the school of Mary: December 2011

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Homily Christmas Midnight Mass Year B–The Shepherds and Fallen-Away Catholics

To those with us this evening who are new to St. James, friends and relatives of parishioners, on behalf of Fr. Chuck Walker our pastor and Fr. Stan Osborne our senior associate, and on behalf of Deacon Bill, Deacon Karl, and Deacon Joe, and all of our staff, I welcome you to St. James and wish you a blessed and Merry Christmas. My name is Fr. Matthew Hardesty, the Associate Pastor since June, after my Ordination as a priest in May. I’m very happy to celebrate my first Christmas as a priest with all of you. I’ve been looking forward to this day for quite a while.

Typically at Christmas and Easter, we regular Mass-goers look around at the packed pews and wonder, “Where are all these people every Sunday?!” It’s too easy to look down on the so-called “Christmas and Easter Catholics.” I realize that a lot of our large number of folks today are family and friends visiting for Christmas and attending Mass together. I know that “Twice a Year Catholics” aren’t the only ones making up this large congregation – and it’s not my job to beat up on you all every April and December. Still, I would like to speak to the situations of those who do only come to Mass twice a year, but in a more helpful way that I hope everyone will be able to benefit from.

First, if this is your first time to Mass in a long time… welcome back! You may have been startled to find that the prayers are totally different from what you remember! After almost 10 years of study and prayer, the English-speaking bishops of the world implemented revised translations of the prayers of the Mass which we all began to use about 4 weeks ago. It was determined that the language we had used since Vatican II, while fluid and easy to say, had lost much of the nuance and depth of meaning that was intended. So, new vistas of beauty and meaning have been opened to us to us with the revised translations and the prayers are now more closely aligned with Scripture and the tradition of Catholic worship.

This new, more sacred language has been unsettling for all of us, as we have been challenged to step out of what is comfortable and to think again about what we are saying and what it means. This is a new beginning for all of us and I hope – especially – for fallen-away Catholics as well. This is a great time to come back to the Church, a time of new life and energy for worship. We’re all learning to walk again. Hundreds of people, from this parish alone, are studying their faith in groups, asking the tough questions, and getting answers, perhaps unlike they ever have before. Come and be a part of this exciting time. Come join us as we all make our first steps, again, together. No other Church worships like the Catholic Church does. No other Church roots its worship in a continuous, unbroken tradition, stemming from the Apostles, through the Middle Ages, to Today like we do. No other Church has the Eucharist – the Real Body and Blood of Jesus Christ to sustain and feed us – like we do.

Our readings this evening speak most directly though to still other reasons why people fall away from the Church. One reason many men, for example, are not active Catholics today is because of the so-called “feminization” of the Church. Women make up a large percentage of active Catholics, are most involved in the various ministries of the Church, and hold most of the staff positions. Their unique gifts have been a great blessing to the Church. But, some guys then are inclined to think that that there is nothing masculine whatsoever about Catholicism or religion in general. They feel uncomfortable and out of place. “It’s not for me,” they think.

They want a strong priest, with a strong backbone, and a firm handshake who has convictions, who shares their interests, who they can relate to. They want strong role models and brothers they can share their faith with in a uniquely masculine way. I, for one, am trying to live my still-new Priesthood in that way. St. Luke’s Gospel this evening gives us a glimpse of a true role model: St. Joseph.

It is Joseph who took Mary, pregnant with the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, to Bethlehem in order to register in the census; it is Joseph who, in doing this, fulfilled the prophecy of Micah that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem; it is Joseph who worked to provide for and protect his family by finding shelter in a nearby cave when there was no room in the inn.[1] St. Bernadine of Siena explains that it was Joseph, our Holy Patriarch, who was “a father to our Lord Jesus Christ and a faithful spouse to the Queen of the Universe, our Lady of the Angels. The eternal Father chose Joseph to be the guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, his Son and his Spouse, and Joseph fulfilled his calling with perfect fidelity. If the Church is indebted to the Blessed Virgin for having given Christ to us, then, after Mary, great gratitude and veneration is also owed to St. Joseph.”[2]

Guys, let’s get back in the game and follow St. Joseph’s lead. He shows us how a man does Catholicism: By being chaste and just; by protecting his family not only from financial or physical hardship, but from spiritual burdens as well; by leading them with his own example; by being a source of strength and guidance. Do we really want our sons and daughters to say of us, “Father took a back seat to the things that matter most.” I don’t think so. I know I don’t want that said of me by all of you, my spiritual sons and daughters.

