Sick and Tired

I’ve been sick, with something that’s made me very tired. I’m really not sure what hammered me about a week ago, but it sure made an impression. It feels like the flu but I won’t hazard a diagnosis except to say that I’ve been out of commission ever since it appeared. The symptoms were pretty standard: aches and pains, upper respiratory congestion and cough, chills, weakness, loss of appetite, and all the rest. To my knowledge I never had a fever, so I guess that’s a good thing. But the best thing has been the loving care provided by Diane who kept me hydrated, medicated, fed, warm and cozy, and let me get the rest I needed. She has been wonderful indeed. Anyway, thanks to Diane, I’m now on the mend, and should be back to normal within a day or two. In the meantime I’ll continue to remain cloistered here at home and just goof off until I feel well enough to rejoin polite society. 

Sadly, today I’ll have to miss the Parish Staff Christmas Luncheon, always an enjoyable event, except perhaps for the irritating Yankee Swap gift exchange. Okay, okay…a lot of folks apparently enjoy it, but it just seems to turn gift-giving into an unnecessarily complicated process that ensures the right gifts too often get to the wrong people. Just seems to me a “secret Santa” approach would be a lot simpler, leave everyone happier, and be more attuned to Christian values. But what do I know? Obviously, not much, because I think I’m alone in my, until now, unvoiced criticism. I’d already bought a gift for the luncheon, one that met the $25 limit. I think I’ll ask Diane to give it to some deserving soul whom she believes will enjoy it,

Diane’s undergoing another of her frequent physical therapy sessions, so while she’s out I’ll ask a compliant Alexa to play a little Vivaldi or Bach while I take a brief restorative nap right here in my easy chair. But first I must extricate my right foot from under Maddie who decided to settle down on top of it. This is something new with Maddie who’s normally not much of a cuddler. Perhaps it’s a symptom of her advancing age — Maddie turns 15 this month — and reflects a long-repressed desire to establish a closer relationship with the pack. Then again, maybe she just decided my slippered foot was a handy pillow. 

In the meantime, get your heart and soul ready for Jesus. He arrives soon. 

Homily: Saturday, December 18 - Year 2

Readings: Jer 23:5-7; Psalm 72; Mt 1:18-25

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Don't you just love the language of Jeremiah?

"I will raise up a righteous shoot of David...This is the name they give him: 'The LORD our justice'" [Jer 23:5-6].

And then the words of Psalm 72:

"He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment... the lives of the poor he shall save... And blessed forever be his glorious name; may the whole earth be filled with his glory" [Ps 72:2,13,19].

These words, this Word of God, like the entirety of the Old Testament, point to one thing, the coming of a Savior. Yes, the revealed Word of God points to the incarnate Word of God, a revelation fulfilled in today's Gospel passage from Matthew. Matthew begins his Gospel with a genealogy tracing 2,000 years of the human ancestry of Jesus from Abraham to Mary.

But then Matthew's focus changes. No longer does he look down on Israel through the long lens of history. Quite suddenly, Matthew entered the lives of two people in the little Galilean village of Nazareth. And just as suddenly, these two lives, the lives of Mary and Joseph, were changed by the Word of God, a Word that echoed throughout the entire created universe.

In Luke's Gospel the angel announces this Word to Mary, a Word she accepts into her very being. Indeed, her womb now becomes the center of that universe. But in Matthew we witness another annunciation, this time in a dream to Joseph, who responds in full obedience. Yes, Joseph, goes on to protect, to name, to decide, to nurture, to accept all that God reveals to him...for Joseph is a man of deep faith.

But did you notice, in both annunciations, the angel's appearance begins with the words, "Be not afraid"? The angel wouldn't have said those words unless fear were present. And its presence is understandable. God entered into these two lives in an incomprehensible, a fearful way, in a way that even today, after 2,000 years of theological study and speculation, we still don't fully understand.

Yes, the Incarnation is a mystery, the manifestation of the revelation to Joseph:

"...they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us'" [Mt 1:23]. 

But what a promise this is! Brothers and sisters, God is with us!

When we see the world shrouded in so much darkness, like Joseph we can trust completely in the light of Christ to guide us, for God is with us.

