Standing Up For Life

Posted by on

Today is January 22. 2016 and that means the March for Life is going on in Washington, DC today.  In recognition of our call to prayer and action, we celebrated a Vigil Mass for Life last night.  Below is the homily I offered.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Mass for Life
Isaiah 9:1-6
Philippians 4:6-9
Luke 1:39-45
January 21, 2016

It was just a little less than a month ago when we celebrated Christmas Day as the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, a son given to us, and a great light shining upon our world.

Certainly, Jesus’ birth is celebrated with great joy.  We experience this joy for ourselves but we can also see the joy in others in story of Mary’s Visitation to Elizabeth when John the Baptist leaped in his mother’s womb as Mary approached with Jesus in her womb.

Mary and Elizabeth were both filled with joy at the life within them.  Every life should bring such joy but unfortunately it doesn’t always.  Pregnancy can bring concerns.

In Mary’s case, she could have felt anxiety wondering what people would think of her being unwed and pregnant.  She could have felt she was too young both physically and in knowing how to be a mother.  Instead of being anxious, Mary trusted in God’s Word.

Elizabeth was old and never had any children.  It wasn’t that she didn’t want children.  She did but it never happened.  So it would be easy to assume she was thrilled to become pregnant and she was.  Elizabeth could have said she was too old to be pregnant and to raise a child.  She didn’t.  She trusted in God’s will.

Life is a gift but it isn’t always seen that way.  Pregnancy is not always seen as a good thing.  Pregnancy can bring fear.  For a young girl, it might be fear of what others will think, including her parents.  The mother might fear being able to have a healthy birth.  The parents might feel they don’t have the financial means to raise a child.  They might fear being able to be good parents.  Unfortunately, fear can be a powerful thing.  Fear and anxiety can bring darkness and the darkness brings gloom, despair, and bad choices.

I want to take a moment to move from life in the womb to people at the end of life.  When people are faced with end of life decisions a common term used today is “quality of life.”  Some feel that when a person faces a terminal diagnosis, cannot do what they used to, and faces great suffering, it is okay to hasten death.

For some, this is only true in the very final days but some think it should be an option for any terminally ill person.  This is not what our faith teaches us.  We don’t have to use “extraordinary means” to say alive but we must not hasten death either.

Even at the end of life, the person is still, well a “person”.  We need to support them with love, not by hastening death but by showing we continue to care about them and want to be with them.  There can come a time to stop aggressive treatment and switch to palliative care to help manage their pain and to be present to them (ex. Hospice).

We shouldn’t take this to mean that “quality of life” is not important.  In fact, it is very important, not just at the end of life but throughout a person’s whole life.

Tomorrow is the forty-third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.  We have among us tonight, people who were planning on riding two buses from Ithaca to the March for Life to joins hundreds of thousands of others who will march to stand up for life.

We can’t all go but in coming here tonight we show that we too stand up for life and appreciate the gift.  We pray for others to see life as a gift.

The buses are organized by the same group of people involved in the local Forty Days for Life efforts.  These people gather at times to pray for all to choose life.

However, it is not enough just to pray.  I mentioned before how people can feel trapped in darkness at the news of a pregnancy.  I also mentioned how we must be concerned with the quality of a person’s life throughout their whole life.

We need to support people during pregnancy through pregnancy centers that support life.  We need to make sure health care is available for the mother and child during pregnancy.  We need to help them have food and a place to live so that the child can be born healthy.  Offering these services can help bring light to these people.

However, it is not enough just to help them during pregnancy.  Parents facing a pregnancy can also fear being able to care for the child after the child comes out from the mother’s womb.  They need diapers, food, and clothing just to name the most basic of items.  Locally Birthright is among the groups that help with this.  We support them with Carnation Sales on Mother’s Day.  Some people volunteer there and you can donate items any time.

This can bring even more light to the parents struggling with the very idea of pregnancy.  It shows them that we care and love them.  We pray that this in turn helps them to know God’s love.

