Homily for First Sunday of Advent

(C)
November 29, 2015
Todays readings are a call to you and a call to me, a call to us in
the now. Advent is a special liturgical season of our church year in
which we are surrounded with reminders of the greatest event in
all of history. The Church gives us these reminders to help us get
ready to receive the special graces God has available for us as we
open ourselves in the "right now" of our lives. We are not just
preparing for the birth of the Christ child but for our renewal, our
parishs and Churchs renewal. Our worlds renewal is indeed the
hope and faith the Lord is challenging us to believe in and begin
in our own lives.
So why in the midst of our Christmas preparations do we have
that reminder in the Gospel of the signs of the end-times that the
earth nations will be in dismay at what is happening? Today we
call to mind the evil and difficulties in our world. Jesus said,
These thing must happen first, it isnt the end. It is a reminder
that we should always be aware of our commitment to be one of
Christs followers, to grow in this daily commitment.
Paul reminds the Thessalonians and us that our good behavior is
pleasing to God, but just as you received from us how you should
conduct yourselves to please God, you should do so even
more. We should take all those good behaviors and do them
more faithfully and with greater devotion. We know what is
pleasing to God in our lives. We should double-down on those
things we know how to do. If you are a giver of care to children,
the sick or the elderly, then do it with joy. Be cheerful. This can be
a great gift to those around us. In our prayers, we remember that
Jesus prayed for the world. We should also. We know how to do
this. When Fr. Bill Ryan came to St. Josephs and told us of Togos
need, we welcomed him into our parish and gave. We did that
with the same joy and hope that he brought to our parish.

For me praying and distraction are practically synonymous. Often,

after only a moment or two of prayer I find distracting thought
filling my mind good thoughts, What will I say in my homily,
how will I help that person that I met in prison, yesterday, good
thoughts but still distractions. At other times, I cant seem to
organize my yearnings into words that I want to say to God. I have
recently heard of something different, at least for me, Paperprayers. Prayers dont have to be voiced aloud, or spoken in our
thoughts for God to hear them. Paper and pen, or even computer
and keyboard, might be a path to open up our prayer life. If your
prayer life is working well, then fine, but on those days when our
minds wander no matter how hard we try, this is an approach
worth trying.
This is not my own idea. Frankly, I stole it from Brother Joe
Schmidt, a Christian Brother. Brother Joe writes, Writing has the
dynamic character of a movement into the unknown, where we
can never be sure of what the writing might yield. When we take
pen in hand we open areas ofawareness that are deeper than
we had imagined. This is prayer. The book is Praying Your
Experiences.
Since praying is communicating with God, that presupposes
dialogue rather than a monologue. We need to remind ourselves
that prayer also involves listening also, and increasing this
listening.
The power of prayer can never be underestimated. Pope Francis
visited Bethlehem last year. Bethlehem is in the Palestinian area.
Pope Francis stopped at the wailing wall, wrote the word,
Bethlehem,and then held his hand on the wall on that word and
prayed. Amazingly, soon after this the leaders of the Palestinian
and Jewish states met with Francis in the Vatican to pray. That is
the power of prayer.
Pope Francis has invited us to pray for peace in Syria. This is an
invitation not to be afraid, but to realize the effectiveness of
prayer in influencing that war. This is something we know how to

do, but we need to learn how to do it better and more often

double down. Practice makes perfect. We are called to be
blameless in holiness before our God and Father.
The Church surrounds us with symbols at this time of year: the
Jesse Tree in the vestibule, the creche in the front of Church
without the Christ child in the manger. These symbols remind us,
Pray, Pray, Pray Jesus strengthen us, Jesus help us remember
your gift! One of my favorites is one they use in prison. It is the
Christmas Crib. It is a symbol of our readiness for Christmas. The
Christmas Crib is a small basket. Small strips of paper are cut. On
each paper the name of the person for whom we prayed or did a
good deed. These are put in the basket. On Christmas Day we add
the Christ Child. We pray, Help me to line your crib and our
hearts with our prayers and good deeds that welcome you into
the world.
Advent invites us to embrace a hopeful vision. Advent draws us to
prepare to live the mystery of the Word made flesh here and now.
Advent is Life. It is the time for learning, prayer and change.
Perhaps, in this first day of advent our reflection might be, Hope
is never lost, even when it is hidden. It takes growth in hope and
faith to embrace this start. True hope and faith are a process that
are gained through prayer. We should start today. We should offer
each task that we do in the Lord for the growth of our parish, for
each one of us, and for the growth and swelling of faith and hope
in all of us.
Pope Francis has announced a year of mercy. In old times, this is a
time when people would forgive each others debts and offer gifts
to each other. We dont do it exactly that way, but this is a year
that we should forgive those in our family. They have never asked
for forgiveness or some other reason is closing a door to them. It
is time to open that door and open ourselves to Gods graces and
invite them back into our lives. I end with a quote, You can never
cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the
shore. - Christopher Columbus.