A Shoot Shall Sprout from the Stump of Jesse
On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1-3)
One of the more painful realities of the implementation of the New Roman Missal for me has been to see on display the continued divisions that exist in our Church. It should be clear to anyone with eyes to see that there remain disagreements among Catholics, clergy and laity alike, about what is best for the Church of the present and future. Even more discouraging at times is the fact that we continue to use political labels to describe these schools of thought, applying the terms Conservative and Liberal not only to politicians, but to our fellow Christians. These labels, in my opinion, only serve to lead us away from the unity which Jesus Himself prayed for while He was among us as a man.
Today’s gospel reading challenges us to be on the lookout for something new. The image of a young shoot growing from the stump of a tree, one presumed to be dead, is a hopeful image for our Church. As I look out upon what I see among the people of God it is easy to see that there are some who care very much for our Catholic traditions that focus on our roots in the early Church. These Catholics hope for a day when God will hear the cries of his people who long for a return to a Church built solidly on the teachings of the apostles, one where our prayer is beautiful and the meaning of our prayer is clear. They seek a new day of heroes who strive every day for holiness. I also see many who hope that our Church will never forget that we are called to go forth boldly into the world in search of those who those described in our new liturgy as “people of goodwill”. It seems when these Catholics hear Isaiah speak of a root shooting forth from the stump of Jesse, they see a hope for renewal in the Church, without the loss of our history.
When faced with the continued disagreement among these two groups within our Church, I often wonder why we can’t have the best of both. Thoughout our history as a people of faith we have seldom found the correct path by making the choice between either this or that. Most often it has been by using the word “and” that we find the best version of our faith. During my time at Mundelein Seminary I recall Fr. Bob Barron referring to this as bi-polar extremism. Bi-polar extremism means that we cease from choosing the red flag or the white one, or even in taking the middle road by choosing a pink flag. It means having the red and white flags flying full mast side by side. It means that Christ is fully human and fully divine. It means that the Eucharist is both the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and the heavenly wedding banquet. It means we have to put aside divisions and pray as Christ did that all will be one.
Perhaps the best way we can ensure that new shoots continue to sprout from the stumps of our faith is to set out to hold fast to those things we believe to be most important about our faith while at the same time listening to the things others find most important about that same faith. Even if at the end of the day we come away unconvinced by what has been shared with us by our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are apt to gain something in the process. I would venture to say that if we take the time to truly listen with a gentle spirit, if we are open to the fact that there might be something more for us to learn, if we focus less on being understood and more on seeking to understand, we are almost certain to grow in humility.
My prayer during this season of Advent is that a shoot will indeed sprout forth from the stump of Jesse. May it be a shoot of unity among the faithful.
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