Family Values Make a Home

December 27th, 2009

 

Feast of Holy Family

Sir 3: 2-6, 12-14; 1John 3: 1-2, 21-24; Luke 2: 41-52

Dc. Larry Brockman

“I’ll be Home for Christmas”- a wartime song that’s become a Christmas favorite.  Everybody wants to be home for Christmas.  Everybody wants to belong; to share the joy.  But, just what is a home?   

Once there was a family of four in the Midwest, where the dad lost his job.  They moved to the city so the dad could look for work.  They were very poor, so, they ended up living in someone else’s house in the basement, paying exorbitant rent for a cramped musty space.  But, they did what they could to make it their home.  They kept it neat and clean, and arranged it as best they could.  They ate their meals together, and they prayed together as a family.  Whenever they could, they also tried to help those who were less fortunate than they were by sharing what they did have in hospitality.   

One day, one of the children’s teachers visited them.  She was shocked at the poverty and the cramped, moldy, basement they were living in.  The next day at school, the teacher took the child aside and said to her: “I am so sorry you don’t have a home to live in”.  The little girl was surprised, and replied innocently:  “Oh no, we have a wonderful home; we’re just still looking for a house to put it in”.[1]    

Indeed, the most important thing about a home, is that it be a warm, loving place for the family that lives in it.  A large house with lots of rooms doesn’t necessarily mean a good home.  Values, family values, lived out in a spirit of love- that’s what makes a home.   

This morning, we hear about family values in all three of our scriptures.  First, Sirach emphasizes the necessity for us to honor each other.  And it’s a multi-generational type of honor that Sirach describes: Sirach speaks to children honoring their parents; parents respecting their children, and adults honoring and respecting their elderly family members.  Honor and respect can be hard in a fast paced society, where we become easily impatient and even intolerant of each other.  But honor and respect are essential to good relations in our families.  So take the time and make the effort to honor each other.   

And then, in the second reading, we hear about real love- the kind of love that God has for us.  It is likened to love of children.  In fact, we are called children of God.  At this time of year, we all have a great opportunity to observe the kind of love that God has for his children.  Because moms and dads, grandpas and grandmas alike love to lavish their children with gifts and affection.  It brings the children joy, but there’s an even deeper sense of joy in the gift giver.  It’s the same way with God and his children.  God lavishes us with gifts all the time- the gift of life; the gift of our talents; the gift of our loved ones, and yes, even the gift of our limitations.  And like our children and grandchildren, sometimes we are so busy playing with our gifts, that we don’t recognize the love that goes with them- an abiding sense of unconditional love from the heart of the gift giver.  Love of this kind is a key family value.   

And lastly, there’s the Gospel.   Jesus is found in the temple after his frantic parents saw that he was missing for three days.  Like many young people, Jesus was anxious to get on with his life, even if he was just 12, and although he was “wowing” the teachers with his insights, he responded to his Mom and Dad by going with them.  In very simple terms- he was obedient to them.  Another essential value in a good family is obedience.  Obedience makes the whole family function as a unit.  There is a time and a place for our independence.  But, within our families, we need to live our designated roles with obedience- obedience to God- because he placed you in your family, and obedience to your role within the family, whatever it is; the head of the family role; the nourishing role; the caretaker role; the role of the disciplinarian; the teaching role; and the learning role, like the one Jesus took in this morning’s Gospel.  Because children of God need to “advance in wisdom and age and favor before God and man”, just like Jesus did.   

Honor, Love, and Obedience- three essential values that the Holy Family exhibited; three essential values for our families as well.  What can you do to make them happen in your families?  Well, you can make the first move to bring these values to life.  Making the first move means not waiting for others to do something, but taking the initiative yourself.  In a family quarrel, don’t wait for the other person to apologize first.  Instead, make the first move.  Or when you notice that a sibling or other family member is having a bad day, or a bad week, don’t wait for them to come to you for support; make the first move.  If you know that something you do bothers someone else in the house, don’t wait for them to complain before you stop doing it; make the first move.  Choose to love your family members by sacrificing your preferences occasionally for their sake, just as Jesus sacrificed himself for us on the cross.  And then, watch your family prosper, growing in wisdom and favor and age before God and man. 


[1] Adopted from Msgr. Arthur Tonne’s “Stories for Sermons”

Posted in Holy Family Sunday Homilies | No Comments »

He Shall Be Peace

December 20th, 2009

 

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Micah 5: 1-4a; Heb 10: 5-10; Luke 1: 39-45

Dc. Larry Brockman

“He shall be peace”-  This from our first reading.  Boy, can we use peace at this time of year.  It seems to me that the holiday season can be anything but peaceful.  There are cards to write, gifts to buy and wrap, parties to attend, cooking to be done, relatives to visit with.  And when the relatives visit, often times old hurts come up, and they quickly dispel the feeling of peace that should be heralded by the season.  And then, in the background, we have to deal with uncertain economic times and the problems that brings.  So, amidst all the turmoil, what can we do to experience the peace of the season?   