When we experience deep discouragement in our lives, when we're overcome by fears or worries, when the challenges seem too great to face, we need only recall God is with us...for we are not alone. Like Joseph, we need only accept God's presence. Turn to Jesus today and let Him enter your heart. Push aside the obstacles that you and world place in His path. 

Pope Francis wrote that many today act as if God doesn't exist.  A "practical relativism", he called it, "a lifestyle which leads to an attachment to financial security, or to a desire for power or human glory at all cost." 

Say no to selfishness. Avoid the pragmatism that transforms us into "mummies" - lifeless beings who deny the reality and the hope of Jesus Christ. In the pope's words: "Our faith is challenged to discern how wine can come from water and how wheat can grow in the midst of weeds...Say yes to a new relationship with Jesus."

This is our Advent call: to open our hearts to Jesus' coming today, in the midst of our darkness, often a very personal darkness. If you and I let Him love us, forgive us, tell us we’re not alone, then we can face any challenge with hope, even when our union with Jesus leads us to the Cross, we are with him on the path to eternal life.

"Come, Lord Jesus" [Rev 22:20], into our hearts today.

 

Bible Study Reflection #23: Anticipation

One of the lost joys of childhood is the joy of anticipation. Remember looking forward to something truly special? Remember the excitement you felt? The almost unbearable sense of anticipation? It didn’t matter what it was because, as children, so many things excited us: a planned family trip; the first day of summer vacation; a visit by a favorite relative. Often enough, it involved simpler things: a Saturday matinee at the local movie house; a birthday party; making home-made ice cream; smelling the cake your mother was baking, watching her frost it with a spatula and hoping she’d leave a little extra in the bowl.

For me, though, and I suspect for most of you too, the most exciting time of the year, the day I looked forward to more than any other was Christmas. Our family life was so entwined with the Church, my anticipation of Christmas never really got going until the First Sunday of Advent. Until then, Christmas just seemed too far away to think about. But with Advent, it was official. Advent calendars suddenly appeared, forming a kind of countdown to Christmas Day.

The Church is actually very childlike in its anticipation of Christmas, and it does so with almost the same degree of excitement. Advent means a coming or approach, but it’s not the approach of today’s commercial holiday that we celebrate. Rather, we are asked to look forward with childlike anticipation to the birthday of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by remembering His coming into the world 2,000 years ago.

As we make our way through these last days of Advent in joyful anticipation of the coming of Our Lord, let’s take a moment to read once more St. Luke’s description of the Annunciation to Mary by the archangel Gabriel, an event that triggered the first Advent.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!"

But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end."

And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible."

And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. [Lk 1:26-38].

This passage from the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel really tells the story of that first Advent, with Mary as the main character. But the drama is far more than a nice story, as Mary is far more than a mere actor. For Mary is our model, and her response to the good news of the archangel Gabriel teaches us the meaning of Advent and the response God seeks.

Although surprised, Mary wasn’t frightened by Gabriel’s sudden appearance. No, it was his words that caused her initial concern. “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” [Lk 1:28]. With her simple humility and her awareness of God’s greatness, Mary was puzzled by the meaning of this greeting. But Gabriel went on to explain his mission. Mary will conceive and give birth to a son, the Son of the Most High, a King who will inherit David’s throne, who will reign forever.

No doubt this was a lot for a young girl to absorb. But don’t underestimate Mary. Probably no more than 15 or 16, she had been raised in a devout Jewish family. Her parents would have taught her the Scriptures, primarily the Torah, the Psalms and Proverbs. From Scripture she would have known about God’s promises of a messiah. Moreover, there was plenty of messiah talk going around in those troubled days.

But more important than all this: Mary was “full of grace.” In other words, God had blessed her from the moment of her conception with the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Spirit. Mary, then, knew exactly what Gabriel was telling her: that she would conceive a son immediately, and that He was the promised Messiah. Her only question? How will God bring this about since, although betrothed to Joseph, she was a virgin? Notice that Mary didn’t question God’s plan or that He had chosen her. She merely wanted to know how – a most reasonable question.

Gabriel told her that God’s own Holy Spirit would overshadow her, that her son will, therefore, be the Son of God. To emphasize God’s power, Gabriel reveals that Mary’s long-barren relative, Elizabeth, has also conceived a child.

