and it shall be called the Holy Way.

– ISAIAH 35:8

saiah is dreaming of the ultimate roadto Zion which men and women of everynation will enthusiastically fill as theycome together into the House of theLord. Is there some stranger I need toreach out to today with a word of welcome or recognition so that that person is no longer an outsider?

I will both pray and act on that last question. What do I need to do?

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December Saturday

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,and come to Zion with singing.

– ISAIAH 35:10

his is how we are to travel to Bethlehem,with a song in our heart. The prophetsees this as a vast pilgrimage of joyousbelievers en route to the God of love. It isa challenge to be a smiling Christian. Wecan so often make religion assume agloomy face as if that might please God.Regardless of the challenges of the day, adeeper joy has to be rooted in each ofour hearts.

Let us ask ourselves if we have a song inthe depths of our being, a song to beshared.

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December Sunday

Look to him, and be radiant.

– PSALM 34:5

he early Christians attracted theirpagan neighbors to inquire about theirfaith because of their joyous love foreach other. What a difference we couldmake in our world if we radiated faith,so that others might want to know whatwe have that they do not. Do we ratherhide our light or have we yet to find thejoy of believing?

In prayer this day, let us pursue thedeepest joy that is beyond words, but notbeyond expression.

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December Monday

Do not fear, O Zion;do not let your hands grow weak.

– ZEPHANIAH 3:16

his is an intriguing verse, isn’t it? Theprophet is asking us to consider how wereach out to others, even as we celebratethe victory of God come among us.Biblically, hands are meant for service,for connecting to another. We cannotmake our way to Bethlehem alone so wehave to be conscious of those beside us.

Let us reflect on how to best live thiscommand of the prophet today.

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December Tuesday

“Learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart.”

– MATTHEW 11:29

or too long God has been presentedas the threatening judge. The greatlesson of Bethlehem is the presence ofthe Child. Who can fear an infant? Jesuswanted those who would follow him toremember that. His plea is to live thesetwo traits of the true believer.

What more do I need to do to becomegentle and humble in my daily living?

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December Wednesday

Be still before the Lord,and wait patiently for him.

– PSALM 37:7

ometimes on a journey, we do have tobe still: to rest, consult a map, solve aproblem. However, being still is one ofthe hardest things for us humans to do.We have to be “up and about” or we feelthat we are somehow missing some-thing. But stillness is one of the placeswhere God can be found. Since this journey is not just to reach a goal but tobecome someone new on the way, wewill need times of stillness.

In prayer this day, let us do as thepsalmist suggests. Be still and wait.

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December Thursday

All her paths are peace.

– PRovERBS 3:19

hile we are about our journey toBethlehem, there is that other one thatcame first. Mary and Joseph were trav-eling together, probably in a caravan offriends and relatives, making their wayto David’s city. How do you think shetraveled, she who carried in her wombthe one who is our journey’s end? Walkbeside her this day and see that peace,trust in God’s providence and hope forthe future were part of her attitude.

In prayer, walk with Mary and adopt herattitudes for your day.

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December Friday

Let us pursue what makes for peaceand for mutual upbuilding.

– RoMANS 14:19

hat a challenge this can be. It is somuch easier to listen to gossip or to rollone’s eyes with suspicion. The genuinepeacemaker has a lasting challenge tosmooth the tangled ends of resentmentsor the beginnings of a quarrel. What Paulsuggests is both a gift to the communityand grace for the one who practices it,but it is not easy.

If practice makes perfect, then let usresolve to start our peacemaking beforeanother day elapses. The occasion willpresent itself.

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December Saturday

For he is our peace; [he] hasbroken down the dividing wall.

– EPHESIANS 2:14

f we are to travel together to a commongoal, there can be no walls dividing myside of the road from yours. The veryimage is ludicrous, but that is how somepeople suggest we journey through life.No, the real Christian sees all as part ofthe family. He who is not against us isfor us. Looking at history, we haven’tdone well on this, have we?

Let us resolve to tear at some wall wesee in our thinking or acting towardsthose who are not “of us”.

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December Sunday

Therefore, lift your drooping handsand strengthen your weak knees.

