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Ash Wednesday

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on February 27, 2001

Posted in: Homily.

February 27, 2001 Joel 2;12-18 + 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 + Matthew 6:1-6,16-18

Ashes..on the bottom of a fire place..on the mountains after a wild fire..on pasture land after a late summer grass fire. Ashes..are what remain of great cities after war.are all that is left of life’s savings after a home bums down..are scattered on the sea or buried in the ground after one dies.Ashes..in a bowl on this table..on heads of people who come into churches in this day.here today, gone tomorrow

In the simplest of ancient rituals today,We affirm the truth of what these bodies we use will one day be, in spite of our diets, our jewels, our make up, our transplants, and vain efforts to hide the inevitable.We tie ourselves to the cycle of nature, to ancient kings and prophets,to public sinners who once stood, covered with ashes and clothed in rough cloth,to Christians all over the world today marked as we are for struggle.Palms yesterday burned beside this church, so green and lovely on Palm Sunday,cut from trees in Texas, Florida, and Mexico,we used them proclaim our faith in the future victory

Our words, our gestures, our symbols,these ashes we receive are expressions of our heart’s turning from self to God, from a past marked by sinto a future marked by goodness and love.

What we shall be in forty days is not yet known,yet we take these ashes because we hope and we believe that if we chose to take part in a radical struggleunder the sign of these ashes, there will be a church,a community of love,

that follows Jesus Christ from tomb to victory, from death to life.We take these ashes today because we are that church, that community of love,engaged in the great struggle of conversion that turns us from self to other,that binds us to every other woman and manwho walk through this day under the sign of the cross. We take these ashes today because we are that church, baptized into Christ Jesus,one with him in suffering, in service,in faithfulness to the Father he revealed.

Ifwe take these ashes in faith today,if we truly engage in the struggle of conversion and forgiveness, then 40 days from now,that great day of washing when the dust is washed from feet grown weary and worn in service and journey,will be our time for rejoicing and thanksgiving.

What shall we be like 40 days from now? It is the question we ask ourselves,as we take the ashes of this day

Ordinary 5

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on February 4, 2001

Posted in: Homily.

February 4, 2001 Isaiah 6:1,2,3-8 + 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 + Luke 5:1-11

Isaiah of Jerusalem was a prophet in the tradition out of which I spoke last week. He did not see things as everyone else. He did not live comfortably with the safe, the common, and the ordinary His description of the Holy gives us a sense of how he saw things.Nothing common there and nothing ordinary He pushes the limits of the Temple worship and with the images of that experience, he pushes the limits of those who come there to see more than the eye might see and to experience more than incense, cantors, and decor

Isaiah casts a light by which the human heart is led into the thinking of the Lord. He brings into human terms and human experience the divine mind. He expresses God’s indignation at the oppression of the weaker members of society and insists that such oppression offends the holiness of God. This too is the ministry of a prophetic people, for it by faith they are in the presence of God, then all that offends that presence in every place and at every time is offensive to the prophet. The prophet feels what God feels. The prophet is one who is overwhelmed by the presence of God everywhere and at every time. All is holy, touched and graced by the presence of God.

It is that presence which moves the prophet Isaiah to repentance and the humble acknowledgment of his unworthiness. It is the same experience Peter had in the boat, when in the midst of the most ordinary events of an ordinary day, doing what he did best, what he did every day, that he suddenly becomes aware of the presence of the divine and cries out; “Leave me Lord, I am a sinful man.”

Of course, in neither case did the Lord leave, for the fact is, that sinners seem to be God’s select company In the acknowledgment of one’s true condition, there is found the strength to be prophet and apostle. First the recognition of the holy one, then the recognition of the unholy one, and then the partnership begins-the partnership that brings the vision which stirs the heart and moves the soul.

The sin, the unworthiness, the past, our insecurity, our self doubt, all become our great excuse for doing nothing in response to the

presence of God. Yet the very life into which we have been baptized stirs in us and makes us restless. We look at the passing glory of this world and know in our hearts how very passing it is. A fire, a tornado, one brief mistake in a speeding car, and it’s all gone. We sit back exhausted from time to time after a month of hard work sitting to pay the bills, only to wonder if this is all there is knowing we’ll be exactly like this again next month.

