1st Week of Advent from "Advent of the Heart" with PDF
Advent of the Heart
+ First Week of Advent +
Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr
Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times. Fr. Delp’s theological genius is nothing short of breathtaking. All quotes below pertain to the First Sunday of Advent…
Opening Psalm of the Tridentine Mass (the Mass Fr. Delp would have celebrated):
“To Thee have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed: neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me: and teach me Thy paths.”
Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1941:
“Much of what is happening today would not be happening if people were in that state of inner movement and restlessness of heart in which man comes into the presence of God the Lord and gains a clear view of things as they really are. [Fr. Delp changes to the past tense, displaying his distanced vantage point from this world.] Then man would have let go of much that has thrown all our lives into disorder one way or another and has thrashed and smashed our lives. He would have seen the inner appeals, would have seen the boundaries, and could have coordinated the areas of responsibility. Instead, man stood on this earth in a false pathos and a false security, under a deep delusion in which he really believed he could single-handedly fetch stars from heaven; could enkindle eternal lights in the world and avert all danger from himself; that he could banish the night, and intercept and interrupt the internal quaking of the cosmos, and maneuvered and manipulated the whole thing into the conditions standing before us now. That is the first Advent message: before the end, the world will be set quaking.”
Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1943:
“People who fail to live out of the center can be alienated from themselves so easily by outside influences. Other values of secondary importance impose themselves, making life inauthentic and bringing it under an alien law and an alien paradigm. Are we living out of the center of our being?”
From Tegel Prison, Berlin, 2 months before Delp’s martyrdom, struggling to write while in handcuffs. These were smuggled out at great risk. Do not take these words for granted:
“Light the candles wherever you can, you who have them. They are a real symbol of what must happen in Advent, what Advent must be, if we want to live.”
+++ Good Friday & A World in Crisis +++
Then the Jews, (because it was the parasceve,) that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath day, (for that was a great sabbath day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers therefore came; and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him. But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
John 19:31
The 2 thieves died when their legs were broken because the legs support the body, so when the supports fail, death is hastened. When looking outside our windows, does this look familiar? What are the supports of a functional society? Here are a few, varying in importance, some dependent on others…
Relationship with God Freedom Morality Human Identity as Created by God Peace Honesty Honor Prosperity Access to Resources Sanctity of Life Bodily Autonomy Law Safety Reason Respect for God’s Earth Upholding the Vulnerable Cooperation Equality Free Market Limited Government Self-Defense Dignity & Civility Subsidiarity Self-Reliance Restraint of Technology Checks & Balances Support of Family Cultural Identity
For those who do not have their heads in the clouds, it is easy to see how these structural supports have been systematically attacked. Supposedly because of a 99% survival-rate virus, we have seen the erosion of freedom of speech, travel, bodily autonomy (including the very right to breathe, which square foot you are allowed to stand on and hugging a friend in public), worship, business, celebration of life events, parental rights, peaceful protest, financial rights, walking in a park and the list actually goes on. Looking at the above, how many things would you say are left?
The banking crisis the West now faces, is one example of a demolition which is further weakening the complex system we rely on. As Chris Martenson says, economy, energy and environment (“The Three E’s”) are inextricably linked. Throw in geopolitics and a history of making money out of thin air, and you get to where we are now. Martenson also makes the important point that we are seeing the general breakdown of “social contracts.”
Another expert, Robert Kiyosaki, explains the complexity of this situation with his colleague, Andy Schectman, in the video below. They explain the problems of selective bailouts, nations moving away from the dollar and an unprepared population. Pillars that we have long relied upon are now crumbling…
is it over for the us dollar?
The world is breaking the same way the legs of the 2 thieves were broken. When you destroy the foundational supports, the body falls. But there was One also crucified, in their midst. One Who could not be broken. Set apart. Human, yet Divine. The world must remember its Redeemer. We must return to Him and rely on His strength, because He can never fail. Though He was beaten and tortured, His core stood unbreakable. Though Holy Church suffers scandals and great distress, the gates of Hell cannot prevail against her. Her core is unshakable, her teachings immovable.
No matter what the coming days will hold, we must remain true to faith, hope and love. We stand on Christ. We know that our King will triumph, for He has already conquered from the Cross…and Risen! Alleluia!