– HEBREWS 12:12

e are at midpoint today and this iswhen we begin to feel the fatigue. Theexcitement of beginning is over. Thenew companions have become old.People’s idiosyncrasies are apparent. “I want to go home.” No, it is time for asecond wind, so let us regather our energy and think ahead to where we aregoing and whom we are seeking.

our prayer intention is in that last sentence. We must not flag now.

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December Monday

When you walk, your stepwill not be hampered…

– PRovERBS 4:12

e have to be this confident or everytiny obstacle will be interpreted as having an ominous meaning. If we walkwith purpose and energy, in harmonywith whoever is today’s traveling companion, then there can be nothingthat is a real hindrance.

In prayer, let us ask for the grace to walkwith this kind of determined faith.

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December Tuesday

And when you turn to the right…or to the left, your ears shall

hear a word behind you, saying,“This is the way; walk in it.”

– ISAIAH 30:21

ouldn’t you love such a clear directive? It isn’t often that easy, but the grace of God is that inaudible voicefor those of us who would walk theBethlehem road as pilgrims anxious toarrive but equally concerned that wetravel as God would have us journey.

Let us ask this day for ears to detect that accompanying voice of God in our hearts.

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December Wednesday

“For we observed his star at its risingand have come to pay him homage.”

– MATTHEW 2:2

ust suppose that our road intersectedwith that of these star-travelers comefrom the East. Would we find their storyinteresting or would we look on them asa bit weird. After all, who follows a starfor weeks? Would we dismiss them asunworthy of joining us more seriousseekers of the Child? There is reason towonder here.

Let us sit beside our campfire with theMagi and decide if we want to journeywith them or not? Why?

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December Thursday

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid…”

– MATTHEW 1:20

hat young carpenter is sleeping restlessly tonight. In what has hebecome involved? It is too late to suggestthat God choose someone else. He haslegitimate concerns for what seems tobe happening, if he is to be the materialprovider for his wife and this Child whois destined to be born away from home.He worries.

Hear God’s words to Joseph and thenapply them to yourself, putting yourname in the place of his. God cares noless for you.

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December Friday

The human mind plans the way,but the Lord directs the steps.

– PRovERBS 16:9

his biblical proverb is just a rephrasingof the “man plans and God laughs.”Haven’t we all made lovely plans, thussaving God the trouble of doing it, only tosee them crash through circumstancesthat we feel are beyond our control. Whydoesn’t God see it our way? Almosteverything concerned with Christmascomes to mind here. Going to Bethlehemis all about the unexpected. It is God’ssurprise.

Let us ask for the grace to welcomeGod’s surprises in our lives.

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December Saturday

The one who moves too hurriedlymisses the way.

– PRovERBS 19:2

he Christian calendar carves out fourSundays for the way to Bethlehem, fartoo long for those of us who want to getthere ASAP. The spiritual changes necessary to be truly ready for what wewill find at journey’s end require time.We cannot hurry this journey. We caneach think of errors made by trying to gofaster. While all around us says “Hurry”,God says “Match your pace to mine.”

Let us pray at this week’s end for thegrace to slow down in our soul’s depths.

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December Sunday

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for youhave found favor with God.”

– LUkE 1:30

ary, nearing the end of the exhaustingphysical journey, is also near her deliverytime. She must be concerned about whatwill happen next. How are she and Josephto raise this Child as part of God’s plan? Dothey have the necessary skills andresources? As she looks around at thosetraveling with her, she must have concernsabout their reaction to the one who isabout to be born. Humanly speaking, shehas many reasons to fear the future.

In prayer, let us consider how we mighthave reacted had we lived in Mary’sworld, we who were expecting a new kingDavid. Would we have been disappointedor excited to have bypassed Jerusalemand to be heading for Bethlehem?

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December Monday

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

– LUkE 1:37

hese are the words that are Mary’sreassurance and ours as well. God seesfar more than we do, God’s grace isgreater than all human frailty and Godwill bring this incredible idea to a satisfactory conclusion. Then, as now, itis only faith in these words that give anymeaning to our human situations.

We need to repeat this sentence to ourselves again and again until it pierces our inner consciousness andbecomes real: God is greater than ourhuman frailty.

