What Made the Holy Family Holy? (Feast of the Holy Family, 2019)

To listen to this homily, click here.

I hope you all are having a wonderful celebration of Christmas and enjoying the opportunity to spend extra time with your friends and family. This holy time is centered on families and that’s one of the reasons the Church designates the Sunday after Christmas as the feast of the Holy Family. None of us come from perfect families but by the wisdom and grace of God, it is the place where we learn so many holy and important lessons, virtues, and life skills.

There’s a story, written by Bret Harte in 1868, called the Luck of Roaring Camp. It takes place in a community of gruff, hard drinking, fierce, miners looking for gold. They were the type of guys who were always looking out for themselves and had no problem using cutthroat tricks to get ahead and make their fortune. One day a pregnant woman named Cherokee Sal stumbled into camp. She died giving birth, but incredibly the child survived. Deaths were common in Roaring Camp but a birth was something unheard of. The men of the camp took responsibility for the baby. They began taking turns caring for him. They decided to build him a clean cabin; he was their baby, and they were determined to give him a proper home. To hold him and sing to him was considered a privilege. They demanded previously foreign things like decent language, quiet, cleanliness and moral order. The men began to shed their roughness, anger, and selfishness. The little child transformed this outpost of rough, crude miners into a community of generosity, tenderness and compassion. The baby called forth from these reckless characters a dignity, a purpose, and sense of beauty, wonder and joy. 

Children will do that to people. Many young couples refine their lifestyles when a baby comes. They want the baby to be brought up with the best they have, by being the best people they can be. Many people who had been away from church return to their faith after the birth of a child. They want their baby to grow up with a real loving relationship to God and be a part of a worshiping community. Children can bring out the best in their parents and I’ve certainly seen this happen as my siblings have formed families of their own. 

This is what God has done for us through the birth of His son. He has called us from living self-centered lives to lives of compassion, peace and joy.  Jesus Christ has transformed humanity, making humanity holy, just as He is holy. 

Let's look a little closer at the members of the Holy Family and their relationship to each other. We begin with Joseph. In the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph develops into a fierce defender of the family, who does everything possible to keep the Holy Family together. He could have sent Mary away to have her baby without the scrutiny of the neighbors at Nazareth. This seemed like the most logical path until the angel appeared to him in a dream. Thankfully Joseph had the faith to trust God and form a family with Mary and Jesus. When danger threatened the life of the child, he didn't leave the family to protect himself, nor did he send Mary and Jesus away to fend for themselves. He took them to Egypt, and then, keeping the family together, returned to Nazareth. Joseph is presented as a protecting and unifying figure. 

During her pregnancy Mary was a vigilant mother. After Jesus' birth, she remained ever-watchful and present. St. Luke said Mary pondered in her heart everything that involved her child. She was present during the Lord's ministry, waiting and watching to see what would take place.  She was present standing beneath the cross, supporting and loving her son, through it all. Mary's role in the Holy Family is to nurture with holy encouragement, support and guidance. Mary was not, as some would like to say, a single mother. She took her place in the Holy Family alongside Joseph and together as a team they fulfilled their roles as husband and wife, mother and father.

Jesus is the center of the Holy Family. All children have the right to be the center of their family’s love and care. As an infant and a child he depended on his mother and father and is subject to them. He also knew that their every move will be for his well-being and development. His is the Love that made the Holy Family holy even before his human nature was able to preach the good news of salvation. 

So here we have the Holy Family as a model. The Father fights against anything in the world that would destroy his family. The mother creates the home and nurtures the family. The child is the love around which the family revolves. 

For this reason, the Church offers the Holy Family as a model to our families. Perhaps the roles of mother and father may merge or differ, but the basic action of being a community of love that protects and nurtures children is quite realistic. Like Joseph, our fathers, along with their wives, must protect their families from the forces of the world that try to destroy the family. We might not be dealing with a murderous King Herod, but the forces of evil have sent drugs, licentiousness, and materialism to kill the souls of our young people. 

