FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, 2008
We begin today the first week of Advent. For the Church it is the beginning of a new year. We have changed the color of the clothes I wear; you have noticed that we changed the Mass and song books in front of you; Diane of Country Expressions stopped by this morning to arrange the Advent wreath. But as with everything else, we can easily let these weeks of Advent pass us by and not affect us spiritually. It is so easy for us to follow the crowds and tend to make Christmas a materialistic day rather than a spiritual day. Yet, Advent every year means hope in the future coming of a loving God to us. This Advent brings us to the 2008th anniversary of the birth of Jesus. But Advent is also a time of waiting.
All waiting is about anticipating something. At sports arenas, people wait with anticipation and excitement for games to begin. Some wait in their seats, slowly growing bored. Others, however, have tailgate parties and wait with others in very festive style. For some of these, the waiting/tailgating is more fun than the game.
Children wait for Santa. Many of you have waited for a child to be born. Waiting for a baby not only changes an expectant couple, everyone who has contact with an expecting couple is changed. There will be new life, and all concerned want that life to be welcomed into the best possible world.
Waiting is most likely not your favorite activity. As children we could hardly wait for birthdays, free days and holidays. But as we got older we wanted things to happen more quickly. At times we wait for something to happen, and at other times we wait for something not to happen. Each year the Catholic Church gives us 4 weeks of Advent as a time of waiting and pausing. But waiting must be connected with preparation. Advent is 4 weeks of the spiritual preparation time for Jesus to be known in our life, in our family, in our parish, in any place where we might be.
Two thousand years ago a woman without a husband in her 8th month of pregnancy was waiting for the birth of her first child. It would soon become known that this child was the Savior promised by Isaiah who would save us from our sins. He would be given the name Jesus.
The Bible readings today give us a sense that we are getting ready for something. Isaiah asks God to return. He uses the example of clay, the same type of clay which many of you may mold when you make ceramics. He speaks of himself as clay in the hands of a potter. God is the potter, creating us in his image and likeness, but helping us not to go astray or to break the mold.
In Psalm 80 we are told that all will be all right as long as we prepare ourselves. When, however, we come to the section from Mark's Gospel, the emphasis shifts slightly. There's no more asking God to do all the work and take all the responsibility for our readiness. Mark tells us to stay awake. The master of the house may come unexpectedly. Seldom did persons at the time of Jesus travel by night, so the warning is presumably against daytime negligence rather than an order not to fall asleep at the wheel.
Advent is a time of waiting for the birth of one who was promised centuries ago to bring good news to the poor, and deliverance from those in prison. It is a time of 24 days during which we are invited to renew our desire to STAY AWAKE; to WATCH so that we might be ready for the coming of Jesus. Advent means more than getting out the Christmas crib or the Christmas tree with its decorations or the poinsettias or the Christmas candy or the Christmas cards.
Advent is a time for us to prepare ourselves religiously for the coming of the Lord Jesus who wishes to be born anew in our lives. Advent is a time of proclaiming death to the deeds of our life that prevent us from giving birth. Because death is so difficult and so much to be avoided, then Advent in a spiritual sense, is a time of suffering and self-denial. That is why we have purple--a color associated in the church with suffering and waiting. Advent comes at the shortest days of the year, the darkest days almost as a reminder that we must take an honest look at how our lives can easily be filled with darkness.
Advent is also a time when we are encouraged to see the good in others. It is so easy for us to focus, to complain about the bad things that others do. Jesus came to be the light of the world. We will soon light one candle of this Advent wreath to remind us that we too must see the light and goodness in others.
Try to make this Advent a time of joy and celebration in much the same way that you would do if you were expecting a child. Advent can also be a time for us to start again on doing the good things we have been putting off.
Let’s spend Advent attending. Attend to the personal needs we have long neglected: the need for excitement, the need for rest, the need for attention. Attend to the needs of others: the need for understanding and caring. The spirit of Christmas is the birth of Jesus. Make room in your heart and life for Jesus and God.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Homily for the Week of November 16, 2008
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), Nov. 13, 2008
Readings: Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; Ps 128:1-5; 1 Thes 5:1-6; Mt 25:14-30
One is amazed by the results of an Internet search for the phrase use it or lose it. The listing is over half a million references. A good portion of this listing deals with issues like free speech, brain function, memory, sports, and muscle tone, to name but a few.
