Homily for Advent 3
December 17, 2023
The Mission of the Messiah
Many
people think that “Christ” is Jesus’ last name (“Hello, Mr. Christ!”). But it
is not – Christ, Christos in Greek, means “The Anointed One” – it is the
Greek translation of the Hebrew “Messiah”. In the Old Testament, three types of
people were anointed with oil – priests, prophets, and kings. Christ was
anointed, not with oil but with the Holy Spirit, into all three roles – He was
the priest who offered His Own Body upon the Cross; He was the ultimate prophet
in that He spoke on behalf of the Lord; and He is the King of the Universe.
And our
first reading tells us of Christ’s “mission statement”, as it were. Why did He
come as man? What was His mission?
First,
to “bring glad tidings to the poor and heal the brokenhearted”. Notice His
mission isn’t to make the poor rich, or to take away suffering. It was to give
meaning and purpose to suffering by freely embracing it for our salvation.
All of
us are poor in one way or another. All of us have crosses, struggles,
brokenness. I have yet to meet a single human being who is perfectly put
together and doesn’t make mistakes. Oh, we fake it a lot and show the world our
happy-face, but there is a deep poverty inside us – and this is good
because it is a place where the Lord can enter. He doesn’t want to fill our poverty
entirely, because then we lose our need for Him. So instead of taking it away,
He brings glad tidings – the good news that suffering has value, that it can be
united to His Cross, that it will all be redeemed.
There
was an ‘80s and ‘90s rock-and-roll star named Jim Carroll, whose band’s first
album in 1980 was called “Catholic Boy”. Right after its release, he was
interviewed on the old Tom Snyder show, and they asked him, “Why did you name
your first album Catholic Boy?” He replied, “Because I’m Catholic.” He
went on to explain, “Catholicism is the only religion to truly deal with
suffering.” He told about how he had to accompany his friend who was dying of
leukemia, and he felt totally helpless – much like Mary, at the foot of the
Cross, had to helplessly watch Her Son broken and in pain. Catholicism isn’t
afraid of suffering and death – it redeems and transforms it. So, Christ came
to bring glad tidings to the poor – to tell us that our poverty is precious and
valuable as it sanctifies us and unites us to Christ’s Cross for the salvation
of souls.
Second,
Christ came to “proclaim liberty to captives and release to prisoners”.
Obviously this doesn’t mean to literally open jail doors – but rather to free
those who are imprisoned by sin. Sin makes us slaves. Think about those sins
that you wish you could be free of, but still find yourselves trapped in – a
quick temper, a sharp tongue, a struggle with lust, the cycle of
unforgiveness…we are not free if we are a slave to sin. But it was precisely
for this freedom that Christ set us free!
Back in
the 1940s, a young Frenchman named Jacques Fesch was on a bad path. He got
fired from successive jobs for laziness, abandoned his wife and daughter, and
started to live a criminal lifestyle. At a certain point, he robbed a bank, and
as he was getting chased by the police, shot and killed an officer. When he was
finally arrested, the judge ordered the death penalty for him. At first, his
prison term was filled with anger and vitriol – God must not exist if He would
allow Him to fall into such sin and be locked in a prison!
Initially,
he refused to allow the chaplain to visit him. But the chaplain was persistent,
and slowly he began to become friends with Jacques. The condemned man’s lawyer,
too, was a devout Catholic, who prayed frequently for his client. Pretty soon,
Jacques began to examine his life and consider how deep his sinful chains were.
He experienced a gradual but deep conversion, as he began to beg God for mercy.
Towards
the end of his life, he began to read spiritual books, receive the Sacraments
as often as he could, and keep a spiritual journal. He wrote, “This is not a
prison cell – this is a monastery” – because he spent all day in prayer in his
cell. He apologized to all those whom his actions had hurt, and was so prepared
for his execution that he remarked to the chaplain, “Just think, in a few short
hours I will be seeing Jesus!” He is now actually on the path to canonization! It
took him his entire life, but he finally realized that true freedom wasn’t
doing whatever you want, but submitting your life to the sweet Kingship of
Christ. Four stone walls weren’t limiting his freedom – rather, he found
freedom when the Lord had removed the chains of his sin. If your soul is
trapped in the bonds of sin, run to Confession, and experience the freedom of
His Mercy.
Finally,
to “proclaim a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our
God.” The same word in Greek means both “favor” and “grace” – He comes to offer
the saving grace that opens the gates of Heaven. Imagine Jesus Christ Himself
as a leather purse full of the most precious commodity – grace. He descended from
Heaven to distribute that grace to men and women. It was on the Cross, however,
when His Sacred Heart was pierced, that grace flowed out – and now that the
leather purse has burst, men and women have the opportunity to fill themselves
with the endless sea of grace that continually pours out from the Heart of
Christ. I hope this isn’t disrespectful, but I think of a pinata and how kids
go crazy when it is burst asunder. Likewise, when the floodgates of grace were
burst asunder on the Cross, we ought to have that same excitement and fervor in
filling our souls with grace! The Sacraments, the Word of God, and daily prayer
attach us to the many streams of grace that flow from the Heart of Christ. And
when Satan wants to accuse us of our sins, we show Him the grace that we have
received – and thus are “vindicated by our God” as the Prophet says. Past sins
cannot condemn a man who has washed his soul clean in Confession and fed his
soul with the Eucharistic Lord.
And that
is why this is Gaudete Sunday – the Sunday of joy and rejoicing. All of our
readings have that theme – rejoicing! Not because we’re going to get presents
in ten days…not even because the family is coming in from out-of-town. Rather,
our joy must be supernatural – the joy that comes from knowing our lives are
given worth and meaning, our ancient bondage to sin is finally ended, and the
fountain of supernatural grace has been opened to us – all because Jesus Christ
came to save us.
No comments:
Post a Comment