Hope - Advent
Advent Homilies B • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewHope in 2nd Isaiah, in Advent, in Life
Notes
Transcript
Fear
Fear
Before beginning the Synod this past October, Timothy Radcliffe, O.P.
Acknowledged that we all have fear
that some came to the Synod bringing their fear with them;
fear that everything will change
that nothing will change.
The Apostles’ fear
The Apostles’ fear
Radcliffe also reminded us that the Apostles had fear;
How often did Jesus say, “Do not be afraid, it is I”? or,
“ … I am with you”?
On the Road to Jerusalem
On the Road to Jerusalem
In Galilee
Jesus call his disciples, preaches to the crowds, teaches the disciples.
He hears of John the B’s death, that Herod is looking for him;
seems to decide he should ‘get out of town’,
or, more likely, start going to his final destiny
starts toward Jerusalem.
Banias (Caesarea Philippi)
Banias (Caesarea Philippi)
First, he finishes teaching and healing in Galilee, then —>
Shrine of Pan, possibly the Gentiles’ most ancient, primitive & revered divine being.
It's there that Jesus asks:
‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’
… John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets’
Mark 8:29 “And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.””
Matthew 16:16 “Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.””
Bravo! Peter, but then, Peter tries to prevent/deny J’s passion & death.
Get behind me, Satan!
The Cross
The Cross
Mark 8:34 “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
The Apostles are afraid — their lives are on the line!
They have already squabbled among themselves, e.g., James, John, their mother.
And so, Jesus takes them on retreat
And so, Jesus takes them on retreat
The Gospel is silent about those six days, and then:
Mark 9:2 “And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,”
Matthew 17:1–2 “And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.”
As Radcliffe put it: This retreat gives them the courage and hope to set off on their journey. It does not always go well. They immediately fail to free the young lad from the evil spirit. They quarrel about who is the greatest. They misunderstand the Lord. But they are on their way with a fragile hope.
On their way to Jerusalem!
Where Jesus will die
and they will be left with — what?
They don't yet know the answer to that.
There is fear today, too
There is fear today, too
In/for the Church
In/for the Church
fear that everything will change
that nothing will change.
In daily life we hear of or experience
In daily life we hear of or experience
Wars, mass murders, civil & even church corruption;
Street crime and the assaults of daily life.
Climate change could turn Beacon Hill into an island.
And we fear failure/humiliation.
All these, the consequence of sin.
All these, the consequence of sin.
Friday, at Mass (December 8, Immaculate Conception)
In the Garden, the Man and the Woman defy God out of ambition, jealousy and ignorance.
Genesis 3:6–11 “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. …
and they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God … But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “… I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.””
God asks,
“Where are you” He didn’t need to find where they were, God was asking, “What have you made of yourself, of the person I created?
“ I was afraid, because I was naked.” —I was afraid to be seen for who I had become.
fear of being seen for what we are; the first effect of sin;
the second? blame-shifting, shame. (But that’s another homily).
No one escapes
No one escapes
Only Mary, among all humans, escapes sin,
or its debilitating effects.
We are fickle, vacillating, weak. —God is not.
Here is where we begin to find hope.
David sins, massively, frequently, but,
God always honors his promise:
my steadfast love will not depart from him.
It never did.
We don’t have Jesus with us in the way the Apostles did
We don’t have Jesus with us in the way the Apostles did
We won’t see him transfigured;
What do we have?
Advent
Advent
We have Isaiah in company with the other readings and gospels.
Today we have the soaring opening announcement of the Book of Deutero- or 2nd-Isaiah
Isaiah 40:1–11
Isaiah 40:1–11
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” …
Even the details of this announcement reveal its meaning.
What do you imagine when you think about building a highway or smoothing the land?
For me, it's bulldozers and trucks full of asphalt.
Make straight in the wilderness
the wilderness is the northern end of the Arabian Desert between Babylon and Jerusalem.
No one had succeeded in building a road through it.
All roads detoured around it for hundreds of miles map Map 2
a highway for God
Where no one succeeded in building one until the 20th century
Even now it's considered life threatening to cross.
500 miles straight across, 1,200 miles around.
But here, God is building a straight, smooth road
to rush him urgently, to rescue his people.
Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
English Standard Version Catholic Edition (n.p.: Augustine Institute, 2019), Is 40:9–11.
Restoration
Restoration
God comes with might and tenderness to set his people free from Babylonian bondage
Isaiah’s hope had 3 foundations:
God would return the exiles with
renewed faith & reformed behavior after their period of purification.
God’s fidelity to covenant promises, חֶ֫סֶד (hesed), e.g. 2 Samuel 7:15 “but my steadfast love will not depart from him, …””
restoration of the Davidic Kingship חֶ֫סֶד (hesed), according to those promises.
Reasons to hope
Reasons to hope
Peter
Peter
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,
not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, ESV-CE)
Mark
Mark
“John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:4, ESV-CE)
“I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”” (Mark 1:8, ESV-CE)
Radcliffe: “The hope of the Eucharist is for what lies beyond our imagination.”
Radcliffe: “The hope of the Eucharist is for what lies beyond our imagination.”
Who could ever have imagined the Eucharist?
It’s gift is beyond anything in human imagination.
It has the power to lift us beyond ourselves, our fears
into the embrace, the very person of God.
What greater hope could there be?
Consider:
God’s fidelity
God’s fidelity
David was many things, but not perfect.
He repented for every sin & God always honored his promise, “my steadfast love will not depart from him”.
Noah
Noah
God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
“Do not be afraid” 162x in the Bible, 42x in NT
“Do not be afraid” 162x in the Bible, 42x in NT
Just one example
Hagar, driven into the wilderness with her young boy, sits down to die from lack of food and water,
“And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.” (Genesis 21:17–19, ESV-CE)
Jesus, walking on the sea:
Jesus, walking on the sea:
English Standard Version Catholic Edition (Chapter 6)
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”