God didn’t command Mary. He permits her to choose and awaits her answer. Not only God, but all of creation and the entire span of human history, awaits Mary’s answer. Adam and Eve, who chose sin over obedience, beg her for a Yes. So too do Abraham, Moses, and David, all the patriarchs and prophets. Their pleas echo down the centuries, and we join them in anticipation. For in that moment, God placed the salvation of the human race, past, present and future, in the hands of this simple Jewish girl. She need utter only one word to embrace the living Word of God in her womb.

Her response, a response straight from the heart, brings a sigh of joy from all creation: “Let it be done to me according to your word” [Lk 138].

It is a choice of total abandonment to God’s Will. We encounter its foreshadowings throughout Sacred Scripture. Consider the choice of Abraham when called by God to become father of God’s own people. The choice Moses made when asked by God to lead His people from bondage to the promised land. The response of the prophets when called to speak God’s word to a stubborn people. These set the stage for the great drama presented to us when Gabriel reveals God’s will to Mary, His servant, and she responds with complete abandonment.

It’s not unlike the choice each of us is called to make, a choice founded on the certainty of God’s promise of eternal life. It is a choice buoyed by faith and hope, a hope of expectation, the hope of Jesus’ return in power and glory. For this is the other Advent we celebrate.

Will we, like Mary, make that choice? Can we set aside our willful natures and abandon ourselves to God’s loving will? It’s never too late, for God continues to call us to Him all the days of our lives. And remember, as Gabriel told Mary, “For with God nothing will be impossible" [Lk 1:37].

Of course, to understand what God wants of us, we need only turn to Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church. Thanks to the efforts of my mother and the Dominican Sisters at St. Augustine School, I had to learn the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes, even though as a child, I really didn’t understand what all those mysterious words meant. Back then we weren’t told to memorize them; no, we were told to “learn them by heart.” What a beautiful expression! When I memorize something, I simply store the words in my brain for later retrieval. But to learn something “by heart” is to make it a part of me – the words, their meanings, the goodness and beauty of the message. Yes, indeed, growing up we learned so many good and wondrous things – prayers and Bible verses and poems and songs and hymns – and learned them all “by heart”, just as Mary, when confronted with the wonders surrounding her Son, "kept all these things in her heart" [Lk 2:51]. 

Among my favorite passages from the Letters of St. Paul – another something I learned by heart many years ago – is a rather brief instruction Paul offered the Thessalonians. I had to learn it by heart because in the seventh grade Sister Mary Andrew assigned it as a mild punishment for misbehaving before school. (I got into a bit of a skirmish with Donnie Anderson.) The good Sister also asked me to explain each verse to her, thus encouraging the involvement of the heart

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstance give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil [1 Thes 5:16-22].

As it turned out, I became quite a fan of these few verses, partly because of their brevity, making them easy to remember, but mostly because they say so much in so few words. The Church also considers these words by Paul worthy instruction for Advent and includes them as the Second Reading on Gaudete (“Rejoice!”) Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent (Year B). Paul begins by calling us to do three things:

·         Rejoice always! because life itself is a gift and demands a joyful response. As Christians, then, we must rejoice always, as long as we live and breathe.

·         Pray without ceasing by making every aspect of your life a prayer, everything an offering to the God who created you.

·         In all circumstances give thanks. As Paul reminded the Romans, "...all things work for good for those who love God" [Rom 8:28]. Not only life, but every part of life, is a gift from God whose will leads us only to the good. All, then, is deserving of our thanks.

Did you notice the repetition – always…without ceasing…in all circumstances – central to these brief verses? Paul wants to ensure we don’t miss the message – that we learn it by heart – and realize this is God’s will for us. Just as God’s love knows no bounds, so too must our response be all-encompassing and extend through all time and space. For most of us this demands a significant change in how we live our lives, helping us respond to the call for a lifelong conversion.

How often do you and I rejoice? Always? Probably not, but God tells us everything is a cause for joy. Even the evils we encounter? Yes, because they provide opportunities for God to reveal His love and goodness, and to do so through those who suffer because of the world’s evils.