Well, first, we need to realize what kind of peace is being talked about.  Mary gives us a clue about what real peace is.  She had just encountered the angel Gabriel, who had told her that she would bear God’s child even though she had not been with a man.  Initially, this message had to bring pain to Mary.  What would she tell her fiancée?  What would her parents think of her?  Would she be stoned by the authorities for adultery?  What about her dreams of a normal life?  All these things had to weigh heavily on Mary.  That had to be anything but peaceful.  They are like the things that weigh heavily on us during the holidays- conflicts over demands for time; so many chores to be done. and for some of us, job losses and financial uncertainty; illnesses or infirmity; and old hurts that are resurrected.  Where can the peace of the season be in all that?  Why can’t I just have it my way for once?  That’s what we ask ourselves-  that’s what we think would bring peace- having our way.  

But in contrast, what did Mary do about her dilemma?  Despite all that weighed on her, Mary said yes to the angel.  She accepted God’s will for her, and trusted in his providence.  Just like Mary, all of us are challenged during Advent, to listen intently for the voice of the Lord, to discern what he is calling us to be and to do, rather than how we want it.  We need to accept what we hear, and make God’s will our own, because once Mary did that- once she said yes and vowed to be the handmaid of the Lord, then, she experienced a deep, interior peace.  That is the kind of peace that Micah is talking about in the first reading.  It’s the kind of peace you experience when you know that things are right in your heart.  There can be lots of turmoil on the outside, but inside, you feel a calmness, a peacefulness that says everything will be OK, because God is with me.  That peace comes to us when we accept things the way they are intended by God, and offer our pain up to God as the sacrifice we are making for doing His will, not our own.  Only God can help us get through all the turmoil around us.   

That, in fact, is the essence of our second reading.  Meaningless sacrifices of animals are not what God wants.  No, rather, he wants us to sacrifice our will and wants in deference to his will.  It is only then that we will feel the peace that comes with being in harmony with God.  This will not immediately resolve all the pressures and problems we have.  That will come in time as we trust in the Lord’s grace and providence.  But it will give us a sense of peace.  Notice that Elizabeth tells Mary that she is blessed.  And indeed, all of us who accept God’s will for us are destined to receive the grace and peace of the Lord.  We, too, will be blessed.   

One more thing we should do.  We should spread our peace to those around us with confidence and self assurance.  We can be bringers of God’s peace to others-how: by biting our tongue when we are baited with those old hurts; by accepting the demands on us with gracefulness and not bitterness; by treating the clerks in the stores and the people around us with kindness and consideration.  In these ways our peace can radiate like the sun.  And in the name of the Christ child, we shall be peace. 

Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

The Genealogy of Jesus- What it Means

December 17th, 2009

   

Thursday of Fourth Week in Advent

Gen 49: 2, 8-10; Mat 1: 1-17

Dc. Larry Brockman

Wasn’t that exciting!  42 times we heard that “A” became the Father of “B”.  Wow!  Did you get anything out of it? 

Well, believe it or not, there are some fascinating things that one can get out of this genealogy.  First, since 7 was considered the perfect number, and 2 times 7 was even more perfect.  Then the scholars tell us that Matthew wanted all of us to know, that God purposely arranged for the Messiah to come after three phases of the history of the Israeli people, God’s chosen people.  Not only that, all three phases were perfect of length- 14 generations.  The first group of 14 traces the lineage from Abraham through all the great prophets to David.  This represents the rise of Israel.  The second group of 14 traces the history to the Babylonian exile.  This represents the fall of Israel.  And the third group of 14 brings us from the low in Israeli history to the birth of the Messiah. 

The genealogy is meant to establish a solid line tracing Joseph’s lineage back through David to the first of the Patriarchs, Abraham.  And yet, the purity of this lineage is flawed.  How so?  Well, did you notice the mention of four women in the genealogy?  It was rare to mention women in Jewish genealogies.  But even more astounding are the facts behind who these women were.  Two were prostitutes (Tamar and Rahab); one was a non-Jew (Ruth); and the fourth was someone else’s wife who was stolen by David after he arranged for her husband’s death.  These are hardly elements of a pure and regular lineage.  Scholars speculate that these elements of irregularity were purposely brought up in the midst of the 3 perfect periods of the lineage in order to prepare us for the irregular circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus.  Namely, that Joseph was not the biological Father.   

All in all, what does this mean?  Well, that God brought the Messiah into the world in perfect harmony with his plan; that the Messiah came at exactly the perfect time; that even those who were not perfect contributed to this plan, because God will work his plan despite anything that mankind does; and that Joseph, while not the biological father, embraced his son as his own, establishing Jesus as the fulfillment of the covenant with Abraham, and the promise that the Messiah would be descended through David.   

So, we have a God of His word, an all powerful God who knew what He was doing, and a God, who through the miracle of the virgin birth, gave us his son, both fully human and fully divine.  God is indeed great- Rejoice! 