Like Mary, our mothers, along with their husbands, must embrace their role to be present and nurture their children with a watchful spirit. This is more than just providing the basics of food, education, and shelter. Equally, if not more important, is the task of helping children learn how to seek and find the presence of God in their lives. Mothers, along with fathers, must nurture their children with spiritual food. As children witness their parents choosing right over wrong, giving over selfishness, caring for people who are hurting, this example will feed children the spiritual food that transforms a Christian into a follower of Christ. 

Our families should revolve around the love of children. They are only yours for a brief time. They demand the best of who you can be. Then they will leave to form their own families, but because of them, their Moms and Dads have grown into better people and through years of family life, have made the love of God real for the world. 

At Roaring Camp, the presence of the baby transformed rough men from being self-centered to being self-less. In a sense, the baby called those men to holiness and formed them into a sort of family.  On the Feast of the Holy Family we pray we all may hear the cries of the Infant Jesus, calling us to the humble holiness that is the heart of the Catholic family. 

Let Him In! (Christmas, 2019)

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It used to be common practice for priests to go around to the homes in their parish boundaries to visit and invite people back to church. Two well-known Catholic apologists Scott Hahn and Matthew Kelly tell the story of a priest who had the custom of visiting his parishioners on Saturday afternoons. He came to one home and knocked on the door. No one answered, but he could hear the radio playing and even some footsteps, so he knew someone was inside. He knocked louder. Still no one answered. Finally, he pounded on the door, but got no response. So he took out his business card, wrote a Bible verse on it and stuck it in the door. 

Ten minutes later a lady - who had been in the house the whole time - opened the door. When she did, the card fell out. She saw the priest's name and the Bible verse: Revelation, chapter 3: verse 20. Curious, she got out her Bible and read the verse. It said: "Behold, I am standing at the door, knocking...if anyone opens the door, I will come in and we will have a meal together." 

Well, on Sunday morning the priest noticed his business card was back in the collection basket. When he picked it up, he saw that his verse was crossed out and replaced by Genesis chapter 3: verse 10. The priest was curious so he went to the sacristy and opened his Bible. The verse said, "I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself."

This humorous story hints at something deeper within ourselves. Most of us here know what it is like to be comfortable at home and to hear a knock on the door. When this happens, many of us tend to avoid answering the door for a whole host of reasons; perhaps we are in the middle of dinner or a great football game, maybe our parents are not home, we don’t have the energy or confidence to speak with the Mormons, or we just don’t feel like dealing with someone who is selling something or asking for donations.

But the door of our homes is not the only door that we humans are hesitant to open. When we look across the horizon of salvation history, recorded in Sacred Scripture and even secular history, we notice how often people, even entire cultures, closed the doors of their hearts to the message of love and peace that God desired to share.  Again and again, God knocked on the doors of the human heart, first at the dawn of creation with Adam and Eve then through his prophets, angels, judges, and kings. And as many times as our God offered his incredible offer of divine forgiveness and peace, we, his creatures responded by either ignoring his invitation or going back on our promise to be faithful. But in his never-ending goodness, our heavenly Father never gave up on us! And that is what we celebrate today. That in the fulness of time, God would send his only-begotten Son, born of a virgin in a manger, amidst farm animals, visited by kings and shepherds. Here, in this little baby, was the Son of God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, Wonder-Counselor, the Prince of Peace. He is the Word-Made-Flesh, who has come to earth to invite us to open the doors of our hearts to him so that we might let him enter and bring us his peace, mercy, and love.

As we gather on this Christmas Day, we are all in different places in our relationship to the Christ-child. Some have had a spiritually-rich Advent and see this as the crowning joy of a month of grace. Others here have had a rough month and have found it difficult to stay focused and quiet in preparation for Christmas. Still others find themselves here tonight more out of tradition or family custom than a regular practice of their faith. But no matter who we are, no matter what the motivation for our presence here today, one thing is the same for all of us. 

