Homily, December 15, 2024
From The Pastor
Christmas is the gift of God come to earth, celebrated in the birth of Christ that carries through a season of festivity reminding humanity of our essential unity. For all the war, hatred, division, and competition in the world, Christmas is a beacon of light that reveals our deepest nature to seek, value, and belong to love. This reality reaches beyond Christianity to include the nature, desire, and need of every human being. Some people do not celebrate Christmas. Many unchurched, non-churched, and non-Christians do celebrate. Why? What Christmas celebrates goes beyond the cultural expressions of gift-giving and holiday cheer. Christmas celebrates love; God’s love given to the world in the person of the Lord Jesus. It is the nature of love to unite, heal, save, and redeem. These realities reach in, through, and beyond religion. They encompass what it means to be human with a known or unknown acceptance of our dependence on love.
If the Christmas rush has become wearisome for you, remember this. The trappings of the season are wonderful and rich for families and friends alike, but the deeper reality of what is celebrated is the love, acceptance, and belonging that redeems all humanity.
The Third Sunday of Advent is Guadete Sunday. Why do we rejoice on this day? We rejoice in the anticipation of the coming of the Lord. The Lord is near, already among us, in our hearts, and manner of life. Advent prepares us to stir up our awareness of the presence of God in ourselves and in all persons.
Many would ask, where is the joy? Nice word, nice idea, but who is feeling any joy these days? Precisely. We need to be reminded that the joy of the Lord is our strength. From the Prophet Zephaniah we are told, ‘The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty Savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you…’
I read an article recently in the Jesuit quarterly magazine about the epidemic of loneliness in our culture today. More than the elderly, an increasing number of youths are suffering from loneliness with a sense of separation in their lives. The author was making the point beyond merely being alone and feeling separated. Many people today feel disconnected without a sense of belonging. This is an important insight. Well into a generation of internet, iPhone, and computer use, our capacity for and reality of relating to others has diminished. The pandemic only served to heighten this reality. This surely affects our capacity for feeling joy.
Joy is grounded in love that inspires faith and stirs hope. But if people are not connected with others, how is joy to be known? Separated, joyless, and weary people sought out John the Baptist for hope and renewal. This kind of seeking is in our bones as human beings. Society is weakened when people feel separated, disconnected, or not belonging. John’s message was one of hope. People knew they were off track needing a new way of relating and connecting with others and with God. Hearing John’s words of hope and repentance, they began to ask him what they should do.
Each of John’s directions led to connecting with others in a new way. If you have enough, share. If you are cheating others, stop it. If you are over others, do not manipulate, lie, or accuse others falsely. John’s repentance calls for relationships that build unity, justice, and acceptance among people.
Our culture is built on competition that sets one over and against another creating judgments, prejudice, and hatred for groups other than my own. This model not only defeats joy, but also love, justice, and right relationships. It defeats our ability to see the inner worth, value, and uniqueness of others. These rhythms of social interactions weaken our religious and moral identity.
Christian joy is found in the gift of God given in the coming of the Lord Jesus and the redemption he has accomplished. Redemption is the fruit of forgiveness that leads to acceptance and new relationships. Redemptive love leads to restored unity, connectedness, and a valued sense of belonging. Only in this way can we become who we are called to be with joy, hope, and faith. Healthy, holy people are never self-made apart from others. We need one another to become who we are in Christ in the maturing realization of who Christ is in us.
Notice how we gather. We come to the table of Communion that unites us with the Lord. The Communion we share forms us into community through relationships, and connectedness. We feel a part of one another. We see and respond to the needs of each other. Bonds of belonging are created. We can feel joy and meaning in our faith. Hope is revived, and we are drawn towards acts of love. This is the ground and foundation out of which joy grows. Rejoice today in the faith we share through bonds of love and belonging. Spread the Good News.
Father John Esper
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