Years ago, after I had preached about this, a parishioner approached me after Mass and said, “Everything is not a cause for rejoicing. How can we rejoice about the deaths of millions of aborted unborn children?”

I think my answer took him by surprise. “Don’t get trapped in worldly time. That’s what Satan and his flunkies want us to do. Try to think as God thinks, eternally. All those aborted babies, those special innocents, are with God, immersed in His loving embrace. His love for them is beyond our comprehension and what do they do? They intercede for the world they never saw, and for the souls of those who took their lives. And that’s certainly reason to rejoice.”

To “pray without ceasing” may seem a tall order, but only if we view prayer narrowly. When we feed the hungry and welcome the stranger, when we extend Gods love to another, when we celebrate the wonders of God’s creation, when we do God’s will in our lives, we are praying.

To give thanks in all circumstances is to rejoice in God’s goodness. We spend far too much time these days grumbling about the pandemic and its effects. Were there no pandemic, we’d no doubt find other things to grumble about. How much better to instead help those most affected? How about turning to God in thankfulness for the opportunities He presents to you, opportunities to extend His love to others?

“Do not quench the Spirit,” but open your heart to His urgings. Do you realize the Holy Spirit calls you always? That’s right, He never stops calling. He calls you through the others you encounter. He calls you through a word you hear or read. He calls you in response to your prayer. He calls you in a thought He reveals to your open heart. We need only listen and remain open to His continual urgings. He will lead the way.

Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil. As Jesus taught us, "By their fruits you will know them [Mt 7:16]. Don't fall prey to the evil disguised as good, to that which the world fancies but bears only evil fruit. False prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves [Mt 7:15], are always among us. If we remain true to the urgings of the Holy Spirit, we wil always recognize them.

Rejoice, pray, give thanks, be open to the Spirit and the goodness of God…this is how our merciful Father wants us to approach the birth of His Son, with the joyful anticipation of a child.

Homily: 2nd Sunday of Advent (Year B)

 Readings: Is 40:1-5,9-11; Ps 85; 2 Pt 3:8-14; Mk 1:1-8

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 "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths."

Can’t you just picture John shouting these words, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins? It’s a message that resounds today as we prepare for the coming of Jesus, as we struggle through this most unusual of Advents, masked and isolated, forced along paths that seem far from straight. But the question remains: How and what are we to prepare? Quite simply, we are called on to prepare ourselves through conversion.

A few moments ago, Father Nielson, praying today’s Collect for all of us gathered here today, asked God to “let no earthly undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet your Son.” This is how we make straight the Lord’s path – by removing the obstacles that we, in our sinfulness, place in His way.

The trouble is, when we pray these words, do we truly mean them? Or are we like the Christian that C. S. Lewis described as praying faintly – for otherwise God might actually hear him.

“Let no earthly undertaking hinder” us.

For most of us, these undertakings, these obstacles, represent the habits of a lifetime, and are very much a part of our nature. To remove them is almost unnatural. It’s not natural to be selfless when our human nature is basically selfish. It’s not natural to love God and our neighbor when love of self keeps getting in the way. It’s not natural to step out of our busy lives, away from those “earthly undertakings” and listen to God’s voice as He calls on us to change our way of life, as He calls us to conversion. For this is what Advent is: a call to conversion, a call to change.

Today, from across the centuries, John the Baptist gives us some down-to-earth advice on how to respond to God’s call.

Make straight His paths…[Mk 1:3]

John tells us to fill in the valleys – those dark nooks and crannies of our lives that we foolishly try to seal off from God. These are the dark corners that we don’t want disturbed, that we think will keep God at bay. We all have some darkness in our lives because we’re all sinners. And only light dispels darkness, the light of God’s love.

John tells us to level the mountains – mountains of pride, of bigotry, of anger that we build up because we think so much of ourselves and so little of others. To profess that we love God while remaining indifferent to the plight of others is a contradiction.

Advent, indeed, every season, demands humility. How can we have a personal relationship with God if our egos compete with Him? To accept the Kingdom we must realize we’re neither king nor queen. Shed the old. To experience what’s possible with God, forget that which is humanly impossible.

What in our lives needs conversion? What obstacles have we placed in God’s path? What mountains and hills do we erect in a vain attempts to prevent him from coming close. Prepare the way of the Lord…by making room for God in your hearts.