Today Christ is knocking at the door of every heart here in church. And each of us knows that in some way, shape, or form, we have refused to open the door due to sin, fear, or selfishness. As we gather to celebrate again the birth of Jesus, we should ask ourselves what it is that causes us even now to close the doors of our heart to the Christ-child. Is it due to a lack of faith that God will truly provide all I need, even if it is not all I want? Is it because I have deep-rooted addiction to some sin I don’t want to give up? Am I so attached to an unhealthy relationship that I fear life without it? Do I desire worldly or bodily pleasure more than the freedom and peace that comes from remaining in God’s grace? Am I unwilling to set aside my greed, lust, anger, bitterness, fear, or shame which barricades the door of my heart from letting in the many gifts Jesus desires to share with me?  

Today Christ knocks on the door of every human heart and he does so not as a threatening judge, not as a fierce warrior, not as an impersonal god. No, he comes to us as a gentle, innocent baby, reflecting the infinite love and mercy of the God who never stops seeking to win our hearts. Today everything depends on whether we open that door. Let’s wait no more to open our hearts to Him who brings joy to the world. Be not afraid to embrace the Word Made flesh and experience his freedom which liberates us from the slavery of sin. Today Jesus is born in Bethlehem, come let us adore him.

Dream Big!! (4th Sunday of Advent, Year A)

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My sister Sarah has a birthday 2 days before Christmas and she will tell you that it’s not the best time to celebrate one’s entrance into the world. Because everyone is focussed on Christmas, her birthday gets mostly ignored and blended into the holiday. And who can possibly compete with Baby Jesus! He is like Baby Yoda; he wins every time! A similar thing often happens with the 4th Sunday of advent. Because it takes place a few days, sometimes a few hours before the celebration of Christmas, most of us, priests included, gloss over the message of the readings because our minds and hearts are already fixated on Christmas. But that would be a big mistake because these scriptures are full of spiritual treasure!

The first reading, from the prophet Isaiah, takes place about 700 years before Jesus was born. Ahaz is a young man, with relatively no experience, who has become king of Judah. He is a descendant of King David but unlike his forefather, he is not blessed with peace or prosperity. His kingdom is under siege from the mighty and vicious Assyrians who are destroying country after country with their powerful army. As a young king, Ahaz is indecisive and getting lots of advice from all different directions. Some people tell him to go to war, others to try and bribe the Assyrians for peace. He is leaning towards making an alliance with several countries who have traditionally been enemies of his kingdom. Then Isaiah speaks up, “Don’t put your trust in men, armies, politics, or riches! These are all human means and they will crumble and fall. Even the mighty Assyrians are only men, they are no match for God. Isaiah pleads with the young king to go to God for help and dream big, as we heard in the first reading, “Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!” In other words, go to God for your solution! He is just waiting for your invitation to solve your problem.

What does Ahaz do? In a spirit of false humility, he says, "I will not ask!  I will not tempt the LORD!” What seems to be piety is actually pride. Ahaz had made up his mind that he, not God had to find the solution to the Assyrians. And he didn’t want to go to God out of fear God’s plan would challenge what he had in mind. He was afraid to dream big, to believe God could and would preserve the house of David against its enemies. After Ahaz says he will not ask for a sign, Isaiah replies (probably with extreme exasperation), “Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.

I’m sure this prophecy struck Ahaz and his court as pure lunacy! As far-fetched as victory over the Assyrians seemed, it certainly appeared more plausible than a virgin conceiving and giving birth to the savior of God’s people. If one is only willing to think in worldly, political, and human ways, Isaiah speaks madness. And yet, this is how far God is willing to go to save his people; he is willing to do the impossible, if we are open to dreaming big. Ahaz was afraid to hope in God’s power and intervention. Instead he limits his dreaming to what seems wise in the view of the the world and to his own thinking. Which was a really bad move! His refusal to ask for God’s help ends in disaster with betrayal, defeat, and incredible suffering for his people at the hands of Assyria.