The eternal Son of God chose to become a man precisely in the context of a human family with a human father and a human mother. Every Christmas he comes again into our own families, making all things new. This is the time when every father can start again if needed, to see himself as the guardian of his own holy family; a time when every man with the power of grace can pray well and do great things.

As much as gender roles have evolved over the decades, studies still continue to show that children learn the most about how to live inside the home from their mothers and how to live outside the home from their fathers. Even when mothers bring their children to Mass every Sunday and are very involved in the Church, the greatest indicator that that faith will continue in children is the faith of the father. When fathers lead the way out the door to Mass every Sunday morning, they teach their children that this is how life is lived outside of the home – among others who pray and are active in their faith.

My final point is about the shepherds who received from the angel the good news of the birth of the Savior, Christ the Lord – this scenario, too, can address a reason why some people leave the Church or are not active in it. Long ago, God swore a covenant oath that David would always have an heir to his dynasty. Here in Bethlehem, the hometown of King David and the site of his anointing as king, Jesus Christ is born.[3] By connecting Jesus with David, Luke shows us that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah-King; He is the one who fulfills God’s promises.

The fact that this good news was first revealed to shepherds, an occupation frowned upon by religious Jews, is very consoling for us. This indicates that divine salvation extends to all people. As with these men, God favored numerous shepherds in the Old Testament, including Abel, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and Amos. No matter how unusual or under-classed these shepherds seemed to be, God still used them to witness to his Eternal Son, Emmanuel, God-With-Us. To these shepherds, an entire army of God’s angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” This peace is not the mere absence of conflict but a peace rooted in one’s reconciliation with God.[4]

Sometimes people leave the Church because of shame they feel from something they have done wrong or a situation they have gotten themselves into. The good news is that, like these lowly shepherds, and the mighty shepherds of the Old Testament, whatever happened doesn’t have to disqualify you from witnessing God’s presence. Repent, if you need to, and receive God’s healing mercy, grace, and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Let us help you with whatever it was that pushed you away. For example, there are many very common misunderstandings about annulments, excommunication, Holy Communion, etc. Give us a chance to walk with you through the suffering to communion again. Come to me personally and I will do all I can to help you. There is a website I also recommend that is very professionally done called “CatholicsComeHome.org.” That website can be helpful in taking the first step.

So many of you are indeed very faithful. I am very blessed to have St. James as my first priesthood assignment. So many of you come to daily Mass, to Mass every Sunday, and to the Sacrament of Reconciliation showing that you take seriously your spiritual lives, have a sense of sin in your life, and a reliance on God’s grace. So many of you spend many hours in Eucharistic Adoration, in youth ministry, in helping the poor through our St. Vincent de Paul chapter, and in many other ministries and devotions. You’ve never fallen away. But to you too, and to all of us, the message remains the same: As part of the holy family that is the Church, Christ is born into our hearts. Through Jesus, the Savior, Christ, and Lord, we are rescued from sin, have a new king in our lives, and a mediator enthroned at God’s right hand. We all are called to receive in our lives the Messiah, the Anointed One, who brings the hope and joy of heaven to us. Every one of us is called to have the faith and courage of St. Joseph and the humility of the shepherds as we accept change in the Church and acknowledge our need for continued reconciliation. If we follow St. Joseph and the shepherds, Christ can continue to make all things new in our lives.

[1] The Navarre Bible, commentary Lk 1:1-2:23
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, commentary Lk 2:4
[4] Ibid Lk 2:14

Homily Christmas Vigil Mass Year B–St. Joseph and Fallen-Away Catholics

They want a strong priest, with a strong backbone, and a firm handshake who has convictions, who shares their interests, who they can relate to. They want strong role models and brothers they can share their faith with in a uniquely masculine way. I, for one, am trying to live my still-new Priesthood in that way. But, guys, St. Matthew’s Gospel this evening shows us a true role model: St. Joseph.

