Sunday, November 27, 2016

Homily: 1st Sunday in Advent 2016 - Isaiah, the prophet of Advent

Throughout the season of Advent we will read extensively from the book of the prophet Isaiah. Not only each Sunday do we read from Isaiah, but throughout the week as well. If you aren’t in the habit of attending weekday Mass; what a wonderful way of making Advent a bit more special this year: attending weekday Mass will help you enter more deeply into the Spirit of the season.

The book of the Prophet Isaiah have been called “the fifth Gospel” by some scholars, for it contains so many of the themes of the Gospels: the call of God’s people to practice justice, the need for repentance, the reality of judgment, God’s promise of salvation, reflection on God’s mercy; the need for God’s people during times of darkness to practice faith and hope. Certainly, one of the most important themes of Isaiah is his proclamation of the coming of the Messiah; Isaiah calls Israel to remember God’s promise of a Savior in some of the most beautiful passages in the entire Old Testament of the Bible. 

Isaiah is like a tour guide through Advent pointing out the important sights. You may be thinking: I’ve been through Advent before, I know what Advent is about. But sometimes a tour guide can offer new insights to a familiar place. You often hear it said, that converts make the best Catholics. Why is that? Because they are so often able to see the beauty and value of our faith with fresh eyes. So what do you need to do to put on fresh eyes this Advent, to rediscover the beauty that God presents us with?

If you can’t make it to daily Mass, I encourage you, this Advent, to at least read through the Isaiah reading every day. The Scriptures verses are printed in the bulletin; if you visit the US Bishop’s website, you can sign up to have the daily scripture readings emailed to you.  Take a few minutes throughout the day to read through and reflect upon the Isaiah reading: ask, why has the Church picked this reading for the season of Advent? What are the symbols here; how does this passage help me to prepare for Christmas; what does this say about God, about the attitude and dispositions God’s people are meant to have?

Isaiah wrote at a time when Israel had been devastated by the Babylonian army; the Jews had been bound and chained and marched off into exile; they had seen their temple, their beautiful city, their homes and families destroyed.  Isaiah wrote, during this time of great loss, a message of hope, he wrote of a time when all of God’s promises would be fulfilled, a time when the tears from all faces would be wiped away by God himself. 

Perhaps it feels like your world has been devastated; perhaps your family is experiencing division, perhaps you feel alienated from old friends, perhaps you’re struggling with a particular temptation; perhaps you’ve experienced the loss of a loved one, or deepening financial woes. Just as God spoke to the sorrowful captive exiles in Isaiah’s time, he speaks to us, words of promise, words of hope, words of comfort.

But again, in order to hear those words of hope, you need to quiet down—go to a quiet room, the church or chapel; put aside anxious thoughts and listen to and meditate upon the word of God. If we do not pray as we ought, how can we be surprised when we do not know the peace that God wants to give us.

In the Isaiah reading for this 1st Sunday of Advent; we heard of a mountain, a mountain upon which will stand the great Temple of God; not only will God send a Messiah; Isaiah said, “the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills.”
On this Holy Mountain, in the Lord’s House—his temple—is where he wants to give us his gifts of peace and joy. Yet, so often we fail to climb the mountain, to enter the temple. We allow other mountains to be higher, other temples to be our destination.

Is the Lord’s mountain really the highest mountain in your life? Is the praise and worship of God more important to you than anything else? Is it more important than your job? Is it more important than your social relationships? Is it more important even than your family, the people you love the most? If not, something is off-kilter in your life.

What’s the highest mountain for you? We all have one. We all have mountains and hills, things that preoccupy our time and effort. But what is your highest mountain? If it’s not the mountain of the Lord’s house, something is wrong. If you don’t have the love of God first in your life, you will not know what to do with the other goods in your life.

Isaiah says, It is on this holy mountain that the Lord instructs us in his ways, that we may walk in his paths. In a sense, this mountain is certainly a foreshadowing of the earthly Church.  As Christians, members of the Church, we are instructed in the ways of the Lord. We learn our catechism, we learn how to apply the teachings of Jesus to the concrete circumstances of our life.  We just concluded a Year-long meditation on Mercy, constantly reflecting upon how the Lord is calling us to engage in the works of mercy, and how God in His mercy is inviting each of us to experience his love and forgiveness.

The mountain is not just a foreshadowing of heaven, it’s not just a foreshadowing of the Church, it is also a symbol of our own personal spiritual journey. Are you undertaking in the inner journey? Is the pursuit of spiritual things more important than your pursuit of earthly things? Are you quieting down in prayer so that the Lord may teach you his ways? Are you allowing him to teach you how to be more gentle, more patient, more generous, more trusting?  

In the Lord’s house on his Holy Mountain we hear how “swords are turned into plowshares and their spear into pruning hooks.” Coming from an Italian family, I come from a long tradition of very sharp tongues. And from time to time that sharp tongue has gotten me into trouble. But as we undertake that spiritual journey, as we climb the Lord’s mountain and enter his temple, the sharp-cutting words are transformed into words of encourage, comfort, instruction, clear teaching, and words of praise and worship.


Allow this Advent to transform you, to turn your swords and spears into instruments of goodness, peace, and joy. Let Isaiah remind you of the beautiful, awe-inspiring, consoling promises of God. And may the Holy Spirit help us all to prepare our minds and hearts for the coming of Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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