Homily Second Friday of Advent (Matthew 11:16-19)
Homily Second Friday of Advent (Matthew 11:16-19)
Black and white. We have many people who operate in religious circles with that mentality. When the people who observed John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ behavior wondered about how they were to live their religious lives it must have been very difficult to decide.
John the Baptist lived a life of penance. He ignored worldly comforts. He fasted, wore penitential garb and lived out in the desert. He steered away from cities and lived, it seems, in solitude. He was, what we would call today, a hermit or a monk. He was also a celibate.
Jesus lived in the world most of the time. He mixed with all kinds of people. He had a ministry that concentrated a lot on table fellowship. He was not adverse, to engaging with sinners. He preached a lot about the mercy of God rather than about fire and brimstone.
We look at these two figures in Christian tradition and we ask ourselves how we are to live? Is one lifestyle more holy than the other? Jesus was concerned about these questions it seems. He was also at home with how he lived.
St. Francis De Sales was one of the first Christian writers to mention the concept of a universal call to holiness. He lived at the time of the reformation. St. Francis’ position is that we all have different roles to play in this world. We can’t all be hermits, or the human race would die out.
Holiness can be achieved in a myriad of circumstances. We just need to be humble enough and open enough to follow the Spirit in our lives. We need to be like Jesus, comfortable in our relationship with God and always seeking to please him no matter what our station is in life.
Reflection Questions:
- Would I consider my life one that is holy? If not, why do I feel that is not?
- Am I drawn more to the spiritual life of John the Baptist or Jesus? In my opinion, which of them is holier?
Dear Parishioners,
There was a lot of activity around the Lee Center this week as work on the living space for the priests continues. Yesterday, we removed six roof top air conditioning units off the building. Some of these units were installed while the building was still a convent, others were put in the 1980’s. A HVAC unit usually has a life span of about 20 years so these units were well past the time when they should have been changed out. With the replacement of these, almost all the antiquated HVAC equipment on our buildings has been addressed. We have some old boilers in our buildings, but those have a longer life span.
It is important to keep up with maintenance and not to get to far behind. I feel like we are doing a better job of that. Thanks to all who have donated to the TTT campaign. Your generosity continues to make our updating efforts possible.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark