Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 1, 2019
Jesus said to his disciples: “For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.
“Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
“But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
I would be lying if I said I felt comfortable with this Sunday’s gospel. As the days get shorter and the nights get longer I begrudgingly don’t want to stay awake. It feels harder to stay awake the older I get! But the line that struck my heart was, “Noah entered the ark.” The ark? This reminded me of a monstrance in Chicago at St. Stanislaus. The monstrance is called, “Our Lady of the Sign.” It beautifully depicts a statue of Mary sitting above the Ark of the Covenant with the two angels on either side. The Eucharistic host lies within Mary’s womb. What a beautiful connection!
As a male, I find it hard sometimes to imagine how Mary would’ve felt with the Incarnate Word dwelling within her womb. Yet the gospel writer reminds me of Noah and I am invited to ponder, like Noah in the darkness of the ark, the promise of new life. I am invited to ponder, like Mary in the darkness of her womb, the promise of new life. I am invited, as Advent begins, to enter into my own ark; the inner room of my heart–like Noah and Mary–as I wait for the coming of the incarnate Word. The question I find myself asking, then, is, will I stay awake? And, as the psalmist and this liturgical season of Advent reminds me, will I stay joyfully awake?
Prayer
Lord, come to save us! All those years ago you came down to us from heaven, to little, forgotten Bethlehem. Then you saved us, Lord, by your cross and resurrection. Come to us again. Save us now as we prepare to celebrate how you became a person, poor and weak and small, a person like us. We thank you for all our many blessings. We ask you for what we still need. On this first Sunday of Advent, help us to watch, to be alert, to wait with Mary and Joseph until you come again. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Eligius was a seventh-century saint who lived in France. He was born around 588 AD in France, near Limoges. Eligius' father, Eucherius, apprenticed his young son to a goldsmith. Eligius took to smithing with gusto and, once he had finished his apprenticeship, he gained enough of a reputation that his name caught the ear of King Clotaire II of the Franks, who resided in Paris. Eligius crossed the Loire into the neighboring kingdom of the Franks, and Clotaire hired Elgius to make him a throne and provided him with the necessary gold and gems to construct something suitably grand. Eligius was such a skilled smith that he used the material Clotaire had given him for one throne and constructed two magnificent thrones out of them.
Clotaire was suitably impressed both by Eligius' designing ability and his honesty: Eligius could have simply pocketed the additional gold and precious jewels, but instead gave back the surplus to the king. Subsequently, Clotaire invited him to join the court as the master of the mint. Their honeymoon period did not last long, unfortunately, as Clotaire asked Eligius to swear an oath of allegiance. Eligius hesitated, as he was unsure whether or not Clotaire was going to use this oath for nefarious purposes. Eligius, as a member of the kingdom of the Merovingians, was not a subject of Clotaire who owed him his allegiance. Clotaire continued to press Eligius, annoyed that this otherwise loyal master of mint was resisting his will. Finally, Clotaire came to see that Eligius' refusal was not a matter of resistance, but a matter of conscience, as Eligius wanted nothing to stand in the way of his commitment to doing what he knew was his Christian duty, even his duty to his employer. King Clotaire was so impressed by Eligius' integrity, he embraced him, declaring to Eligius that his conscience was "a better pledge of fidelity than other men's oaths."
King Clotaire's son, Dagobert I, also admired Eligius and kept him in the royal household when his father died. Eligius became such a trusted advisor that he became sort of a gatekeeper to the royal presence. Many visitors stopped to see Eligius and ask for his counsel before reaching the king. The legend of St. Eligius' life details the many splendid monuments in Paris that Eligius crafted out of gold, including reliquaries for St. Martin of Tours and St. Denys.
Eligius dealt in fine things and became rich enough to acquire many fine things and great wealth of his own. Yet, he often gave away his riches in large sums. His home was identified by the crowds of the poor around his house. Eligius' desire to forswear worldly goods for the poor grew into a great desire to join the monastic life. Eligius and his fellow courtier, St. Audoneus, began to contemplate leaving the court to found monasteries. King Dagobert was reluctant to let them go, but eventually, he bequeathed to them estates that they could use to house their monastic communities.
Eligius founded the monastery of Solignac, which followed the joint rules of St. Columban and St. Benedict. Eligius realized that he needed less land than he originally had asked for from the king to complete his building projects, and returned to Dagobert, mortally contrite and begged his forgiveness for swindling him while asking him to take back the land. Dagobert responded: "Some of my officers do not scruple to rob me of whole estates, whereas Eligius is afraid of having one inch of ground which is not his."
Eligius and Audoneus became bishops of Noyon and Rouen, respectively and were consecrated in the year 635 or 641. Eligius' conscientiousness became a hallmark of his episcopacy, and he was highly regarded for his thoughtful pastoral care. He began missionary work into central Europe and cared for the poor and sick wherever he went.
St. Eligius died on December 1, 660. St. Eligius was a widely venerated saint during the middle ages throughout Europe. He is the patron saint of goldsmiths and blacksmiths and is especially honored by the guild of goldsmiths in Paris, where he spent much of his secular smithing career. Eligius provides an admirable model of how a Christian can work in and with the material world and yet continue to always serve God, not mammon.
St. Eligius, honest smith and conscientious steward of Christ's flock—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Eligius is in the public domain. Last accessed November 21, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