Posted in Holy Family Weekday Homilies | No Comments »

The Joy That the Incarnation Brings

December 16th, 2009

 

Westminster Tower Ecumenical Service

Luke 1: 39-45

Dc. Larry Brockman

Great Controversy.  Yes, the Gospel we just read led to great controversy.  Because Elizabeth’s words imply that the Baby in Mary’s womb is God.  Listen again to the words:  “How does this happen that the Mother of my Lord should come to me.”  You see, this one line speaks to two beliefs central to Christianity.  First, that Jesus is the Lord, the almighty God.  And second, that Mary is the Mother of God.  Both of these truths were challenged over the first four centuries after Jesus’ birth.  But by about 400 AD, the mainline Church had made some important decisions:  First, that Jesus was indeed the Lord, and that he was both fully human and fully divine; and second, that Mary was indeed the Mother of God.   

Now you might ask:  Yes, but what does that mean to me?  Well, if you really think about it, it should bring you great joy.  You see, God is viewed by most religions, whatever they are, as transcendent, meaning far above us, on another plane entirely from us.  And certainly there is truth to that.  No matter how intelligent one of us may be; no matter how strong or capable one of us may be; no matter how powerful one of us may be, all of that is nothing compared to the wisdom and strength and power of God.  God is so far above all of us that we cannot think or do on the same level as God.  The separation is basically infinite.  That is what it means for God to be transcendent.   

But Christianity doesn’t stop there.  Because Christianity also teaches that Jesus is both God and man.  And that means that God has been made immanent to us.  God sent His only Son, Jesus, a divine person of the trinity, down to earth, born of a woman.  And Jesus became one of us, living amongst us and living as one of us.  He breathed, ate, drank, slept, laughed, walked, ran and played.  He grew up, wanted, worked, got angry, was sad, suffered, and grieved.  He experienced human life as we experience it.  And because He was both God and man, that means that God shared with us how he intended us to live, because he lived as one of us and showed us the pattern of life he desires us to follow.  And so, that’s what we mean when we say that God became immanent to us.   

But only Christians believe that God became man.  All other religions still view their God as strictly transcendent, and they strive in vain to find that transcendent truth.  While many Christian mystics have attempted to find the transcendent God, not all of us have the luxury of living a mystic’s life.  Most of us, like you and I, are thrown into the humdrum of daily life.  And the example that Jesus shows us is much more practical because all of us have the same human limitations that Jesus had as a fully human person.  We have the Gospels that describe part of his life.  They show us how human he was; they show us the way.   

Now one of the most important things we learn from Jesus is the importance of seeking and doing God’s will for us.  The Gospels chronicle the story of how Jesus, once grown up, was baptized by John, and then went off to find who God wanted Him to be.  Jesus sought, and then lived, God’s will for Him.  And then we have the example of Mary.  Mary was confirmed by the early church as the “God Bearer”.  The Church confirmed the belief that Mary was, as Elizabeth is quoted as saying in the Gospel, the Mother of God.  That is important, because a perfect person, Jesus, was born as a human.   

Ask yourself this:  What kind of person would God choose to be His mother in human form?  Would she be a sinner?  I think not.  Wouldn’t she be as close to perfection in God’s eyes as a human person could be?  Our lens for perfection is not the same as God’s, but clearly, God’s is the lens that we need to understand.  And so, Mary serves as a second example of a pleasing human being to God.   

What was the essence of Mary’s perfection?  Well, the angel came to her and told her that she found favor with God.  But that wasn’t enough.  Her efforts to live her own life, but within the rules of the Jewish tradition, were simply not enough because the angel challenged her to do more.  He challenged her to do the will of God.   

Put yourself in Mary’s situation for a moment.  You are young woman engaged to be married.  This, as was the custom at the time, was the primary vocation for a young Jewish girl.  Can you imagine what you would do if someone came to you claiming to be an angel and told you that God wanted you to bear His son?  And even though you complained that you had not been with a man, the angel went on to say that you would become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Wouldn’t you say- who is this guy; what do I tell my parents; what do I tell my fiancée?  What are my friends going to think?  Won’t I be stoned to death as an adulteress?  Would you say yes in the face of all of that?  But Mary did say yes.   

Indeed, as in the case of both Jesus and Mary, the will of God for them was hard to swallow.  But, and here is the critical point: both of them recognized the real message of God’s will for them, and both of them said yes.  They went on to live the lives God had chosen for them; not the lives that they might have chosen for themselves.   

We are in the middle of Advent, a season of the Church year that calls us to reflect on our lives in preparation for the coming of the Lord.  Most of us get drawn into a joyful anticipation of a secular Christmas.  It appears to be focused on the coming of the baby Jesus.  But it is a Christmas filled with gifts and parties and cookies and family celebrations.  But that’s not what Advent really means.  Advent is the time to reflect not just on the coming of the Christ Child, but also on the second coming of Christ.  The second coming will bring with it judgment for what we have done.  And that is what we need to be prepared for- judgment of our lives.  Elizabeth finishes the Gospel today by saying:  “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled”.  Yes, indeed, Mary reflected, believed, and acted on it in her life.  We are being called during Advent to do the same- to reflect on where we are today, and to recognize and believe in the Lord’s will for us, and then to act on it. 

