November 2009

We have reached a new beginning, the first Sunday of a new liturgical season, Advent. Every year the Church leads us through the different liturgical seasons.

The first season is Advent, followed by Christmas.

After Christmas we have a few weeks of what is called Ordinary Time. Then we begin the season of Lent, which leads into the Easter season. And with Pentecost, we get back into Ordinary time. Each one of these liturgical seasons has its own meaning. They have special days, celebrations, and traditions. They even have special colors. Taken all together, the seasons of the liturgy are a spiritual tour. The Church is the tour guide.

Why does the Church insist on taking us through this yearly tour of salvation history?

Why do we have to revisit the same celebrations and seasons every single year?

The first reason behind the liturgical seasons is negative, and the second is positive. The negative reason is simply that the Church doesn’t want us to forget about what’s most important in our lives.

The second reason behind the liturgical seasons is more positive.

The seasons are designed to help us grow in grace. During each liturgical season, as we turn the attention of our minds and hearts to the different truths of Catholic doctrine and events of Christ’s life, our souls receive fresh nourishment and enlightenment. The liturgical seasons help us grow spiritually. As we go through life, the truths of our faith stay the same, but we change. And so, every time we revisit them, we see new aspects of them.

God always has something fresh to say to us, and he says it through our contemplation of his Son, Jesus Christ. Each event in Christ’s life, celebrated through the liturgical seasons, is a flowing fountain of wisdom, and every time we go back to it, we are refreshed and strengthened anew; we grow in grace.

Advent is about the coming of Christ: his first coming two thousand years ago, his future coming at the end of history, and his present coming in our lives today. Our job during this month before Christmas is to focus our attention on that, to pray about it, to reflect on it, to let it touch our lives. But we don’t have to wait until tomorrow to start our Advent activities: we can start right now, with this Mass.

Christ will come to us during this Mass, faithfully entering into our lives through the Eucharist, just as he entered into the world at the first Christmas. Let’s make sure he finds plenty of room in our hearts, in our life and in our families.

Today we celebrate the last Sunday in the Ordinary time. Next Sunday we start Advent. When we celebrate the Last Sunday of the Ordinary time, we celebrate Feast of Christ the King. Christ is the King of heaven and earth.

In today’s Gospel we heard that Jesus was questioned where his kingdom is? They did not realize that he was the King of the Jews, the Romans, that He was the King of all creation.

Living in so called democratic society, we do not want a King. We do not want anybody ruling over us. We want to be the one who make all the decisions for ourselves. And we think that we do that. But really, are we the one who makes all the decisions for ourselves?

We might like or dislike the president, congress, however we still have to obey the laws that they put into life. More so with our King Jesus. We might disagree with His ruling. We might not like His laws. But if we want to go to His Kingdom that is in heaven, we have no choice. Moreover, we might dislike Him as our King, but did we ask ourselves if He wanted, and still wants to be our King?

Who wants to be a King of a people who are rebellious all the time, who would not honor the king all the time.
Jesus knew that in order to save all of us, that we might come to His kingdom in heaven, He will have to fulfill His obligations – that is to suffer and to die for our sins. He doesn’t give up being our King because He loves us.

Jesus fulfilled His obligations, to His Father and to the love He bears for us. Now is our turn to fulfill the promises we made during our baptisms through our parents and God parents, those who are confirmed, have to fulfill the promises that we made during confirmation. We have to do that in order to prepare ourselves for Advent, the time we await the birth of Christ.

But what is even more important we have to do that in order to prepare ourselves for the Second coming of our King Jesus. During that time He will determine if we are worthy to enter His Kingdom.

Jimmy was about ten years old. A gang of teen-agers gave him a lot of trouble: they pushed him off the sidewalk, tripped him in the school yard, and even stole his lunch. For fear they would give him even more trouble ore even beat him up. Jimmy did not tell that to anybody.

One day this gang got especially rough. Jimmy couldn’t stand that any more and said: “I’m going to tell my big brother on you.” They laugh, and replied: “bring him and he will get from us as well”

Several days later the gang saw Jimmy coming down the street, and with him was six-footer dressed in an army uniform brother John. Suddenly John demanded: “OK you little punks give him the money you took.” They emptied their pockets and then promised to get the rest of the stolen money.

This Story came to mind when I prepared today’s Homily; when I read today’s Gospel. In Today’s Gospel Jesus describes Himself at the final judgment: “They will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory.”

Usually the thought of the last judgment gives us fear. However, we should think in a very positive way of that last judgment. To us who try to serve the Lord, it should give a great hope and joyful expectation, something like the hope in the heart of Jimmy that his big brother would straighten things out.

For us who try to follow Christ, the thought of the last judgment should be a joyful happy one. That is the theme of the words we pray right after Our Father of this Mass:

“In your mercy keep us free from sin
and protect us from all anxiety
as we wait IN JOYFUL HOPE
for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

And then and the people respond aloud: “For the kingdom, the POWER, and the GLORY are yours, now and for ever.”

In the Eucharistic prayer we use expression: “Ready to greet Him when He comes again.” In that same prayer, in the remembrance of the dead that we use during funerals we declare the certainty of faith: “Christ will raise our mortal bodies and make them like His in GLORY…. We hope to share in your GLORY when every tear shall be wiped away.”

Yes, we look forward to the coming of our Big Brother, Jesus. Who truly is powerful and glorious, and loving without limits to His little brothers and sisters, you and me. True, He will be fearsome to those who knowingly despise and ignore Him, who persecute His little brothers and sisters, His followers, But He will be powerful and glorious to those of us who try to praise, honor and follow Him.

“A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then Jesus called his disciples and said to them, ‘I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are donated to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she from her poverty, has contributed all she had.”

Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

Jesus praised a widow who made a very small offering. He praised her because it was all she had. Jesus did not judge an offering by its size, but by what it cost the giver.

Mother Teresa told a story how one day a beggar came up to her and said, ‘Mother Teresa, everybody is giving to you for the poor. I also want to give. Today for the whole day, I got only thirty cents. I want to give it to you.’ Mother Teresa went on: ‘It was a big sacrifice for this poor man, who had sat in the sun all day long and received only thirty cents. Thirty cents is a small amount. I can get nothing with it, but as he gave it up and I took it. It became like thousands, because it was given with so much love. God looks, not at the greatness of the work, but at the love with which it is performed.’

The readings today tell similar stories of generosity. Both concern very poor people – two widows. We wonder how someone who was as poor as the widow in the Gospel was able to perform an act of such spontaneous goodness. The practice of generosity was in her heart and in action. It was not achieved by a few great deeds but by a lot of little ones.

When we do a good deed, we may do it to impress others, rather than out of the goodness of our heart. This introduces an element of performance – we are performing for an audience. Or without any attention we may do good deed. In that way what we do and give has a better chance of being anonymous. Our deed is more likely to come from heart and from Christian love.

Brothers and Sisters!

Even though no one else noticed what the widow had done, Jesus noticed it and praised it because the widow in the Gospel story gave her all. Let us pray that God may help us to imitate the faith and generosity of the widow!

He has been generous with us!
Everything we have is a gift from Him!
Therefore let us to be generous with others! Amen.