That wondering, that restlessness, that longing in us for more is the quiet tug of the divine. What God asks is that we give up everything that keeps us from being free enough live the wild, and full expression of God’s glory God doesn’t want our house nor our job – God wants what keeps us from being holy and filled with glory· sin, laziness, selfishness, self doubt, and the biggest lie of all, the lie of our unworthiness.

It is the baptized who are called to a prophetic life, not the ordained. It is people like Peter, James and John who are called toexperience the presence of God and invited to a share in the bounty and fullness that this presence brings. It’s not the holy, the high priests, the zealots, nor the scribes. It’s people who go to work everyday, to the boats. It’s people who work day in and day out and have nothing to show for it sometime who are stunned by the presence of God.

We live in an age when the divine question still echoes across the world and across the cluttered streets and highways of injustice. “Will go for me?” And there is still need for the answer from an unworthy, imperfect people who still don’t have it right: “Although I am unworthy, here am I, send me!” That is not a story from thepast about a prophet who lived long before Christ, nor a story about man named, Peter It’s the story of our lives, our relationship with the holy one, and our faithful response to the discovery that God is here among us, very close, and very real.

Ordinary 4

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on January 28, 2001

Posted in: Homily.

January 28, 2001 Jeremiah 1:4,5,17-19 + 1 Corinthians 12:31,13:13 + Luke 4:21-30

“As Christ was anointed priest, prophet, and king, so may you always live as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.” These words from the Rite of Baptism. They were said over each one of us as we were anointed with Holy Chrism: anointed into a priestly people, prophetic people, and kingly people. The first reading today from Jeremiah’s first chapter draws our attention to one of the three qualities or roles we are called to and anointed for in Baptism. While the text seems extremely personal and unique to Jeremiah’s experience, even a quick look at all the prophets, Jesus included makes it clear that there is nothing unique about Jeremiah’s experience except his particular spot in history. Prophetic people seem to share the same lot in life. Sadly, the violent end to which most of them come and the miserable suffering that marked some of their lives is all we can see and remember. As a result, it’s not hard to understand why so few are willing to take up their mantel. I suppose it is the same thing with priestly role. If all you can see or want to see is how hard it is, how lonely it can be, it’s notdifficult to understand empty seminaries. Too bad it’s hard to see how wonder-filled and how fulfilling it really is. Believe, me I would never have lasted 33 years if the good stuff didn’t out-weigh the bad. But it’s prophets we are about this week, not priests nor royals. The fact is, there is a great deal more to the role of a prophet than suffering misunderstanding, rejection, and hostility.

There is in us all, planted as seed at Baptism a little bit of the prophet, and what the Word of God proposes to us today is that we might nurture that seedling along a little more in our prayerful assembly today. It has something to do with how we see things.

Everyone knows that the world has both beautiful and ugly angles; that people are a mixture of good and bad; that the world is an imperfect place; that progress is measured by inches and by decades. So, some people expect justice to be delayed, honesty to be expensive, the rich to prosper, and the poor to be always with us. But not the prophet. The prophetic in us is scandalized by injustice and impatient in its face. The prophetic are affronted by  evil.

If you listen to Jeremiah, the country he thought was ruining the whole world measured about 25 by 20 miles square! The people he criticized for universal evil numbered about 15,000. That many people and that much evil is about the size of one or our larger neighborhoods. Such immoderate excitement on the part of the prophet! But, that’s the way it is with the prophetic. They don’t see things the way the rest of the world sees.

To the world, a single act of cheating in business is slight; and it doesn’t hurt any one. To the prophet, it’s an economic disaster. To the world exploiting a poor person is harmful to them and someone should put a stop to it, but to the prophet it is a deathblow to the welfare system. What is to the world, just an isolated episode is to the prophet an instance of systemic evil.Does the prophet see to much or does the world see too little? There in lies the difference.

The prophet shuns the average and abhors compromise. For the prophet, no one is just enough, honest enough, faithful enough, good enough, or holy enough. The prophet does not travel the middle of the road. Others may suffer from loneliness, but the prophet is overwhelmed by the divine presence. Others would separate their world or some things in this world from God; but to the prophet, that is a fairy tale and an act of insolence.

On the day of our Baptism, someone anointed us to be prophet. What a happened to us? Too much compromise? Too much mediocrity? Too much middle of the road? The only result of that is all too obvious: injustice, poverty, loneliness, and half lived lives that never begin to reflect the grandeur of God nor resonate with the voice of God.

