Prepare your heart for the way of the Lord, Advent 2nd Sunday, Cycle 3, 12/9/18

We are all spending a lot of time preparing for Christmas parties with friends and family, shopping for gifts, and sending out cards. We’re doing this to prepare for the celebration of great gift of Jesus entering the world as a baby. But much of this preparation is external. If you heard Fr. Dave’s homily last week, Christmas and Advent tend to get blended together.  It’s important that we keep the focus of Advent preparing for coming of Jesus. Advent is a season to help us to prepare internally to make our hearts for the coming of the Lord. He came as our Savior to bring us eternal life and He will come again in glory. What do we need to do to prepare for his coming again? 

The Gospel focuses on the prophet, John the Baptist, announcing the Messiah. Luke’s Gospel details the significant figures in history: Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod and his brother Philip.  They were all worldly leaders of the Roman and Jewish cultures and were the people of importance.  They were the movers and shakers of the time. But these persons of power and influence, weren’t the ones that God chose to announce the Lord’s coming.   It came from an obscure man who lived in the barren desert, John the Baptist. This was sign that things were changing. The Messiah would come from where people would least expect.

John was in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.   The desert is a significance place for the people of Israel.  They wandered there for forty years after being held in captivity by the Egyptians.  It was away from the distractions of the pagan influence of their captors and allowed them to return to their relationship with God.

John’s message was to make ready for the Messiah’s coming:

Prepare for the way of the Lord,

make straight his paths. 

Every valley shall be filled

and every mountain and hill shall be made low.

The winding roads shall be made straight,

and the rough ways made smooth,

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

John proclaimed the words from the Prophet Baruch in today’s first reading.  This Scripture was very familiar to the Jewish people.  They would recall another time of captivity where they were forced to travel far from Jerusalem, through hills, mountains, and valleys.  This journey was very difficult. Most had to walk long distances. They didn’t have the luxury of traveling by plane, train, or car like we do. It led them to a land hostile to their beliefs and practices contrary to their faith. Baruch’s prophecy invoked an image of a much easier journey to return back to be with their God. 

John’s call was to a baptism of repentance, to prepare a way for the Lord’s coming.  Repentance is a change from current ways in order to welcome the Lord.  It requires looking at things a different way, a broadening of horizons, a transformation of experience.   It’s a conversion.   This requires a personal inventory of what’s getting in the way of the Lord and a resolution to do something about it. It’s a human effort in history to make a change.

As we begin this new Church year in the season of Advent, this gives us our time in history to make resolutions for a straight path to the Lord.  Are we making it easy for the Lord to get to us? Do we take time daily in prayer to talk and listen to the Lord?   Do we have mountains that get in the Lord’s way such as our job, personal pleasure, or habits?  Are we stuck in a valley of frivolous entertainment that keep us from the Lord? Are we making a straight path to the Lord’s graces by regularly receiving the Sacraments?

We have plenty of opportunities to help us begin our resolutions to prepare the way of the Lord.  We have Advent prayer booklets and new Dynamic Catholic books available to help with spiritual reading and prayer time.  If you miss those, both Formed and Dynamic Catholic have daily email Advent reflections. Each Wednesday the Adoration of the Eucharist is available to provide a quiet time to listen and talk to the Lord.  Of course we can also do this daily in a quiet place in our home. Our upcoming Taize’ prayer service this Wednesday is another great way too quiet down in the Advent season and listen to the Lord.    Next Saturday we’ll have our parish penance service to receive the graces of the Sacrament of reconciliation.  There are also many service opportunities that can help us in sharing our gifts and time, in love of God and neighbor.

I hope this Advent you’ll make your own mark in history through resolutions to prepare your heart for the way of the Lord.  Knock down the mountains, fill in the valleys, and make straight the paths to make it easy for the Lord to get to you. May the Eucharist we receive strengthen our resolve to welcome the Lord’s coming in Glory. 