Now all of us are at some stage in our lives.  We cannot change what happened before.  That’s all in the past.  But we can reflect on and change what happens in the future.  We are being called right here and now by God to a certain kind of life from now on.  It may not be the life we want for ourselves, but it is what God has called us to.  Some are called to certain kinds of work; others to bear with limitations and illness; still others to a life of service to others. 

As you reflect on your life, listen to whatever you hear the Lord calling you to be and do, and then accept it.  Then, the joy of knowing that the Lord is coming will be yours- the overwhelming joy of knowing that God loved us so much, that he came amongst us to show the way. 

Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

Dealing With Violence in Our Lives

December 10th, 2009

   

Thursday of the 2nd Week in Advent

Is 41: 13-20; Mt 11: 11-15

Dc. Larry Brockman

 “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence.”  That’s what we just heard.  Yes, indeed, you, the elect, those who have a grasp of the Kingdom of God, those who are committed to Jesus Christ, suffer violence in this world, just as Jesus could see the forces of evil marshalling against His disciples and Himself.  They were poised to do violence, and they did.  It will always be so in this world, because the Kingdom of God is not of this world. 

And so, expect it, expect the suffering that comes with the challenge of living in this world even as you are attached to the Kingdom.  The suffering is all around us in the form of sickness and infirmity; problems in relationships, job losses and economic difficulties and yes, even random acts of violence done to us.  None of us are exempt from the realities of suffering in this world. not even those who have all the money in the world.  The local news testifies to that.  We are like the people Isaiah speaks of in the first reading, “maggot Israel”- what a metaphor! 

Sometimes we feel like it too, for as Isaiah says: “The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain”.  And yet, we must never forget that the Lord is always there for us, and like anybody that is on a long journey, the goal is to get through all of the inconveniences, and yes, even sometimes pain, to get to the other side safely.  If we believe and trust in the Lord, then it will happen for us, and even as dramatically as Isaiah predicts this morning, because trusting in the Lord, all of us can experience the desert being changed into a marshland.   

Posted in Holy Family Weekday Homilies | No Comments »

You Never Know

December 3rd, 2009

 

Thursday of the 1st Week in Advent; St. Francis Xavier

1 Cor 9: 16-19; 22-23; Mark 16: 15-20

Dc. Larry Brockman

You never know.  You never know when you have impact on people.  In St. Francis Xavier’s case, he began a mission to the Far East at the age of 46 in the year 1552.  This mission took him to India, Sri Lanka, Japan, and China.  Three centuries later, even though Christianity was brutally suppressed in Japan in all that time, the Faith was still found there.  Indeed, you just never know what effect your efforts will have.   

Now all of us are called, as part of our Baptismal promise, to evangelize in word and deed.  Our working orders are laid out in today’s Gospel.  To profess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead.  And that’s how we proclaim the good news of Christ, the Gospel- by living our lives as Christians by what we say and by how we project ourselves in what we do.  Paul tells us that we are obligated to live and proclaim the Gospel. It is not something we should boast about.  It is simply our duty. 

And the great thing about that duty is that we just never know.  We never know when it will have an impact on those around us.  But you can be sure of this- others see how you act and what you do- in the grocery store; at the Christmas Party you attend; in the classroom; at the office; while you are working in the yard; in an emergency; and when you meet someone in need.  Indeed, our lives are full of opportunities to evangelize, just by being who we are, but in a Christian way.  Most of us will not have to go out and put our lives on the line in a strange land like Francis Xavier.  But all of us will be given these opportunities.  And, you just never know when you will have an impact.  But God knows, and he’s counting on you.   

Posted in Holy Family Weekday Homilies | No Comments »

The Advent Reflection Homily

December 1st, 2009

Advent Reflection Service

Dc. Larry Brockman

Christmas Cards, visits to Santa Claus, Christmas Cookies, Holiday Office Parties, Erecting the Christmas Tree, Putting up the Outside Lights, Buying everybody a gift, wrapping the gifts, cooking the Family celebration dinners, and lots more- it’s all got to get done.  We’ve all got to do it.     

But wait a minute, where is Jesus in all this?  Well, that’s why we are here tonight, to put Jesus back into Advent and Christmas.  Where do we begin?  Let’s first ask the question- Why do we do all this Christmas stuff?  Is it because it’s just part of the secular ritual of the season; is it because it’s what everybody does?  Or is there a better reason?  Well, how about this reason?  We do all this because of the joy we feel over the fact that God loved us so much he sent his only son into the world in human form- God incarnate as man, fully human and fully divine. 

