HOMILY

Fr. O’Grady

Advent B

December 10, 2017

I am sure you all experienced this in driving the highways. Signs appear “two right lanes closed ahead.Merge”. The 3 mile backup begins and you creep ever so slowly. I often think this must be a big construction project After 30 minutes of sitting in traffic you look for trucks, cranes etc, Oh no. One truck, one man with one shovel filling in one pothole!.

At least he’s doing his job and one pothole at a time making the road smooth and level even in the midst of irate and impatient drivers.

As we enter the second week of Advent, note what that first reading has to say and not about potholes but something much more profound about our moral and spiritual life..” Makestraight in the wasteland a highway for the Lord. Every valley shallbe filled in, the rugged landmade a plain, the rough country, a broad valley..”

In other words, take your own life, look at it and fix the rough edges, fill in the emptiness of your life. Level the hills of anger and pride and in this way prepare for the coming of the Lord.

John the Baptist who came 600 years after Isaiah uttered these words says the same thing: “Make ready the way of the Lord, clear him a straight path”.

As you know for years, I celebrated Mass for inmates in Hartford jail and this passage spoke the language of the men, namely, make straight the way of the Lord. So often the remark: “Hey man you straight?” In other words, are you doing right, honest with me, off the drugs etc.. Going straight meant a CHANGE IN ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOUR.

A great phrase for you and me. But where to begin to GO STRAIGHT?

First, by taking the time to look into our life, attitudes, actions, behaviors? To see what is really important in our life and what is not.

Being in the hospital for a few day turned out to be a real spiritual experience for me. Nothing like having to wait for the biopsies to come back to make you realize what’s important in life and what’s not. What have I wasted my time of worry about thigs in life that at this point really mean nothing.

ADVENT should be for all of us that time to reevaluate our life in light of the birth of Jesus and what faith and my religion really mean.

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I like the story of the very worldly and materially possessed man who inspite of having everything he wanted still was depressed and felt empty. What to do?

He searched out many psychiatrists and anti depressant drugs but they were no help. Then one day the doctor said, “search out a clergy person. Maybe a spiritual checkup would help.” That he did and after hearing the man’s tale of woe the pastor marked off sections of the Bible for him to read. He said, :Now after you have gone through this material, I want you to come back”.

So several days later the man returned and said, “I’ve followed all your instructions. I’ve read all the material you marked off. In fact. I’ve gone through it several times”. To which the pastor said, “NOW THE QUESTION IS, HAVE THE WORDS OF JESUS GONE THROUGH YOU?”

AND THIS IS WHERE THE TRUE MEANING OF ADVENT LIES.. THIS TIME OF WAITING MUST GO THROUGH US IN MIND AND BODY OR ELSE IT WILL MEAN VERY LITTLE.

If there is one word that should GO THROUGH US AND touch us this season is found in the message of John the Baptist and it all begins with one word..the “R” word .REPENTANCE

Repentance always comes before faith.

Note the gospel today: “JOHN THE BAPTIST CAME PREACHING A BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS”.

What area of my life has to change?

Is there any animosity toward another that has to be forgiven?

Is there an anger or resentment that has to be swept away?

Is there a long lost sin or action that has to be forgiven by God?

Have I made amends to those I might have offended in the past

During the Advent season REPENTANCE can go a long way in preparing our hearts for the birth of Jesus and renew us spiritually.

Let me end with what Mark Twain said about his youth:

“When I was a boy, I was walking along a street and happened to spy a cart full of watermelons. I was fond of watermelons so I sneaked quietly up to the cart and snitched one. No sooner had I done so then a strange feeling came over me. Without a moment’s hesitation, I made my decision. I walked back to the cart and replaced the melon with a ripe one”.

NOT QUITE A CHANGE OF HEART NOR DID HE REFORM HIS LIFE! ADENT CERTAINLY DID NOT CHANGE MR TWAIN.

MAY THIS ADVENT CHANGE YOU AND ME AS WE TRY TO FILL IN THOSE POTHOLES OF LIFE AND GO STRAIGHT BEFORE AND TOWARD THE LORD.