Give from your poverty & trust in God, Homily, 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle B

The first reading and the Gospel today have a common link, a generous widow who trusts in God.   The plight of a widow at the time of the Scripture was quite dire.  There was no safety net like we have today with government programs, retirement income, and charitable care.  In marriage the widow had left the care of her father’s house.   Through her widowhood, the security of her husband was lost.   If the widow did not have a son to care for her she was left destitute.   There were little opportunities for a widow to earn income outside of the home, as only men were able to do so. So a widow was considered the poorest of the poor.

So why would Elijah call on a widow for food and water?  Elijah was a prophet, whose name mean “my God is the Lord”. Just prior to his encounter with the widow, Elijah was on the brink of starvation himself.  He had proclaimed to the king that no rain would fall on his kingdom, and to rely only on God’s Word to sustain the kingdom.  Elijah had fled into the wilderness hiding to escape persecution by the king, with God providing him food & drink.  But when the river ran dry he was forced to seek sustenance elsewhere. He journeyed to a land of a foreign god, Zarephath, encountering the widow asking her for food and drink. She seems the least likely to be of help to him.   

The widow is down to the last meal for herself and her son, telling Elijah they’ll die after eating it.  Despite this dire situation in her hospitality she generously provides food and drink to the prophet.   Elijah tells her: don’t be afraid, God will provide for you. Through the widow’s trust in God’s providence and she and her son are able to eat for a year.  Elijah’s encounter with the widow illustrates the God’ preference for the poor and the widow’s trust in God’s care.

The widow in the Gospel illustrates a similar trust in God.  The two coins she donated were

equal to a daily wage, probably just enough for a meal. But she gave all she had, trusting in God.  The wealthy gave out of their excess.  They had little to worry about and even less dependence on God.   In taking notice of the widow, Jesus shows his disciple’s God’s favor for the poor.    

An early Church Father related story of widow’s contribution of two coins as a metaphor of Christ’s sacrifice.  The coins represent Christ’s divinity and humanity.  Christ become poor for us taking on human form.  He sacrificed all by giving his life for our sins, in trusting obedience to God the Father.  Through his divinity he was resurrected and gives us the hope of salvation.

We are sustained by the memorial of the Eucharist, where we partake in the food and drink that leads to our eternal life.  God sustains us in the poverty of our sin, by trusting in the grace of the sacraments to nourish and heal us while we wait for Christ’s return to bring us salvation.  As we’re sustained by the sacraments, we can be instruments of God mercy to bring about his Kingdom by caring for the poor.

As Jesus’s disciple’s, we’re given the opportunity to share in God’s preference for the poor.    Our support of the Thanksgiving food drive, food pantry, Christmas store, and outreach assistance, shows our care for the poor here in our community. 

The ministries of Catholic Charities and Catholic Schools supported by the United Catholic Appeal also directly impact the poor throughout the Archdiocese. These ministries provide homes for families through Holy Family Shelter; food, clothing, and transportation assistance through the Crisis office, and resettlement of refugees persecuted for their faith or ethnicity.  Students of impoverished families are able to choose to attend Catholic schools throughout the archdiocese.   Our support of these ministries provide for all of us to be God’s instruments to the poor who put their trust in God.

In my ministry of charity to offenders at Johnson County Jail I’m able to directly see the impact of God’s care for the poor.  The offenders in jail struggle with both physical and spiritual poverty.  They’re hungering for a relationship with God.  They’re been led astray by the false gods of the world which leads them into trouble.  Many of them have been trapped in a cycle of poverty and broken family relationships. When volunteers from St. Rose and I go into the jail, we’re able spiritually feed them through God’s Word and the Eucharist.  We also give them hope that someone cares enough to visit them weekly at the jail.

One thing I’ve recently started doing is to tell them about the Harvest food pantry and Thanksgiving food drives at Ss. Francis and Clare and St. Rose.  

I’ve noticed a great deal of interest when speaking about this, and sense how great a need there seems to be.   Many have families have lost the income of their jailed family members, and appreciate the help to feed their families.   This ministry supported by all of you through your donations shows God’s care for the poor. Through this generosity it hopefully strengthens their trust in God.

So as you share in the gifts God’s has given you, trust in God, and give generously.  God gave his all though his Son’s sacrifice on the Cross. May the Eucharist we receive nourish us so we can be instrument of God’s care for the poor.