Jesus heard the words of Jeremiah and he believed them. We have heard them too. Let me repeat them: “I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” If we believed that to be the “The Word of the Lord”, we would probably be a little more prophetic, and what began on the day of our Baptism would have begun to make a difference in the face of injustice, poverty, and loneliness.

Ordinary 3

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on January 21, 2001

Posted in: Homily.

January 21, 2001

Nehemiah 8:2-4,5-6,8-10 + 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 + Luke l:l-4;4:14-21

Ezra reads to the people. Jesus reads in the Synagogue. Priests and Lectors read in the churches. Another President reads his speech. Judges read their verdicts. We read and we talk: words, words, and more words. “Poor little talkative Christianity” is the way one writer has described us. In the last six weeks, only the most zealous political fans could be inspired and sustained by the words that have been spilled on us from Florida to confirmation hearings to inaugurations and farewell speeches. It’s as though we are beginning to think that Words could make a difference, that Words could feed the hungry, that Words could pay the drug bills for the elderly, that Words could stop gun sales, child abuse, and violence in our schools; that words could make and keep peace; restore respect for life, or stop the state sanctioned killing in McAlister this month.

Yet there must be some power left in words, because there are things we won’t talk about, like campaign finance reform, and issues in our church that we’re not supposed to talk about, and words we’re not supposed to use to describe another race or culture because we want to be “politically correct”. All of which tells us that there has been no loss of power in spoken words. The power to hurt and sting, power to destroy a reputation, the power to deceive is still there. We know the power of silence too, silence in the face of injustice and wrong doing; the power of words not spoken when forgiveness is asked or refused, the power of words withheld affirms again and again the power of Word.

Nehemiah understood it, and so did Jesus. Thepeople knew the power of the Word from Nehemiah as they were moved first to remorse and repentance, then exhorted to joyful celebration in acknowledgment of the Words God had spoken to them in the Law. They were words which expressed God’s care for them, God’s love for them, God’s presence among them as they faced the discouraging challenge of restoring what had been lost through their unfaithfulness. That scene from the prophetic reading was probably the first public worship assembly following their return from exile. You can imagine the emotional impact upon the old ones and the young ones as the ancient Word of God was proclaimed again after so long a silence during their oppression in  defeated exile. Those words Nehemiah spoke set them free again.

Luke knew the power of the Word too as he give us this scene with Jesus in the synagogue. Ifwe had read on just a few more verses, we’d get the whole picture, because in that synagogue on that day following the commentary Jesus gives to the text he has read, the congregation rose up and nearly killed him on the spot as they threw him out of town. Those folks listened with open ears but with closed hearts. Luke knew the power of the Word.

It’s all about words today, the Word of God, the Word tha.t leads to truth. It is a life-giving and life-challenging word spoken through Nehemiah, Paul, and Luke. It is a word that says: “Now is the time: to be cleansed from the darkness of sin and selfishness, to be illuminated by the truth of who we are and what we are as people who receive the Word of God”. It speaks of conversion and proclaims not just a year of favor or jubilee, but a never-ending time of jubilation that speaks to more than the forgiveness of financial debt in the third world. It speaks of the debt we sometimes refuse to forgive by our hard hearts and long held grudges. There is more to be forgiven than financial debts.

It’s all about words today, the word we speak as well. Words like: “I’m sorry. Thank you. I forgive you. I love you. You did well. I’m proud of you. You’re good….” Springing out of the hearts and minds that have been filled with the Word of God, there is comfort to the sorrowful, courage for the fearful, guidance for the lost, clarity for the confused, strength for the weak, and affirmation for the faithful.

It’s all about words today: God’s and ours. We should have a lot to say if we’ve been listening to what God has had to say. Here in the middle of winter in the first year of a new millennium, it’s probably time to start saying it, and when we do, we will finally be free and filled with Joy.

Ordinary 2

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on January 14, 2001

Posted in: Homily.

January 14, 2001

Isaiah 62:1-5 + 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 + John 2:1-11

If we take a step back into the Old Testament reading today, we can take two steps forward much deeper into the Gospel reading for this weekend. I believe that there is away of looking at the scriptures that should allow us to think of them and read them as love letters – messages from a devoted, loving God for human people who are loved, and chosen, and longed for just like any lovers who express their tenderness, their passion, and their fidelity. That, I believe, is what we have here.

