Advent and the Jubilee Year of Mercy… it begins at home
Are you hearing the predictions that the end of the world is near? Our gospel certainly sounds like it—Jesus giving the signs—but with great caution. Our Gospel is written by St. Luke long after the death of Jesus—about 45 years or more. Luke’s community of newly formed Christians was enduring terrible suffering and persecutions as a newly formed religion. They were anxious to see the end of the world with Jesus’ immediate return. They were disappointed. If he had returned those first Christians could have said to their contemporaries, “See, we told you so!” They would have looked less foolish in their faith. Instead, they held on to their belief enduring – persecution, ridicule and their own doubt. They endured and we are here in part of because of their faith witness and sacrifice.
That is another way we can sum up our Gospel and our readings today: The end is how we lived the means to get there. The end is how we lived the means to get there. That’s how people know Christ in the world – by the powerful deeds we do in his name NOW!.
For Jesus may be a long time in returning, but he certainly is already present when his disciples mirror his extraordinary acts like:
- forgiving the offender;
- dedicating time caring for those who are poor and infirmed;
- challenging world powers to pursue peace;
- sharing resources;
- raising a good family under stressful conditions;
- speaking up to local and national governments for just legislation—the sanctity of all life; fighting to rescind the California bill entitling people to have the right for assisted suicide
- struggling to get needed immigration reforms.
I see all those remarkable witnesses of Jesus with us in so many of you and your gifts of sharing and helping and so many other countless acts of Christian love that makes our faith family stronger.
For what we do daily is how our life is viewed collectively—as Christians, Jesus in us in our world. And we need reminders like the sacred season of Advent to review our way of living Jesus with us. The season reminds us of how loved we are by God, how lovable God sees us, and how that love changed the world.
However, I see the faith in God’s love for us alive and well in so many of you. Love that includes sacrifices for your children and spouses that keeps you close to God in faith witness—families coming together to pray, love that sees you helping your ailing spouse, or parents, grandparents, other family members
- love that sees you helping your ailing spouse,
- love that brings you to a homebound neighbor to bring Communion and pray together,
- love that lights up in you when you laugh with fellow parishioners and swell with pride for being Catholic
- love that endures and prevails and overcomes
- love in the witness as volunteers in ministry, education, help to the community
- love that is witnessed in selfless giving and support.
- love that endures and prevails and overcomes and offers hope.
Such love comes from compassion for others—Jesus in us here and now. and we know that when we do share with others out of compassion; we feel better about our lives–we have meaning.
The end is how we live out the means to get there. Advent tells us that if we want the world around us to change, our family to change, we have to change the way we live God with us and in us.
We bless rather than judge, we go out of our comfort zones to welcome rather than deny, and we share our blessings with those who need hope.
Advent is the time to take time to reflect on how we show Jesus with us. For Jesus relies on us for his grace to work in the world. We feel it we know it, it is compassionate concern for others that makes our world right again and reflects that light of hope in us. We are given this sacred season as a reminder, another sacred time for us to take a long hard look at how greatly loved we are by God and how lovable God believes we are. God born into our world and proclaims to us: I have come to claim what is in you—the power to be good, hope, mercy, peace and love. Celebrate the Jubilee Year of Mercy, open the door of your heart to Christ’s way of living.