A Homily - The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, A Holy Day of Obligation

The Second Monday of Advent (Year A)

 

First reading – Genesis 3:9-15,20 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 97(98):1-4

Second Reading – Ephesians 1:3-6,11-12 ©

Gospel Acclamation – cf. Luke 1:28

Gospel Reading – Luke 1:26-38 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

The reading today from the book of Genesis is a reading from a book of fables, it is myth and metaphor; we cannot take the narrative literally.

Eve is not the mother of all human beings because Eve was not a person, she iconographically represents a link to a more ancient culture. The Garden of Eden was not an actual paradise; rather, it is a reference to early agricultural societies from which some of the thirteen tribes of Israel came…and to the promise of agriculturalism in general.

Adam did not violate God’s trust because Adam was not a person, but narratively represents those who “came from soil,” which is what the name Adamah means, not because he formed in God’s hand out of clay, but because the people he represents freed themselves from servitude and successfully established themselves as a people.

This is not a narrative about the creator and the creation of the universe, it is a metaphor concerning the origins of civilization…which has been widely regarded as being a terrible idea.

This fable narrates a critical moment in the history of the Hebrew people (also known as the Habiru, the Apiru, the Iberu et al, depending on what dialect is being spoken or written). I remembers a time when they lived in a civil-state that was safe and secure, a place in which they had long life, from which they were exiled on account of some violation of their agreement with the rulers of that society; this may well be a retelling of the exodus-narrative, the memory of which would have been lingering in the minds of the people for about two hundred years before they began to be written down at the beginning of the Davidic period. It could recall an earlier event, or it could recall a conglomeration of events. It is myth—not history, it is metaphor—not a factual accounting, it is a fable in the form of a braided narrative.

Consider the wisdom of psalmist and know that even when we confront the hard truths of our faith and its traditions it is still right and good to praise God, the creator of the universe. It is right and good to praise God for the miracle of creation and the divine power that brought us into being, which remains beyond the scope of human comprehension; it is right and good as the psalmist says.

Be mindful.

God is not a giver of victories. God has no enemies, and in God, within whom all things exist and have their being, there is no conflict.

It is never God’s justice that is demonstrated in the actions of human beings, it is human justice. When human justice approximates the justice of God, when we arrive at a just resolution of conflict or inequities through mercy and humility, then and only then are we approximating the good.

God’s power is everywhere; God’s spirit animates the voices that give God praise. God is kind and faithful to all people; God loves us all in full equanimity.

If you seek to make yourself an instrument of divine justice: judge fairly, judge kindly while reflecting on the love God bears to all people; remember the life of Jesus and God whom he called Father.

Consider this:

Is God glorious? What is glory anyway? What use does God have for it?

God is the creator of the universe, but God does not sit on a throne like some dread lord dressed in glory; God’s desire is merely to be in relationship with us, as a loving parent is to a child…sitting with in humility not enrobed in the pretentious finements of glory.

Consider the teaching of the apostle; I share his desire that each and every one of us may come to the full knowledge of God. I desire this because there is hope in the knowledge that God loves us.

Remember, the hopes you have for yourself, the hopes you have for those you love are meant to be extended to everyone, even to those you do not love, for this is the way that leads to understanding our relationship to the divine, which by God’s design, we only discover in relationship to one another.

If you tout the notion that God promises riches and glories to the saints as an inheritance for their commitment to the people of God, remember this, the first will be last and the last will be first; spiritual riches are not counted in the pecunia of gold and silver or other precious things, but in companionship and the love of friends.

Consider the Gospel reading for today and know that whatever the truth is regarding the birth of Jesus, known by his people as Joshua son of Joseph (if in fact there was such a child born to Joseph and Mary, if in fact Joseph and Mary are actual historical persons), whatever the truth of his birth and heritage is, the mission of Jesus as reported in scriptures cannot be served by the insistence on false narratives.

The stories of Jesus’ birth, of the annunciation as we have it presented here, these are myths and metaphors just like the myth and metaphor discussed above in relation to the reading from Genesis, to say otherwise is to deal in propaganda and lies.

