Homily: First Sunday of Advent: 2007

Brothers and sisters, today we begin a class, a school. Isaiah says, "Come, let us [be] instruct[ed] in his ways. . . . For from Zion shall go forth instruction. . . ." Remember the first day of school? The crisp new clothes; the bright new faces; the smell of the books, the glue, the crayons, even the chalk? We were all so full of excitement and humility; the teacher knew everything, and we were ready to learn anything! Well, today is the first day of school -- the school of Jesus. And Christmas is our final, our graduation, our party. Because we will have received the answer -- the surprise -- the prize: Jesus our Lord!

Behold, he comes. Let's get everything ready: the Advent wreath, the candles, the tree, the cards, the gifts, the food, the prayers, the penance, above all, the clean slate. At the risk of sounding like a broken record: go to Confession. Clean up! Take a shower! Sheesh, if it were your body, you wouldn't even need to think twice. But it's only your soul, so it gets a pass. But after your death, it's all you're going to have! (At least initially, until we get our bodies back at the End.)

The class is in Old Testament history (When I was in Catholic junior high, we had to call religion class "Hebrew History" lest we lose even elective credit for it and find it difficult to graduate in time [from the public high school -- our town had no Catholic high school]), in finding and maintaining peace, in cleaning the house of our soul, in the beauty of silence, in the proper maintenance of anticipation, in recognizing the Messiah, and most of all, in love. What makes one person love another? Why, ultimately it is WHO that person IS . . . and if it is anything less, it is something less than love. It is usefulness, or convenience, or lust, or affection, or something other than love. Love's ultimate test is in trial, and life's ultimate test is death. Would you DIE for that person? If the question is asked of Jesus, we already KNOW the answer. But do WE love HIM? Let us pray, in a paraphrase of the great prayer "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief", "Lord, I love. Help my lack of love."