Homily, November 27, 2022
From the Pastor
Advent-Christmas is a season of many faces. Like most seasons, the obvious and the immediate get the most attention. Advent-Christmas is a season of grace and purpose that calls for attentive awareness and response. Obvious and immediate things are not unimportant, but they can consume time and energies that miss the most fruitful movements of grace and the presence of God. God is present and active in every season of life. Advent-Christmas is a focused season of hope, promise, faith, and anticipation in the coming of the Lord.
For those seeking the way, the truth, and the life of God given in the Lord Jesus, Advent-Christmas is the foundation of our hope in God’s promise. The season is rich in signs and symbols that reveal the promise given in the Lord’s birth. We are preparing to receive the gift of the Child Jesus who matures into the Divine Christ. The signs and symbols of the season point us to the nature and mission of the kind of Savior Jesus will be.
The greatest sign of the season is light. In a time of decreasing daylight, we are preparing to stand with Jesus who is the Light of the world. Jesus is the light that defeats and stands against the darkness of sin that can separate us from God. Choosing the Light and living in its wisdom, the season reflects the promise of hope that stands against the fear of a wild and wayward world. We are weak against the glossy pleasures of a world unaware and resistant to the light of God. This is a season of hope. We cannot live meaningful or purpose driven lives without hope. Problems happen, fear creeps in, temptations increase, comfort is needed, and the ways of the world are always ready to fill the need. Hope in the fidelity of God’s promise sustains the light of Christ even on our darkest days.
The season holds images of new birth, a vulnerable child, a crib, swaddling clothes, and a cave as a birthing center. Each of these images reveal the nature and kind of Savior who will show us the path of our salvation. Surrender, humility, and mercy become evident signs of Divine redemption.
As a spiritual season, we are called to arouse from sleep, awake and attentive in our preparation for the Lord. This theme is evident in each of the readings today in frequent repetition. What does it mean to be awake as we prepare for the Christmas feast?
First, what is it to be unawake as a follower of Jesus who may nonetheless hope for the joy of Christmas? Unawakened or asleep implies the Lord is somewhere other than in the center of one’s attention and way of life. As if God were on the shelf only attended to or called on in times of need or want. It implies a life of sin or selfishness directed through personal interests: my way, my truth, God, Church, and faith on my terms. Such a stance is not awake to the truth of Christ and the light to which we are called.
To be awake is to center your life in Jesus and the way of the gospel. It means to be alert and ready to see and feel the grace of God around you and within you. In the awareness of this grace, you are then able to be grace and the presence of Christ for others. In our society today many opportunities are before us.
In a time of war, oppression, and poverty around the world and here at home, are we awake to the call for justice, integrity, and dignity for those who suffer? A person awake in Christ will not fail to see and in some way respond. It may be prayer, works of charity, personal donation, or simply mindful compassion.
In a time of political division, social anxiety, and a lack of civility especially across media platforms, are we awake to the call for unity in the common humanity we share? Unity is the work of the Holy Spirit, but it necessitates the minds and the hearts of active believers to make the Spirit present in the world. Every Baptized person has some capacity to bring unity and peace to environments of disorder.
In a time of overt personal concern, self-protection, and securing my own, are we awake to gratitude and generosity? All we have is a gift from God. None of us can go it alone. Gratitude heals, alerts the heart to faith and compassion, and is attentive to the works of the Lord. Generosity is a fruit of gratitude. As I have received, so am I called to share. Church giving is down, charitable giving is down, and social agencies are begging for support and volunteers. You can be a light to the world. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine…
Advent is a season of prayerful preparation that leads to action in the awareness of the Lord. I invite you, in the model of Mary as she patiently awaited the birth of Jesus, to make time for quiet prayer, reflection on Jesus and his life in you, and to consider doing so in Eucharistic adoration. Just come. If all you can do is sit, then just sit. In wordless presence, Jesus will speak to your heart. It is often what I do in my adoration before the Lord. Adoration is the perfect act of being aware of Jesus, even if you fall asleep, which I often do. Afterwards, awake or sleeping, I feel the presence and call of the Lord within me. You need the prayer, and the world needs your prayer. Jesus wants to use you to help his Kingdom come. Fully awake, give your yes to Jesus. Have a great season.
Father John Esper
Recent Sermons
Homily, November 24, 2024
November 21, 2024
Homily, November 17, 2024
November 18, 2024
Homily, November 10, 2024
November 07, 2024