First reading – Genesis 3:9-15,20 ©

The Mother of All Those Who Live

After Adam had eaten of the tree the Lord God called to him. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’

Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,

‘Be accursed beyond all cattle, all wild beasts.

You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust every day of your life.

I will make you enemies of each other:

you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring.

It will crush your head and you will strike its heel.’

The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 97(98):1-4 (NAB)

The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad.

Cloud and darkness surround the Lord; justice and right are the foundation of his throne.

Fire goes before him; everywhere it consumes the foes.

Lightning illumines the world; the earth sees and trembles.

The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.

The heavens proclaim God's justice; all peoples see his glory.

All who serve idols are put to shame, who glory in worthless things; all gods bow down before you.

Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice because of your judgments, O LORD.

You, LORD, are the Most High over all the earth, exalted far above all gods.

The LORD loves those who hate evil, protects the lives of the faithful, rescues them from the hand of the wicked.

Light dawns for the just; gladness, for the honest of heart.

Rejoice in the LORD, you just, and praise his holy name.

 

Second Reading – Ephesians 1:3-6,11-12 ©

Before the World was Made, God Chose Us in Christ

Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.

Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence, determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes, to make us praise the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved, and it is in him that we were claimed as God’s own, chosen from the beginning, under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things as he decides by his own will; chosen to be, for his greater glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came.

 

Gospel Acclamation – cf. Luke 1:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!

Blessed art thou among women.

Alleluia!

 

Gospel Reading – Luke 1:26-38 ©

'I Am the Handmaid of the Lord'

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

A Homily - The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, A Holy Day of Obligation

The Second Thursday of Advent (Year A)

 

A Homily – The Second Sunday of Advent (Year A)

First Reading – Isaiah 11:1-10 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 71(72):1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 ©

Second Reading – Romans 15:4-9 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Luke 3:4, 6

The Gospel According to Matthew 3:1 - 12 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

Let your heart be filled with hope, filled to overflowing; let it flow through the wisdom of Isaiah. Reflect on the power of his words, and the sense of encouragement he shares with the people as he recapitulates the past while directing them toward a blessed future.

Let me be clear, Isaiah is a fictional person, the writings attributed to Isaiah (first and second) should be seen as belonging to a school of thought, one that is articulated to the people of Israel and Judea over the course of several generations. These writings represent the real concerns of real people dwelling in the midst of crises over the course of several decades.

The School of Isaiah served as a beacon of hope, promising the people a return to the way of justice, to the way of peace, and an end to the wars and the conflicts that had come to be an ordinary feature of life in the land.

Hope is eternal and though God does not intervene in the order of creation, the divine purpose is present in all times and places, in all things and beings. Through the eternal mystery of the divine will, God draws the whole of it to God’s own self…reordering creation in the process.

God’s promise is real and true, according to Isaiah; there is a way to justice and peace, there is a way to end war and heal the wounds of conflict. This is the hope Isaiah expresses when he tells us that the wolf lives with the lamb, the panther lies down with the kid, calf and lion feed together, with a little boy to lead them. This beautiful world can exist if we endeavor to make it so, through our collective will, we can do this, though we must do it for ourselves.

Know this.

God made the world and we in it, God made us absolutely free, and out of respect for our freedom God will not interfere in the choices we make or spare us from their consequences. We are fragile creatures and we live by each other’s leave; we are always at each other’s mercy and God will not interfere with that, but God has lit the way for us, God has provided a way for us that we may understand our purpose in the divine plan, if we listen to our heartbeat, we can hear its rhythmic calling.  

Be mindful.

God is not a king, a dread-lord…or even God (for that matter), as many have come to believe God to be…

Listen to the apostle; listen to the teaching of the prophets, give some mind to our sages and our seers; consider the testimony of the patriarchs and judges as they are recorded in the sacred texts; they lived for one purpose, to furnish hope in the hearts of the people.