In many of the world’s cultures, the marriage of two people results in a change of name. It is a change that signifies, in a public way, a change in their status as the two become one. In the ancient world out of which comes Isaiah, name changes served a similar purpose. The name was more than just a way to tell people apart. It expressed the uniqueness of the individual. A change in personal name indicated a change in the person and/or their direction and purpose in life. The scriptures are full of those changes reflected in names: Abram became Abraham, Simon became Peter, just to point to a couple of those occasions.

Isaiah is writing at the end of a very turbulent time, speaking words of hope to a dejected and disheartened people. Political changes have given then a new lease on life and signaled a new beginning and a reconciliation with the God to whom they were wedded. Their oppressors had mocked them with names like: “Forsaken” and “Desolate”; and Isaiah suggests that they now have new names like: “My delight” and “My spouse.” The people who had once played the harlot by chasing after other gods, were now being courted again by their first love.

Heard in within the tradition of these Old Testament images and dreams, the writing of John today takes on a deep and powerful character that is far more significant than it might at first seem to provide. For the gospel is not about Cana, about Mary, about miracles, about water, wine, jugs, or marriage between a husband and wife. It is a “sign” story, which is technically more than a miracle story – they’re not the same. This story is not told to fill us with awe as the miracles do; but to point us in a new direction to show us that we live in a new time and a new relationship.

It is   not  the  old  relationship of a fearful subject before a God  power, vengeance, and demanding authority; but a loving bond  like marriage between people who are passionate, loving, longing  for each other’s company, companionship, and presence.

With a wonderful and subtle shift in metaphor, Isaiah concludes his vision with a renewal of the promise that sets us up to hear this gospel with a new heart: “Your Builder shall marry you” he says.As Creator, God called us into being.As Redeemer, God saved us from the consequences of sin. As Spouse, God gives us a new name, a new identity, a new destiny.Like Israel, we know that this is almost too good to be true, more than we ever could have hoped for, or imagined.In some ways, this image of “spouse” is more exciting and promising than that of “parent”, because the spouse comes from a choice; two people freely choose to commit themselves one to the other. It is also a relationship that is creative and fruitful because out of that relationship comes life and love.

Given all of the possibilities of this image, these love letters we share today fill us with hope, renew our hearts, and give us reason to rejoice, because the sign tells us that as long as we remain in this marriage of faith, we have a great day coming, and one of us is determined to stay no matter what we do.

The Holy Family

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on December 29, 2000

Posted in: Homily.

December 29, 2000 Sirach 3:2-6,12-4 + Colossians 3:12-21 + Luke 2:41-52

If the Old Testament could guide us through the four Sundays of Advent, I think it might be worth-while to stick with that First Testament right on through the Christmas Season, and as I looked ahead, I think we will not be disappointed at what we find in the Old Testament readings as they provide commentary and insight into the Gospel for these next Sundays until we return to Ordinruy Time.

Sirach is our guide today Successors of Alexander the Great are pressing the Greek culture onto the Hebrew people, and the consequence is not just the loss of identity and religion, values and traditions, but the collapse of the family unit and with it, a loss of connection or the covenant with God. All of this, in Sirach’s eyes is beginning to wear away at the ultimate value, life itself: that fundamental element of creation through which God reveals the divine plan, the divine presence, and the divine call to oneness and holiness.

It’s not far from the experience of our own times. We can’t exactly call what is happening to us as Hellenization, and we don’t identify the culture that is sweeping across this world as Greek, but it is certainly pagan, foreign to our Judea/Christian roots and values, and disruptive of relationships and life itself. What we face is not different by anything other than time from what the Hebrews faced when Ben Sirach wrote his works. For them and for us, life is cheap, convenient, and expendable. If it isn’t convenient, comfortable, and immediately pleasing, it goes. If it isn’t pretty, young, slim, and sexy, it is of no worth. What ever does not produce pleasure, comfort, or profit immediately is to be replaced by what ever does. This is the Greek or Hellenistic system that such a challenge to the Hebrew people who found in their faithfulness to the Torah value in life, value in service, value in fidelity

Sirach writes in this third chapter a reflection upon the fourth command of God for those who keep the covenant. We know it as. “Honor Your Father and your Mother ” He saw as something bigger than that, and he saw it as a first defense against the destructive,  selfish influence of the Greek culture. He counseled his readers to strengthen their family ties, for he saw the breaking of one’s ties with parents as a breaking of one’s relationship with God. He speaks to a culture that glorifies youth, strength, beauty and fitness with a profound wisdom inspired by God’s own voice and God’s own plan.