Matthew’s gospel focuses a great deal on St. Joseph. It is Joseph who is given, by an angel, the explanation of the virginal conception of the Christ Child; it is Joseph who takes Mary as his wife and names the Child, Jesus; it is Joseph who takes the Child and his mother and flees to Egypt to protect them; it is Joseph who returns the Holy Family to the land of Israel after Herod died and the danger was over.[1] St. Bernadine of Siena explains that it was Joseph, our Holy Patriarch, who was “a father to our Lord Jesus Christ and a faithful spouse to the Queen of the Universe, our Lady of the Angels. The eternal Father chose Joseph to be the guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, his Son and his Spouse, and Joseph fulfilled his calling with perfect fidelity. If the Church is indebted to the Blessed Virgin for having given Christ to us, then, after Mary, great gratitude and veneration is also owed to St. Joseph.”[2]

My final point is about the long genealogy of Jesus that was read at the beginning of the Gospel – it too can address a reason why some people leave the Church or are not active in it. This is more than just a boring list of hard-to-pronounce names. The list is very intentional and carefully composed in order to show that God keeps his promises. He promised that kings would stem from Abraham’s line and he later swore a covenant oath that David would always have an heir to his dynasty.[3] By tracing Jesus’ genealogy from Abraham to King David to King Solomon to Joseph, Matthew shows us that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah-King. He is the one who fulfills God’s promises.

This is meaningful for us because some of the people in Jesus’ lineage are scandalous and unusual. For example, four women are named besides Mary, which was quite uncommon: Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Ruth. All four were foreigners, Gentiles. Three of them were associated with sexual immorality. Yet they were still drawn into salvation history to show that divine salvation extends to everyone of all nations. No matter how unusual or immoral they were, Jesus ancestors didn’t throw off the line, they didn’t disqualify him as the Messiah. God the Father was still able to use them to lead to his Eternal Son, Emmanuel, God-With-Us.

Sometimes people leave the Church because of shame they feel from something they have done wrong or a situation they have gotten themselves into. The good news is that, like Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Ruth, whatever happened doesn’t have to disqualify you from God’s presence in your life. Repent, if you need to, and receive God’s healing mercy, grace, and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Let us help you with whatever it was that pushed you away. For example, there are many very common misunderstandings about annulments, excommunication, Holy Communion, etc. Give us a chance to walk with you through the suffering to communion again. Come to me personally and I will do all I can to help you. There is a website I also recommend that is very professionally done called “CatholicsComeHome.org.” That website can be helpful in taking the first step.

So many of you are indeed very faithful. I am very blessed to have St. James as my first priesthood assignment. So many of you come to daily Mass, to Mass every Sunday, and to the Sacrament of Reconciliation showing that you take seriously your spiritual lives, have a sense of sin in your life, and a reliance on God’s grace. So many of you spend many hours in Eucharistic Adoration, in youth ministry, in helping the poor through our St. Vincent de Paul chapter, and in many other ministries and devotions. You’ve never fallen away. But to you too, and to all of us, the message remains the same: As part of the holy family that is the Church, Christ is born into our hearts. Through Joseph’s line, the Father keeps his promises to us too. We all are called to receive in our lives the Messiah, the Anointed One, who brings the hope and joy of heaven to us. Every one of us can benefit from the protection and prayers of St. Joseph, the foster father of the Church. We all are called to follow Joseph’s lead, whether by participating more deeply in the Mass or cultivating the faith of our family, so that Christ can continue to make all things new.

[1] The Navarre Bible, commentary Lk 1:1-2:23
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, commentary Mt 1:2-17

Monday, December 19, 2011

Homily 4th Sun Advent Year B – The Consoling Light of the New Ark

Today we have finally reached the Fourth and last Sunday of Advent. During the tail-end of this season, from Dec 17 to 23, the Church observes the ancient custom of praying, during Evening Prayer each day, one of the seven “O” Antiphons. The “O” Antiphons are Old Testament titles for the Messiah, each beginning with the invocation “O”. They are “O Wisdom,” “O Lord,” “O Root of Jesse,” “O Key of David,” “O Dayspring,” “O King of Nations” and finally “O Emmanuel.” There is a verse for each one in the famous hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”. They are also references to the prophecy of Isaiah and are a rich source for personal prayer and reflection during these final days of preparation for Christmas.[1] Today’s title is “O Lord,” but I want to reflect on “O Dayspring,” (or “O Morning Star” or “O Light from the East”) because next Sunday is Christmas and as some of us get a little blue this time of year, it may be helpful to see Christ’s coming as one that can bring light into our lives. There is a beautiful hymn that accompanies his title, “O Dayspring”:[2]

O very God of very God,
And very Light of Light,
Whose feet this earth’s dark valley trod,
That so it might be bright:

Our hopes are weak, our fears are strong,
Thick darkness blinds our eyes;
Cold is the night, and, oh, we long
That you, our Sun, would rise!