The path before our generation is just as it was in Isaiah’s time, and Jesus’ time, and the apostle’s time; our path is lit by the lamp of hope as well, it is the same hope shed by the divine will for the same purpose…now being shared with us, who are the same people, so that in its light we may abandon fear and find ourselves free to love one another as Jesus taught us to do..

Faith is trust; it is marked by a willingness to believe in the that which we hope for, a world at peace, where justice is never without mercy, and where those called to govern, govern with humility. 

Be mindful!

For two thousand years the normative mode of the Christian tradition has (at least) attempted to root itself in historical realities, with greater and lesser degrees of success. The importance of understanding history cannot be underestimated, including, most especially, its limitations.

The dedicated study of our tradition in the modes of textual and narrative criticism is what gave birth to the fields of literary criticism and modern historical criticism, from which wre developed the fields of dialectics and de-constructuralism, including  all modern and post-modern theory, without which we would be culturally bereft and have no understanding of the uses and limitations of history whatsoever.

Our stories and narratives about the life and mission Jesus, his arrest, torture and murder are a part of the testimony of our faith. These narratives allow us to locate in time, as a historical reality, the singular moment when for Christians, the principle commitment to the teaching of Jesus took place.

Through the story we tell we recall the rule of Tiberius, heir to Augustus; we recall the reign of Herod, and the governance of Pontius Pilate. We recall the role that Pilate played in the killing of Jesus, we shout it out at every hour of every day, in every part of the world; at every mass that is held we say the words: that Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified and was buried; this story is told unceasingly…it is the story that never ends.

It may be time to say something else.

As heirs to the ministry and teaching of Jesus we might consider forgiving Pilate, and Judas, and Herod, and the Sanhedrin for the role they played in that political murder.

Jesus forgave them, our story also tells us that...so maybe we should let them off the hook.

Our theology tells us that Jesus died for the sins of the world; we all have a hand in that, each and every one of us, all of us who have ever been and who will ever, so we can all take a little responsibility there, and let the other players rest for a moment.

John the Baptist taught us to repent and be forgiven, but Jesus taught us to simply forgive, and in so doing, accept the forgiveness that has been granted us, to drink from it, like a fountain or a well overflowing with hope.

Jesus forgave those who killed him, he asked God to forgive them, broken as he was, hanging from the cross, he pointed the way and it is time we followed.

The promise of Isaiah, the prophetic tradition to which both John and Jesus belonged, the promise which John sang out in the wilderness, the promise which Jesus proclaimed on the mountain, that promise cannot be realized until we take it up for ourselves and do our partand do our part. God is the author of our salvation, but we ourselves are the agents, and it is incumbent on us to proceed with the healing, if there is to be any healing at all.

Remember!

John the Baptist was a social critic, and to be a social critic that is the role of the prophet, he stood within the tradition and criticized its institutions. John was not alone in this, he dwelt on the fringe of society along with those who saw and experienced the same troubles as he did. He and his people were on the margins both figuratively and literally; they belonged to the community of Qumran in the desert, which provided the foundation for a new-movement to form. John preached a new path for the people to follow, a new way of living an intentional life; his little cousin Jesus came along after and showed us how it could be done.

John and Jesus were so controversial, they had to do their preaching away from the towns and cities. They took to the wilderness and the people followed them there.

Now let’s get real:

Isaiah did not foretell the coming of John the Baptist.

As stated, Isaiah was not a real-life historical-figure, but the School of Isaiah, those who wrote in his name, they offered a criticism of their tradition, while assuring people that when they were gone others would come…others like John and Jesus would surely come…they foresaw that.

John did the same thing when he knew his days were numbered, he knew another would come after him. He might even have believed that his cousin Jesus, of Nazareth, would pick up his work, but that fact is unimportant, because he knew that if not Jesus, then another would follow; sooner or later another would follow…this is always true.

The prophets are among us, they are preaching and teaching and pointing out the way. The prophets are present in every generation. The voice of the prophet is present in the heart of every human being; waiting, nascent, patient, desiring to be heard.

Understand this.