Think about that- I mean really think about it.  For thousands of years before the birth of Jesus, people believed in some higher being or beings.  But, they were transcendent- that is, distant and separate from us, unapproachable.  There was no way we could relate directly to God.  And then, Jesus was born into the world.  Jesus was born as all of us are- in relative obscurity, in an ordinary way (and in his case, among poverty).  But, Jesus was born as both fully human and fully divine.  Here was the image of the one true God, no longer transcendent, but visible and available in a way that all of us could relate to- as one of us.  Gone was the transcendence that separated us from becoming close to God.  In other words, God became immanent to us- as openly available as any other person at the time.  Wow! What a great cause for joy.  Because now, after thousands of years of mystical conversations with a transcendent God, here was a manifestation of God we could touch and feel and relate to, a manifestation of God that had the same likes and dislikes, habits and needs, temptations, and limitations as all of us.  If that doesn’t bring joy, it should, because there is nothing else like it; no other earthly religion that guarantees it, that God loved us so much that he showed himself as one of us;.and showed us that we could live a life that was pleasing to him even with all our limitations.   

How do we know all this?  Recognize first of all the promise, the promise in our first reading that a savior would be born, and His name would be Immanuel- God Saves.  And then we were told where it would happen- in Bethlehem, in our second reading.  In our third reading, Paul unlocks for us the mystery of the mission of God-made-man, the mission to dwell among us, suffer and die by fulfilling the Father’s will, and finally, His resurrection and coming to power.  And how does God send his Son amongst us?  Well, in our fourth reading we see that Jesus was born of a woman; a woman who said yes to the will of the Father; a woman who had dreams of a normal marriage and family, but was called to sacrifice herself for the will of her God, and she said “yes”.  This is a challenge we all face.  The challenge to say yes to whatever the Father sends our way, for better or worse, richer or poorer, or sickness or health.  And then, in our fifth reading, we hear the incredible story of Jesus birth told in the Gospe,.the promise fulfilled; the God-made-man a reality.  But it happened in the most humble of circumstances, as humbling as any of the circumstances of the least amongst us- so real; so earthly; so bazaar.  But wait, it gets better.  Because the promise of the messiah was made to the Jews. and Mary and Joseph were Jews.  So, in our sixth reading, we see the promise extended- extended to lowly shepherds who were the first to give testimony to the miracle of the incarnation.  This is a symbol of the universal gift- to all nations, not just the Jews.  And then finally, we hear what was called the last Gospel in the old Tridentine Mass.  John gives us a theological summary of the meaning of it all.  The Word existed from the beginning with God the Father, and became man.  That defines clearly that Jesus is both God and man.  And so, during the four weeks in Advent, we wait in joyful expectation of the coming of our savior.   

But why four weeks; why so long?  Because our role is not so much waiting for the coming as it is preparing for the coming.  You see, the coming of the Christ child is something that happened, and so we can relive it, we can remember it, and we can experience the joy.  Thank you Jesus   

But, that first coming, the birth of Jesus, is a reminder that He will come again.  Yes, there will be a second coming of Christ.  And that second coming requires preparation, .because with that second coming comes judgment.  The chronicle of John the Baptist’s activity in the readings during Advent is our clue.  Because his message is clear.  Repent and “Prepare ye the way of the Lord”. 

As Jesus said in Sunday’s Gospel, that second coming can come at any time for any of us-  It will most likely come when we least expect it.  Are you ready? Are you satisfied with the way you are living your life?  Or is there something about the pattern of your life that needs a change?  What is it that gnaws at you and says the track I am on is just not right.  It may be because you are too harried with job and responsibilities, always cutting corners to get as much into the agenda as possible; but never having enough time to do things the right way and to put things into the right priority.

Or perhaps you spend too much time absorbed in your own world, immersed in video games or football or telephone marathons with your friends.  These are addictions of a sort.  Then there are classical addictions: addictions to food or alcohol or drugs or pornography.  And as a result of your preoccupation with your interests or your addictions, your work or family or household affairs suffer the consequences. 

Or perhaps you have settled into a pattern of withdrawal, of non-involvement, where days and weeks go by and all of your activity revolves around yourself.  Perhaps its because of depression or older age, and it is so much easier to just not get involved, and so you don’t extend yourself by getting out and relating to others. 

These are all patterns that can harbor sin in a social context, because the life styles that foster them ignore the responsibility we have to participate fully in the world in the context that God has planned for us.  We need to reflect on our lives, and do what we can to steer them in the right direction.   

And so, I’m asking you to do something a little different this Advent.  Do enjoy the season- the Cookies and Tree and Santa, and gift giving and all of that.  But set aside some time each day, just a little time each day, to think about the direction your life is taking, and the impact it has on others- your family, your work associates, and society as a whole.  What can you do differently that makes a difference?  If you are harried; how can you slow down and feel the pulse of God urging you in His direction.  If you are in a slump; how can you respond to little urges to get involved or to make a difference?  If you are addicted, how can you clean up your act? 

In any event, don’t let this Advent pass you by.  Get ready for Christ.  He is coming. 

