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I begin my homily today feeling a bit like Rod Serling who, when introducing each episode of The Twilight Zone, would tell the members of his television audience that what would follow was not for the faint of heart. The surreal would become real and people would see themselves for who they are…in The Twilight Zone.
This morning, we unlock that door to The Twilight Zone with the key of Catholic imagination. Beyond it is another dimension. In Rod Serling’s words: “a dimension of sound; a dimension of sight; a dimension of mind.” We’re “moving into a land of both shadow and substance of things and ideas.” We’ve just crossed into the scene in today’s gospel where St. Luke describes the “crowds” pressing in upon John the Baptist. He’s just preached that the Kingdom of God is near. “Today—right now—not tomorrow is the time to prepare,” he tells the people. “What are we to do?” various people in the crowd are asking. “Metanoia”—“change how you thing about things,” he says. Many of his listeners suddenly find themselves “feeling guilty.” Now there’s a term fit for The Twilight Zone! When used these days, “feeling guilty” suggests something bad...very bad! No one should feel guilty! That’s a “bad” thing—something to be shunned, pushed aside, or explained away. How many thousands of dollars are people do you know—or perhaps you yourself are like this—who are willing to pay psychologists to assist them in their efforts so they no longer “feel guilty”? The media—and television, in particular—supports this notion, boldly proclaiming such things as: · Guilt-free desserts...“eat all you want” because there’s no fat in these desserts. If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you in New York City! Most of those “nonfat” items have a whole lot of calories that can add the old lbs.’s real fast. · Guilt-free absenteeism...just take your cell phone along and no one will know where you are even if you are supposed to be somewhere else. Like we bear no moral responsibility to be where we are supposed to be when we are supposed to be there, even if we are being paid to be there! I see a lot of this on the golf course. · Guilt-free immorality...“just do it” the Nike ad and its poster-boy, Tiger Woods, proclaim. Sure, go ahead and violate the Ten Commandments require. The promise? “There will be no consequences.” Sure, just as the serpent in Eden promised.
Unfortunately, for all of this blather, all too many people today confuse “feeling guilty” with “guilt.” To believe that guilt is something bad is to open the door to, to enter into, and then to live in The Twilight Zone, a land of shadow and substance of things and ideas. “Feeling guilty” is an emotional and physical response to the experience of shame, for example, when we know we have engaged in immoral behavior that we wish others didn’t know about. People who partake of all those promises made by companies pushing their “nonfat” products, people who attempt to deceive others about their whereabouts, and, yes, those who violate the Ten Commandments—including Tiger Woods himself—should feel very guilty. Guilt is not a feeling we experience as a consequence of other people “finding out” about what we try to keep secret. Instead, guilt is a judgment we make about ourselves as well as the choices we’ve freely willed with the goal of keeping God and what morality requires out of the center of our lives. Guilt is “justified self-disapproval”—we point the finger of blame at ourselves, others don’t—through which we honestly admit the truth, namely, that the free choices we’ve made have placed ourselves at the center of our lives, relegating God and what morality requires to the periphery or, worse yet, we have divorced or excommunicated God and what morality requires as being irrelevant to how we live our daily lives. Today, I want to reflect upon the fact that guilt is good from a spiritual point of view because guilt assists in liberating us from The Twilight Zone of feeling guilty by enabling us to recognize, as John the Baptist taught his audience, that we must “to change how we think.” “Metanoia” it’s called...making a 180 degree turn in our thought. The experience of metanoia would be: for a racist to accept the human rights and dignity of those he long oppressed; for a member of the “in group” in school—a clique—to reach out in care for a student maligned by that group; to call an estranged family member, relative, or friend and invite that person to dinner; to invite a sibling to be part of one’s activities. Acknowledging our guilt makes it possible to put “feeling guilty” behind and to walk along the pathway of reconciliation with God, our neighbors and, most importantly, ourselves. Today’s first reading from the prophet Zephaniah reminds us of the era when the ancient Israelites shut God and what morality require out of their lives. Then, when the ancient Israelites finally realized how far they had journeyed from God and had forsaken the Promised Land, they were feeling tremendously guilty. But, it was not until the ancient Israelites admitted their guilt that they experienced the need for reconciliation with God, their neighbors, and themselves as well. During this era, Manasseh was Israel’s King. Fearing the Assyrians would enslave his people—and rather than trusting in God—King Manasseh made many concessions, one of which included abandoning the Jewish religion and practicing the religion of the Assyrians. “What’s the difference?” King Manasseh probably argued. “Aren’t all religions the same?” Then, to demonstrate his fidelity to the pagan god, King Manasseh offered his sons as human sacrifices, burning them alive on a pagan altar. Hopefully, while none of us would immolate a child as a burnt offering to God (although the idea surely has have crossed many a parent’s mind at least once or perhaps even twice), the prophet Zephaniah reminds us about how easy it is to become complacent about God and what morality require. Then, as we put all of that religious “baggage” behind us, we being to commit atrocities that, once we realize what we’ve done and survey the carnage left in its wake, we experience—and we should experience—feeling tremendously guilty. But, more often than not, we bear that baggage and meander along our way farther and farther away from God and what morality require, never giving a thought to what all of this is doing ot us. For example: · We fill our closets with clothes and toys and trinkets that we never use and certainly don’t need. “What you hoard up,” St. Basil once told the Empress of Constantinople, “belongs not to you but to the poor who are Christ. Your possessions condemn you.” When there’s no room in our garages for our cars because our garages are filled to the ceiling with unused clothes, toys, and trinkets, what does that stash say about the state of our soul in this regard? · We’ll spend all sorts of time talking on the telephone or chatting with friends via email, text messaging, or Tweeting. But, we won’t spare even one minute to utter one single word of forgiveness to someone who has hurt us. “Love your enemies,” Jesus told his disciples. What does our silence say about the state of our soul in this regard? · We’re unashamed when it comes to feeding, clothing, and housing ourselves and just as equally unashamed when we neglect those who don’t have sufficient food, clothes, and housing. Sure, we may contribute to Catholic Charities or the Catholic Relief Services. Speaking to the Catholic youth at Yankee Stadium in 1979, Pope John Paul II warned our young people: “On many occasions, your nation has gained a well-deserved reputation for generosity, both public and private. Be faithful to that tradition, in keeping with your vast possibilities and present responsibilities….Make an effort to ensure that this form of aid keeps its irreplaceable character as a fraternal and personal encounter with those who are in distress; if necessary, re-establish this very character against all the elements that work in the opposite direction. Let this sort of aid be respectful of the freedom and dignity of those being helped, and let it be a means of forming the conscience of the givers.”