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December Tuesday

“Go and search diligently for the child…”

– MATTHEW 2:8

hese are the words of Herod as hesends the wise men off on a search he istoo afraid to undertake, but they are alsothe words that underscore why we comedown this Bethlehem road every year. Weare always in search of this Child, alwayslooking for him in the changing circum-stances of our daily living. Finding andkeeping do not always go together, sincethe dynamics of life keep us alert to seehim in our daily challenges.

In prayer, let us ask for the grace to keepthat search alive and fresh.

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December Wednesday

They set out; and there ahead of them went the star…

– MATTHEW 2:9

his is an intriguing verse. The Magithought they had lost their way so theystopped to ask directions. It was onlywhen they got back on the road that thestar reappeared. It was missing as theysat in Herod’s palace and waited for thescholars to scan the scrolls. They arebeing led, not to the splendor of a king’sresidence, nor to the crowded courtyardsof the Temple, but to a tiny town almostlost to history. Nothing of note has hap-pened in Bethlehem in a thousand years.

In prayer let us reflect on the truth thatour Bethlehem star is leading us past the “we’re number one” world into theunknown.

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December Thursday

He went to be registered with Mary…

– LUkE 2:5

oseph never gets to say one word inany gospel. He is there as Mary’s support, as Jesus’ first teacher, as theneighbor many of us would love to havehad. He is a young man of duty and of agreat willingness to enter into God’splan. There is so much to admire in thissilent background figure without whomBethlehem would not have happened.Would we have been content with such arole in God’s plan?

In our quiet time today let us moveJoseph front and center and really seethis extraordinary person with hisamazing qualities.

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December Friday

“Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy…”

– LUkE 2:10

ur cast of characters is almost complete as the final angelic message isgiven to shepherds on a lonely hillsideoutside Bethlehem. It has the usual prelude that reassures and then it getsright to the point. This is a happy message and it has to come in a song. In a wonderfully incongruous scene thepoorest folk of Bethlehem hear musicthat is unearthly. God is lavish!

Let us find our way to this hillside andlisten with the shepherds. Where mustthis song lead them?

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December Saturday

“Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing which has taken place…”

– LUkE 2:15

hat song was a clarion call to actionand the shepherds have to set out immediately. There seem to be no suggestions of waiting until dawn, of worrying about stray wolves or similarpractical matters. They go with haste.Can you see them scrambling in the darkdown that hillside, through the sleepingflocks, and out upon the starlit road?They have a mission and they will fulfillit with alacrity.

Shall we match our steps to theirsbecause we are bound for the same placewhere a Child has just been born?

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December Sunday

So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph,

and the child lying in the manger.

– LUkE 2:16

e are here, and whatever were thedifficulties of the long journey, they areforgotten. We had a destination and wehave reached it. And what do we find?Just a Child, the most helpless and vul-nerable among us, born as we have allbeen born, but this little one does noteven have a bed. When he is not in hisparents’ arms, he lies on carefully piledstraw in an animal’s feeding trough. Hesleeps and we look on with love. This is amoment beyond words.

our prayer is simply love.

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ARoL PERRY, S.U., is Resident BibleScholar at New York City’s historic MarbleCollegiate Church. She leads studies of theBible in Marble’s Spiritual Growth andEducation Ministry and in business locationsthroughout Manhattan as part of the church’sSpirituality in the Workplace outreach. Herstanding-room-only Bible Class each Sundaymorning is webcast live at 10:00am andrepeated most Sundays at 12:45pm (ET) atMarbleChurch.org.

A gifted teacher, Sister Carol uses her extensive scholarship and imaginative story-telling skills to offer a fresh and innovativeapproach to exploring the Scriptures, bringingpeople and stories of the Bible to life. FormerChair of the English Department at John A.Coleman High School in kingston, New York,she received her Master’s degree from St.Mary’s at Notre Dame, Indiana, and studied atFordham University and Regina Mundi inRome. Carol Perry is a Sister of Saint Ursula.Sister Carol is also the author of Waiting forOur Souls to Catch Up and Among Women.

Designed by Robert Romagnoli

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