Posted in Holy Family Weekday Homilies | No Comments »

Being Prepared for the Coming of the Lord

December 1st, 2009

Advent Reflection Service

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Christmas Cards, visits to Santa Claus, Christmas Cookies, Holiday Office Parties, Erecting the Christmas Tree, Putting up the Outside Lights, Buying everybody a gift, wrapping the gifts, cooking the Family celebration dinners, and lots more.  It’s all got to get done.  We’ve all got to do it.     

But wait a minute, where is Jesus in all this?  Well, that’s why we are here tonight-  to put Jesus back into Advent and Christmas.  Where do we begin?  Let’s first ask the question- Why do we do all this Christmas stuff?  Is it because it’s just part of the secular ritual of the season, is it because it’s what everybody does?  Or is there a better reason?  Well, how about this reason?  We do all this because of the joy we feel over the fact that God loved us so much he sent his only son into the world in human form- God incarnate as man, fully human and fully divine. 

Think about that- I mean really think about it.  For thousands of years before the birth of Jesus, people believed in some higher being or beings.  But, they were transcendent- that is, distant and separate from us, unapproachable.  There was no way we could relate directly to God.  And then, Jesus was born into the world.  Jesus was born as all of us are- in relative obscurity, in an ordinary way (and in his case, among poverty).  But, Jesus was born as both fully human and fully divine.  Here was the image of the one true God, no longer transcendent, but visible and available in a way that all of us could relate to- as one of us.  Gone was the transcendence that separated us from becoming close to God.  In other words, God became immanent to us- as openly available as any other person at the time.  Wow! What a great cause for joy.  Because now, after thousands of years of mystical conversations with a transcendent God, here was a manifestation of God we could touch and feel and relate to- a manifestation of God that had the same likes and dislikes, habits and needs, temptations, and limitations  as all of us. 

f that doesn’t bring joy, it should, because there is nothing else like it; no other earthly religion that guarantees it,  That God loved us so much that he showed himself as one of us.  And showed us that we could live a life that was pleasing to him even with all our limitations.    How do we know all this? 

Recognize first of all the promise- the promise in our first reading that a savior would be born,  and His name would be Immanuel- God Saves.  And then we were told where it would happen- in Bethlehem, in our second reading.  In our third reading, Paul unlocks for us the mystery of the mission of God-made–man.  The mission is to dwell among us, suffer and die by fulfilling the Father’s will, and finally, His resurrection and coming to power.  And how does God send his Son amongst us?  Well, in our fourth reading we see that Jesus was born of a woman.  A woman who said yes to the will of the Father- a woman who had dreams of a normal marriage and family, but was called to sacrifice herself for the will of her God.  And she said “yes”.  This is a challenge we all face.  The challenge to say yes to whatever the Father sends our way, for better or worse, richer or poorer, or sickness or health. 

And then, in our fifth reading, we hear the incredible story of Jesus birth told in the Gospel- the promise fulfilled; the God-made-man a reality,  But it happened in the most humble of circumstances, as humbling as any of the circumstances of the least amongst us- so real; so earthly; so bazaar. 

But wait, it gets better.  Because the promise of the messiah was made to the Jews.  And Mary and Joseph were Jews.  So, in our sixth reading, we see the promise extended- extended to lowly shepherds who were the first to give testimony to the miracle of the incarnation.  This is a symbol of the universal gift- to all nations, not just the Jews.  And then finally, we hear what was called the last Gospel in the old Tridentine Mass.  John gives us a theological summary of the meaning of it all.  The Word existed from the beginning with God the Father, and became man.  That defines clearly that Jesus is both God and man.  And so, during the four weeks in Advent, we wait in joyful expectation of the coming of our savior

But why four weeks; why so long?  Because our role is not so much waiting for the coming  as it is preparing for the coming.  You see, the coming of the Christ child is something that happened,  and so we can relive it, we can remember it.  And we can experience the joy.  Thank you Jesus   

But, that first coming, the birth of Jesus, is a reminder that He will come again.  Yes, there will be a second coming of Christ.  And that second coming requires preparation.  Because with that second coming is judgment.  The chronicle of John the Baptist’s activity in the readings during Advent is our clue.  Because his message is clear.  Repent and “Prepare ye the way of the Lord”.  As Jesus said in Sunday’s Gospel, that second coming can come at any time for any of us-  It will most likely come when we least expect it.  Are you ready? Are you satisfied with the way you are living your life?  Or is there something about the pattern of your life that needs a change? 

What is it that gnaws at you and says “the track I am on is just not right”.  It may be because you are too harried with job and responsibilities, always cutting corners to get as much into the agenda as possible; but never having enough time to do things the right way and to put things into the right priority; or perhaps you spend too much time absorbed in your own world, immersed in video games or football or telephone marathons with your friends.  These are addictions of a sort.  Then there are classical addictions: addictions to food or alcohol or drugs or pornography; and as a result of your preoccupation with your interests or your addictions, your work or family or household affairs suffer the consequences.  Or perhaps you have settled into a pattern of withdrawal, of non-involvement, where days and weeks go by and all of your activity revolves around yourself,. Perhaps its because of depression or older age, and it is so much easier to just not get involved, and so you don’t extend yourself by getting out and relating to others. 