We celebrate this Mass tonight in the midst of our Jubilee Year of Mercy where we are especially called to do Corporal Works of Mercy (rooted in Matthew 25:31-46) of feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick (including the dying) among others.  We must do this Corporal Works of Mercy to be pro-life.  This can include the work of Catholic Charities as well as local food pantries including the one we host downstairs.

We must do Spiritual Works of Mercy to offer comfort for those in distress and to pray for the living and the dead.

In the spirit of Mercy, we must also let people know that when we have fallen short, God will always forgive us when we come to Him with a repentant heart.

Tonight we pray for life.  May we always pray for life and do acts of mercy to support life in the womb, near the end, and at all stages in between.

Fr. Jeff’s Latest Presentation – Mercy in the Sacraments and Acts of Mercy

Posted by on

Last week I gave a presentation discussing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy as well as how the Sacraments offer us God’s mercy.  You can find the video and handouts on my website at http://www.renewaloffaith.org/video—mercy-in-the-sacraments-and-acts-of-mercy.html.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

Posted by on

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
John 2:1-11
January 17, 2016

“For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will be not be quiet.”

These are the words Isaiah speaks to the Israelites as they return home from exile.  Isaiah serves as a prophet of the Lord and so his calling is to speak God’s Word.  He cannot be silent.

Neither should we be silent.  Each and every one of us is called to help spread the Kingdom of God.  However, we are each called in different ways.  We are not all called to be prophets in spoken word like Isaiah.

As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, … there are different forms of service, … there are different workings.”  God has blessed each of us with different gifts to use in different ways.  We only become all we can be when we use our gifts to help others.

This is good stewardship.  This is good discipleship.  We need to follow Jesus.  In our gospel today, Jesus is at a wedding along with his mother, Mary.  Mary realizes there is a “big” problem, they have run short of wine.  I say “big problem” loosely because as one who doesn’t drink, I don’t see running out of wine as a problem but to the wedding guests this would be a problem.

What does Mary do?  She goes to Jesus.  Why?  Because she trusts that Jesus can help.  She doesn’t know what Jesus will do but she knows he will do the right thing.  Her words are simple, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Of course, Jesus helps.  He directs the servers to fill the jars with water and then changes the water into wine.  Jesus takes what the servers have done and turns it into something wonderful.

The Holy Spirit gives each of us gifts.  We are called to use these gifts not for selfish gain.  We are given talents that we can use to help make our church better.  When we use these talents, we give of our time.  We can also use what we have been given as treasure, money and other material things to help people.  We can give of our treasure by taking things that we have that we might no longer need and give them to charity to help someone who doesn’t have enough.

We can also give of our treasure by contributing money.  This is not about “paying our dues.”  When we give of our treasure, it is to help our church accomplish the mission that God has given us.

What has Jesus given you and how are you using it as a good steward and faithful disciple?

Baptism of the Lord, Year C – Homily

Posted by on

Baptism of the Lord, Year C
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7
Luke 3:15-16; 21-22
January 10, 2016

Our Christmas season began with our Masses on Christmas Eve.  For many people when December 25th ended, Christmas was over but not for us.

Since then we have celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and the Epiphany.  There is much to celebrate with Christmas.

Our Christmas season draws to a close today with our celebration of the Baptism of our Lord.  It has been the practice of our faith since the early centuries that we baptize babies.  Since they are still babies, it makes perfect sense for birth and baptism to be celebrated together.

However, Jesus was not baptized until he was around thirty years old.  So why do we celebrate his baptism with his birth?  To understand this we need to talk about what baptism is.

Jesus was baptized by John.  John’s baptism was for one purpose, the forgiveness of sins.  Of course, Jesus had no sins and thus did not need to be baptized by John.

Even John realized that Jesus would make baptism something more when he said “I am baptizing you with water…. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  We see this when the Holy Spirit comes down on Jesus like a dove.

We also see how Jesus is identified by God as His Son at baptism.  We become children of God through baptism.

Jesus’ baptism marks a new beginning as he begins to teach and heal.  It marks a new beginning for Him and for us.  Our being baptized begins our entry into new life.

