LIBRARY OF HOMILIES
FROM
FATHER CHRIS
DECEMBER 2000
December 3rd - First Sunday of Advent (English)
December 10th - Second Sunday of Advent (English)
December 17th - Third Sunday of Advent (English)
December 24th - Fourth Sunday of Advent (English)
December 24th - Fourth Sunday of Advent (Spanish)
December 31st - Feast of the Holy Family (English)
A software engineer has designed a clock that has some imaginative
programs built into its internal computer. Unlike most clocks that
show you the day’s date and time, this one shows you how many years, months,
days and minutes that you are likely to have left to live. In other
words, instead of counting forward, it counts backward. Therefore,
when you wake up tomorrow it will show that you have approximately one
less day to live.
There are some interesting features to this clock. One
of them is that the longer you live, the longer you tend to live.
So, when you wake up tomorrow the clock will have subtracted a day, but
added a few minutes. Every so often you will be given a free hour
or even a free day. So, you never know when you will notice that
you have more time than you expect.
Naturally, this clock cannot know the exact day or minute
that you will die. It is based on estimates from what you program
into it. But what it tells you is that generally for a person your
age with your health and with your habits you can expect to live approximately
so long. I don’t know how useful such a clock would be, but I suspect
a little more than the one that counted down to midnight last December
31st.
Clocks like those remind us is that God has given us a finite
time on earth to accomplish everything. Usually it’s more than we
imagine, but often less than we would like. Every person who has
had to wait for anything knows how hard that is. When you have to
wait for vacation next summer it seems like such a long time. Yet,
the two weeks go by faster than you can imagine. We wait in doctor’s
offices, at traffic lights, and for the weekend. Yet, it always seems
that we are in a rush.
Today’s readings remind us that the end of time is guaranteed.
Christ will come in glory amid signs that are both awesome and frightening.
But even more importantly than the end of time is that each of us is guaranteed
to die. Our lives are finite. Each of us will come to an end.
What we do with the time between now and our last moment on earth is our
question. Advent is a season of reminder to use the time God gives
us well.
Just as the days get shorter and darkness lasts longer so
too the clock on our lives counts down. What will the time that we
are given look like? What should it look like? We heard today
that one of the primary works of God is justice. When there is injustice
in the land God will make it right. In fact, the sign of God’s presence
in the world will be known by a time of justice and peace.
As followers of Jesus we need to be about doing the works
of justice. Wherever there is oppression or fear we should be about
bringing hope and comfort. I suppose the trouble that we face is
knowing how to tackle the problems of the world. Many of them seem
so huge or so intractable. Trying to solve world hunger, disease,
or war seems an impossible task. Certainly it is not something any
one person, even if they were the president or pope could tackle by themselves.
Doing justice requires working with others. It also requires diligence
and patience. These are the two qualities that are best demonstrated
in the season of Advent.
Advent is about waiting patiently. It’s about recognizing
the end of time has not yet arrived. It's also about reflecting upon
the patience of the first Christmas. God waited for the right time
in human history to bring forth His Son. God waited for Mary’s yes.
Then Mary waited for nine months for Jesus to be born. All of this
waiting was done with vigilance.
The time before Christmas is short. Much has to be accomplished
for most of us. The time of our lives is relatively short too.
There is so much that we long to accomplish before we die. Perhaps
too the time before Christ returns in glory is short. As we patiently
await the conclusion of each of these things we do so with much to be done.
We are reminded today not to let the time slip away. Living with
eager expectation, doing justice, and bringing forth the Kingdom is enough
for Advent and enough for a lifetime. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus,
Come.
Where were you when John F. Kennedy was shot? Many people
used to ask that question. Now that it has been nearly 40 years ago
that event doesn’t have as much relevance for us today. But if you
were asked, “Where were you when the Berlin Wall came down?” or where were
you when the Challenger Shuttle blew up? Events that have national
or international significance are helpful to mark time and to have hinges
in our lives. It seems that often with big events the world seems
to change or our lives are different, as a hinge on a door closes.
Many people think that the death of JFK marked the end of
a time in America when everything seemed great. The 50’s were a time
of relative peace and prosperity. Many people were comfortable and
happy. The 60’s, by comparison, became a time of upheaval in the
world and in the Church. It’s almost like 1963 was a hinge of a door
that closed and ushered in a new time. The same could be said about
the fall of the Berlin Wall. I remember growing up fearing that we
would some day be in a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. It seemed
that if that didn’t occur we would always fear them. With the fall
of the wall it was like a curtain closed, a door shut. The Soviet
Union collapsed. The nations of Eastern Europe became free and independent.