Honor, reverence, obedience, kindness, and consideration are the terms he uses to describe the behavior of those who will not be overcome by the sweeping tide of selfish death choosing values and the me-first attitude that so threatens the life giving and redeeming values of their traditions in covenant with God.

In touching detail that makes many of us who have and who are caring for aging parents breath deeply and sigh with concern. With frail body and failing mind, the once powerful care givers are now the dependent ones looking for care, comfort, respect, and kindness. The experience of it all, growing so much more common in these years calls us to look again at the gift of life and to affirm that all moments of life are equally sacred. birth and death, youth and age, strength and frailty

Luke roots the beginnings of salvation’s story in a home where honor, reverence, obedience, kindness and consideration are the elements of growth, holiness, and wisdom. The treasure Sirach has left us, the precious inheritance we Christian people have received from our Hebrew ancestors says that every effort, legal, social, and medical must be used to preserve the dignity of life for those who face death.

The challenge the Hebrew people faced a century and a half before Christ is still being faced three thousand years later We face it with the same wisdom, the same grace, and the same courage, but more than that, we face it with the faith of Easter and with the gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit. The birth of Jesus Christ is the ultimate and divine affirmation of life itself which we are given to preserve, to protect, to nurture; never to take. That is God’s will. If we are to remain faithful and in relationship to God, we shall on this earth as a human family with respect, with honor, with reverence, obedience, kindness, and consideration .

Christmas Morning

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on December 25, 2000

Posted in: Homily.

December 25, 2000 Isaiah 52:7-10 + Hebrews 1:1-6 + John 1:1-18

Luke had his shepherds who left their flocks and wandered into the city of David, his angels who left their heavenly post coming down to earth with news of great joy. Matthew had his wise men who traveled long and far to see what had been foretold and revealed.Even still in this day, we are a people anxious to see what has happened to us, ard find any trace of the wonderful thing that has taken place.People flock all over the place to see signs of God’s presence.They want to imagine shadows, reflections, and sometimes clouds, to be heavenly visitors. and the mere suggestion of such a phenomenon draws the pious and the curious,all in search of the “Bethlehem” of today. Ifwe take the Bible literally. we go to a land tom by war and hatred, a land now reaping a harvest of distrust and violence from generations of armies and weapons of destruction.

I have been there. All you see there is old buildings, with their history in the age of the crusades. There is nothing standing over there from the time of Christ. Nothing.All of it, except for some geographical sites are less than a thousand years old.It is a disappointing scene where carefully guarded tourists take videos and flash pictures, sing Christmas carols, and then board buses returning to hotels and restaurants that most of the people who live there could never afford to frequent.It is all a great search for Bethlehem, a great desire for the City of David with it’s hope and its promise, it’s faithful and it’s peace.

The Gospel of Luke speaks warmly of Bethlehem but it is not the only story that attempts to reveal the mystery of God’s presence in the world and it is not the only story that urges us to seek that presence.The church offers us another story today from John’s Gospel.A story that speaks to adults about an adult Christ at Christmas. This story begins not with an angel’s announcement to a poor young girl in Nazareth, but with the beginning of creation by the Creator The words and the voice speaking are not angelic, they are divine.

What is revealed in this story is the central mystery- of Christian faith. that God comes to us as “light”, as a person “enlightened.” What those who hear this Gospel are tempted to seek, is not Bethlehem, but rather “Light.”

The holy book names him “the light of all nations”, so he does not come among us as king, ruler, or conqueror. He sits on no throne, and commands no great force.Instead, he comes as a broken body for the hungry and blood spilled for the thirsty. Instead, he sits on our altar where we might eat and drink of the deepest truth of this feast:which is his glory poured out in loving service among those considered impure, outsiders, vulnerable, frightened and alone. He comes to let us see -to draw us out of the darkness of our selfishness, and to enlighten the faces of all in creation that the face of God can be seen in the light.He comes not as a precious memory of the past, but as one who is among us todayto form us in words and deeds of grace and truth. My dear friends and visitors,as we awake this Christmas morning,we greet the dawn where our dreams come true and ancient promises are fulfilled.We see what we long to see:peace and love, forgiveness and joy that is never overcome by darkness.