In baptism, we are to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly and devoutly.  We are to be clothed in Christ.

Jesus’ baptism begins a life of service for him.  Likewise, we are called in our own baptism to be priest, prophet, and king, to serve.

What does it mean to serve?  Isaiah calls us to give comfort, speak tenderly, to proclaim, and to be a people of forgiveness.  This is what Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee Year of Mercy for, for us to serve others with acts of mercy.

What Isaiah speaks of can be found in the Spiritual Works of Mercy; to comfort the sorrowful, forgiving injuries, and bearing wrongs patiently.  We are to instruct the ignorant (proclaim).  Is this not what we ask God to do for us?  We are called to do the same for others.

Our call to service goes further.  We are called to help all in need, whether they live next door or come from a foreign land. We are called to stand up for the rights of others.

Some people think that the Social Teaching of our Catholic faith is new.  They don’t understand why the Pope speaks about how we treat immigrants, capitalism, or the environment.

What the Pope says is not new teaching.  It takes what Jesus teaches us and applies it to new situations.  For instance, the concerns we face in our environment today weren’t apparent 2,000 years ago when Jesus came.  As to capitalism, the way we do business changed greatly with the Industrial Revolution and the dawning of the technology era.

Jesus may not have talked about the environment and capitalism but what he did talk about is how we treat other people and it’s in the Bible.  In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus tells us that we will be judged by what we do for the hungry, thirsty, naked, stranger, and those in prison.

Now, if Jesus says it, that is good enough for me, but if you want to go back farther, you can find passages in the Old Testament where God directs us to help those in need. (I’ve been looking at some of those preparing for my talk this Thursday.)

These acts to help the physically poor and the disadvantaged are called the Corporal Works of Mercy.  If you read Pope Francis’ document, Misericordiae Vultus, you will see him write about the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.

The whole idea of this Jubilee Year of Mercy is rooted in the fact that the world needs more mercy today.  Are you willing to perform acts of mercy?  Are you willing to be the visible face of the Father’s mercy to the world?  It is our baptismal call to serve God and to serve the needs of others.

Holy Family Sunday, Year C – Homily

Posted by on

Holy Family, Year C
1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28
1 John 3:1-2, 21-24
Luke 2:41-52
December 27, 2015

We just celebrated Christmas and now we hear Jesus is twelve years old.  Boy, they do grow up fast!

Well, actually that’s not the point of today’s gospel.  I see two purposes behind this gospel.  First, it shows us that Jesus was raised in a faithful family who followed the Jewish customs, including coming to Jerusalem for the Passover each year.

It also tells us that Jesus’ wisdom, even at the age of twelve, surpassed the human knowledge of the scholars in the Temple.  As an adult Jesus will offer us the Truth and explain what it really means for us.

Today’s feast of the Holy Family is about the first, what it means to be faithful.

For Jesus’ family, it meant celebrated the Passover.  Easter becomes the Passover for Christians but for us the Passover meal has become the Eucharist that we celebrate weekly and even daily.

In Jesus’ day being faithful meant being circumcised.  This marked giving your life to the Lord.  For us as Christians this happens in baptism where we are given new life and become children of God.

Being a family today can be a challenge.  Being a faithful family is even harder.

Life of 2,000 years ago seems simpler.  When Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph and Mary lost Jesus.  This is never a good thing but who could imagine these circumstances today.  They had been to Jerusalem for the Passover and were returning home in the caravan.  Mary and Joseph feel safe in assuming he is with them somewhere in the caravan.  Would you do this today?  Don’t you make sure you have all your kids with you when you leave?

We baptize our kids but how much do we make sure they practice their faith?  I was baptized when I was ten months old but we didn’t always go to church.  When I turned twelve and was confirmed, we stopped going at all.  NOT a good thing!  I knew of the faith but I wasn’t truly committed to the faith.

We can mean the best but we live in a very busy world that pulls us in many different directions.  Kids today are involved in many different activities.  I might speculate that for some families, the only time they truly spend together is when they are in the car driving someplace.  Is this really “family time”?  Mom might be driving Julie to one activity while Dad is driving Bobby to a different activity.

