1st Sunday of Advent

Please Press the Play Button


Homily:
The snow in this last week affected us in many different ways here in Anacortes. Many of you, like me, woke up and decided that it was too dangerous to drive. Some stayed at home and developed cabin fever. Our daily mass communicants dropped from 60 to 15 people on Tuesday morning. For many, the snow forced us to dig out our shovels and clear our driveways. Many woke up extra early and slowly made their way to work. The snow brought the high school kids along with their snowboards, trucks and ATVs to St. Mary. The young kids came and slid down the hill in the back of the Fr. Auer Center. The Merry makers continued earnestly to prepare for the St. Nicholas Auction. Our deacon candidate Mel Straz was setting and preparing for his ordination.

The snow is a reminder that the Christmas season is near. It is the season that we celebrate the birth of a special child. This child was born into our world, and changed our lives completely. This child is a reminder of God’s love; he is a reminder of God’s presence; he is a reminder of God’s mercy and compassion for the world.

The snow is not only a reminder of the change in the natural seasons, it is also a change in the liturgical season. We begin the new liturgical season with Advent. The word advent comes from two Latin Words which means “To come to…an arrival.” It is the arrival of something magnificent, majestic and something spectacular and splendid. This special event we are celebrating is grandiose at the same time very simple. It is the miracle of God becoming human. God has allowed His Son to enter human life. Through the process of birth and death, God’s Son has identified with humanity, so that he may redeemed what he has embraced. By entering into human life, this child will be the light of the world. This child will destroy the power of the evil one and release humanity from the darkness of sin.

The whiteness of snow is a reminder that we are children “not of darkness, but of the light.” As we enter into the new liturgical season, we are given a new and fresh beginning. We begin the year with Advent because it is also a season of hope. It is the hope that we will leave all that is behind us, and begin anew. It is the hope that we will grow in our love for God and neighbor. It is the hope that this new liturgical season will help us center our lives more on the Christ Child. It is the hope that we will be fervent in prayer, and spend more time with Jesus in perpetual adoration. It is the hope that we will be faithful to our baptismal commitment as witnesses for Christ. It is the hope that we will grow in our understanding of the mass, and be faithful to the celebration of the Eucharist.

But unlike the snow that comes and goes, Jesus will never leave us. Jesus is present when we gather together for the breaking of the bread. Jesus is present through the scriptures, and in his most precious body and blood. The early Christians, despite the numerous persecutions that they endured, and the oppositions that they encountered, continue to rely on God’s grace to assist them. They knew that Christ has suffered, and that they too will have to suffer for his sake. They knew of the glory that is to be revealed. Their belief in the resurrection of Jesus gave them hope in times of suffering. They fixed their eyes on Jesus who was always by their side, and delivering them from evil.

As we continue our journey of faith through in this new liturgical season, let us prepare our hearts to once again receive the Christ Child in our lives. Blessed be the name of Jesus and may our blessed mother be with you always.