Saturday, December 14, 2024

Advent 3 - Committed to Making Us Holy

 

Homily for Advent 3 – Incarnation Part 3

December 15, 2024

The Clean One

 

            If you are a baseball fan, you may have seen that Juan Soto just signed the largest contract in sports history – 15 years with the Mets for $765 million dollars. Not only is a lot of money, it’s a very long time – so this superstar is going to be with his new team through thick and thin, win or lose.

            He’s (hopefully) going to do everything in his power to make his team better, because he’s with them for the long-haul. That might mean that he has to challenge his team if they’re in a slump, and sacrifice everything for the win. Once you get committed to something for a long period of time, you will do everything in your power to make it the best it could be. That’s not just true for sports teams – it’s true in marriages and families, it’s true in parishes and communities, it’s true in businesses and schools – if you are committed to the group, you’ll do everything possible to make it shine.

            The Incarnation – God becoming man – means that God has “thrown His lot in” with us. He’s committed to the human race now, because He’s one of us. He can never get tired of humanity and say, “Eh, they’re all just too messed up and sinful, so I’m going to start over on some other planet.” No – now that He IS a human being, He’s committed to us, He’s not giving up on us, and from now until eternity He is going to strive to make us the best we can be.

            John the Baptist says some shocking things about Jesus in the Gospel. He will come to baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire? That He will gather wheat into the barn but burn the chaff? And then it says John preached good news to the people? On face value, it seems that repentance, purification, and judgment are NOT good news…but in reality, they are the best news we could ever receive.

            Cleaning things, whether it’s ourselves or our house or our car, can often be a difficult and arduous task – but don’t we feel so much better when we’re clean? After a week on the trail, a hot shower makes you feel like a new person. Washing your car makes you drive with a bit more pep. But it’s not always easy to wash and clean. It takes hard work. It’s an unpleasant task. It takes suffering.

            Hence, John baptizes with a baptism of “repentance”. Jesus’ first words, too, in the Gospels were “repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand.” In fact, the Name “Jesus” means “God Saves” – saves from what? From sin and eternal death! His whole mission is to make us holy as He is holy. Since He’s thrown in His lot with us for eternity, He will do anything to make us saints – including taking flesh and dying on a Cross.

            But it is HE who does it in us. This is why we rejoice this Third Sunday of Advent – because God’s sanctifying grace is available, just for the asking.

            Bishop James Walsh was an American missionary priest to China in the early twentieth century. He ministered in some small villages, saying Mass in tiny chapels in the wilderness. When the local pagans would visit these chapels out of curiosity, Bishop Walsh would show them around and give them a tour, explaining the church. There was one group of visitors who were fascinated by the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and when Bishop Walsh explained that she was the sinless Mother of Jesus, the pagan crowd was in awe. “She must be very special, to be without sin,” they exclaimed, in a hushed reverence. They then moved on to the Confessional, and Bishop Walsh explained that here, Christians could be forgiven of their sins through Confession, and they were even more amazed. “You mean we can become like this holy woman, Mary? We can be sinless like her?” Yes, that’s the radical nature of Christianity – that it is entirely possible to be forgiven. All it takes is repentance, Confession, and turning your life over to Christ.

            So let me ask – do you have anything you wish you could undo? Anything in your life you regret? The bad choices that hurt us and others, the bad habits that enslave us – this is what Jesus Christ has come to free you from.

            Today, right now, repent of all that stuff. Confess your sins, and experience His forgiveness and love. Commit, right here and right now, to following Jesus Christ.

            That’s good news indeed.

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