Fast forward 700 years to the gospel, which involves another member of the house of David, whose name is Joseph. He too is grappling with a serious problem. His soon-to-be wife Mary, is pregnant and Joseph knows the child is not his. This would be a source of scandal and dishonor in any society but especially in the honor culture which Joseph and Mary lived. Matthew tells us Joseph is a righteous man, which means he loves the Law and follows all that it commands. The Mosaic law calls for women in this situation to be put to death. And yet Joseph’s righteousness is tempered by compassion and mercy. Instead of wanting to turn Mary over to shame and death, as is his legal right, he wants to divorce her quietly, which would make the best of a seemingly no-win situation. We often gloss over these verses about Joseph but it shows us the beautiful balance he had between following the law of God and practicing love for others. Many times you and I make them opposed to each other, we chose one to the detriment of the other. But Joseph gives us the example of how to integrate both for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor!

  Joseph is ready to send Mary away until he is visited, in a dream by an angel, who dares him to dream bigger. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” Like Ahaz, Joseph has a choice: go forward with his own plan which seems to make the most sense to the human mind, or follow the mind-blowing will of God which somehow makes the impossible a reality. Thank God Joseph did what Ahaz could not, he trusted in God, changed his plan, and behold, the sign Isaiah gave to Ahaz is fulfilled for the house of David in Joseph: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son.”

As we reflect on the wonderful wisdom of God, perhaps we can ask ourselves these questions. Are we willing to dream big when it comes to God? Are we ready to go to him with our problems and let him solve them with us? Are we open to his Will and Wisdom that often appear impossible at first glance? Or do we fall in love with our own solutions and approach to problem-solving? Are willing to be like St. Joseph, righteous, in love with God’s law, but also merciful and compassionate? Are we able to be changed and corrected when God points out a better solution to the problems that vex us? 

Today’s readings give us plenty to think about as we see the very different outcomes of King Ahaz and St. Joseph. One trusted in worldly wisdom, power, and politics instead of God and it led to disaster. The other humbled himself, dreamed God could make the seemingly-impossible happen, and placed himself at the service of God by loving and protecting Mary and Jesus. And by playing his part, Joseph helped God’s plan of salvation to be carried out, not only for the House of David, but for all nations. So which one will we be? The choice is ours; dream big and trust in the Lord!

The Courage to be a Prophet of God's Truth (3rd Sunday of Advent, A)

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In today’s Gospel Jesus speaks about John the Baptist.  He asks the people, “What did you go out to the desert to see?  A reed swayed by the wind?.....A prophet?......And more than a prophet.....” 

The Old testament presents many prophets. Each of them were dynamic. They challenged people to listen, to change and to follow.  Some stood up to kings to support justice, like Nathan did when he told King David that he had sinned against God and Uriah when he stole Uriah’s wife and then had the poor man killed in battle.  Elijah did something similar when he stood up to King Ahab accusing him of having the just man Nabaoth killed because he wanted his vineyard.  The prophet Samuel anointed Saul to be a king and then, after Saul did not carry out God's, he anointed  David.

Some prophets spoke in symbolic ways, like Hosea.  He took Gomer, a prostitute, as a wife.  She was unfaithful to him as a sign of how the people had responded to God’s gifts.  Some prophets were members of the King’s court, like Jeremiah; others were everyday people, like Amos, a trimmer of Sycamore trees.  Each of the prophets were unique, but their message was always the same, “Repent and Reform.”

This message was continued by John the Baptist as he called people to the Lord.  He didn’t hedge on the truth.  He didn’t tell people what he thought they wanted to hear.  He didn’t go along with the morality or immorality of the day.  He was not a reed shaken by the wind of popular opinion.  He proclaimed the truth.  And the truth attracted people even as it plucked their conscience.  His baptism was a baptism of repentance, and people willingly plunged into the Jordan River determined to change their lives.

But not all people came to John for repentance. Some went to see him as a form of entertainment; others out of sheer curiosity because everyone was talking about him. No doubt some of the religious leaders of his day were turned off by his harsh words and strange behavior. “Who did this man think he was?” “Where did his authority come from?” His zeal and fearlessness clashed directly with the pride-filled egos of the civil and religious leaders in his time.