Don't let your possession, possess you. Put Christ first in your life! Homily, 2018

What must I do to inherit eternal life? That’s the question the man asked Jesus in the Gospel today.   Jesus’ responded very directly: Sell all you have and give to the poor and then follow me.  Did that answer make any of you a little uncomfortable? It did make me feel a bit uncomfortable.  I’ve been blessed with a nice house, cars, and money saved up for retirement and college for my son.   Is Jesus asking us to give up all that we have in order to follow him?

The man in the story was very sincere in his question to Jesus.  He diligently followed the commandments from a young age. Jesus sensed his sincerity and lovingly invited him to be one of his disciples by giving up all that had.  Jesus knew man lacked one thing: making Jesus the top priority in his life.  The man’s possessions were his highest priority.  Jesus wanted him to be free of them, so he could inherit eternal life.  Unfortunately, the man’s possessions were too important, and he went away sad.  His possessions, possessed him.

Do we need to take Jesus words literally?   Do we need to sell all we have and give to the poor?   Some of us may be called to that, but for most, we have to consider the responsibilities we for our families.  We need to earn a living and own some things for our families well-being and also dedicate some resources to help the poor.   Some of us may own businesses and need resources to provide goods, services, and employment that helps others. If we’ve been blessed with abundant resources it’s ok, as long as have the wisdom to put some of them to good use to help others.  So having possessions can be a good thing, as long as they don’t possess us. But we need to ask: are there things in our lives that possess us that keep us from following Jesus?  

Our possessions can make it very hard to enter the kingdom of God if they’re first priority in our life.   We can become too reliant on our own resources and feel like we don’t need to depend on God.  If we’re always trying to keep up with Joneses: getting a bigger house, buying a new car, or wearing the latest fashions and we can lose focus on what’s most important: our relationship with God. Our “possessions” can become our “god” and we can be possessed by them.

Jesus tells us that it’s hard to enter the kingdom of God for those who have wealth.   How hard is it? It would easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.   Wow.  This that sounds impossible to do.  I guess none of us will make it into God’s kingdom if we have to rely on our own capabilities.   But Jesus tells us that, “with God all things are possible”.  He’s telling us that if we put God first in our life, IT WILL be possible to enter God’s kingdom. 

The only way we will be able to do this is through God’s grace.  There’s not anything we can do on our own to inherit eternal life.  It’s a gift that only God can give.  We can accept this gift, but we can also reject it. By having a relationship with Jesus and it will open us up to the gift of God’s grace.   

One way to follow Jesus is to simplify our lives.  We have too many distractions in our busy lives. We have a model to follow in living a simpler life and putting God first through our patron St. Francis.  St. Francis lived a life of wealth and luxury in his younger days, but was called to authentically live out the Gospel, by giving up all he had to follow Jesus.    He publicly gave up all of his wealth, family, and even his clothing to show his reliance on God. This allowed him to focus on living out the Gospel, in prayer, worship, and seeing God in his brothers and sisters that he served. Eight centuries later his way of life in living the Gospel continues through thousands of Franciscan religious and laypersons following his simple way of life. 

If we give up what possesses us and follow Jesus what will we get?   We will receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brother and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.   How so? Through our brothers and sisters in Christ, which is all of you here. Through all the churches, schools, hospitals, and charitable ministries throughout the world spreading God’s love.

Jesus added that persecutions are to be expected as well.  We see this in our culture today.  In living as a Christians, we may be being mocked for our beliefs at work or school. For some it could be more serious, such as the many refugees leaving their homes in the Middle East.  But through these trials we need to remember that we’ll receive eternal life in the age to come.

So as we continue, think about what’s possessing you from making Jesus first in your life. Are there things, activities, or habits that come before our relationship with Christ?  If so, why not make a commitment to change.   Don’t walk away sad like the man in the Gospel. Pray for God’s grace to help.   Reach out to your brothers and sisters in Christ and ask them for support.  If Christ is first in your life, help others to do the same.    As we continue the Mass lets offer thanks to God for grace we receive through the Eucharist to help put Christ first in our life.