Russia was shown to have all sorts of internal and economic problems.
Germany was reunited. Everything that we thought was certain in the
70’s and 80’s seemed to change over night.
Today’s Gospel situates us at the time of John the Baptist
by telling us who was Caesar, who was governor, who was king. All
of the leaders of the civic realm are listed to show that Jesus came into
time and history. His coming was hearlded by John. After John
and Jesus, the world would never be the same again. It was a true
door closing and a new one opening.
After an important event occurs historians point to all the
circumstances that led up to that event. They show that it was not
isolated, but part of a long history that had it’s culmination in a certain
point. Without all of those prior events the one memorable event
would not seem so important. It’s just that most people did not notice
all of the little things that were occurring to make the big event possible.
Likewise, since few noticed the little events, most did nothing to prepare
for the big ones.
In our history there were events in the 50’s that began the
civil rights movement. Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on
a bus in Montgomery, Alabama occurred in 1955. There were changes
occurring in the church that few noticed in the 50’s, but were continued
and amplified at Vatican II. Pius XII had already changed the rituals
of Holy Week and had been encouraging the greater use of vernacular music
in liturgy from the 1950’s.
The prophet Isaiah had proclaimed centuries before that God
would visit His people. The prophet Baruch proclaimed that God would
prepare the way for his coming by sending a messenger who would call the
people to conversion. They would be ready to receive the Lord when
he came. The valleys of sin and the mountains of pride would have
been leveled for the Messiah. It is only with the coming of Jesus
that we can see how important John the Baptist was. He was what the
world had been waiting for. Yet, most thought of John as a radical
preacher who got little notice. Even Herod didn’t think that having
him executed would matter much. How wrong he was!
We say each Advent that we are preparing the way for the Lord
to come in glory. Some believe that the time is very near.
They may be correct. Certainly if the Lord returns soon those who
have predicted this will point to the signs of our times. But if
many people do not notice the signs of the times they wont see a need to
prepare. Will you and I be in the same boat? Will we be found
unprepared for the coming of the savior because we didn’t notice how close
our God was?
Our God desires for us to be saved. If we but heed the
signs of the times and the call of our Church each Advent we have nothing
to fear. We will be ready when He comes. What valleys and mountains
do you need leveled to make straight the path of the Lord?
Recently I heard on the radio a Christmas song called “Christmas
Shoes.” It’s a ballad-type song about a man who is in the store on
Christmas Eve not really into the “Christmas spirit” and he sees a young
boy trying to buy a pair of shoes. The boy asks the clerk not to
delay because his Daddy said his Mommy, who had been sick for some time,
didn’t have much time left. The boy was buying the shoes to bring
a smile to his mother and have her look pretty if she goes to meet Jesus
tonight. The boy doesn’t have enough money to buy the shoes.
The man who hadn’t been in the Christmas spirit gives him the necessary
money to buy the shoes for his dying mother. The song ends by saying
that the boy taught the man what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.
Someone had called into the radio station and complained that
they thought this kind of song wasn’t appropriate for Christmas.
The caller thought that it was too sad. Christmas is about joy and
happiness. She said that she had a hard time trying to explain the
song to her son. Naturally, other callers defended the song saying
that it tugged at the heartstrings and brought them to tears.
Is Christmas and Advent exclusively a time of joy and celebration?
At first blush we might agree with the woman caller who thought so.
But in reality Christmas takes it’s meaning from something much deeper.
Today we hear that it is important to be joyful and rejoice.
The Gaudete Sunday readings and prayers reflect a heightened excitement
at the upcoming feast of Christmas. But upon a little deeper probing
we see that the prophet Zephaniah proclaims a time of rejoicing because
God continues to care for his people despite every sort of difficulty and
disappointment. The people could even while they were captive in
a foreign land. They could do so because they were still loved by
God. He would send them a savior who would rescue them from all their
distress. Joy comes from knowing that pain isn’t the last word.
John the Baptist proclaims a message that the Lord is near
too. But preparation for the coming of the Lord is a two-edged sword.
One prepares by turning away from selfishness and greed. John reminds
those who come to the river that they must share with the poor if they
want to know salvation. He tells tax collectors that they should
not get rich on their occupation, but be satisfied with doing a good job.
Soldiers too need to follow God by being servants rather than bullies.
If they are willing to endure difficulty the Day of the Lord will find
them well prepared. If they do not follow these prescriptions the
Day of the Lord will come like a grim reaper ready to throw them into unquenchable
fire. Rejoicing comes not from having everything go well or easy,
but by doing the will of God.