Jesus’ challenge to those who were listening to him, —- people who had also considered the message of John the Baptist but had been outraged or offended by his directness, is also a challenge to us. The Lord asks us to consider: What do we go out to the desert to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  Do we come to Church to receive a lovely emotional experience with a wink towards morality, an implied permission to join the immorality of the day?  Do we want our priest and deacons to proclaim a new morality, one which is not authentic?  Hopefully not! We go to Church for the grace and the encouragement to stand up to the pressures of society and for the gentle, but real, nudge to leave sin behind and live a better life.

Sometimes after we priests give a homily on a difficult or controversial subject, like abortion, contraception, voting, or the sanctity of marriage, people thank us for speaking the truth about such things. While the encouragement is nice, it always makes me sad that speaking the truth and standing up for God’s law and the Church’s teaching has become the exception and people feel they need to thank us. To me, such homilies and examples should be the norm and should come as no surprise. 

What do people see when they come to you?  You have members of your families, friends, co-workers, classmates and neighbors who come to you with their questions.  Are they coming to see a reed shaken by the wind?  Or are they seeking someone who is willing to tell the truth of the Lord?  We are all called to be prophets by the baptism we have received, not just priests. A prophet is someone who is committed to the truth of God and won’t be silent about it. People come to us all as Catholics to hear the truth. People have a right to hear the truth. Catholics have a responsibility to proclaim it.

The truth is attractive even when it makes us uncomfortable. It leads us to a better understanding of whom we are. It directs us to where we can find lasting happiness. Truth is attractive because it sets us free to be whom God created us to be. 

This Sunday is Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday.  It is the Sunday we focus on the joy we have because the Lord came into the world and continues to be present in our lives. We love Him. We want to follow Him. That might mean denying ourselves what everyone else says is the new way of life. But we refuse to deny ourselves that which really matters, the Presence of God.

The world needs fearless prophets of the Gospel. The world needs people who will live the Truth of God as well as well as defending it. We need prophets.  And we need to be prophets for others. Our courage to live our faith will bring others life, freedom, and joy.

We pray today for the courage to live our faith, the courage to be defenders of the Truth, the courage to be prophets of the Lord.

The Message of John the Baptist (2nd Sunday of Advent, Year A)

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In the middle two Sundays of Advent we hear a lot about John the Baptist. He is a central figure in the Bible and in the history of our salvation since he bridges the Old and New Testaments. It makes sense that John the Baptist is seen as the last of the Old Testament Prophets and the picture painted of him in the the Gospel certainly makes him look and sound like one of the prophets of old. John is presented as someone who lives at the very extremes of society but whose message of conversion hits home with people of every demographic. 

Every part of him, such as his garment of camel hair and his diet of locusts and wild honey, highlight John as a most extraordinary person. Although he comes across to us as eccentric, we find that people respect him for his integrity and flock to receive Baptism at his hands. The ordinary people recognize that John's message is authentic and it comes from God. 

Not everyone hears good news from John. His opinion of the Jewish leaders is brutal. He calls the Pharisees and Sadducees a 'brood of vipers' because they come to him for Baptism without truly repenting of their sins. Their mindset is similar to that of a wealthy man who told Mark Twain, "Before I die, I will go to the Holy Land. I will climb Mount Sinai and read aloud the Ten Commandments." Mark Twain replied, "I have a better idea. You could stay home and keep them." 

If we read the scriptures with any degree of attention, we see very clearly two truths repeating themselves over and over, from Genesis to Revelation: 1) God cannot resist reaching out to repentant sinners, 2) God cannot stand the self-righteous hypocrite. 

Depending on which character we resemble most, will determine how we respond to the message of John the Baptist in our own lives. How do we receive the call to repent, stop sinning, and prepare the way of the Lord. Truthfully, many people do not want to hear any preaching about sin. Many Catholics no longer believe in the concept of personal sin, which is a tragedy for them, for the Church, and for our world. 