How many of these activities occur on Sunday morning?  How easy is it to say missing Mass one Sunday really isn’t that important?  One Sunday becomes two, two becomes three,…

For those who feel missing one Sunday at church doesn’t matter, I invite you ponder missing one Sunday in relation to missing one sports/play practice or game.  Why is it OK to miss church but not a practice?

Before I keep going down this path, let’s get back to the topic of being a family.  What does it mean to you to be a family?  Do you spend any time together?  Do you sit down together for dinner?  Do you know what is going on in each other’s lives? For adults, how much contact do you have with your siblings?  Here, social media can give us a false impression.  You can put a lot of words on social media but are you really “communicating” anything?  Do you really know how the other person is feeling?

I mean none of this to be judgmental.  We live in a challenging time.  There is divorce.  I know because my parents divorced when I was ten years old.  This changed what it meant to be a family for me growing up.

I spoke about communicating with family.  I have to admit, except for my dad, I don’t have a lot of communication with my family.

Being a family takes work.  Are we committed to the work?  How about our role as children of God?  Are we committed to our spiritual family where God is our Father?  Might there be a New Year’s Resolution here?

Christmas Homily 2015

Posted by on

Christmas – Mass During the Night
Isaiah 9:1-6
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-14
December 25, 2015

The grace of God has appeared as a little baby laying in a manger.  His name is Jesus.

Today is a time to rejoice.  Today a savior is born.  Jesus is God visible. Baby Jesus is an image of God’s love for us.

There is much that goes on for Christmas.  There are decorations inside and out.  The decorations are beautiful but they are not just decorations.  They are symbols of Christmas and what it means for us.

There are our Christmas lights.  On the outside of houses we can see a lot of lights and these displays can be impressive. Here inside church, there are not so many lights but the symbolism is the same.  Jesus is the light of the world.

Also inside here are on our Christmas trees.  The trees are also a symbol of our faith.  Christmas trees are evergreen trees symbolizing everlasting life.  The trees also can be seen as an arrow whose top points us to the Heaven.

There are also the Christmas parties.  Do you ever talk about Jesus at your Christmas party?

Of course we shouldn’t forget the Christmas gifts.  Well, actually I won’t mind forgetting all the gifts. It can be a lot of work and for people like me who want to avoid having a lot of stuff, gifts can be stressing.

However, in just the last few days I have had a change of heart about Christmas gifts.  I have decided that gifts really are what Christmas is all about.

I’m still not interested in presents, just gifts.  What’s the difference?

Presents are things we give to each other.  There is nothing wrong with presents as long as they are given and received in love.  When I speak of gifts, I am talking about what God gives us.

God gives us many different gifts.  Here are the altar we celebrate the gift of the Eucharist.  The Eucharist is the gift of Jesus’ Body and Blood to strengthen us as his disciples.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a gift for us to receive God’s forgiveness.  God doesn’t have to forgive us but He wants to. If you think confession has gone by the way side, think again.  I spent twelve days or thirteen hours this month hearing confessions.  People want this gift.

In a world of darkness, Jesus gives us the gift of his light. Jesus helps us to see the world differently.

In a world where more and more people say there is no one truth, Jesus gives us the real Truth, a Truth that never changes. God’s Word as found in the Bible is a gift.

Jesus gives us the gift of life, life that begins in our mother’s womb.  We receive new spiritual life in Baptism.  We see everlasting life only after we have passed from this world.  Life is a gift.

Even faith begins with God’s gift. We make a choice to accept the gift of faith but it begins with God’s initiative of giving us the gift of faith.

God gives us the gift of his mercy. Mercy includes forgiveness but it more than that. Offering mercy includes corporal works such as feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.  Spiritual works of mercy are rooted in consoling those in need.  We live in a world of increasing darkness of violence, greed, and power.  Jesus gives us light to see God in the darkness.

