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INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT
by Leonard Goffine, 1871


  On this Sunday the Church manifests strongly her burning desire for the coming of the Redeemer, and, in the Introit, places the sighs of the just of the Old Law upon the lips of the faithful, again exhorting them through the gospel of the day, to real penance as the best preparation for the worthy reception of the Saviour, therefore she sings at the Introit: "Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just; let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour!" (Isai. xlv. 8.) "The heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the works of his hands". (Ps. xviii. 1.)

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH. Arouse, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy power and come! hasten with Thy powerful aid; that our redemption which is more and more removed from us by our sins, may be accelerated by the power of Thy grace through the excess of Thy mercies. Who livest and reignest &c.


EPISTLE, (i. Corinth, iv. 1 - 5.) Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries of God. Here now it is required among the dispensers that a man be found faithful. But to me it is a very small thing to be judged by you, or by man's day: but neither do I judge my own self. For I am not conscious to myself of anything, yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge not before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the councils of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise from God.


Why is this epistle read today?

The Church desires by this epistle to impress those who received Holy Orders on Ember Saturday with the dignity of their office, and exhorts them to fill it with becoming fidelity and sanctity, excelling the laity by piety and virtue as well as by official dignity. She wishes again to remind the faithful of the terrible coming of Christ to judgment, urging them by purifying their conscience through a contrite confession to receive Christ at this holy Christmas time, as their Saviour, that they may not behold Him, in future, as their severe judge.


How should the priest be regarded?

As the servant, house-keeper, and vicar of Christ; as dispenser of the holy mysteries; as ambassador of the Most High. (i. Cor. iv. 1., vi. Cor. v. 20.) For this reason God earnestly commands honor to the priest (Eccl. vii. 31), and Christ says of the Apostles and their successors (Luke x. 16.) Who despiseth you, despiseth me; and St. Paul writes (i. Tim. v. iv.): Let the priests who rule well be esteemed worthy of double honor; especially they who labor in the word and doctrine.


Can the priest dispense the sacraments according to his own will?

No, he must have power from the Church, and must exercise his office faithfully, in accordance with the orders of the Church, and act only as willed by Christ whose house-keeper he is. The priest dare not give that which is holy to dogs (Matt. vii. 7.), that is, he is not permitted to give absolution and administer the sacraments to impenitent, and, therefore, unworthy persons, under penalty of being damned with them.

Why does St. Paul consider the judgment of men as a small thing?

Because it is usually false, deceived, foolish, and is consequently not worth seeking or caring for, for man often counts as evil that which is in itself good and pleasing to God, and, on the contrary, esteems as good that which is evil and damnable, and displeases God. So, St. Paul says: If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. (Gal. i. 10.) Oh, how foolish, and what poor Christians, therefore, are they, who not to be unpleasant to man, so willingly adopt all silly customs, and fashions in dress, manners and appearance, making themselves contemptible to God, the angels and saints, whom to please is the only true honor and happiness! Recall the beautiful words of the Seraphic St. Francis: "Our worth is as we are worth to God, no more"; and learn from it, to fulfill your duties faithfully and be indifferent to the world's judgment and its praise.


Why does St. Paul not wish to judge himself?

Because no one, without a special revelation from heaven, can know if he is just in the sight of God or not, even though his conscience may accuse him of nothing, for no one knows whether he merits the wrath or the love of God. (Eccl. ix. 1.) Thus St. Paul goes on to say, that though he was not conscious of any wrong, he did not judge himself to be justified, God only could decide upon that. Man should, certainly, examine himself as much as is in his power, to find if he has anything within him displeasing to God; but he should not, finding nothing, judge himself more just than others, but should consider that his mind's eyes may be dimmed, and fail to see that which God sees, and will reveal to others at the Judgment Day. So the Pharisees saw no fault in themselves, and counted themselves saintly perfect, yet our Lord cursed them.

ASPIRATION. O Lord, enter not into judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight no man living can be justified. (Ps. cxlii. 2.)


GOSPEL. (Luke iii. 1 - 6.) Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrach of Galilee, and Philip, his brother, tetrarch of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina, under the high priests Annas and Caiphas: the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins: as it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.


Why is the time in which St. John commenced to preach so minutely described?

The Evangelist, contrary to his usual custom, describes the time so minutely, and enumerates so exactly and in their precise order the religious and civil princes in office, that, in the first place, it could not be denied that this was truly the time and the year in which appeared in this world the promised Messiah, whom John baptized, and the Heavenly Father declared to be His beloved Son, and because it shows the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Patriarch Jacob (Gen. xlix. 10.) that when the sceptre would be taken away from Juda, that is, whan the Jєωs would have no longer a king from their own tribes, the Saviour would come.


What is meant by: The word of the Lord was made to John?

It means that by an angel sent from God, or by a divine, inward inspiration, John was exhorted to preach penance, and to announce to the world the coming of the Lord, for which work he had prepared himself by a penitential, secluded life in intercourse with God. We may learn from it that we should not intrude ourselves into office, least of all into a spiritual office, but await the call from God to it, preparing ourselves by sincere testing of ourselves in solitude and quiet, by fervent prayer for the necessary light, by seeking the advice of our spiritual guide, and by a holy life.


What is meant by: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths?

It means to make our hearts worthy for the reception, so replete with grace, of Christ, by penance, amendment of the present, and the preparation for a pious life. To do this, every valley should be filled, that is, all faint-heartedness, sloth and cowardice, all wordly, carnal sentiments should be thrown out of the heart, and their place filled up with a firm confidence in God, or ardent desire of eternal goodness, and the exercise of heavenly virtues, reaching towards God, the highest good; the mountains and hills should be brought low, that is, pride, stubborness and ambition should be humbled, and the obstinate will be broken. The crooked shall be made straight, that is, ill gotten goods should be restituted, hypocrisy and malice, and double dealing be pushed aside, and all motives be turned to God and His holy will. And the rough ways shall be made plain, which means, anger, revenge, and impatience must leave the heart, if the Lamb of God is to dwell there.

And also it may signify that the Saviour put to shame the pride of the world, and its false wisdom, by building His Church upon the Apostles, who, by reason of their poverty and simplicity, may be considered the low valleys, while the way to heaven, formerly, because of the lack of grace, so rough and hard to tread, is now by His grace made smooth and easy.

ASPIRATION. Would that my heart, my Jesus! was well prepared and smooth for Thee! Effect Thyself, my Saviour, that which of myself I cannot do. Make me an humble valley, fill me with Thy grace; turn my crooked and perverted will to Thy pleasure; change my rough and angry disposition, throw away and soften in me whatever is in Thy way, that Thou mayst come to me unimpeded, and Thou alone possess and rule me forever. Amen.






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