These are all patterns that can harbor sin in a social context, because the life styles that foster them ignore the responsibility we have to participate fully in the world in the context that God has planned for us.  We need to reflect on our lives, and do what we can to steer them in the right direction.   

And so, I’m asking you to do something a little different this Advent.  Do enjoy the season- the Cookies and Tree and Santa, and gift giving and all of that.  But set aside some time each day, just a little time each day, to think about the direction your life is taking and the impact it has on others- your family, your work associates, and society as a whole.  What can you do differently that makes a difference.  If you are harried; how can you slow down and feel the pulse of God urging you in His direction.  If you are in a slump; how can you respond to little urges to get involved or to make a difference.  If you are addicted, how can you clean up your act. 

In any event, don’t let this Advent pass you by.  Get ready for Christ.  He is coming. 

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Lessons and Carols | No Comments »

How to Prepare for the Coming of Christ

November 29th, 2009

 1st Sunday of Advent

Jer 33: 14-16; 1 Thes: 3: 12- 4: 2; Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36

Dc. Larry Brockman

Do you feel it?  Do you feel as if the sun and the moon and the stars are in disarray?  Is that what your life seems like to you?  A racetrack full of obstacles and challenges to overcome, but somehow, not full of a deeper meaning and especially, not particularly filled with joy.  If so, welcome to Advent, because Advent is your wake up call.  That’s what the message of today’s readings is.  It’s time to wake up and get ready for the coming of Christ.  But what does that really mean, the coming of Christ?   

Let me start with an example:  Perhaps you have heard of Michelle Malkin.  Michelle is a journalist and popular commentator on Cable News.  Michelle was immersed in a busier and busier schedule a few years back,  A schedule filled with interviews and other events,  As well as her regular job.  As a result, she was not spending much time with her 2 children.  One day, as she was returning from a particularly busy day, she started up her steep driveway in her SUV and passed a few neighborhood children below her.  She was in a hurry to get dinner ready.  So she left the car at the entrance to the garage, and started toward her house.  But she forgot to set the parking brake, and so, the car started drifting down the steep driveway towards the children.  She watched in horror as the car gathered speed and headed downward right towards the children.  Suddenly, the car swerved slightly and struck a birch tree stopping it cold.  What a relief she thought.  But then, it dawned on her how lucky she really was because that incident woke her up.  She had been so much in a hurry, that she didn’t take the time to put safety first.  But, she had been given a second chance- no real harm was done- so, she used that second chance to reflect on what was really important in her life- to get her priorities straight, and to modify her routine so that she had the time to do things right,  And to experience the joy in life that her family brought her.  That’s what Jesus is asking us to do today, and that is the message of Advent.   

Every one of has a life that has settled into a pattern.  It may be a fast paced pattern like Michelle Malkin’s, or it may be a slow, almost boring pattern.  But whatever the pattern, now is the time to   Step back from the groove you are in over the next four weeks and reflect on that pattern, and how to change it for the good.   

Now there are two things that we need to reflect on and be ready for:  The first is the second coming of Christ, and that is the topic of the Gospel.  As Jesus says, that second coming can come at any time for any of us- it will most likely come when we least expect it.  It is about judgment for wayward ways, in particular, the wayward way of the pattern of our lives.  Ask yourself what is there about the pattern of your life that needs a change?  What is it that gnaws at you and says the track I am on is just not right.  It may be because you are too harried with job and responsibilities, always cutting corners to get as much into the agenda as possible; but never having enough time to do things the right way and to put things into the right priority, kind of like Michelle Malkin’s problem.  Or perhaps you spend too much time absorbed in your own world, immersed in video games or football or telephone marathons with your friends; and as a result, your work or family or household suffers.  Or perhaps you have settled into a pattern of withdrawal, of non-involvement, where days and weeks go by and all of your activity revolves around yourself.  You don’t extend yourself by getting out and relating to others.  These are all patterns that can harbor sin in a social context, because the life styles that foster them ignore the responsibility we have to participate fully in the world in the context that God has planned for us.   

The second thing we need to get ready for is the coming of the baby Jesus at Christmas.  This is the topic of our first reading- the prediction of the coming of the Messiah as promised,   the coming of God incarnate as a human being.  Because of that arrival, we have been given a great gift.  God’s gift, His son, shows us the way to perfection through Jesus’ example, because Jesus is not only human; He is divine.  That means that God, who transcends all of us, meaning that He is far above us and not easily grasped, nevertheless made His divine presence immanent to us- close to us, in a form which all of us can relate to, a person like us in all things except sin.     

