Homily, November 17, 2024
From The Pastor
In times of trouble do we keep our eyes on the trouble or do we keep our eyes on Jesus. Trouble is interesting and can draw great attention. For those who suffer calamity, traumatic loss, or various degrees of trouble it is hard not to stare at the crisis immediately in front of you. Like those working to put life back together after recent hurricanes. Those not immediately involved or impacted by such loss, nonetheless, have their eyes on the impact of human loss and suffering.
Liturgically, we are at the end of the year. From the green and growth of summer sun we are fading into the changing and falling of leaves that signal winter’s coming. In our worship, we are invited to ponder the reality of end times. Although not a popular or inviting subject, it serves the wisdom of our preparedness for the end of life. End times refers to the end of the created world as well as our personal death. Such endings are seen as a crisis, trouble, the worst that could happen, often denied, and resisted in the fear of separation and the unknown.
Do we keep our eyes on the ‘worst that could happen’ or do we keep our eyes on Jesus our Christ and King. As a people of faith committed to the truth and the redemption given us in Christ, I hope the answer is obvious. It is tempting to stare at the scary images of the first reading and the gospel. Wisdom would suggest that we focus on the second reading that makes clear why the better choice is to keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus.
St. Paul is not the author of the Letter to the Hebrews. Its primary theme is the priesthood of Jesus and the redemptive sacrifice of his death. The gospel begins with the calamitous end of the created world. The consolation comes in the second paragraph that proclaims the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory. The end of time signals the longed for Second Coming of Christ in the sovereignty and authority of his Divine Lordship.
The second reading explains the nature and purpose of the priesthood of Jesus. The Temple priest in the old Temple Law offered daily sacrifices of lamb and wine to forgive sin. The priesthood of Jesus is perfect and permanent, offered once for all. Why? The title ‘Son of Man’ means that Jesus came in human flesh to represent all humanity; becoming human, he remains fully Divine. The sacrifice of Jesus was/is effective for all time because Jesus himself in his human-divine nature became the offering of sacrifice. The life of God in Christ is offered once for all to establish a new relationship with humanity and all creation made possible through the forgiveness of sin. This work of redemption is perfect and permanent because no further sacrifice is needed. Why? Because it is the life and the blood of God in Christ who freely offers himself on our behalf. No greater sacrifice exists. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Divine will to reconcile all humanity and creation to the Divine nature in God.
We, the world, are no longer dependent on daily sacrifices of our own. God neither needs nor wants more human sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law that now calls us to embrace the life of the Spirit, the Spirit of God who dwells in us through the grace of Baptism. In Christ and through his blood we have been made holy by God and for God.
Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are given the priestly nature of Jesus as our vocation to live in the redemptive love he has given us. Our sacrifice now is the sacrifice of faith offered through our praise and worship of God. Our praise and worship express our love for God, our gratitude for Jesus, and our desire to come to the fulfillment of his promise. In Christ, we are baptized into his death so that we may receive new life in him through his Resurrection which becomes our own.
In this frame of our faith, we keep our eyes on Jesus in the throes of the world, fear, calamity, or our personal death. Redemption is a living reality that is present to us and in us in our daily life. Christ dwells in you and you dwell in Christ. This is the beauty of daily Mass. Every Mass makes present the saving, redemptive grace of Good Friday. Mass is the unbloody sacrifice that consecrates bread and wine into the living presence of the Lord Jesus. The Eucharist fulfills the promise of our redemption in the person and life of Jesus whom we receive. This is where our focus and attention lie in our daily existence, especially in the calamities that befall us.
Jesus knows the trials, fears, and threats that lean against our peace in this world. He lived them and felt them immensely in his own person. Jesus accepted the worst the world offered and used it as the act of our redemption. Do not be afraid. Heaven awaits us. While you are in the world you will have trouble. Keep your eyes, mind, body, and spirit in the Lord Jesus who has saved and set you free. Glory and praise, wisdom and strength, honor, power, and might to the Lord Jesus.
Father John Esper
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