The first few chapters of Genesis are referred to as Primeval History. Within these passages, there are stories of how the world and its societies formed into what they are today; they are not meant to be read as historical texts, but as creation stories that indicate fundamental truths about human nature, while at the same time giving us a rubric on how to maximize our potential in virtuous behavior. The story of Cain and Abel is a particularly important one. These two brothers are essentially the first natural-born humans, since their parents are Adam and Eve. They are the prototype of humanity born in Original Sin; Cain represents the danger of how much further we can fall, while Abel offers us a glimpse of hope into how we can ingratiate ourselves to God once again.

This particular passage tells of the great reputation of king David, nearly a thousand years after his reign in the book of Ben Sira. His character and his dependence on God lasted centuries and passed down to his people. On the other hand, we hear in the Gospel of king Herod Antipas, who occupies the same position as David a thousand years after him, but who catastrophically fails in his responsibilities. These two figures, David and Herod, reinforce the moral of the story of Cain and Abel: life is not predetermined, and our successes and failures are determined by how we respond to the obstacles in our way. The best method to overcome the challenges of life that seem to unjustly target us in particular is to do exactly what God asks us to do. This is where Cain failed: God never appeased Cain by giving him what he desired; instead, he challenged Cain to rise above the difficulty of comparing himself to his brother. In the most perfect expression of love, God warns Cain that sin waits at the door for him and wants him, but he can rule over it. Cain fails to obey God and gives in to the predator of sin. Herod’s position is identical. He is given immense power and a special position as king of God’s chosen people, but his envy of John the Baptist overcomes him.

We are called to model ourselves instead after Abel and David. It might seem like these two are unfairly given an “easy path” to following God, but it only appears so because they remain entirely obedient to Him. In fact, they go above and beyond what is asked of them. Abel gives the very best portion of his flock as an offering to God. Ben Sira compares David to the very best portion of the flock of Israel - he offers his entire self to God. If we want to maximize the potential of who we can be, we must take this to heart. Sin waits at the door for us, but we can overcome it by handing control of the situation over to God. We can offer ourselves.

The season of Advent, the time in which we await in hopeful expectation for the coming of Christ, can really only be understood properly if we are aware of multiple different things working together: the Jewish concept of the Messiah, the historical context in the time of Jesus, the words of the Old Testament prophets, etc. One of these important aspects that must be understood is the identity of the great prophet Elijah. There are many references to him throughout the Mass readings of the season of Advent, and chances are many Jews living at the time of Christ were hyper-aware of the prophet because of his role in messianic theology. Who was Elijah and why is he so important to us during this time of preparation and waiting?

Elijah is considered one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament. Stories of his work seem to correlate to the story of the nation of Israel, but as a prophet, Elijah serves to warn people and to turn them back to God. Most important to the Jews, however, was that Elijah never seemed to suffer a bodily death; he was taken up into heaven on a chariot of fire, and was subsequently believed to someday return as a precursor to the coming of the Messiah. Because Elijah was a great and powerful prophet, many Jews were expecting that, when he returned, he would present himself again as a great and powerful prophet. As Jesus went about performing his public ministry, many considered him to be Elijah returned. Jesus had all of the signs of a prophet, and he spoke of a sort of “great and terrible day of the Lord” just as the book of Malachi prophesied Elijah would come before. But Christ was not Elijah, and many of his followers came to realize this. Those followers who originally followed John the Baptist before Jesus, like Andrew and perhaps even Peter, were the ones who understood the identity of Christ best. 

In the Gospel, we are explicitly told by Christ that John the Baptist was Elijah returned. If the people understood this, then they would have immediately recognized that Jesus Christ was something or someone far greater than they could comprehend, since John was clear about preparing the way for Jesus Christ specifically. Advent is personified in John the Baptist, who prepares for us the way of Christ. But who exactly was Christ? It is revealed later to us through the words of one of these followers, Peter, when he acknowledges that some say Jesus is Elijah or even John the Baptist after his execution. But Peter identifies Christ and reveals to those who were witnesses that the “great and terrible day of the Lord” prophesied in Malachi was here, by claiming that Jesus is “the Messiah, the son of the Living God”, and he is among us now.

Religion is as old as humanity itself. If you were to think about what the first humans who existed without religion must have thought about the world, there are so many things within nature that seem to give good reasons to begin believing in a gracious divine power. These same humans would have looked at the sun in the sky, and though they may not have understood exactly what it was, they would know that it provided very necessary warmth and light. These humans would have looked at the plants around them that could be used for food and shelter, and their natural inclination would be gratitude for these things that enabled their survival. Whether we are in an uninformed state about our surroundings or we are fully aware of the way the world works, it seems that gratitude is an intrinsic and unique aspect of human nature itself. Gratitude makes us properly human.