Every Sunday we recite the Creed in a renewal of our faith because discipleship demands faith. But it demands a living faith, one that goes out into the world to proclaim the Good News [Mk 16:15]. It demands listening to God’s Word and acting on it by changing our lives.

Christ cannot save us without our cooperation. He makes His Presence known but waits to be invited. As Peter reminds us in today’s 2^nd reading [2 Pt 3:9], our merciful Father wants no one to perish, for He is patient with us, allowing us time to come back to Him. Yes, for us who live in time, every day is an opportunity, every moment of life is a gift of God’s mercy.

Advent is really the story of God’s own eternal persistent waiting, of His plan to let us search for Him again and again until finally He finds us. Until finally we turn to Him and say, “Yes!”

Of course, wanting to change and actually changing are very different things. Because conversion comes only through love – not love as an emotion but love as a decision, for we must be imitators of God. From the beginning God acted totally out of love – the love that created the universe, that moves the sun and the stars, a love that reaches out to move our hearts as well, to bring us to salvation. And the great sign of God’s will to save, the great sign of His love, is His Son, Jesus Christ.

God reaches out to us in Christ. “Here is your God,” Isaiah proclaims in today’s 1^st reading. “He comes with power…Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs” [Is 40:9-11].

This is the saving power of Christ, God’s love personified.

“The Lord does not delay” [2 Pt 3:9], Peter tells us in our 2^nd reading. The day of salvation has already dawned in Christ.

“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” [Mk 1:8], says John the Baptist. And this Spirit, once given in Christ, is the constant renewal of the Father’s love.

When we invite Jesus into our lives, when we make room for Him in our hearts, we become like John the Baptist.

Our lives become an announcement, telling everyone, through acts of kindness, honesty, and faithfulness, that Christ is among us.

For many people, those you know, those you encounter, you might be the only manifestation of that Gospel they ever experience.

Never tire of proclaiming the Kingdom.

As we await Jesus’ return and the age to come, let us not forget that a day will come in each of our lives when we will meet Jesus face to face.

Our life is a continual advent for that moment, so let’s not delay preparing for this coming of the Lord.

Homily: Monday 3rd Week of Advent

I have embedded bellow the video of this homily for Monday of the 3rd Week of Advent, preached at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Wildwood, FL, on 16 December 2019. The complete text of the homily follows the video.

Readings:  Nm 24:2-7,15-17; Ps 25; Mt 21:23-27
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Balaam Blessing the Israelites

As we continue into this third week of Advent, we're invited to be watchful, for "the Lord is near." What a great reminder, even though the Lord is always near, dwelling within us thanks to His gift of the Eucharist. But during this time of year, the message becomes all the more real to us. 

In our Old Testament reading from the Book of Numbers, we encounter Balaam, a Gentile soothsayer or magician from Mesopotamia. Balaam had been summoned by Balak, the King of Moab, who feared that this huge horde of Israelites coming out of the wilderness would overwhelm his kingdom. He therefore tells Balaam to curse the Israelites. But God also speaks to Balaam, commanding that he bless and not curse the Israelites. 

Now Balaam was a complex character, a man motivated largely by selfishness and greed. And yet Balaam fears the God of the Israelites, this God who is near, who speaks to him and commands him. Fearing God more than the Moabite king, Balaam does as God commands. And embedded in his blessing is a Messianic prophecy:

"I see him, though not now; I observe him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel” [Nm 24:17].

Notice that God chooses whomever He wills. Even Balaam, whose motives are far less than pure, when he submits to God’s will, becomes a prophet, a messenger from God. 

Balaam's prophecy of a "rising star of Jacob, and a scepter…from Israel" is seen as one of the earliest Messianic prophecies. 

Interestingly, the ancients believed strongly in the power of blessings. Balaam certainly did and so did the Israelites. But what about you and me? How do we respond to the blessings we receive from the hand of God? Have you ever considered that every talent and ability you have was given to you by God?

But that’s not all. God doesn’t’ simply distribute blessings and talents. No, He wants you to use them to fulfill the mission for which He created you. In other words, every blessing is meant to be shared in the service of God. I suppose that’s the question we must ask ourselves: do we imitate the selfish Balaam who ultimately turned away from God’s direction, or do we submit to God’s will?