You and I prepare to celebrate the birth of the savior.
We await Christ’s triumphant return in glory. But most importantly
we long for Christ to enter our lives today. That occurs when we
open our hearts to receive Him. We know instinctively that the holidays
aren’t always peaceful. We know that sometimes the stress of buying
gifts, attending parties, having out of town guests stay with you, and
other issues can be overwhelming. It would be nice if everything
were as peaceful as watching the Christ-child sleeping quietly in the manger.
Realistically, our lives are not that way at all. Our joy comes from
working through the many problems and difficulties of life.
We know that we can be joyful because we have sinned, but
God’s forgiveness is greater than our sin. With the grace of Christ
we have been able to turn away from our sins and embrace Christ’s way.
We can rejoice in our health, especially if we have been sick. We
praise God for life and family, especially if we have lost anyone to death
this past year. Joy comes from knowing that God is with us in our
need as well as in our plenty. We are confident and unafraid knowing
that we are never alone. Amen.
Recently there have been some unusual commercials on TV. There
are three men who are painted in blue. One commercial has two of
them trying to paint three green stripes. They work diligently at
it, only to have the third man cover himself in green paint and catapult
onto the wall and slide down forming the third stripe. All of these
commercials are for Intel’s Pentium III chip. What makes these commercials
funny is that almost as soon as they started running Intel announced that
they have developed a Pentium IV chip. So, all the work of these
commercials is for something that is out of date.
Commercials can get that way quickly. You might have
seen the network TVLand. They show programs from the 60’s and 70’s.
But even more interestingly they show commercials from that era too.
Those commercials seem so dated today. It’s hard to imagine that
they were the newest and best that Madison Ave. had to offer back then.
Our culture gets used to having things updated frequently.
The 2000 automobiles are now out of date. Computers and software
are out of date even more quickly. New toys, games, and gadgets come
out all the time making the previous ones seem antiquated. All of
this has caused many of us to say that we need to have the newest things
right now. If you wait—you lose, so goes the saying.
I believe that is why it is hard to understand that God doesn’t
work on our timetable. He chooses to have things happen at the appropriate
time, not necessarily the fastest time. In preparing the world for
the savior God chose to use prophets who spoke of a time when a tiny city
called Bethlehem would be called great. He chose to speak to an old
couple named Elizabeth and Zechariah. He told them that they would
be barren no longer. They would bring forth John the Baptist who
would prepare the way. This birth would take place in the normal
course. There would be a pregnancy that would last nine months.
Then John would grow up in his family, be schooled in the words of the
prophets and patriarchs. He would live out in the desert and make
his appearance at the Jordan River 30 years later. God knew what
the right time would be.
Even more stunning than John’s birth would be Jesus’ birth.
He too would grow within the womb of the Blessed Mother for nine months.
Like John he would be schooled by his parents and by the teachers of the
Law. He would learn to understand all that it would mean to be human.
Finally after 30 years he would make himself known in Capernaum, a tiny
city that would be considered insignificant by the world’s standards.
God knew the right place and the right time.
God is very patient. He knows that those things that
matter take time. He knew that the world needed to be ready for Christ’s
coming. He knew that bigger isn’t necessarily better. All of
this God knew when he spoke to two women two millennia ago. God knows
that we all need time too. We don’t think so, but God does.
He knows that there is a right time to be healed. It seems way too
long when we are sick. When we pray to find the right job it comes,
but often not as quickly as we would like. When we pray for God to
send us a spouse or a child when it seems difficult or impossible, it takes
time. Advent has been a season of waiting. Christmas is almost
here. We soon will celebrate again the birthday of the savior.
But are our hearts ready to receive Him? Reflecting on the patience
God took in preparing Mary and Elizabeth should give us hope that God doesn’t
forget us. It’s just that his time and ours are different. Can we
wait on the Lord?
Recientemente
han habido una serie de comerciales un poco raro en la television. Hay
tres hombres pintados en azul. Un comercial los tiene tratando de pintar
tres lineas verdes. Ellos trabajan diligentemente, solo para que el tercer
hombre se revista de color verde y caiga deslizandose en la pared formando
una tercera linea. Todos estos comerciales son de Inte s Pentium tres chip.
Lo que hace estos comerciales comicos es que tan pronto comienzan a salir
Intel anuncia que ha desarrollado un chip Pentium cuatro. Entonces, todo
ese trabajo de estos comerciales es algo que estan ya pasados de moda.