If a person you had met socially, but really did not know very well, came to you and insisted that you keep $10,000 for him or her until the person returned from a year’s trip around the world, what would you do with the money?
If you accepted the money there are a variety of choices. You could go to a bank and put the money in a savings account; you could lock it up in a safety deposit box or hide it somewhere in the house, or carry it in your wallet or purse, or dig a hole and bury it. Whatever you did with the money would most likely be based on your opinion of the person who put you in charge of the money, as well as the person’s intentions.
If you judged the person to be generous, you might choose a more risky type of investment; but if you thought the person was harsh and demanding you would place it where you would not lose it.
Today Jesus tells us a similar story. A man went away on a journey. He must have been very wealthy because he entrusted large portions of his money to three of his servants. The first two servants invested the money during the master's absence and it yielded great returns. The third servant, however, was fearful of investing. In either case, the servant buried the money he was given and returned the full amount to the master when he came home. The master was pleased with the investments of the first two servants, but was very upset with the third one. It is very clear that the one with the single talent was nor punished fo receiving less than the other two; rather he was punished because he buried what he had received from the master and didn’t put it to good use. To those who have much, much more will be given. To those who have little, even that little will be taken away.
The Master in this story is God. What is our image of God. Is God a demanding boss who threatens us into doing everything because we are afraid of him; or is he a kind boss who shares his wealth with those who believe, and praises them for taking a risk.
This story is less about money than about what happens at the end of our life. It is about gifts and giving gifts. Whatever is given to us by God -- whether it is money, or special abilities, or opportunities, are given, not to grow stale but to be increased. And the way that we are to be judged on that increase is not on how much we have kept for ourselves, or how important it might make us, but how much we have given away -- how well have we served one another. And serving is defined as how well we have helped those among us that have the least: the least money, the least natural abilities, the least opportunities, and least faith.
Notice that in this Bible story, it is the owner’s work that the servants are to do, his money that he hands over to them; and it is obvious that he expects them to do something with those funds.
God has given each one of us talents. Sometimes out of laziness or lack of ambition, or sometimes because we are afraid of failure or ridicule, we do not share our talents. The gospel today challenges us to take a risk and invest our gifts for the greater good of God's people. We do this ourselves as adults, but we must also try to help our children recognize their talents and use them in a productive way.
Just as we must expect much of ourselves, we must also expect much of others. Teachers and loving parents know this so very well. Teachers and parents who expect much from their children will receive much. Coaches who expect the best from each player, and players who expect the best from themselves will have a winning season. Our demands on others must be for their good, however, and not simply to highlight their failures or weaknesses.
What do we expect of ourselves, and what do we expect of those with whom we associate? At one time when a person said: I AM A CATHOLIC, everyone expected some special type of behavior from that person. Christianity has become a victim of its own success. In becoming part of the MAINSTREAM it has lost some of its power to rouse us to action.
It has been said that a person who wants to do something will find a way; a person who doesn’t will find an excuse. That seems to be the evident in the third servant as he gives out his excuses. Jesus tells us that there is no excuse for us if we take for granted the gifts of life and religion which we have been given. Our Catholic faith is a treasure, but it is not meant to be buried and guarded. Knowing the worth of what we have is a first step. We must then invest this treasure in such a way as to bring us dividends. Do we live our religion in such a way that others might want to join us?
Fear was the problem of the bad servant. Being afraid is so very often our spiritual problem also, and it is the reason why we selfishly cling to our God given time, our abilities and our treasure. We are afraid that when we invest these gifts in the service of God and each other we will soon be bankrupt. We are afraid to trust Jesus who continually challenges us to generosity. That generosity might be in seen by love, by patience, by joy, by concern for those who are made fun of.