By his grace in faith, we are a people who live in the and it is the day that has no end.My Christmas wish for you today  is that you will seek the light,come out of the darkness of sin and selfishness, anger and pain to stand in the light of this day that never ends,to see the light of God’s presence shining in the bright eyes  of those around you,  and  live with the joy of all our hopes and dreams fulfilled.

Our Bethlehem is this altarwhere we become one with what is broken guided by the light of this Word we proclaim with great joy Peace be with you.

Advent 4

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on December 24, 2000

Posted in: Homily.

December 24, 2000 Micah 5:1-4 + Hebrews 10:5-10 + Luke 1:39-45

Jeremiah, Baruch, Zephaniah, and Micah have served as our guides through the season of Advent. Jeremiah, a prophet of Justice, Baruch a Prophet of Mercy, Zephaniah our prophet of Joy leading us now, hours away from our celebration of Christmas, to Micah, the prophet of Peace.

He had a very unique insight, perhaps writing as he did during a time when Jerusalem was under siege by an Assyrian King. He seems to have understood that might and power do not, in themselves have the potential of bringing peace. His insight is, to this day, being confirmed all around us. The land we call “Holy” is, even as in his day, war tom and under siege by forces of great might. They have guns, and bombs. They have power and military might, but they have no peace. Micah’s insight is that it’s because they have no God.

Without a vision of the Kingdom, without the conviction that real and true peace comes from God and is only possible where God is present there will never be Peace. Micah would tell us that this is exactly what is wrong in Ireland, in Bosnia and Croatia, in the Middle East, and too often as well, in the cities of this land in it’s homes. The presence of God in the hearts of people is a power different from the kind of might and force that continues to try to force, coerce, and manipulate peoples into submission.

The presence of God in the hearts of people is a power of forgiveness and of service. It is humble and respectful and acknowledges the face of God in the lives of all others. Without God, there is no peace there is only repression and resentment. Memory of harm and wrong done is greater than the memory of God’s love.Revenge heaps wrong upon wrong, and denies the face of God in the eyes of an offender

Micah speaks of Peace, a Peace that is not possible without the Justice of Jeremiah, the Mercy of Baruch, and the Joy of Zephaniah. Our perspective as a people called to faithfulness must change the way we perceive power and weakness. Early in his Gospel, Luke begins to reveal this perspective in the prayer of Mary, the Magnificat. The piety of the canticle which so beautifully  captures the piety of Macy, the first of the disciples of Jesus, exalts the lowly and sees the powerful pulled down. It sees the barren bear fruit, and anticipates the victory of the weak because of their trust in God.

Justice, Mercy, Joy and Peace:qualities of the Kingdom born among us.qualities of the people who believe that what was spoken to us by the Lord would be fulfilled.It is the promise of Peace that brings this Advent to a close.It is the promise of Peace that give us cause to celebrate the Feast of tomorrowIt is the promise of Peace that motivates us to forgiveness, calls us to Justice, teaches us Mercy, and leads us to Joy

Advent 3

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on December 17, 2000

Posted in: Homily.

December 17,2000 Zephania 3:14-18 + Philippians 4:4-7 + Luke 3:10-18

Jeremiah, Baruch, Zephaniah, and Micah are our guides through the season of Advent. Jeremiah’s justice led us to Baruch’s mercy, and today Zephaniah leads us further into our reflective preparation for Christmas. He speaks to a faithful few who are emerging into their society after the reign of Manasseh – a king whose reign saw infant sacrifice, idols worship, and sacred prostitution introduced into the Temple. He and his worthless son are gone, and a young king, Josiah emerges with great promise and hope for a return to covenant fidelity with Yahweh.

For people living in our age and in this season, Zephaniah speaks words of support and encouragement. He speaks to people who have wondered where God is, who have a hard time being faithful to values, to a vision of the Kingdom not always too clear, and to a God who seems silent, absent, and distant. Some of our neighbors experience life heavily burdened and hopeless. This prophet, with bold words and strong talk reminds us that our pride causes wounds around us, that our greed is starving someone, that our lust is making use of someone else and deprives that person of freedom.