Los comerciales
se pueden poner asi rapidamente. Quisás han visto el canal TVLand.
Ellos presentan programas de los años sesenta y setentas.
Pero mas interesante aun son los comerciales de esa era tambien. Esos comerciales
parecen pasados de moda. Es dificil
imaginar que eso era lomejor y del momento que Madison Square tenia
para ofrecer en aquel entonces.
Nuestra cultura
se acostumbra a que las cosas se renueven frecuentemente. Los
automobiles del 2000 ya estan pasados de moda. Las computadores
y los softwares tambien pasan de moda rapidamente. Nuevos juguetes, y aparatos
salen todo el tiempo haciendo que los anteriores se vean anticuados. Todo
esto ha causado que muchos de nosotros digamos que tenemos que tener lo
mas nuevo ahora mismo.. Si esperas- pierdes, segun dice el dicho.
Yo creo que
es por eso que es tan dificil entender que Dios no trabaja en nuestra tabla
de tiempo. El escoje que las cosas sucedan en su tiempo apropiado, no necesariamente
el tiempo mas rapido. Preparando el mundo para el salvador Dios escojió
usar los profetas que hablaron de un tiempo cuando una pequeña ciudad
llamada Belen le llamarian grande. El escojió hablarle a una pareja
de ancianos llamada Isabel y Zacarias. El les dijo que ya no estarian infertiles.
Ellos traerian al mundo a Juan el Bautista que preparía el camino.
Este alumbramiento sucederia en un curso natural. Habria una preñes
que duraria nueve meses. Entonces Juan creceria con su familia, sería
educado en las palabras de los profetas y patriarcas. El viviria en el
desierto y haria su precencia en el Jordan treinta años despues.
Dios sabia cual seria el momento adecuado.
Aun mas pasmoso
que el nacimiento de Juan sería el de Jesus. El creceria en las
entreñas de la Bendita Madre por nueve meses. Como Juan,
sería educado por sus padres y por los maestros de la Ley. El aprenderia
todo lo que quiere decir ser humano. Finalmente despues de treinte años
se daria a conocer en Cafarnaun, una pequeña ciudad que se concideraria
insignificante segun las normas del mundo. Dios sabia el sitio apropiado
y el tiempo apropiado.
Dios es bien paciente.
El sabe que las cosas importantes toman tiempo. El sabia que el
mundo necesitaria estar preparado para la venida de Cristo. El sabia
que grande no es
necesariamente mejor. Todo esto Dios lo sabia cuando le hablo a
dos mujeres dos mil años
atras. Dios sabe que todos necesitamos tiempo tambien. Nosotros
no lo pensamos asi, pero
Dios si. El sabe que hay un tiempo para sanar. Parece mucho tiempo
cuando estamos
enfermos. Cuando rezamos para que Dios nos envie un esposo o un
bebe cuando parece
dificil e imposible, se coje tiempo. Adviento es una epoca de espera.
La Navidad ya casi
esta aqui. Pronto celebraremos el nacimiento del salvador Pero ¿nuestros
corazones estan
preparados para recibirlo? Refleccionando en la paciencia que Dios
tomó en preparar a
Maria e Isabel nos debe dar la esperanza de que Dios no nos olvida.
Es solo que su tiempo y el nuestro son diferente. ¿Podemos esperar
en el Señor?
Paz,
Padre Chris
How many of us in our lives have at one time or another wandered
off away from our parents? It may be when the family is at a store
and each person begins to look at something that interests them.
Then, suddenly someone notices that the child is missing. From the
child’s perspective it can look like the parents abandoned them.
In reality it was both parties seeing things differently. The parents
were interested in purchasing something, so they had to pay attention to
what they wanted to buy. They assumed that their children would remain
close by. The child who is not interested in what the parent wants
to buy becomes excited about seeing something they would like. So,
they spend time looking at that item oblivious to the fact that their parents
have gone on to something else. When one or both sides realize that
they had put more interest in something rather than in someone they get
scared and start searching for the other party.
Was that the way it was with Jesus? Perhaps. Jesus
was beginning to be aware that his relationship to the Father was calling
him to a different life from his friends. He was starting to see
that God wanted him to do a special mission. His parents although
aware of the fact that Jesus was special were concerned with being faithful
to the Law and to the opportunity to be with their relatives on this journey
to Jerusalem. They were doing one thing. Jesus was busy with
another.
In the temple Jesus hears the Law and Prophets proclaimed.
He sees the teachers of the Law and wants to ask them if what he is thinking
and feeling makes sense. Most teenagers get to that point.