So that is why we must be here today, that is why we must say some prayers every day, that is why we must try to be good when it is so easy to do something we know is wrong. God is not a demanding master. God plants in each of us seeds of holiness in our hearts and helps us to grow to maturity.
What is the result of all of this? It is personal peace and freedom from anxiety and pain each day, and then a place with God at the end of our life. And more importantly, we will have that feeling of happiness each day because in our own way we fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, comforted the sick, and visited those in prison.
Today we are invited to use our God-given gifts. If we don’t we will lose them.
Readings: Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; Ps 128:1-5; 1 Thes 5:1-6; Mt 25:14-30
One is amazed by the results of an Internet search for the phrase use it or lose it. The listing is over half a million references. A good portion of this listing deals with issues like free speech, brain function, memory, sports, and muscle tone, to name but a few.
If a person you had met socially, but really did not know very well, came to you and insisted that you keep $10,000 for him or her until the person returned from a year’s trip around the world, what would you do with the money?
If you accepted the money there are a variety of choices. You could go to a bank and put the money in a savings account; you could lock it up in a safety deposit box or hide it somewhere in the house, or carry it in your wallet or purse, or dig a hole and bury it. Whatever you did with the money would most likely be based on your opinion of the person who put you in charge of the money, as well as the person’s intentions.
If you judged the person to be generous, you might choose a more risky type of investment; but if you thought the person was harsh and demanding you would place it where you would not lose it.
Today Jesus tells us a similar story. A man went away on a journey. He must have been very wealthy because he entrusted large portions of his money to three of his servants. The first two servants invested the money during the master's absence and it yielded great returns. The third servant, however, was fearful of investing. In either case, the servant buried the money he was given and returned the full amount to the master when he came home. The master was pleased with the investments of the first two servants, but was very upset with the third one. It is very clear that the one with the single talent was nor punished fo receiving less than the other two; rather he was punished because he buried what he had received from the master and didn’t put it to good use. To those who have much, much more will be given. To those who have little, even that little will be taken away.
The Master in this story is God. What is our image of God. Is God a demanding boss who threatens us into doing everything because we are afraid of him; or is he a kind boss who shares his wealth with those who believe, and praises them for taking a risk.
This story is less about money than about what happens at the end of our life. It is about gifts and giving gifts. Whatever is given to us by God -- whether it is money, or special abilities, or opportunities, are given, not to grow stale but to be increased. And the way that we are to be judged on that increase is not on how much we have kept for ourselves, or how important it might make us, but how much we have given away -- how well have we served one another. And serving is defined as how well we have helped those among us that have the least: the least money, the least natural abilities, the least opportunities, and least faith.
Notice that in this Bible story, it is the owner’s work that the servants are to do, his money that he hands over to them; and it is obvious that he expects them to do something with those funds.
God has given each one of us talents. Sometimes out of laziness or lack of ambition, or sometimes because we are afraid of failure or ridicule, we do not share our talents. The gospel today challenges us to take a risk and invest our gifts for the greater good of God's people. We do this ourselves as adults, but we must also try to help our children recognize their talents and use them in a productive way.
Just as we must expect much of ourselves, we must also expect much of others. Teachers and loving parents know this so very well. Teachers and parents who expect much from their children will receive much. Coaches who expect the best from each player, and players who expect the best from themselves will have a winning season. Our demands on others must be for their good, however, and not simply to highlight their failures or weaknesses.
What do we expect of ourselves, and what do we expect of those with whom we associate? At one time when a person said: I AM A CATHOLIC, everyone expected some special type of behavior from that person. Christianity has become a victim of its own success. In becoming part of the MAINSTREAM it has lost some of its power to rouse us to action.
It has been said that a person who wants to do something will find a way; a person who doesn’t will find an excuse. That seems to be the evident in the third servant as he gives out his excuses. Jesus tells us that there is no excuse for us if we take for granted the gifts of life and religion which we have been given. Our Catholic faith is a treasure, but it is not meant to be buried and guarded. Knowing the worth of what we have is a first step. We must then invest this treasure in such a way as to bring us dividends. Do we live our religion in such a way that others might want to join us?