Obviously, some of our concerns are less global. No matter how we try to have a bigger vision of life, we’re rooted in Oklahoma, in our neighborhoods, and always our families. Sometimes we feel lost in our work, unable to find meaningful, satisfying work that allows us to serve others and just “make a difference.” Relationships go awry leaving us lonely and unsure if we can or ought to even try to love again. Mindless activity drains away precious energy, and television, the internet, shopping end up diminishing our lives rather than enhancing, and somehow, the last weeks of December always seem to make these feelings stronger for many

Yet, men and women grounded in God’s love are not looking for platitudes to sustain them in difficult times. They guard against self-pity and are sustained by the kind of faith, hope, love, and commitment that Zephania preaches. If Jeremiah is the prophet of Justice, Baruch is the Prophet of Mercy, then Zaphania will be our prophet of Joy as we follow their lead through this season.

The Advent he offers is a season of Joy – not necessarily “Happiness.” They’re not the same thing, as we know only too well. Happiness fades. The Christmas gifts get opened, enjoyed, and put away, and often with them goes the “Happiness.” Joy on the other hand is that spirit which sustains us and lifts us in the midst of unhappy times – that quality of life, that vision of creation which sees the loving hand of God in all things. It sustains us through loneliness, boredom, grief, and misery It brings a certain light to dark days and bleak times. It is a commitment to a future that is not yet here, but already can be seen in dawn of every beginning. It is that strength of character that holds us through heart break and steadies us when we realize that everything in life cannot be explained.

Justice, Mercy, and Joy   Qualities of the Kingdom born among us. Qualities of the people grounded in love, born in the spirit, led by the light. Joy is the surest sign of God’s presence. It is the reflection in human form of the divine pleasure in all creation. It is the purest motive for human kindness. The Baptist too in the Gospel today points to joy when he suggests that acts of kindness ought not be random but intentional – and when they are, there will be joy

..

Advent 2

Posted by Father Tom Boyer on December 10, 2000

Posted in: Homily.

December 10, 2000 Baruch 5:1-9 + Philippians 1:4-6,8-11 + Luke 3:1-6

Jeremiah, Baruch, Zephaniah, and Micah are our guides through the season of Advent. Jeremiah, the prophet of Justice gives way this week to Baruch. Thought to be a scribe of Jeremiah, the Prophetic Book comes from a later time when an abandoned and occupied Jerusalem has been transformed by a God who is faithful to the promise. The words of the Prophet ring with the truth that it is God who saves, for left to ourselves, we can do nothing but heap one offense upon another in spiral of self-destruction.

The Prophet saw Jerusalem as a mother and the faithful as her descendants. From our perspective in the New Testament, we are that mother – that church, that holy city, the New Jerusalem looking to the east and the west wrapped in the cloak of Justice from God. In as much as we can embrace the promise of Mercy, God’s coming is reason for Joy, not fear. Our hope, and the hope we can offer to this world through this season is that the light of God’s glory will brighten this world because we have made mercy and justice our companions. When this world comes to see mercy in us, it will, as the Gospel of Luke says today, “have come to see the salvation of God.”

More than waiting for Justice, we are a people waiting for Mercy. We are a people who have in every generation made a mess of justice, so much so, that many fear the coming of our God.Baruch teaches us that Justice and Mercy belong together, and so the coming of God brings hope of-consolation, not the fear of condemnation.

One look at this world days away from a new millennium reveals so clearly how much we need again to hear the message of Baruch. Our “justice” is so harsh. Our “justice” is so unfair. Our “justice” is so punitive, vengeful, and even corrupt. But the justice with which Jerusalem shall be wrapped when it lives in the presence of God is a Justice with Mercy and that Justice is the Glory of God.

If Jeremiah is the prophet of Justice, Baruch is the Prophet of Promise: the Promise of God’s saving presence. The message of this writer – two centuries before the birth of Christ keeps us mindful of the fact that while we cannot produce our own salvation, ours is a God who has not left us to fend for ourselves. The Son of Justice comes to lead us home.

Leading us further into this Season of Advent, the text of Baruch gives voice to truth that left to itself humankind can produce nothing, and the truth that the resources of our own salvation do not lie within the possibilities of human history. What we need, what we long for, and that for which we wait lies outside our abilities. Deep in the heart of Baruch’s writer is a God who has freely and lovingly chosen to become involved in human history; and therein lies the very heart and focus of this season.