Homily Second Sunday of Advent
Homily Second Sunday of Advent
A story often begins before it begins. We read the first lines of the Gospel of Mark today. And it is striking that Mark starts his Gospel by quoting from a prophet that lived long before him. He quotes Isaiah, “Behold I am sending my messenger before you; he will prepare your way.”
We then begin the story Jesus with person of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was a great promoter. We could say that he was an advance man. People who do preparatory work are important if an endeavor is going to succeed.
We might be reminded of the circuses that traveled the American countryside 100 year ago. Each circus would have advance men. The mission of these employees was to go into a community to get things ready for the circus.
Such people would find a vacant field at the end of town where the circus tent could be set up for the show. If the site could be used for free that was ideal. The advance men would then post flyers all over the city to pique people’s interest. If the promoters could go to the local newspaper to get free publicity it was a coo. If all their efforts were successful, the circus would attract an audience. A profit would be turned. A good promotion team was the key to success.
The ministry of Jesus could have just begun with Jesus, but he was probably much more successful because of the preaching of John the Baptist. Why was John such a good advance man for Jesus? He was effective because he was authentic. His mission was not about him. He had set ego aside. Anyone who was observant could see this.
He lived in the desert in one of the most inhospitable places on earth. His mission was not about his comfort. He dressed in camel hair like Elijah the prophet. He ate the food that he found in the desert, just enough to sustain himself. Everything he did spoke about being confident in God. He felt secure in his relationship with the Lord. If a preacher is selfless, they make an impression. John knew that he had an intimate relationship with God.
The Jewish people also felt that they were chosen by God. After one realizes they are special in the eyes of God, usually there is a sense of unworthiness. John, obviously, had experienced that. He also had felt the forgiveness of God. For that reason, he preached repentance. He wanted people to have what he had. Once we have felt the mercy of God then the stage is set for illumination. We are ready to receive wisdom as to how we are to live our life in grace. And this was what Jesus mission was about
Advent is about hope. Hope is a product of true wisdom. We have probably always heard that Advent is a season of penance. But Advent is usually more about pleasure. For many of us Advent has always been a succession of holiday parties and activities. We shop until we drop. The whole concept of conversion of heart is forgotten. But not this year.
Right now, we are in a most inhospitable place. We could call it a desert. The main difficulty with a desert is not just the fact that there is little food or water. The overriding struggle in a desert is usually loneliness. We usually can inoculate ourselves against loneliness with food, drink, entertainment, frivolous conversation, travel, distraction.
Today, most of these things are not an option. Our only company is ourselves in many cases. Or the people that we live with. We are finding out how much we are at home in our own skin. We have a chance to talk to God. We have a possibility for an intimate encounter with the divine. We have a chance to feel God’s affection. When we do, we can then listen to John’s call to repentance. What are the wounds that have not closed in our life? Can this time be a period of healing? Ego is said to be all about “edging God out” of our lives. Can we now let God in.
Blessed Charles de Foucald lived in the early 20th century. He was a French Christian hermit who lived in the Algerian desert. He wore a rough habit. He ate the food that he found. His dream was to start a religious order. He attracted no disciples. He was shot one day because many were suspicious of his motives. Blessed Charles never achieved what he planned in his lifetime, but he did not lose hope.
He said once:
“Every Christian must be an apostle…….my apostolate must be an apostolate of goodness. On seeing me people should say to themselves, since this man is so good, his religion is good. And if I am asked why I am so gentle and good I must reply, because I am the servant of the one whose goodness is greater. If only you knew how good my Master Jesus is!” Look at him.
Reflection Questions:
- Who were the people who introduced me to Jesus? How did they do that?
- How can I promote the message of Jesus? How do I get started?
Dear Parishioners,
When you read this, we will have started or will be starting a series on the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Facebook. Each Tuesday night beginning on December 8th I will be making a presentation on Facebook regarding some aspect of reconciliation. The title of the series is “Prepare Your Hearts” The subjects of the three talks are:
- Why does the church have the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
- How should I prepare for reconciliation?
- Rejoicing in absolution
The talks will take about 10 to 15 minutes. After that we will have an opportunity for some questions and answers. This is an opportunity to have some spiritual growth in our life even during the pandemic. Please join us.
I would also like to remind people today that we would like for you to sign up for Christmas Masses on our website or by calling our office. We will have five Masses, but we can only have approximately 125 people at each Mass. My estimate that about 700 people will be able to attend Mass in person. If a Mass reaches capacity and people who have not registered come to church, they will be instructed to come to a later Mass. We will livestream a couple of the Masses. Check my notes to the Parish for details on which Masses this will be. We will try to distribute communion after the Christmas Morning Mass for those who are uncomfortable with attending in person.
We are trying to do or best to accommodate as many people as possible.
May Our Lady and all the Saints and Angels watch over you today.
Fr. Mark
P.S. One of our parishioners has stepped forward with a matching gift towards our TTT campaign. If you would like to give to the TTT campaign before the end of the year this parishioner will match your donate up to $25,000. You may give a gift of any size up to $25,000. Just drop an envelope in the collection marked “TTT” or contact Bobbie Vidmar in our office if you would like to donate stocks, bonds, etc. All monies raised now go toward our Tier III goal of providing a gathering space with handicapped access into the church. We thank the anonymous donor. We need approximately $780,000 to reach our overall goal.
Another announcement:
The Society of African Missions received $11,343 in our annual mission collection. This is Fr. Matthew’s religious society. This represents a significant increase from last year. Thanks to everyone for their generosity.