We live in a society which has explained sin away. Perhaps this explains why so few go to Confession? Nowadays we are trained to feel guilty about feeling guilty but not about what we have done. If you send people on a guilt trip, God help you because no one else will. You will be called a killjoy, a hater, or something worse. There is a serious problem with this rush to purge all guilt and shame from people’s lives. Jesus and His main man, John the Baptist, speak more often of sin than even of love and this is true throughout all the New Testament. What does this mean? Before love can take root in our hearts and our lives, sin must first be acknowledged and addressed.

In the 1970’s there was a line in a novel that became famous. It said something like “love means never having to say you're sorry.” John the Baptist would beg to differ! Why else would he have come in from the desert "proclaiming a baptism of repentance that led to forgiveness of sin?" The Gospels tell us people accepted his message wholeheartedly, repented of their sins, and were baptized. In other words, as their love of God increased, they realized they had to say they were sorry.

Today John the Baptist would probably be run out of town. He would certainly be condemned on social media as out-of-touch, dangerous to people’s mental health, or hateful. People would probably be calling for his resignation and maybe even his head. Perhaps the same would be said about Jesus, who never separated his message of love and mercy from the need for repentance and conversion.

To airbrush sin away is to turn Christianity into nothing more than a cult of feelings and sentimentality. To try to dilute it, sugarcoat it, or explain it away is to sell Christ out. If sin isn’t really that bad, why did Jesus choose to die to save us from it? To promote this worldview is not loving others, it is enabling a lifestyle that ultimately leads to pain and suffering, not only for the sinner but also for those affected his or her wayward choices. Sadly, even in many Catholic high schools and colleges, our young people are being told there is no right or wrong, only different points of view. Can you imagine what John the Baptist would have to say to that? And what he would say to those who promote this dangerous nonsense? 

The process of repentance and conversion is a healthy experience on many different levels. Every human person has a basic notion of right and wrong written on their heart by God. Every time we violate his sacred and natural law, we carry that burden of guilt. That feeling of guilt, our conscience, is actually a gift from God to help us move away from the things that cause spiritual harm and it keeps us from becoming unfeeling psychopaths. Repentance and conversion repair the damage of our sins and restore the friendship we have with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God makes it so easy for us by giving us the sacrament of confessions. Once we acknowledge,"I have sinned!”, God immediately says, "I forgive you.”

We have many wonderful examples of repentance in our Church; one in particular is our first Pope. When Peter denied Christ, he did not make excuses. He did not blame his sin on the mistakes of his parents. Peter took responsibility for his betrayal of Christ. He did not say, "Hey, give me a break. It's only my first betrayal.” He acknowledged his sin and repented and Jesus couldn’t wait to forgive him. 

As crazy as it seems, each and every baptized person is called to be another John the Baptist: leading others to Christ and calling the world to conversion. But we have to start with ourselves. If we go straight to calling out the sins and shortcomings of others without addressing our own need for repentance and conversion, we will quickly be exposed as hypocrites and frauds. God knows, we don’t need any more of those in the world or in the Church. John the Baptist is a model for us and his message resonates with the people of every age because he started by examining and purifying his life. You and I must do the same and we make it happen by asking for the grace of conversion, accepting the virtue of humility, reflecting on the good and bad things we have done, maintaining a strong connection to God in prayer, and, most importantly, making use of the sacrament of confession to express our remorse for our sins. These are the ways we “Prepare the way of the Lord” and “make straight his paths.” May we acknowledge the sin we have in our lives so that God can use us to spread his message of mercy and salvation to the people of our time who are waiting for an invitation to conversion!

Fight the Four Spiritual Dangers (1st Sunday of Advent, Year A)

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How many of you have had the experience of sleeping through something important? Like a flight, getting up late for work, school, missing a test, etc..

As a priest, there is usually at least one time in every assignment where you slumber through a morning Mass, either because of weariness or because you misread the schedule. Whatever the circumstances are for any of us, when it happens, the moment you wake up and realize, “I messed up”, you have that terrible feeling of embarrassment and disappointment. Ultimately, the bummer about oversleeping is that an opportunity or obligation is missed and we can’t go back and fix it.

