Homily for Advent 2 - December 8, 2019

Homily for Advent 2

December 8, 2019

The Trees That Are Cut Down

            There is an interesting theme in the first reading and Gospel today – and that is the theme of trees being cut down.

            John the Baptist warns the Pharisees that “the ax is at the root of the tree” because they have not born fruit of holiness. Yes, they were good Jews in name-only – they said, “Oh, we are good sons of Abraham!” but they did not love God or their neighbor. Because they have not born fruit, they will be cut down.

            Isaiah, too, writes about a tree that has already been chopped. He says that there is a “stump of Jesse” – this means that Israel, as the Chosen People, seemed to be destroyed. He was writing around 700 BC, at a time when the Jewish people were divided into two kingdoms and constantly oppressed by the Assyrians. More than that – they were wicked and idolatrous, and had abandoned the Covenant. Isaiah writes that the destruction of the entire nation is coming until only a “stump” – a remnant – would remain, but that a shoot would sprout from that stump to bring about the restoration of Israel. The shoot, of course, is Jesus.

            This imagery of a barren, fruitless tree being chopped down is pretty applicable to us in our modern world. One reason why the Church seems to be shrinking – combining parishes, less Mass attendance, lack of vocations – is because the Church has not had the kind of fruit that it should. Where are the saintly priests like St. John Vianney nowadays? Where are the holy families like Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, who raised five girls to become nuns (and one of them was a saint herself, St. Therese of Lisieux)? Where are the zealous missionaries, servants of the poor, prayer warriors, and saints?

            Certainly there are still some, but is that the vast majority of Catholics? Like the Pharisees were proud of their Jewish heritage but did not live holy lives, so we have many Catholics who proudly proclaim their Catholicism but live lives in opposition to Church teaching, or just live in sin and apathy.

            Recently our Bishop released a letter saying that he is beginning the process of reorganizing the Catholic schools in our diocese. Many are shrinking so badly that they won’t be viable in another couple years. One could point to a number of factors, but I wonder if it’s just the natural result of producing no fruit! Have Catholic schools produced students who are fervent disciples, who believe in God and the Church’s teachings? This is the fruit that God is looking for.

            God will allow these Catholic institutions to be cut down if they bear no fruit – and He can allow the same thing in our own lives if we do not respond to His grace. God will withdraw the grace of faith from those who refuse to repent and bear fruit of holiness. He doesn’t waste grace on unrepentant hearts, just like a farmer wouldn’t water and fertilize a tree that was giving him no fruit.

            In God’s mercy, He will go to great lengths to call us to bear fruit! St. Theresa of Avila had already been a nun for many years, but was lukewarm and mediocre in her spiritual life. She was content to commit small sins, and didn’t really put her heart into her prayers. One day, as she was in the chapel, God gave her a vision…of her own place in Hell! Here are her own words: “I found myself, as I prayed, plunged right into Hell. I realized that it was the Lord’s will that I should see the place which the devils had prepared for me there and which I had merited for my sins. This happened in the briefest space of time, but, even if I were to live for many years, I believe it would be impossible for me to forget it.” From this shocking experience, she repented of her sins and began to live a fervent life of holiness!

            I do not say this to frighten us, but to spur us on, that we may bear the fruit of holiness. Are we really trying to eliminate sin from our life? Do we seek God with all our heart, or are we too attached to the things of this world?

Lest this homily make us despair, we must remember that God has brought a living shoot from the stump of Jesse. He redeemed Israel’s unfaithfulness through a faithful remnant, culminating in Jesus. He will redeem His Church and raise up saints – you and I can become those saints! – but only if we repent of our sins, respond to His grace, and bear the fruit of holiness in our lives.