All of this comes together in the gift we receive today Jesus.  Jesus brings us light.  Jesus brings us truth in his preaching.  Jesus shows us the way.  Jesus is mercy incarnate.

Today is a very special day. We see God’s mercy, his love, today.  Today we feel joy as we gaze upon the baby Jesus.

There is good news!  Jesus wants us to have this joy each and every day.  This is not easy in a world of increasing darkness.  We live in a world full of distractions that can separate us from God.  We need help to reconnect.

To help us all reconnect, we have a gift for you as you leave today.  It is a book called Rediscover Catholicism. We will give one to each household to help all of us reconnect and/or deepen our faith.  You accept the gift by reading the book.

Remember today is not centered on presents.  It’s all about the gift that Jesus is to us.  May our worship today express our thanks to God.

4th Sunday of Advent, Year C – Homily

Posted by on

4th Sunday of Advent, Year C
Micah 5:1-4a
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45
December 20, 2015

Today we hear the story of Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth.  To understand the context of the story we first need to realize that this story happens immediately after the Annunciation where the Angel Gabriel told Mary she was to be the mother of Jesus.

Mary could have said no.  She didn’t.  Mary could have been prideful for becoming the mother of Jesus.  She wasn’t.

What did Mary do?

At the same time the angel Gabriel told Mary she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus, Gabriel also told Mary that Elizabeth was also with child.

In response to this, Mary goes to Elizabeth so that they might share their joy together.

The conception of Jesus in Mary’s womb is clearly a miracle because she had had no relations with a man.  Elizabeth’s pregnancy was also an act of God.  Elizabeth was advanced in years and had never had any children.  The conception of John the Baptist had been announced to Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, by an angel.

So Elizabeth was likely ecstatic to finally have the child she had longed for.  When Mary comes to her, Mary would not have looked pregnant since Jesus’ conception just happened.  When Elizabeth saw Mary, she could have spoken about the joy of her own pregnancy.  She did not.  Her reaction, as well as the reaction of John in her womb, was to be joyous that the mother of her Lord had come to her.

Mary showed great faith when she said Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word.  Elizabeth showed a great faith in recognizing Jesus in Mary’s womb.

Both became pregnant through the hand of God. Both had been chosen by God for this role.  Why did God choose them?  Because God knew the faith they had in their hearts.  God knew the concern they had in their hearts for others.

Because of their faith, good things happened.  John the Baptist comes to prepare the way of the Lord so that Jesus can come to save us.

Often, seeing a baby brings joy to people’s hearts.
We see new life and that helps us see the possibility of good things to come.

In just a few days at Christmas we will see Jesus laying in a manger as a little baby.  Our hearts will smile but not just for a moment while we look at baby Jesus.  When we see baby Jesus we see hope in one who comes to save us.  Jesus will do miracles to reveal his identity as Son of God.  Jesus will teach to help us know God’s ways.  And, Jesus will die for us and rise, showing us the way to the Father.  When we see Jesus, we see hope and we have joy.

Come Christmas, we will likely see people here for Mass that we seldom see otherwise.  There is a special joy about this season that permeates hearts in a way to draw people in.  This is a good thing.

You may see people here that you know but never realized they were Catholic.  You may see people you know that fell away from the church and didn’t live a “good life.”  You might be surprised to see them.  You might even be shocked to see them here.

What is the proper response?  Well, let me tell you, it doesn’t begin with “What are you doing here?”  We want them here.  I would suggest our response should begin with, “Merry Christmas, we are glad you are here.”

We want them to feel welcome.  We want them to know we would love to have them here each Sunday.  To help us do this, we are working to have greeters at every door at every Mass as people arrive.

That much being said, it isn’t enough just to welcome them at the door.  Even if you aren’t a greeter at the door, we need your help.  You will be the ones sitting next to them in the pews.  Help them to feel welcome.  Help them to know we care for them just as Mary and Elizabeth cared for each other.  Help them to know the joy of Christmas.

