-Last weeks homily is available by e-mail
-The Scriptures for this Sunday are available at USCCB.org
-I am preaching at the 9:30 AM and the 12:30 PM mass
Here is your God!
I am most inspired by the line in the first reading from today that tells us that "here is your God". I am a realized eschatologist. What that means is that I am convinced of the real, ALREADY presence of God in our lives; the kingdom of God. Already, but not yet.
I was discussing the word Advent with the eighth-graders this past week it is best defined as "arriving or appearing". Because we see advent as a preparation season, we have a tendency to interpret those words as future tense. What our scriptures and church tell us is that this appearance of Jesus, Emmanuel, is in history, mystery, and in majesty (past, present, and future).
So, are we distracted by the Lord's future coming or past appearing from seeing his mysterious appearance now? It takes faith.
What do you say?
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2 comments:
Since you suggested "Here is your God!" as most inspiring, I went back to the readings to find it. Guess what? I found it and also the equivalent in each of the readings, psalm included. And then it made me think about in the situations of each day ... do I do the same thing ... do I look for God instead of thinking of an opinion, judgment, evaluation, etc. Most definitely it WILL change or influence how or what I see.
Definitely takes faith!
The word “distracted” made me stop and think – and my own reaction to that is that I may not as much be distracted by the future coming or past appearing – but definitely distractions get in the way of His mysterious presence today; here and now.
I had a discussion with a co-worker just the other day – talking about how it is that we experience the very real presence of Jesus here and now. I am convinced that it is in the loving – loving acts of kindness and generosity. When those acts occur you can see the effect it has on everything around you – and you can feel the difference in the spirit among you and within you.
I volunteer one day each week at a soup kitchen and spend my time “dishing up” the plates of food. This last week I was partnered with a couple of other volunteers – young men I hadn’t met before. It takes awhile to get in the groove with a different mix of people but eventually it comes around so that a rhythm sets in – and the supervisors want you to move it along because hungry people are waiting. As I was dishing up I found myself taking a big scoop of each item, followed by a small additional scoop of a little extra and I would comment, “oh, this chicken looks good,” and “mmmh, I love gravy,” etc. Unfortunately it slows the process down a bit but the two young men agreed that it certainly did look good and frequently they would do the same thing – dip back in for a scoop of gravy (why let it go to waste?), or put a few more vegetables on the plate because there were plenty available. As we got into in the rhythm I realized what I was “feeling” along with it – big scoop (the food they need), little scoop (the love to go with it). It was a good rhythm for us who worked together – to give to the folks who were waiting. It was the presence of Jesus.
We can become distracted and miss those times. We might get caught up in the hurrying of life and either not take the time to give – or not take the time to be aware of what the giving means. Those are sadly missed opportunities – and the Matador’s comments help me to consider THIS meaning of Advent and being aware of His present appearance all around me.
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