And even now, through dull and grey,
The east is brightening fast,
And kindling to the perfect day
That never shall be past.

Oh, guide us till our path is done,
And we have reached the shore
Where you, our Everlasting Sun,
Are shining evermore!

We are beginning to see, coming from the East, the rays of the brightly shining Everlasting Son of God beaming from the Christ Child. But, in our readings today we do not see him, it seems that he is not here yet. Where do these glimmers of light in the distance come from? Are they merely an illusion from our minds weakened by darkness or sadness, from our eyes straining to see? No, Christ is indeed shining in our readings. Resting in the womb of His Blessed Mother, he shines forth in her beauty, the beauty of the Ark of the New Covenant, just as God centuries before shined forth to his chosen people from the Ark of the Old Covenant. This is the Light we are seeing, the light bursting forth in the beauty of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Your mental image of the Ark of the Covenant may be like mine. Sometimes I imagine that Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark. There, Indiana and his trusty Egyptian sidekick break through the roof of the Well of Souls and Indiana has to go first through all the snakes and cobras. They finally hoist the Ark out of the Well only to have it taken by the Nazis. So I imagine this huge golden chest between two long poles as it’s depicted in the movie. Actually in the Old Testament it’s described as being only about 2.5ft square and about 4.5ft long, not near as imposing as in the movie, but it was equally elaborate. It was made of special acacia wood which was incorruptible, was covered inside and out with the purest, finest gold, and had a ring of gold on top. On each of the two sides were two gold rings that two wooden poles went through to allow the Ark to be carried. Even these poles were sheathed in gold. Over the Ark, at the two ends, were two cherubim, with their faces turned toward one another. Their outspread wings over the top of the Ark formed the throne of God, while the Ark itself was his footstool.[3]

The Ark of the Covenant was built so magnificently because it stood for God’s very presence among the Hebrews. The Book of Lamentations called it “the beauty of Israel.” It also held inside three items that were crucial to their faith and identity: the tablets of the 10 commandments of God’s Law; a golden vase containing the manna from heaven that fed them in the desert; and the rod of the high priest, Aaron, that bloomed in affirmation of his priesthood. But the beauty of the ark was not only due to what it symbolized or what it contained but what it prefigured, what it pointed to in the future: The beauty and purity of the Ark of the New Covenant: The Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the point that St. Luke is trying to make in today’s Gospel: We now have a New Ark of a New Covenant with a beauty the Old Ark only aspired to have.

This point is packed with meaning! First the gold lining and covering of the old Ark pointed to the Immaculate purity of the Virgin Mary, the New Ark. And the three things the old Ark contained – The tablets of the Law, the golden vase of manna, and the rod of Aaron – are also in the New Ark in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the author of the Law, He is the Bread from Heaven, and He is the eternal High Priest. Mary now assumes a role in Salvation History that was once played by the old Ark of the Covenant. Like this golden chest, she is a sacred vessel where the Lord’s presence dwells intimately with his people.[4]

“Ave!” – “Hail!” the Archangel Gabriel exclaims to her, “full of grace! The Lord is with you.” This salutation, “Hail!” meant “Rejoice” to the Hebrew people and it was their cry of Joy because God had chosen to dwell in their midst. Mary is greeted with this same cry of Joy because she is the embodiment of faithful Israel and in her very midst indeed dwells our Lord and God![5] Also, by calling her “full of grace” we have the only instance in the Bible where an angel greets a person by a title instead of a name.[6] This shows her singular importance among the history of mankind. And because fullness admits nothing else, Gabriel teaches us that Mary has been and is now filled with divine life and therefore free from all sin from the moment of her conception. When Gabriel explains how Mary is to bear the Light of the World, he says very carefully that “the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” This is the same expression used in the Book of Exodus to describe how Yahweh “overshadowed” the Ark, making it his dwelling place in Israel.[7]