New Video Presentation Introducing the Year of Mercy

Posted by on

I recently gave a presentation introducing what the Jubilee Year of Mercy means for us. Pope Francis’ very first words in Misericordiae Vultus are, “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.  These words might well up the mystery of the Christian Faith.”  What is this all about?  Is mercy more than forgiveness?   If you would like to see the presentation it is now available on my website http://www.renewaloffaith.org/video—introducing-the-year-of-mercy.html.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

3rd Sunday of Advent, Year C – Homily

Posted by on

3rd Sunday of Advent, Year C
Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Responsorial – Isaiah 12:2-6
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:10-18
December 13, 2015

“Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!  Sing joyfully, O Israel” These are the words the prophet Zephaniah offers to the Israelites.

Paul’s words echo this when he writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I shall say it again: rejoice!”

Today is Gaudete Sunday.  “Gaudete” means to rejoice.  God does not mean for us to be for us to be discouraged.  God wants to bring us joy.

Christmas is getting close and it is a time when many will rejoice.  There is good reason to rejoice at Christmas as our savior is born who is Christ and Lord.

Yet, even though many people have their Christmas trees up, decorations are up, and houses are lit up, it is not yet Christmas.  We mark the passage of our Advent days with the candles of our Advent wreath.  The first two candles are violet along with the one will light for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.  The violet symbolizes our need to reflect on our weaknesses and how we have sinned.  This can be depressing but needed because we need to know what we need to change.  In this midst of this time of waiting and reflection, today our candle for this week is rose.  The rose symbolizes joy, the joy that God wants us to know each and every day.

This “joy” is not a matter of earthly pleasure.  Earthly things can bring happiness for a few minutes.  God’s joy comes from knowing that the Lord is near and in our midst.

Christmas helps people to be aware that God is near and they are drawn to church.  I’m guessing our attendance at Christmas increase by over 50% compared a normal Sunday.  It is God’s desire for all the people to know his joy not just on Christmas but always.

What makes it hard to know God’s joy?

It’s no secret that bad things happen in the world.  It seems like there is more bad news than good news.  I want to emphasize “seems” because I wonder if it is really the case or is it a choice of what we talk about.

For instance, we talk about the people who stop coming to church or start going to another church.  How much do we talk about those who have started coming here?

It’s no secret that our numbers are down but if we choose to only talk about the people who aren’t coming we feel down and there is not joy.  We need to reach out to these people.  However, if we see the people who are coming now who didn’t used to we can see hope.  That hope gives us joy.  Is it not easier to move forward with hope and joy than with despair?

Likewise, I can sit at my desk and see all the work that needs to be done.  If this is all I see (which is the case at times), I feel dejected and that the work will never be done.  On the other hand, if I look at what has already been completed, if I look at the hearts that have already been healed, then I can minister with hope.  Better yet is when I can see how God has had a hand in getting the work done.  It is when I can take a moment to look back that I can see how God has been near and find joy.

It is wonderful to find joy.  Yet, the work is not done when we become joyful ourselves.  We need to share the joy.  We need to be joyful.

I have to admit this can be a challenge for me.  Some people are naturally joyful.  They always seem to be nice and in a good mood.  Just being around them helps us to be joyful.  I am not one of them.

Now, that doesn’t mean I never have joy in my life.  I mean to say that I don’t radiate joy like some.  This, in part, is because I am a task oriented person.  I like to identify a task that needs to be done, do it, and see immediate results.

This worked well when I worked as an engineer.  Results were measurable.  As a priest, it is harder to identify the results.  Sometimes it takes a few minutes.  Sometimes it takes a lifetime.

For me it is all about the joy that Jesus places in our hearts.  I think about the years I didn’t go to church.  Was I happy in earthly terms?  I would say a good part of the time but I also knew something was missing and that was what drew me back to Church.  When I returned, I found new joy.  As I became more involved than just coming on Sunday, I came to find more joy.

I know I don’t always show joy but I know probably the two things that give me the greatest joy are hearing confessions to help people receive God’s mercy to be able to know his joy and help people learn more about our faith.  That’s why I do the presentations when I can.

What gives you this deep and lasting joy and how can you share it with others so that all may rejoice?