In our Gospel passage from Matthew we find the Pharisees resisting Jesus’ teachings, God’s will, out of fear. They feared Jesus because He threatened their authority.

I can sympathize with them because it’s not easy to let go of the comfortable way of life we’ve created for ourselves. Yes, indeed, it’s hard to turn away from what we think we know, and embrace the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It’s hard to leave our predictable world behind and open ourselves to the mystery of God working in ways we could never imagine.

Pharisees Fearful of Jesus

In truth, we must become like children, open to the Holy Spirit’s movement in our lives, allowing Him to lead us on the path to holiness. This was something the Pharisees could not do. Unable and unwilling to listen to Jesus, they could only test Him, measuring Him against their human understanding.

Perhaps this is why Jesus didn’t answer their question. Addressing this in a homily, the early Church father, St. John Chrysostom, said: 

“Even if He had told them, it would have profited nothing, because the darkened will cannot perceive the things that are of the light.”

Yes, brothers and sisters, God alone can save us from the darkness of the world and from our own internal darkness. Only God can save us from emptiness and poverty of spirit, from confusion and error, and from hopelessness and the fear of death. 

The gospel of salvation was the Good News when Jesus preached it 2,000 years ago, and it’s still the Good News for us today. This Advent, then, let’s use our time wisely and come to know the joy and freedom of the gospel.

Father, You have blessed us, creating each of us for a purpose. 

Jesus, You died for us, and called us to complete Your work.

Holy Spirit, through You we carry out the work for which we were created.

Father, Son, and Spirit – teach us to accept your blessings and to use them always for your glory.

Homily: 3rd Sunday of Advent - Year A

I've embedded below a video of this homily preached on December 15, 2019, the 3rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday). The complete text of the homily follows the video.

Readings: Is 35:1-6,10; Ps 146:6-10; Jas 5:7-10; Mt 11:2-11

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Today is Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday of Joy, a day on which we wear these rose-colored vestments to symbolize the joy that should fill us in anticipation of our celebration of the birth of Our Lord. Looking out at you all, I don’t see a lot of joyful faces, so how ‘bout a smile or two. That’s better. 

Sadly, in today’s world far too many people live joyless lives. And interestingly, the most joyless of these are not the poor, but rather those who are among the most affluent. Having so much, they can’t understand why they aren’t happy.

Back in the seventies the wife of a friend just upped and left him and their children, saying that she had to “find herself.” There was a lot of that going around back then – men and women leaving their families in search of something else, presumably something better. I’ve always found that a bit odd – people going off in search of themselves, when what they really seek is right there in front of them and within them. They search for meaning but look in all the wrong places.

St. Teresa of Avila, whose works are certainly worth reading, made a point of teaching that it is only in the search for God that we can uncover and discover our own true selves. Yes, indeed, as Christians we believe no one can encounter themselves until and unless they encounter Jesus Christ.

But who is this Jesus? Is He God? Is He man? Is He both? Do we accept or reject Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life? Do we acknowledge Jesus as the Incarnate Word of God? Our answers determine both our entire worldview and how we view ourselves; for once we accept Jesus for who He is, those identity crises disappear. In a word, we find ourselves. When we find ourselves in Jesus, He becomes the very center of our being. It’s then we begin to experience the distance between who we are and who we’re called to be.

In today’s Gospel reading, John the Baptist has his disciples ask these same questions of Jesus.

“Are you the one who is to come, or do we look for another?” [Mt 11:3]

I’ve always believed John knew full well the answer to his question, but his purpose was to release his disciples, to turn them into Jesus’ disciples. After all, wasn’t John the one who said, 

“He must increase, and I must decrease”? [Jn 3:30]

Didn’t John, as an unborn infant, leap in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary arrived at his mother’s doorstep? If the infant knew who Jesus was, then surely the adult knew as well. And hadn’t John, as he baptized Jesus in the Jordan, watched the Spirit descend and heard the voice of the Father praising the Son?

"He must increase..."