Do not believe that being baptized and being a Christian makes you special. Being a member of group, belonging to an organization, coming from a certain family, having membership in a clan or tribe or identifying with any other proto-nationalistic nonsense does not make a person special…no matter how highly you and others regard that group.  

Being a Christian does not impart a special gift to anyone, only a special responsibility. Being a Christian means that you have accepted the sacred burden of speaking with the voice of a prophet, that you are prepared to demand that the unjust be just, that you kindle hope in the hopeless and be merciful toward the outcast.

This is the way: serving the good, loving justice and being merciful to all of those within your power to help; there is no other way.

Do not be distressed or afraid of the harsh language that you might sometimes encounter in the gospels. Do not be afraid of the fire, rather discover what it means, because in scripture our encounter with fire is always symbolic of our encounter with God…the fire that never ends is the eternal fire that burns in the heart of the creator; it is the fire Holy Spirit and of grace. We know this because God, and God alone is arbiter of the eternal, and there is no eternality without God.

Our encounter with God, whether in fire or water, or sewage and vomit, our encounter with God by whatever means it occurs is a moment of transformation, of transfiguration for every person who experiences the ordeal. The encounter might be painful depending on who you are or how ready you are to experience it, the encounter may be painful but it will not be harmful, because the divine purpose is not destructive but restorative.

The fire of God refines, just as the power of love refines, just as justice does when trued by mercy.

Go into the world and remember to be like John: preach the faith, love the good, walk humbly in the world, serve justice with mercy all the days of your life.

Spread the good news; God loves you.

First Reading – Isaiah 11:1-10 ©

A Shoot Springs From the Stock of Jesse

A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts from his roots: on him the spirit of the Lord rests, a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

(The fear of the Lord is his breath.)

He does not judge by appearances, he gives no verdict on hearsay, but judges the wretched with integrity, and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land.

His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless, his sentences bring death to the wicked.

Integrity is the loincloth round his waist, faithfulness the belt about his hips.

The wolf lives with the lamb, the panther lies down with the kid, calf and lion feed together, with a little boy to lead them.

The cow and the bear make friends, their young lie down together.

The lion eats straw like the ox.

The infant plays over the cobra’s hole; into the viper’s lair the young child puts his hand.

They do no hurt, no harm, on all my holy mountain, for the country is filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters swell the sea.

That day, the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples.

It will be sought out by the nations and its home will be glorious.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 71(72):1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 ©

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

O God, give your judgement to the king,

  to a king’s son your justice,

that he may judge your people in justice

  and your poor in right judgement.

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

In his days justice shall flourish

  and peace till the moon fails.

He shall rule from sea to sea,

  from the Great River to earth’s bounds.

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

For he shall save the poor when they cry

  and the needy who are helpless.

He will have pity on the weak

  and save the lives of the poor.

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

May his name be blessed for ever

  and endure like the sun.

Every tribe shall be blessed in him,

  all nations bless his name.

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

 

Second Reading – Romans 15:4-9 ©

Christ is the Saviour of All Men

Everything that was written long ago in the scriptures was meant to teach us something about hope from the examples scripture gives of how people who did not give up were helped by God. And may he who helps us when we refuse to give up, help you all to be tolerant with each other, following the example of Christ Jesus, so that united in mind and voice you may give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It can only be to God’s glory, then, for you to treat each other in the same friendly way as Christ treated you. The reason Christ became the servant of circumcised Jews was not only so that God could faithfully carry out the promises made to the patriarchs, it was also to get the pagans to give glory to God for his mercy, as scripture says in one place: For this I shall praise you among the pagans and sing to your name.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Luke 3:4, 6

Alleluia, alleluia!

Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight, and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 3:1 - 12 ©

The One Who Follows Me Will Baptize You with the Holy Spirit and Fire

In due course John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said:

A voice cries in the wilderness:

Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.

This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming? But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit, and do not presume to tell yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father,” because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees, so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire. I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’

 

A Homily - The Second Sunday of Advent, (Year A)