2nd Sunday of Advent, Year C – Homily

Posted by on

2nd Sunday of Advent, Year C
Baruch 5:1-9
Psalm 126:1-6
Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
Luke 3:1-6
December 6, 2015

Baruch writes to the people “Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery, put on the splendor of glory from God forever.”

Why are the people wearing ‘robes of mourning and misery’?  Baruch is writing to them when many of the Israelites have been taken away in exile by their enemy, the Babylonians.  For this, the people are in mourning and misery.

Baruch tells them to put on the “splendor of glory” because God is about to bring them back.  God is going to restore the kingdom.

We have reason to mourn and be in misery.  Once again, there has been a mass shooting, this time in San Bernardino, CA.  Fourteen people are dead and twenty-one injured.

This alone is a tragedy but amongst the various stories that have followed it in the news is one that said that have been more mass shootings this year than days in the year (mass shootings defined as four or more victims).  That means there has been over 300 mass shootings this year.  This would seem to be good reasoning for mourning and misery.  I know I felt distress as I watched the news Wednesday afternoon.

These shootings are not God’s plan but God does have a plan and it involves us.  As Paul wrote to the Philippians, he referred to their “partnership for the gospel”.  We too are to be partners in the gospel.  Just as God had begun a good work in the Philippians and brings it to completion so will God do with us.

In face of these shootings we might think ‘What can I do?”  We might feel powerless.  Paul might have felt the same way.  Do you realize that Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians from prison?  He was in prison for promoting the gospel.  He could have readily said he couldn’t do anything but he didn’t.  He continued to do what Jesus asked of him.

So what can we do?  How can one person make a difference?

We need to increase God’s love in world.  Well, actually I don’t know as we can increase God’s love (after all, it is infinite) but we can work on our perception of the world.  We need to help people know God’s love.

We also need to change our perception that we are powerless to do something.  One person can make a difference, especially when we are not just one person but a community of believers united as partners in the gospel.

So what can we do?

What the world needs is mercy.  This might seem troubling because often our first interpretation of mercy is forgiveness so you might interpret what I just said to mean forgiving the people who carryout such shootings.  That is something we need to work on.  What does it even mean to forgive someone who has done such a thing?

We can also think of mercy for the victims and their families.  Those who were killed receive God’s mercy as those who survive do but the survivors also need our mercy.  We offer them spiritual works of mercy offering them comfort and prayers.

What can we do to prevent more future shootings like this?

Again, we need to be a people of mercy.  We need to show mercy at all times.  As part of calling for a Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has written a prayer that includes the words “let the Church be your visible face in the world.”  We are the church.  We need to be, we must be, faces of God’s mercy to the world.

If we only think of mercy as forgiveness, we can wonder how we show mercy to people before they commit a terrible act.  As I have already said, mercy is much more than forgiveness.  It includes all the Corporal Works of Mercy and Spiritual Works of Mercy.  Our acts of mercy can help people to know that we love and care about them so they don’t do such things.

That being said, I believe our showing forgiveness to people before they do such a terrible act, can help prevent the terrible act.

How?

Acts like this often build over time.  Sometimes, it might relate to people’s mental status and there we show mercy by praying that we realize their struggles and help them to get the help they need.

I also believe we can help prevent the big tragedies by showing mercy in the little things.  We don’t know all the details of what happened in San Bernardino but we are told that the man had been at the party and left “angry.”

What made him angry?  I don’t mean just that day.  Something had to be building.  It might have started with something simple that wasn’t forgiven and grew into a fierce angry.  We need to show forgiveness for the little things.  Can’t we see it in our own lives?  We may keep things that bother us inside.  Sometimes this is the best but sometimes it is best to deal with the problem before it becomes worse.  We need to show mercy.

The world needs healing.  At the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII, spoke of the “medicine of mercy.”

John the Baptist was “A voice crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord.”  Are you willing to be a voice crying out the message of mercy?  Are you willing not just to speak of mercy but to show mercy?  This is our partnership in the gospel.