Homily , December 7, 2025

December 07, 2025

393

From The Pastor

Advent is a verb, a season of action. Put Advent in real time and not just in the remembrance of a long-ago event. Advent prepares us to receive Christ into our lives and into the world in a living and active way. The Advent season calls for a heartfelt reflection as we prepare to celebrate God coming into the world as Christ and Redeemer.

Be aware that we are waiting and preparing for someone who is already here. The work of Advent is not to prepare for the best possible celebration of Christmas. This is a good thing to do, and I hope we can all do it well. However, the hard work of Advent is to realize the One we are preparing for is already here, present within and among us. The question is, how do we give rebirth to Christ who is long known to us. This is the critical starting point.

The Incarnation of God in the birth of the Child Jesus was not a thirty-three-year experiment. We, the Baptized, are the incarnate presence of Christ in the world today. Your body/person is the embodiment of Christ in the world. Think about this. The way we live our lives in the love modeled by Jesus is the way Christ is made present and known among us. We are not merely remembering history. It is the love, goodness, and justice we offer others that makes Christ evident in the world through our words and deeds.

Jesus, God in Christ, entered a messy and wounded world. Not unlike the reality of the world today, Jesus entered a world waning in faith, torn apart by political division, war, poverty, and social disorder oppression. From the beginning to the present, the world is sorely in need of a Savior. Remember, the only Savior/Redeemer given to us is already here. If we want Christ more evident in the world it is up to faithful believers willing to go beyond themselves to give witness to the love, compassion, and suffering modeled in the life of Jesus.

Isaiah is a Prophet of justice and hope. He is a man who has given his heart to God, prays deeply, and serves as a mouthpiece for the Lord. In a time when the Kingdom of Israel has broken down, Isaiah is given a vision to restore hope to a leaderless people. From a dead stump, a shoot sprouts forth. That shoot is David who would be crowned King, in anticipation of an eternal and everlasting King, Christ the Lord. Further images reflect a time of perfect peace and harmony. This image is an eternal one for which we all long and can only be accomplished through the eternal Christ.

St. Paul carries the same theme of encouragement, hope, and harmony as we wait for the fullness of redemption. This is where the rubber meets the road. The words and images are beautiful as they inspire our faith and hope in the promises of God. Yet it remains up to each of us to help God bring about the vision of God’s Kingdom. Life is difficult and will never be quite as neat and harmonious as portrayed in the words of scripture.

God intentionally entered a wounded, sinful, and broken world. Not every day will be filled with peace and harmony. It is the work of Advent to remind us and call us back to the awareness of Christ living in each of us as agents of the Kingdom we are called to help bring forth. This is the hard work of faithful perseverance and courage to live the gospel values we profess in every day ordinary events and activities. We all long for this kind of unity and peace, yet it is we who must work to bring it about.

The role of John the Baptist is indispensable. John calls for repentance in preparation for the coming Kingdom. Repentance is more a call to action than a direct word of contrition. It means to look again, see, think, and act in a new way. Why did so many flock to see John the Baptist? They were longing for a spiritual revival in their hopeless lives of drudgery. How many people around us today feel the same way? Many report an increase in anxiety, worry, fear, and the weight of food insecurity. People want to see, feel, and believe in the active presence of God in the world. Who better than us as believers to be the evidence and presence of Christ in the world.

John’s work of repentance is a call to stand up and pay attention. God is near for those who have eyes to see, a heart to feel, and hands to serve. Advent is a time to find Christ in yourself and share him in everyday ways with those around you. This is something most of us do every day without thinking about it. Sharing a smile, offering a hand, writing a note, offering a bag of food, playing with a child. That is the work of Advent. Preparing for Christ by being Christ for others. If you do that, your Christmas will be filled with meaningful joyful hope, because of you there will be more light in the world.

Father John Esper

Homily