Fear was the problem of the bad servant. Being afraid is so very often our spiritual problem also, and it is the reason why we selfishly cling to our God given time, our abilities and our treasure. We are afraid that when we invest these gifts in the service of God and each other we will soon be bankrupt. We are afraid to trust Jesus who continually challenges us to generosity. That generosity might be in seen by love, by patience, by joy, by concern for those who are made fun of.
So that is why we must be here today, that is why we must say some prayers every day, that is why we must try to be good when it is so easy to do something we know is wrong. God is not a demanding master. God plants in each of us seeds of holiness in our hearts and helps us to grow to maturity.
What is the result of all of this? It is personal peace and freedom from anxiety and pain each day, and then a place with God at the end of our life. And more importantly, we will have that feeling of happiness each day because in our own way we fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, comforted the sick, and visited those in prison.
Today we are invited to use our God-given gifts. If we don’t we will lose them.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Homily for the Week of November 2, 2008
ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS DAY, 2008
Jn 3:1-3 · Mt 5:1-12a
About every 7 years we have two major Catholic celebrations coming on a weekend such as this weekend. They are All Saints Day and All Souls Day. These feast, coming as they do in late autumn, give us an opportunity to ponder and appreciate the God who saves every leaf that falls and in a short time will know every snowflake that falls. We reflect on the God who assures us that we are never dead, even though winter is on its way and we all shall die. Today’s Church service reminds us that just as the farmer prepares for winter, just as the apples are picked from the trees, and just as the football season comes to an end, we, too, are being gathered as the harvest of heaven.
This weekend we honor all the saints, both those with an ST in front of their name, as well as all who have entered heaven after their death. In a sense theses are our heroes, the ones whose life we remember and whom we often places pictures of them in various places of our home or life. And then we pray for all of our relatives and friends who have died. This year 7 of them had their funeral Mass right here in St. James Church. I have mentioned their names in our bulletin.
Both All Saints Day and All Souls Day invite us to think about our own lives while we are here on earth and what where we will go after we die. For some of us us that day may not be that far off; for most of you that day may be years and years from now. Although a daily reading of the local newspaper alerts us to the fact that many people die young, especially as the result of auto accidents or sometimes a serious sickness.
A fundamental belief of the Catholic faith is life after death. We pray in the Apostles Creed: I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. On the cross, Jesus promised the Good Thief that he would be in Paradise before the end of the day. St. Francis welcomed death as Sister Death because she would welcome him into life everlasting.
We also believe that those who have died are still in union with us. Again, in our creeds we speak of the communion of saints. St. Dominic said to his brothers as he was dying: Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life. St. Therese of Lisieux said: I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth.
Throughout the year we celebrate the feast days of various well-known saints. but today we celebrate the thousands of men, woman and children who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. These are our ancestors, our relatives and friends who shared life here on earth with us and can now pray for us and for our eternal salvation. They are also an inspiration to us for as they lived the faith faithfully to the end, so can we with the help of their prayers and the grace of God.
In our Catholic faith life after death means either heaven, purgatory or hell. What will heaven be like? Most of us, young and old, have our answers. An eight-year-old boy answers that in heaven he can play with his toys all day, his parents won't limit his time on the computer, and his dog, that had recently died, would be there. A six-year-old girl said that she will get to play with her guardian angel, and her guardian will teach her how to fly. A 72-year-old widow said she looked forward to heaven in order to see her husband again. A 43-year-old man said he would finally get all of his questions answered.
All of us tend to project into heaven those things that we believe will make us happy. Heaven is supposed to be a happy place. Some do answer that they look forward to meeting God, but then they too quickly paint a picture of heaven in terms of what we know now, in terms of the people we love and the things we enjoy doing.
Some of us will answer the question by stating what we hope heaven will not be or who we hope will not be there. In anger, some will say that they pray such and such a particular person will not be in heaven. Heaven will not be what we imagine. It will be what God has made it to be.
The Bible does not give us much description of heaven other thn it is a place of everlasting peace and joy. It is a place where all persons are focused on God. It is an answer placed in each of us that there must be something after we die. For Catholics, Jesus is our hope. In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we can find an explanation. If Jesus died but lives forever, than we too who remain close to Jesus will share his life, death and resurrection.