I know this is a bit academic, but the reason I have described some of the parallels between the old Ark of the Covenant and the Blessed Virgin Mary is because I wanted you all to see the outstanding beauty that Luke attributes to our Blessed Mother. She gives us hope to keep squinting for the light of the New Day ahead, Christmas Morning when Christ, the Light of the World, will dispel the darkness of sin and sadness. Mary’s beauty glows with this Light so that we can draw near to her during this week, trusting that she will soon show us the Light of a New Hope, a New Way, a New Life, a New Day. We can find joy in our remaining preparation. We can rejoice with Mary in the silence of our hearts. We can hear her sweet voice singing to us, the New Israel:

O come, O Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

[1] “Praying the ‘O’ Antiphons”, The Magnificat Advent Companion, p. 83-91
[2] Ibid., p. 83
[3] "Ark of the Covenant." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 17 Dec 2008, 15:06 UTC. 19 Dec 2008
[4] “Mary, Ark of the Covenant”, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Luke, by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, p. 21
[5] Ibid., footnote Lk 1:28 “Hail”, p. 19
[6] Ibid., footnote Lk 1:28 “full of grace”
[7] Ibid., footnote Lk 1:35 “overshadow you”

Homily 3rd Sun Advent Year B – Rejoice in the Lord Always

At Mass today, we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, also known by it’s Latin name Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is Latin for “Rejoice!” which is the first word of our Entrance Antiphon: Gaudete in Domino semper! “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! Indeed, the Lord is near.” This is an excellent encouragement we are given as we enter our Mass. In all of our readings today we see woven through them the thread of Joy. I think the key this Sunday is Christian Joy that is ours when Christ is near. Our penances, prayers, and other sacrifices we have made this Advent in order to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord are bearing fruit and our wait is almost over. There is cause for great Joy which is signified by our use of Rose-colored vestments. Our Lord will be born again in our hearts, bursting forth with the light of day.

Unfortunately, Joy can be an elusive virtue because it is often misunderstood. We always tend to either undercut it, by defining it too superficially, or over-emphasize it by making it too proud. In undercutting it, we can think that Joy is simply that feeling we get when things go our way. It is not very deep-seated. In over-emphasizing it we can turn Joy into a haughtiness or giddiness, like the feeling we have when we win or are successful and another person loses or fails. Either way, we tend to base it on our circumstances which are always fleeting and never endure. Or we base it on some future condition, like: “If I could only get a different job, then I’d be happy. If I could only date this or that person, then I’d be happy. If I could only get over this illness, then I’d be happy.” This is easy for us all to get caught up in. But too often, what we find is when we get what we wanted – maybe even all together! – we are still not satisfied. That is because the things or the people that we think will make us happy can never bear the weight of our happiness, the happiness we all seek in every action that we make.

Everything we say or do, from the mundane to the profound, is done to attain happiness. This is good because it is in our nature to do so. But, we must base this happiness on a foundation that will not fade away or let us down. Only Jesus Christ, through whom all things were made, can bear the weight of our unquenchable happiness. We have an infinite desire for happiness that is rooted in our soul, and can only be satisfied by he who is all in all, the Alpha and the Omega, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Soon he will come again and true Christian Joy can be ours anew.

Our readings have helped us to learn what true Christian Joy is all about – so that we can avoid undercutting it, over-emphasizing it, or placing it solely on the shoulders of a particular person or thing – so we can approach it the right way and live it out well. In our first reading, Isaiah writes a beautiful poetic description of Joy. First it is characterized by closeness to the Lord. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” he says, “he has sent me to bring glad tidings.” This Joy leads him to serve his fellow man, “the poor”, to “heal the broken hearted”, to “proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners.” We know our Joy is true when it leads us to do those things too. Who in your family, at your school, or at your work could use glad tidings brought to him? Whose day could you make a little easier this Advent? Who do you know that is broken-hearted, that could use a visit, or a phone call, or a letter to assure them that Christ, our Rock, will never leave them? Who do you know that is being held captive and prisoner to addiction or to unhealthy relationships? When the joy we receive from being close to Christ causes us to serve others then true Christian Joy becomes theirs as well.

Also in Isaiah, see how deep-seated his joy is, it is not superficial, it is not easily lost. “I rejoice heartily in the Lord,” he exclaims, “in my God is the joy of my soul.” His Joy, which is rooted in and springs from his soul, is like that of a bride and groom who are nearly bursting with joy as they prepare for their magnificent wedding: “like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels.” Just like true Joy leads to service and comes out of service, it also comes out of holy marriages and families. The marriage of a man and a woman should cause deep-seated joy in their children and in their community that mirrors the Joy that wells up in the Sacred Heart of Our Lord in his Marriage to the Church. This joy should be the center of Catholic family life. When it is, it lends a peaceful lightheartedness between children and parents and between neighbors and friends. This Joy is the will of God for all of our families and it is never too late to recommit ourselves too it or to help each other to achieve it.