No, John he knew his mission was ending. Locked in Herod’s prison, facing execution, John had only to convince his disciples of this same truth. Indeed, this would be the final act of his mission: to send his disciples to Jesus, He who must increase. John’s question was not about himself; it was about Jesus. John didn’t need to find himself; he needed to help others find Jesus. That had been His mission all along.

How fitting this all is. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus had just sent out his disciples to evangelize, to bring His saving presence to others. And then John sends his disciples to Jesus, seeking answers: Is Jesus the One revealed by the prophets, the fullness of Revelation? John teaches his disciples one more thing: “Go to Jesus. Ask Him yourselves, and you will see.”

“Are you the one who is to come, or do we look for another?”

Jesus’s answer, neither “Yes” nor “No”, must have disappointed some, but I’m sure John understood. For in answering the prophet’s question Jesus turned to Isaiah, another prophet. The passage, originally written to celebrate the return from the Babylonian Exile, is also a revelation describing the reign of the Messiah.

Calling on Isaiah, Jesus testifies to the signs that are taking place…by Him, in Him, and through Him. The blind see; the deaf hear; the lame walk; the poor —the outcasts, the hopeless; they all hear the Good News. The Kingdom of God is at hand.

And Jesus adds a beatitude, a blessing: tell John that those who take no offense at me, who are not disappointed in me, are blessed. After this we hear no more of John. Stripped of his disciples, his mission complete, he dies at the hands of Herod: “He must increase. I must decrease.”

The Messiah has come, but we still wait don’t we? 

Yes, Jesus is present and working through His Body, the Church, and He will come again in glory, but He must still come more fully into each of our lives. Jesus heals. Jesus cleanses. Jesus forgives. Jesus brings back to life that which was dead. Jesus brings good news to those who despair.

In a few moments Father Cromwell will pray these words in today’s Preface to the Eucharistic Payer: 

“It is by His gift that already we rejoice…so that He may find us watchful in prayer and exultant in His praise.”

Are we doing that? As individuals, as a Catholic community here at St. Vincent de Paul, are we “watchful in prayer and exultant in His praise?” So many have yet to know the deep joy of becoming whole in Christ. In the words of Pope Francis, 

“The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.”

But do we share our joy, and do so with the same patience and love urged by St. James in our 2nd reading?

Our Christian vocation is really not unlike John’s. We’re called to prepare the way for Jesus to come into our hearts and the hearts of others, so that they, too, may "experience the joy of salvation" [Ps 51:14], the healing, wholeness and holiness we all long for and which alone give real meaning to our lives. 

What will be the message others receive about your life and mine? Do our lives bring hope to others? To those who are searching? So many today search in vain, looking in all the wrong places, seeking themselves, but finding nothing.

To those for whom Jesus is simply a name? When they ask -- “Is Jesus the One, or do we look for another?” -- How do you and I respond? Will our lives, our voices, open their ears to the Word of God? Do we give the answer Jesus gave? Do we offer them the light of Christ, the light of hope that helps the spiritually blind see, the light that reveals the presence of God’s salvation in our lives?

And the lame, those crippled by hatred. Or today’s lepers – the ostracized, the cast-offs, the forgotten – those filled with self-hatred. Will you and I take Jesus and the hope of salvation to them, or will they look for another? Go to the nursing homes, the soup kitchens, the shelters. Bring hope where there is despair. Bring the good news to those who hear so much bad news.

We’re also sent to raise the dead, but don’t look for them in the cemetery. No, to find the dead, the spiritually dead, go to the prisons and jails. Put all that is hurting, stained, impoverished, and dead and lay it at the Lord’s feet. He’ll pick it up, so nothing will come between us and Jesus Christ. Shame and hatred and sin paralyze, brothers and sisters. Only the love of Christ brings healing.

This is our vocation: to be healers and prophets, to pave the way for Jesus Christ in the world. Our lives must reflect God’s Love within us, so the world might experience conversion, and know that the Kingdom is here, in Christ and in His Church!

Christmas is a time of gifts -- giving and receiving. Include Christian joy among the gifts we take to others, the joy we celebrate on this Sunday of Joy.

The world doesn’t need to find itself. It needs only to find Jesus Christ. And you and I are the ones God sends into the world so those in search of Jesus need not look for another!

Blessed are those who are not disappointed in us.