I mention this human experience because I think it relates to our spiritual lives and the message of the readings for the first week of Advent. In our world today, in the society we live in, it is truly difficult to stay spiritually alert and awake. If we are not careful, the four dangers of spiritual weariness, the darkness of sin, worldly comforts, and the long wait for Jesus will overpower our efforts to keep our souls awake. 

This is a busy time of the year; there is no doubt about it. Most of us have many things to accomplish before Christmas arrives. But we can get so caught up in the “holiday spirit” that our spiritual lives fall asleep. Our shopping for friends and family, sending out gifts and Christmas cards, baking cookies, and attending parties and pageants make us weary and this tiredness can lure us into a deep spiritual slumber. We get so worn out by the business of our preparations that we cannot quiet ourselves and stay alert for the coming of Christ.

However, Advent is not just a matter of slowing our lives down. For a majority of people, this simply is not realistic or possible. For many of us, it’s hard to stay spiritually awake because of our own sinfulness. St. Paul tells us in the second reading to throw off the deeds of darkness, those sinful things which cast a deadly sleep upon our souls. And what are these deeds of darkness? St. Paul mentions drunkenness, promiscuity, lust, rivalry, and jealously. But there are smaller sins as well, things that you and I struggle with day in and day out, like anger, gossip, lack of patience, greed, and laziness. If we hope to stay awake and alert for the coming of Christ then we must work to eliminate all the deeds of darkness in our lives with the help of God’s grace. 

On top of the busyness and sinfulness that work their way into our lives, we must also be on guard against worldly comfort. Like busyness and sin, worldly comforts can make our souls lethargic and cause us to become dependent upon the things of this earth. If we indulge ourselves in the many creature comforts modern life offers us, we can begin to put our trust in created things rather than our Creator God. Such comforts will slowly steal our focus from Christ’s coming and wrap our souls into spiritual darkness. 

The final temptation is the long wait for the return of Jesus. In C.S. Lewis’ intriguing novel, The Screwtape Letters, he writes a fictional account of how satan goes about training young demons how to lure souls away from God. When quizzed about what strategies they will use, the young recruits offer several different ideas: I will instruct people God does not exist." Or "I will argue Hell does not exist." But Satan was annoyed with these suggestions: "most people will see through these lies.” However, another recruit said: "I will tell them they have plenty of time." With this, the devil smiled, because he knew this was a strategy that would work.

The coming of Christ can seem to be something so far in the future that we stop waiting for it. We can be lulled into a false sense of security and be tempted to think that we can always start cleaning up our lives tomorrow --- because Christ is coming someday, --- but not anytime soon. If we aren’t vigilant, we can grow bored and careless in our spiritual lives. However, Paul advises us to awake from our spiritual sleep because the night of sin and death is coming to an end; the day of Christ’s coming is near. And Jesus himself warns us strongly today in the gospel to be ready and prepared, for he will come at a time no one expects. Jesus mentions the days of Noah in his warning, which refers specifically to the fact that Noah worked on the Ark anywhere from 60-120 years! For decades, his friends and neighbors had the chance to repent and change their lives as they saw this massive structure taking place; God was giving them plenty of time to turn their lives around but they put off their repentance until it was too late.

Spiritual weariness, sinfulness, worldly comfort and the long wait for Christ’s coming are all dangers for us to battle this Advent season. These things threaten our relationship with God and make us oblivious to the Lord’s coming. Without God’s grace, we will be unable to stay spiritually awake and our souls will sleep right through this holy time. In her wisdom, the Church gives us the season of Advent to wake us up and to prepare us for the coming of Jesus, the birth of that little baby who will open the gates of heaven for all those who believe.

Let us resolve this Advent season to prepare ourselves well. Let us cast off the deeds of sin and darkness that are found in our lives. May we embrace daily prayer and make use of the sacrament of reconciliation and receive Holy Communion worthily, knowing they are like spiritual alarm clocks. Let us stay awake and alert so we might be prepared for the quiet coming of Christ in our lives and in our hearts.