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The
scriptural challenge this season of Advent is to “Be on the watch.”
The image is that of a child who is
“on the watch” for the arrival of
Santa Claus.
As
Jesus’ disciples, however, our vigilance is so that we don’t dupe
ourselves.
The readings for the first Sunday of Advent suggested that the
phrase “Be on the watch” meant critically examining how our desire
for material possessions can cause us to act in ways that, in
retrospect, may prove extremely embarrassing, if not immoral and
unlawful. None of us thinks we’d act like some of those people did
on Black Friday. But, the simple fact is that we oftentimes do act
that way, especially as our desire for material possessions contorts
“Christmas Day” into “Giftmas Day.”
The readings for last Sunday, the second Sunday of Advent, suggested
the phrase “Be on the watch” meant looking beyond what’s on the
surface in order to discern whether what we see is the “genuine
article.” The idea is that God breaks into our lives not only in
those places we are least likely to expect but also in those people
we don’t believe God could possibly ever use to break into our
lives.
The overall message these scripture readings convey is that only the
Word of God—God’s
only begotten Son, Jesus Christ—is
capable of bringing true happiness, the possession of which can
never be taken away. We find true happiness neither in material
things nor in the places or people we dupe ourselves into believing
will bring us true happiness. No, we find true happiness only in
the Word of God, God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
The scripture readings for this third Sunday of Advent also remind
us to “Be on the watch” for self-deception, in general, and for
thinking that we are God, in particular. This idea is suggested in
the person of St. John the Baptist and his testimony to the priests
and Levites who asked “Who are you?” St. John the Baptist admitted
the truth, identifying who he was not, namely, “I am not
the Christ.” But, the priests and Levites persisted, asking
“Who are you then?” Only after they named the holy and revered
prophet Elijah, did St. John the Baptist identify who he was,
namely, “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, make
straight the way of the Lord.”
St. John the Baptist evidenced that knew who he wasn’t—God or the
Christ—and what his personal vocation consisted of, namely, giving
voice to what God asked of him. This is how St. John the Baptist
proved himself to be an authentic son of God, not pretending to be
someone or something he was not. Furthermore, this is how St.
John the Baptist did not, as St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians,
“quench the Spirit,” but “refrained from every kind of evil.” And,
as a result, the God of peace made St. John “perfectly holy
and…entirely—spirit, soul, and body—…preserved blameless for the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
To
that end, then, all of us must “Be on the watch” for
self-deception. First, we must know who we are as one of God’s
beloved sons or daughters. Second, we must know the personal
vocation God has entrusted to us individually, uniquely, and
irreplaceably in all of human history. And, third, like St. John
the Baptist, we must be that particular person and live out that
particular vocation. Only in this way will “the God of peace make
[each of us] perfectly holy and…entirely—spirit, soul, and
body—…preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”
as the Holy Spirit comes upon us and anoints us to bring glad
tidings to the poor.
Yet, the simple fact is that all of us engage in self-deception to
some extent. It’s almost as if we are “hot-wired” for
self-deception. Many of us don’t know who we are or the personal
vocation that God has entrusted to us. And, for those of us who do,
we aren’t that person in each and every moment of our daily lives.
Instead, we pretend to be other than the person we are and engaging
in what is other than our personal vocation, covering ourselves in
layer upon layer of self-deception, rather than regaling in that
“robe of salvation” and “mantle of justice” in which God has already
wrapped us.
We
engage in self-deception in so many ways that it almost becomes
second nature. If it’s not clothes, jewelry, and tattoos that we
use to define who we are, it’s a career, prestige, and a salary that
defines who we are and our place in the world. If it’s not being
associated with someone else or pretending to be someone else, it’s
trying to “fit in” with a peer group or doing things simply because
“everybody’s doing it.”
What happens, however, is the happiness all of that brings slowly
withers and fades and we eventually come to the discovery that none
of it has brought us
“tidings
of great joy.”
Instead, we find ourselves standing alone and left with nothing to
look at in the mirror except our vacuous and empty selves...lifeless
because we have no life in God. That self-awareness can be a moment
of great self-discovery and spiritual growth or, just the opposite,
of wrapping ourselves up in further self-deception.
We’ve all heard that Jesus taught his disciples “Then you will know
the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). What Jesus
didn’t tell his disciples is the second part of that statement,
“But, first, it will make you miserable.”
Indeed, the truth will make each of us feel miserable as all of
those self-deceptions depicting the person who we tried to make of
ourselves and we were not and the lifestyle we pursued but were not
supposed to must be stripped away and tossed into the landfill.
Yet, as we do so and despite the misery, the prophet Isaiah promises
that we will gradually come to experience those tidings of great
joy:
The
spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me….
And, then, our misery will gradually fade away and we will say:
I
rejoice heartily in the Lord,
In my
God is the joy of my soul;
For
he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a
mantle of justice….
Today’s scripture
warns us to be on the watch
“on the watch”
so
that we don’t dupe ourselves. We need to be more like St. John
the Baptist, who had a clear sense of who he was and rooted
his self-identity in the belief that this was bound intimately with
who God is. In addition, St. John the Baptist accepted his personal
vocation and viewed everything he did as a means of giving outward
expression to his deep and abiding faith in God as well as his place
in the world as God’s voice in the wilderness. St. John the
Baptist’s comfort with his self-identity became the source of his
courage so that he was able to cry out, “Make straight the ways of
the Lord” despite the fact that many thought him a lunatic. At the
same time, however, and in doing so, St. John the Baptist brought
many to faith in God.
Like St. John the Baptist, we will know who we truly are and will
fulfill our personal vocation as we are watchful and strip away any
self-deceit. Then, “…the God of peace [will make us] perfectly holy
and…entirely—spirit, soul, and body—…preserved blameless for the
[Advent] of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faith,
and he will also accomplish it.”
In
this is to be found our hope that makes it possible to “Rejoice
always, to pray without ceasing, and in all circumstances, to give
thanks to God in Christ Jesus.”
And, 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