Every Thanksgiving, families all over the country gather together for a meal to share time with each other and to express their gratitude for all that they have been given over the past year. However, not all of these participants in Thanksgiving are going to be believers. To what or to whom are they expressing gratitude then? The very fact that they feel the need to express gratitude indicates to us that gratitude is a very natural part of what it means to be a human being. It does not have to be taught, but it most certainly is not part of our animalistic appetites. It is almost divine, in the same way that charitable love cannot be explained merely by our physical being. Gratitude is a very unique thing - we can only be grateful when we are given something that was not earned. Who is the giver? As believers and as Christians, we know that it is God; in fact, gratitude is a necessary part of our prayer life as Catholics. We understand fully as believers that we have to be grateful to someone or to something, and that is God. It is God who has given us all that we have not earned. It is God who has blessed us with all that we do not deserve. Gratitude allows us to acknowledge and recognize the existence of God and His involvement in our lives simply through our nature as human beings.

It is just as significant to recognize that a Thanksgiving holiday is always celebrated with one important meal. Meals are an expression of many things: celebration, community, gratitude, and charity. Meals are the fullest expression of the best parts of humanity. This is why God has chosen to continue to present Himself to us physically specifically through a meal - the Supper of the Lamb. Whenever we go to Mass and participate in the Eucharist, we are present at the moment Christ offered himself on the cross for us, but we are also present and participate in the victory that came through that offering. The Wedding Feast of the Lamb is a meal, but the Lamb is offering himself as the food to be eaten. It is a touching and profoundly sacrificial celebration of love. But the nature of this love is initiated and shared by God to us. We respond and give back this love to God only through our gratitude for what He gives to us at this meal. The word “Eucharist” comes from the Greek word for giving thanks; we must never forget the role that gratitude plays in our relationship with God. Remember that you can give back the love God shares with you through the simple act of showing Him gratitude.

Christianity and its various expressions has lately been accused by some critics and even some adherents as being inherently patriarchal in a negative sense. In Catholicism, we can see where this criticism is rooted, especially when the priesthood is exclusively male (and will continue to be). However, the Church has existed for over two millennia, with women consistently being active and supportive from its beginnings up to the present age. If we do run the risk of making women feel excluded in the Church today, what can we learn from the Church in the past when women felt at home? We can look at all of the great female saints of our history, from Mary Magdalene who was the Apostle to the Apostles and the first person to profess the Christian faith in the light of the resurrection, to St. Therese of Lisieux who, in her simplicity, revolutionized the spiritual life through her Little Way. We can look at powerful women like Joan of Arc, who bravely defended her faith and homeland, or Gianna Beretta Molla, who was a loving mother and wife and allowed her love to spread into her defense of life.

As wonderful as all of the female saints in the Church are, they only scratch the surface of the inherent femininity of our faith. After all, in order for these women to thrive as Christians, they needed to be supported by an already existing love and appreciation for femininity in the Church. There are three elements of femininity that are not only part of the Christian faith, but foundational to its existence. The first and most obvious is our Blessed Mother: while Mary was just a human being, her role in Salvation History cannot be understated. She not only perfected what it meant to be a woman; she perfected what it meant to be human. The only other person we can say that about is Jesus Christ himself. All Christians strive to be even a fraction as faithful to her son as Mary was. The second and most important is the Church itself. In actuality, we should be referring to the Church as “herself,” as the Church established by Christ is his own Bride, and the Wedding Feast between the two is the fullness of Heaven. Any participation we have in the Church is as witnesses of this Divine Marriage, and as participants in our Holy Mother Church. The priesthood, although it is exclusively male and will continue to be so, only exists to serve the Church. These men are dedicating their lives to serving her.

The third and most overlooked element of femininity in our faith is the oldest. It existed long before Christ came to earth, and some theologians argue existed from the very beginning. We hear in tthe book of Ben Sira the author speaking about his pursuit of wisdom; interestingly, he refers to this generally esoteric concept as “her.” Wisdom in Greek is Sophia. It is very clearly assigned feminine personhood in the wisdom literature of Scripture. Like our own relationship with the Church after the Resurrection, Ben Sira’s pursuit of Wisdom is like that of a potential bride: he falls in love with her, delights in her presence, wants nothing more than to be united with her, directs his soul to her, and only attains her through the cleanliness of his own heart. How many times have we heard this same sentiment being expressed by newly baptized Christians? Femininity is the foundation of the Church; it is at the foundation of how humans come to be in relationship with God. It is only through Mary that we can fully understand her son. It is only through the Church that we can be in full communion with him. It is only through Wisdom that we can speak to God Himself. Whether it is the example of great women saints, our Blessed Mother, the Church, or Wisdom, we all delight in her.