Think of a moment when you were with a group of good friends and you had just done something really great and exciting . Everyone is content and joyful and excited. That experience is a little bit like what heaven will be like, except in heaven it won’t be just a moment . It will last forever.
Even though we generally refer to heaven as being up and hell as being down, they are not physical places as we experince time and space. Thus we can only describe them through examples. For instance, when speaking of heaven , Jesus used the example of mansion or big house. The book of Revelation talks of heaven where there will be no tears nor death, there will be no pain.
The second reading from 1 John tells us of a great privilege: ''We may be called children of God.'' For the Mediterranean Middle Eastern person, this was the best thing that could happen to a person, to be the family member of a family that had great honor. A person's family, for better or worse, gave a person his or her identity. There was no such concept of ''self-identity.'' For the widow and orphan, the leper and cripple, and others such as these, they either had no family or had been put out of their family. For a lesser family or the family of the person, there was no possibility for upward mobility.
John tells us that these outcasts are now part of a new family. They are part of the family of God. They have moved from the streets to the throne room of God! This is the right of children. Further, children are allowed an inheritance. Even more, children of a king would become great rulers or people of influence in their own right.
The struggle to be a saint is not really a struggle of becoming a perfect person. It is the struggle of becoming a person who loves God beyond all other things. It is the struggle of letting God make heaven instead of us inventing heaven. It is the struggle of trusting God and letting Him give us more than we can imagine. Accepting heaven as it is, rather than what we want it to be, is a sign of trust.
Once a father and mother have given life to a new human being, they choose a name for their new born child. For centuries, people have given their child a saint’s name in hope that their child will grow up like its namesake. To have a heavenly godmother or godfather is to be part of the tradition of the Catholic Church. These saints’ names begin with Adrian, Agnes and Albert and conclude with Zachary and Zoe. Many of these names are Bible names such as Aaron, Abel, Abigail and end with Zacchaeus, Zebedee and Zechariah. For those of you who do not have a patron saint whose name you have, it is never too late to choose one. She or he could be a popular saint like St. Therese of Lisieux or Franz Jagerstatter, the Austrian conscientious objector who chose death rather then to serve in Hitler's army during World War II. Our patron saint could also be deceased parent, brother or sister, relative, friend, parishioner, teacher, classmate, co-worker who loved, inspired and helped us by his or her example and who is certain to be among that great number of those whom we call All saints.
Jn 3:1-3 · Mt 5:1-12a
About every 7 years we have two major Catholic celebrations coming on a weekend such as this weekend. They are All Saints Day and All Souls Day. These feast, coming as they do in late autumn, give us an opportunity to ponder and appreciate the God who saves every leaf that falls and in a short time will know every snowflake that falls. We reflect on the God who assures us that we are never dead, even though winter is on its way and we all shall die. Today’s Church service reminds us that just as the farmer prepares for winter, just as the apples are picked from the trees, and just as the football season comes to an end, we, too, are being gathered as the harvest of heaven.
This weekend we honor all the saints, both those with an ST in front of their name, as well as all who have entered heaven after their death. In a sense theses are our heroes, the ones whose life we remember and whom we often places pictures of them in various places of our home or life. And then we pray for all of our relatives and friends who have died. This year 7 of them had their funeral Mass right here in St. James Church. I have mentioned their names in our bulletin.
Both All Saints Day and All Souls Day invite us to think about our own lives while we are here on earth and what where we will go after we die. For some of us us that day may not be that far off; for most of you that day may be years and years from now. Although a daily reading of the local newspaper alerts us to the fact that many people die young, especially as the result of auto accidents or sometimes a serious sickness.
A fundamental belief of the Catholic faith is life after death. We pray in the Apostles Creed: I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. On the cross, Jesus promised the Good Thief that he would be in Paradise before the end of the day. St. Francis welcomed death as Sister Death because she would welcome him into life everlasting.