Perhaps most glaringly, even our prayers betray us. We beg God for all sorts of physical and temporal goodies. We pray: “Lord, give me good health”; “Lord, help me to pass this test”; and, “Lord, make me happy again.” We pray for everything for “me,” “me,” and even more “me.” Deaf to St. Paul’s words in today’s epistle—“Have no anxiety at all but in everything, by prayer and petition, with gratitude and thanksgiving, make known your requests to God”—we don’t even feel guilty for such narcissism. Do you think I’m off-base in my observation? Well, if you do, consider these questions: · When was the last time you recall uttering a prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude for the gift of life? · When was the last time you recall uttering a prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude for the good fortune of living in a nation and being a member of a family where each of us pretty much has everything we need and don’t want for very much on any particular day? · When was the last time you recall uttering a prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude for your spouse, your mother and father, your children, your friends and neighbors, and, yes, your in-laws?
In thanksgiving and gratitude, not in griping and complaining, St. Paul reminds us, we are to make known to God our requests. Notice that two of the three requests I mentioned above concern others and their needs. What is your percentage? Be honest! John the Baptist sought to arouse guilt in the members of his audience in order that they would confront their spiritual failure. Justified self-disapproval—guilt—is a very good and healthy thing. It assists us to see clearly the walls and ramparts we’ve constructed over the years to keep God and what morality require out of our lives. But, it is this recognition that makes it possible for us to change how we think about things. Then, freed of guilt, St. Paul writes, “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” We will experience Emmanuel—that “God is with us”—not just on Christmas day but, more importantly, on each and every day of our guilt-free lives.
A brief
commercial break... As Catholics, we prepare for Christ's coming by celebrating the season of Advent. During these four weeks, we prepare the way for Christ to come into our lives each and every day, not just on Christmas day. For Catholic families, let me suggest five practical ways to prepare for Christ's coming: 1. Place an advent wreath in the center of your dinner table. Each evening before sitting down for dinner, have one member offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the gift of life, recall by name those who matter the most in the family's life, and name one thing that individual will do before the day ends to meet a family member's need. The individual offering the prayer will then light the appropriate candle(s). Looking for an advent wreath? The best advent wreath (and Christmas wreath, by the way) is made of holly not evergreen. The elements of holly (the holly itself and the red berries) recall the crucifixion of Christ. He was crowned with thorns. The thorns bit into his brow, causing red drops of blood to flow. No color is more associated with Christmas than red, the color of Good Friday. This symbolism is consistent with scripture: "By the Lord's stripes we are healed." So, the holly is green, a color associated with life and hope—reminding us of the birth of the Savior—and the berries are red—reminding us of how the gift of eternal life has been won for us through the blood of Christ. I don't think it's easy to find holly wreathes, but then, I've never looked for one! I do know that a round metal wire holder and plastic holly branches can be purchased at Michael's. That would do the trick. Then remember: three purple and one pink candle. And, don't forget to place the Advent calendar on the front of the refrigerator. 2. Use an Advent calendar. Hang an advent calendar on the refrigerator door beginning on December 1st. Each morning, before everyone scatters for the day, have one member of the family open one door and read the scripture verse or describe the biblical scene behind the door. This is a great way for family members to keep focused on the coming of Christ for the rest of the day. 3. Make a Jesse tree. The Jesse tree is the traditional way that Catholics recall Jesus' heritage, coming from the line of King David, the son of Jesse. Have members of the family make a symbol for each day of Advent that marks an important moment in Israel's history (e.g., Noah's ark, Jacob's ladder, Moses' stone tablets, David's harp). Then, each evening before everyone goes to bed, gather the family around the Jesse tree, have the family member explain the symbol, and hang it on the tree. 4. Celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6th. One way to "put Christ back into Christmas" is to reclaim the faith-filled life of heroic virtue revealed in the great Christian saint, St. Nicholas of Myra. Besides sharing simple gifts with family members, like placing candy in shoes that have been left outside of the bedroom door, share some time with people who are alone, in the hospital, convalescing, etc. 5. Celebrate God's mercy. Advent is a particularly fitting time for every member of the family to welcome the light of God's forgiveness into the dark places of family life. Gather the family together and go to church to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance together. Then, go out for pizza to celebrate God's mercy and a new beginning free from sin. By participating in these five practical activities to prepare for Christmas day, Catholic families will not only have contemplated their need for God and God's self-revelation through salvation history. In addition, they will have experienced God present and active in their family's life. Then, on Christmas day, when family members greet one another by saying, "Merry Christmas," they all will truly be prepared to celebrate the Mass wherein Christ will strengthen and nourish them with his body and blood to bring Christ to the world.
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HOMILY