They want to believe that what they are thinking makes sense. Most
ask at one point, does anyone else feel this way? Does anyone else
see things the way that I do? Jesus gets wrapped up in discussion
with the teachers of the Law that he forgets his relationship to his parents.
Likewise, Mary and Joseph have always been faithful to God.
They listened to what the angel had said to them about the child Jesus.
They followed the Law and presented Jesus in the Temple fulfilling all
of the prescriptions of the Law. They came to Jerusalem every year
to be faithful to the Law at Passover time. Yet, on this day they
got caught up in the relationship they have with their relatives and friends.
Maybe too they used this opportunity to take care of other business in
the city. In any case it took them some time to realize that Jesus
was gone. When they do, they panic.
Coming back to the temple they find their son amid the teachers.
They also discover that their son will have a mission different from their
own. They begin to see that whatever hopes and dreams they have for
their son will be altered depending on what God wanted for Jesus.
This too is so similar to every human family. Every parent has goals
and ideals for their children. Yet, seldom do they work out exactly
as they imagine. Each child has to discern for him or herself what
they will do in this life. They need to figure out their gifts and
talents and how best to use them.
When Jesus is rejoined with his parents it says that he went
with them back home to Nazareth and was obedient to them. He grew
in wisdom and understanding and stature with God and all the people.
In every human family there is harmony and peace when each member pays
attention to the other. Husbands and wives need to listen and love
each other if they are to remain close. Children are given to parents
to raise. It is an awesome task to raise a child. Children
must be obedient to understand what it means to be an adult. The
more closely they follow their parents the more likely they will be healthy
and happy adults. But parents need to listen to their children too.
Often children are given insight and wisdom beyond their years. God
can grant a child a way of seeing things those parents might not notice.
When parents pay attention to their children they often are amazed and
awed by what they hear and see. They begin to realize that their
teaching and example has paid off.
The Holy Family is an example for us in their ability to listen
and learn from each other. They are an example for us in their fidelity
to God. It is only by their prayer and worship that they could hear
what God was doing and respond, even when it seemed strange or impossible.
They also teach us that despite misunderstandings a family is strongest
when it learns and forgives. We wish that it would never happen that
our loved ones hurt or disappoint us. But they do. Learning
to forgive and to ask for forgiveness is the key to real unity and peace.
Even if our family is not perfect we can strive to listen to one another,
listen to God, and seek peace and forgiveness with each other.
St. John Neumann (Newman) [1811-1860]
In 1836, a young man
came on a boat from Europe to New York City. He wanted to be ordained
a priest. He was only five feet, two inches (a man after my own heart...Fr.
C) tall. All he owned were the clothes on his back, plus a suitcase full
of heavy books. His hat had been stolen on the boat.
John Neumann had already
studied Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and eight modern languages. Back home in
now what is the Czech Republic, he had been told that new priests were
not needed. He came to America in the hope that he could be of use.
The bishop of New York
was delighted to put John to work. He assigned John to the
mission parishes of Buffalo. John visited his German, French,
Irish, and Scottish parishioners on horseback. Many of them were
immigrants like himself, and he spoke to them in their own languages.
He visited the sick, taught catechism and trained teachers.
John served faithfully
for four years, but it was a lonely life. Eventually he decided to
enter the Redemptorist order so that he could live in a community.
Soon he became the head of all the Redemptorists priests in America.
In 1852, John was appointed
bishop of Philadelphia, which was at that time the biggest
diocese in the country. Many wealthy and influential Catholics
lived there. Most of them
didn't want John Neumann to be their bishop. They wanted someone
more polished. John also faced opposition from the "Know Nothing"
political group trying to keep immigrants from coming to America.
John worked hard and
was an excellent bishop. He set up Catholic schools for thousands
of children. He visited every parish and mission in the huge diocese
at least once every two years. He wrote articles for newspapers and
magazines as a way to teach the faith. He even prepared catechisms
and a Bible history for immigrants who spoke German. John died at
age 50. He is buried in the Cathedral in Philadelphia.
John Newman was known
for his work in Catholic education. That is why at virtually
every college campus the home of Catholic Campus Ministry is known
as the Newman House or Newman Club. The variations in spelling have
to do with his name being Americanized. John was ahead of his time
in terms of bi-lingual ministry. He saw the need to care for all
people no matter what language they spoke. His simple ways and profound
intellect inspire us even today. Be proud that you belong to CCM
and wear the banner of the John Cardinal Newman proudly. God bless
you and see you soon.
Fr. Chris