We also believe that those who have died are still in union with us. Again, in our creeds we speak of the communion of saints. St. Dominic said to his brothers as he was dying: Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life. St. Therese of Lisieux said: I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth.
Throughout the year we celebrate the feast days of various well-known saints. but today we celebrate the thousands of men, woman and children who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. These are our ancestors, our relatives and friends who shared life here on earth with us and can now pray for us and for our eternal salvation. They are also an inspiration to us for as they lived the faith faithfully to the end, so can we with the help of their prayers and the grace of God.
In our Catholic faith life after death means either heaven, purgatory or hell. What will heaven be like? Most of us, young and old, have our answers. An eight-year-old boy answers that in heaven he can play with his toys all day, his parents won't limit his time on the computer, and his dog, that had recently died, would be there. A six-year-old girl said that she will get to play with her guardian angel, and her guardian will teach her how to fly. A 72-year-old widow said she looked forward to heaven in order to see her husband again. A 43-year-old man said he would finally get all of his questions answered.
All of us tend to project into heaven those things that we believe will make us happy. Heaven is supposed to be a happy place. Some do answer that they look forward to meeting God, but then they too quickly paint a picture of heaven in terms of what we know now, in terms of the people we love and the things we enjoy doing.
Some of us will answer the question by stating what we hope heaven will not be or who we hope will not be there. In anger, some will say that they pray such and such a particular person will not be in heaven. Heaven will not be what we imagine. It will be what God has made it to be.
The Bible does not give us much description of heaven other thn it is a place of everlasting peace and joy. It is a place where all persons are focused on God. It is an answer placed in each of us that there must be something after we die. For Catholics, Jesus is our hope. In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we can find an explanation. If Jesus died but lives forever, than we too who remain close to Jesus will share his life, death and resurrection.
Think of a moment when you were with a group of good friends and you had just done something really great and exciting . Everyone is content and joyful and excited. That experience is a little bit like what heaven will be like, except in heaven it won’t be just a moment . It will last forever.
Even though we generally refer to heaven as being up and hell as being down, they are not physical places as we experince time and space. Thus we can only describe them through examples. For instance, when speaking of heaven , Jesus used the example of mansion or big house. The book of Revelation talks of heaven where there will be no tears nor death, there will be no pain.
The second reading from 1 John tells us of a great privilege: ''We may be called children of God.'' For the Mediterranean Middle Eastern person, this was the best thing that could happen to a person, to be the family member of a family that had great honor. A person's family, for better or worse, gave a person his or her identity. There was no such concept of ''self-identity.'' For the widow and orphan, the leper and cripple, and others such as these, they either had no family or had been put out of their family. For a lesser family or the family of the person, there was no possibility for upward mobility.
John tells us that these outcasts are now part of a new family. They are part of the family of God. They have moved from the streets to the throne room of God! This is the right of children. Further, children are allowed an inheritance. Even more, children of a king would become great rulers or people of influence in their own right.
The struggle to be a saint is not really a struggle of becoming a perfect person. It is the struggle of becoming a person who loves God beyond all other things. It is the struggle of letting God make heaven instead of us inventing heaven. It is the struggle of trusting God and letting Him give us more than we can imagine. Accepting heaven as it is, rather than what we want it to be, is a sign of trust.
Once a father and mother have given life to a new human being, they choose a name for their new born child. For centuries, people have given their child a saint’s name in hope that their child will grow up like its namesake. To have a heavenly godmother or godfather is to be part of the tradition of the Catholic Church. These saints’ names begin with Adrian, Agnes and Albert and conclude with Zachary and Zoe. Many of these names are Bible names such as Aaron, Abel, Abigail and end with Zacchaeus, Zebedee and Zechariah. For those of you who do not have a patron saint whose name you have, it is never too late to choose one. She or he could be a popular saint like St. Therese of Lisieux or Franz Jagerstatter, the Austrian conscientious objector who chose death rather then to serve in Hitler's army during World War II. Our patron saint could also be deceased parent, brother or sister, relative, friend, parishioner, teacher, classmate, co-worker who loved, inspired and helped us by his or her example and who is certain to be among that great number of those whom we call All saints.
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