And so, Jesus arrival is a time of great joy because it heralds the entry into the world of a person whose pattern of life is wholly perfect and acceptable to God.  We have been given the Gospels to tell us what Jesus did and said so we can follow that pattern, for as Jeremiah predicts,  “He shall do what is just and right in the land”.   

And so, Advent is that special time of year, when we are asked to step back and reflect.  Reflect on what is wrong with our lives as a pattern, so that we will be prepared for the second coming of Christ at any time.  And then we are called upon to reflect on how to fix it,  We can do that by reflecting on the coming of the Christ Child, and the pattern of life Jesus laid out for us in the Gospels, so that we may modify our lives accordingly.   

Why should we do all this reflecting?  Well, St. Paul said this:  “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of Our Lord Jesus with all His holy ones”.   

Posted in Holy Family Sunday Homilies | No Comments »

Allegiance to the King

November 22nd, 2009

 

Christ The King

Dan 7: 13-14; Rev 1: 5-8; John 18: 33b-37

Dc. Larry Brockman

“The roots of all violence are found in the hatred of the truth.”  This is a quote from the 2008 Dean Koontz novel “Your Heart Belongs to Me”.  Let me say it again:  “The roots of all violence are found in the hatred of the truth.”  Thinking back, isn’t that what caused the trial and crucifixion of Jesus?  Because the Jewish leaders hated the truth that Jesus professed,  their hearts agitated and stirred to get rid of him any way they could.  Because their laws wouldn’t permit killing him for what he said, they turned him over to the Romans to do it.   And isn’t that what caused the horrible incidents of genocide in our past century?  Because people like Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Pol Pot couldn’t handle the educated or wealthy classes which could challenge them with the truth.  And isn’t that what is behind abortion today?  Because people refuse to recognize the truth that a fetus is a human being, a life worthy of living, just like their own.   

Now in today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about how He is a King, but He is not your typical King.  He clearly testified to Pilate that he was not a king in an earthly sense-  he was not challenging secular powers to be the power that ruled secular society- Oh no.  Rather, He says His Kingdom is not of this World.  Because the emphasis of Jesus Kingdom is not on power; but rather, the emphasis is on truth.  Specifically, Jesus says:  “For this I came into the world, to testify to the truth, everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice”. 

Now right after this Gospel reading, Pilate responds to Jesus with the statement:   “What is truth?”  Indeed, this was a problem in society at Jesus’ time.  The authorities did not agree on the truth.  And it seems to me that the same thing is true today.  Our society no longer agrees on the truth.  The leadership in our society has asked the same question- What is truth?

Certainly, truth is not always simple.  And that’s what our educated secular society tries to tell us.  So let’s talk abut truth for a minute.   

One of my references had an interesting view of truth.  It said that the Truth can be viewed from three different perspectives.  First, there are the facts.    Facts seem to establish the truth-  because facts are what is generally agreed to have happened.  The car was white; his eyes are blue.  At first blush, these details seem to be the facts.  And yet, people can fail to recognize the most important fact  by concentrating on obvious details and not their meaning.  Let me give an example.  When Jesus died on the cross, the fact is that He did it to show his love for us, the point is that the fact of an incident is not so much the sum of all the details that make it up, as it is the meaning behind all the details that make it up.   

Second, truth includes the morality of something.  It is the right way of behaving in a given situation.  It is the “true blue” approach.  Jesus death on the cross bore witness to obedience to what was right and true for Him; it was Jesus obedience to the call of His conscience, not obedience to his physical welfare, or a quest for self indulgence.  The truth, then, is that which brings forth righteousness in our hearts, not in our physical comforts.   

Third, the truth implies trustworthiness and dependence.  When we say that a friend is true, we mean that we can count on them.  They are trustworthy and honest, even when that may seem uncomfortable.  You can depend on the truth; you cannot depend on a lie. 

Now these three perspectives of truth-   The way things really are; the rightness of things; and trustworthiness- these are all totally consistent with the Love Jesus had for us.  And so, Jesus certainly did testify to the truth, to Love in His words and deeds.   

What about us? Do we know the truth for us?  In the past, our society was a mirror of Christian Morality.  What inspired our laws and the interpretation of them was the Christian values which were an integral part of our popular culture.  But I don’t think that is true any more.  American society today has been secularized, just like the Roman World was secularized.  Society is offended by the display of the ten commandments; by marriage being defined as between a man and a woman; and by prayer in the schools.  Society today doesn’t know what truth is.  So, we can no longer trust society to lead us to the truth.  Rather, we have to seek it out.  You can do that in many different ways- by seeking out what the Church does teach on the issues of the day; by reading the Bible and studying it; but most especially, by prayer which leads to direct conversation with God and the graces that flow from it.   

Why do all of us need to seek and understand the truth?  Because we all want to be part of Jesus Kingdom.  Life on this earth ends, but life in Jesus Kingdom is everlasting.  How do we get there?- by testifying to the truth with our lives.  The last line of the Gospel says it well:  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.   

Posted in Westminster Tower | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »