Homily: Dec 23 2016 - To turn hearts toward the other

Two days before Christmas, the Church reads to us from the prophet Malachi.  Malachi was the last of the Old Testament Prophets, appearing on the scene 300 years after the prophet Isaiah, but still about 400 years before the birth of Christ. 

Malachi prophecies about the events right before the coming of the Messiah, one, like Elijah would come, as a precursor to the Messiah.

And in the Gospel we heard recounted the birth and circumcision of John who would be that precursor, forerunner to Christ. John the Baptist preached the call to repentance, metanoia, a change of heart, as a way of preparing for Christ, just as Malachi had prophesied. He would help the people prepare for the Messiah, as we heard, by turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.”

What does that mean? It means we best prepare for the Messiah by turning away from what is trivial, superficial, and spiritually harmful, to what is most important to the life of the soul.

Malachi speaks of this mutual concern between parents and children. That Christian parents will concern themselves with what is most important for their children, and children will concern themselves with what is most important for their parents. They will each concern themselves with giving the greatest good to each other, the gift of God. Parents will begin to ask themselves, “how can I most bring God to my kids” and kids will ask themselves, “how can I most be a sign of the presence of God for my parents, how can I help them to be as holy as God made them to be”

There is a challenge posed to us just two days before our celebration of the Messiah’s birth. To refine and purify, as Malachi would say, our Christmas celebrations: to not get so wrapped up in wrapping paper, that we miss what is most important of this season. At Christmas, we celebrate one who is born into straw poverty, to help us learn how to love with pure Christ-like love; with joy found, not in material things, but in the pure gift that comes from God.

May these final days bring Metanoia, change of mind and heart for all of us, that turned to Him with hearts purified and refined of worldliness, we may rejoice at his saving birth for the glory of God and salvation of souls.