Our Responsorial Psalm also has a beautiful picture of Joy and it happens to contain one of my favorite passages from Luke: Mary’s Magnificat. “Magnificat, anima mea Dominum,” she exclaims! “My soul ‘magnifies’ or ‘proclaims the greatness’ of the Lord, my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary proclaims this moving Canticle out of the Joy she has in visiting her cousin Elizabeth who gave homage to our Lord still in the womb of the Blessed Virgin. Here too the spirit of the Lord is upon his chosen one. Here too closeness to God leads to service and Joy. God rests in Mary’s very self, under the light of her Immaculate Heart. The overwhelming Joy of this fact moves Mary to make a treacherous journey alone to help Elizabeth who was pregnant in her old age, “for nothing is impossible with God.”

When true Joy seems impossible to find, know that in a heart properly disposed rests the same Lord of our daily Eucharist who rested in the womb of our Blessed Mother. This too should bring us much Joy. In the face of such joy we must do what St. Paul instructed the Thessalonians: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks.” This is precisely what the word “Eucharist” means; it comes from a Greek word meaning “to give thanks.” A heart filled with Christian Joy can only give thanks to God. St. Paul was always filled with gratitude to God, even in the midst of intense suffering, because he knew and believed that his Joy was not founded on his circumstances in life, but on the Lord who will not change, who will not waver, who will not flinch in his faithfulness to us. During these times of suffering, Joy remains not in the outward signs of laughter or cheers but in an internal Peace and Consolation that refuses to let suffering have the last say. This is possible for all of us too if we hold onto our faith and not give in to bitterness or cynicism.

“A man named John was sent from God,” our Gospel said, “He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” It is Faith in Jesus Christ, the Faith for which John paved the way, that will end in unimaginable Joy. With Faith, Joy is empowered not only to meet our deepest human longings but to satisfy them more than we could have ever imagined. And this Faith is not in a set of principles, not in a list of rules, or a framework of ideas. Our Faith is in a Person, the Word of God, Jesus Christ. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only-begotten Son from the Father… And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:14-16).

Homily 2nd Sun Advent Year B – Vocation and Voice

Today, the Second Sunday of Advent, the Church puts before us the figure of St. John the Baptist. Now, sometimes when I think of him, I imagine that camel hair shirt and his eating of locusts! Those always grab my attention when I’m reading the beginning of Mark’s Gospel. It’s easy for me, and maybe you too as the long year winds down, to lose focus on his example beyond those things. Thankfully, we have this season of Advent to take seriously again John’s message. What does it mean to “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths”? What’s the difference between John’s baptism and Jesus’? Why does John say that he is “not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of [Jesus’] sandals”? Even though our Gospel reading for today is made up of only eight verses, we can see much in John the Baptist’s mission and his words that can be helpful for us as we prepare for the coming of the Lord.

First, did you notice the lead up to John the Baptist in the readings beforehand? I always enjoy discovering how all of the readings tie together each Sunday. I think the Church wants us to listen closely to the readings in this way, to listen for the connections, and the brilliant way in which all of salvation history points to Christ and the glory of the Father. This buildup, from our first reading in Isaiah, to the Responsorial Psalm, to the second letter of St. Peter, culminates in the Gospel as St. John the Baptist bursts onto the scene. We get the feeling, when we listen closely to the trajectory of the readings that John’s meaning in life, his vocation, the reason he was put on this earth was prepared for him since the times of the great Old Testament Prophets. John’s life’s mission is to prepare the way of the Lord, Jesus Christ, to till the soil of men’s hearts to be able to receive the seeds that Jesus will plant.

The Prophet Isaiah exclaims, “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!... Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed… Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord God!” It’s as if the prophet Isaiah has given to John the Baptist, centuries before his arrival, the very words that he should say. Then our Responsorial Psalm helps us understand the way that John prepared for Jesus. He didn’t just “spread the word” as if our Lord’s public appearance was some holy gossip to spread among the land. No, John prepared mankind for Jesus in a particular way, with Justice.

And so we heard at the end of the psalm, “Justice shall walk before him, and prepare the way of his steps.” John fervently preached to all of the people to acknowledge their sins before God and to symbolize their repentance by being washed in the Jordan River. By being repentant, we return to God what belongs to Him, our Love. That’s what Justice is all about; giving to God and to each other what they are due. Repentance also helps us to behave correctly. Our second reading asks us, “what sort of persons ought you to be”? It then answers: “conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God”. John the Baptist was the last prophet of the Old Testament and the first herald of the New Testament; he perfectly takes the torch of all who came before him and carries it forward.

When we look at John the Baptist’s noble vocation, let’s not think that he is merely an isolated figure stuck in history two thousand years ago. We too are John the Baptist. We see how John inherited and echoed all of the prophecy that came before him. John also exceeded the prophets because he got to see with his own eyes the Messiah they longed for, he believed in Him, and he baptized Him. It seems like John is too special for us to relate too. But, God has prepared from all eternity your vocation as well!

Just stop and think about that for a second. From all eternity, before time began, God planned your personal, individual, vocation; your mission; your reason for being. Do you know what your vocation is? What God has prepared for you before the world began? Every single one of us has a vocation. Perhaps you are living it now, in a married life, where husband and wife prepare each other and their family to receive the Lord when he comes. Perhaps your vocation is to the Diaconate or the Priesthood where you will prepare souls for the Lord through the grace of the sacraments. Perhaps your vocation is to religious life as a nun, a sister, or a brother where you will prepare the Church through prayer and work. Or perhaps it is as a lay single person as you go out into all the spheres of the world – businesses, stores, the schools, the streets – making “straight in the wasteland a highway for our God”.

Whatever your vocation, know that a true vocation from God is always one that prepares for his Son and relies not on our abilities but on his grace. Our entire lives as Catholics are ones of waiting for the Lord, looking toward Him, and preparing for His coming. Do not despair if God’s will is coming to you with difficulty. Have faith that every one of us has a vocation that, though it may be in common with others, is tailor-made for our own, unique, individual salvation. There is a particular way, a path, along which God wants to make you a saint. When you discover it, let John the Baptist teach you not only what to do and what to say, but how to say it; how to live it. Let’s look again at the beautiful picture of John that our readings today have painted.

See how first we are told to “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly.” Then “the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together”. Notice the glory is not in the messenger, but in the tender message, or rather the Word of God, Jesus Christ. Then we heard the Psalm begin “I will hear what God proclaims; the LORD—for he proclaims peace to his people.” The messenger hears not the words of his own agenda, but focuses on what God proclaims. And since he “await[s] these things, [he is] eager to be found without spot or blemish… [and] at peace.”

Then we see John in the Gospel, “And this is what he proclaimed: ‘One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’” John knew that his ministry was never about him, never about how good of a preacher he was to have been able to draw “People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem” to him in the waters of the Jordan River. It was only all about Jesus, who John describes as mighty, like a king. The lowest most insignificant servant of a king was the one who had the often dirty and unhealthy job of loosening the king’s sandals and caring for his feet. But John, in his great humility would not even dare to “stoop and loosen the thongs of [Jesus’] sandals.” This is how John shows us how to live out our unique vocation: with profound humility. Even Christ’s mission is mightier than John’s, for John’s baptism “with water” merely symbolized repentance from sin, but Jesus’ Baptism “with the Holy Spirit” [and water] actually effects what it symbolizes. Pouring water over the head in Baptism is a symbol of sins being washed away from the soul, and they truly are washed away.

Despite these vivid examples, the most striking one of John’s humility is one that I know I’ve read over hundreds of times before without catching it. St. Mark, at the beginning of his Gospel, simply describes John as a “voice.” He is simply “A voice of one crying out in the desert”. John is just a voice. He was so humble before the message of God that he became the message, the voice, of God the Father.[1]

Today, as we remember St. John the Baptist, with the help of his prayers we too can go forth and speak this message of repentance to our coworkers, our friends, and our relatives. From the heart of our own God-given vocation, with great humility, we too can not only speak but become the message, the Word of God, Jesus Christ. And we will always point to Him rather than ourselves because, after all, it is “the mouth of the LORD [that] has spoken.”

[1] In Conversation with God, Volume One, p. 59, by Fr. Francis Fernandez