Church of St. Mary at Clinton Heights

This past Monday evening, the junior high school students in our faith formation program were asked the first question about baptism.  Nothing at all theoretical, but very, very practical and particular to each one of them: “on what day were you baptized?”  We didn’t ask what powers flow from baptism, what anointing take place at baptism, why Christ was baptized since He is God…no, none of these questions, simply if they knew the day on which the rest of their lives would be changed forever.  [Okay, if you must know, I was baptized on August 11^ththe Feast of St. Clareat Transfiguration Parish in San Jose, California.]

Let’s be honest, few, if any of us, recall the particular date because, quite frankly, the date isn’t important.  What IS important is WHAT happened to us at baptism and WHY, isn’t it?  And that answer begins with today’s scriptures.

We hear the prophecy of Isaiah in today’s first reading that Justice will be borne by One who Himself is the Lord’s servant, God’s chosen one, with whom He is well pleased. This One, once revealed, will take all others burdens and lay them upon His own shoulders, thus restoring what was lost or stolen.  This prophecy, this prefigurement needs only to be fulfilled.  And from our second reading, Peter details such a restored justice in the times of the early Christian community, does he not?  He says, “God shows no partiality…everyone, everyone who is ‘just’, is acceptable in the sight of God.”  So, what is the pivotal moment where all this takes place…who is the pivotal character who has it come to pass?

After Jesus’ own baptismnot during…remember that the baptism of John was merely a sign of repentance using waterso, after Jesus’ baptism He is at prayer.  [When Jesus prays in the Scriptures, it’s often a signal to us that something significant is about to come.]  And it happened that heaven opened and the Holy Spirit anointed Him.  The pivotal moment has begun: Jesus Christ submits Himself to the will of the Father; He is anointed by the Holy Spirit and empowered for His ministry as the Father’s Beloved Son…with whom, He is well pleased.  The water did nothing to Him, but the anointing from the Holy Spirit empowers Him now to preach to the nations…and He does!

By Jesus’ humble act: approaching for John’s baptism when He did not need it as Savior; in His strong desire to be in complete communion with all of humanityevery one of us who approach the waters for re-birth; in His deepest longing for justice to be restored among all of us, Jesus’ desires of His heart are what prompt the Father of Heaven to declare, “You are my Beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.”

My brothers and sistersfor that is what we are in baptismmy brothers and sisters, at your own baptism, the same was pronounced.  In Jesus’ ministry to establish justice for the earth; in the Spirit’s anointing of us at the waters of baptismwaters blessed by the Son who called us into union with Him by adoption; in God the Father’s passionate longing for us to again be fully alive with Him, clearly, we are God’s beloved sons and daughters.  Our work now is to live up to our calling: living by the will of the Father, and being continually blessed by His pleasure.

Don’t worry about when you were baptized; but never forget how and why you were baptized.  We were called into a new and saving life by the One who humbled Himself to take up our cause…One who re-establishes justice for all who suffer and invites us to work in union with Him…One whose only and divine motive is that we will inherit the Kingdom prepared for the faithful from the beginning: life eternal which began at our baptism and is continuing even today and every day.

As soon as they became aware of the appearance of the star, the Magi at once, without asking any questions, made preparations to seek out their Redeemer.  So powerfully did they feel impelled, so ardent was their desire to arrive at the place revealed by the star, they did not delay a moment.  The Magi set out because of a deep desire which prompted them to leave everything and begin the journey they had been waiting for, and upon seeing the star, they followed.  They came from the darkness of unbelief to the knowledge of true faith, and thus they are fathers for us in our faith, aren’t they?

Our response to the Father’s offer of salvationthe offer made by the birth of His Son in our midstour response to His offer must be that of the Magi: for by offering gold they proclaim Christ’s kingship, by offering incense they adore His divinity, and by offering myrrh they acknowledge His mortality…that he will die.  By offering of these great gifts, the Magi are holding nothing back from Him that is rightly His in the first place.  They are more and more free now, convinced that their King and God is in their midst, fulfilling His ancient promise…and they turn themselves over to Him.

The Magi see Him for who He is and they respond.  In fact, creation responds as well: when the king of heaven was born, the heavens knew that He was God for they immediately sent forth a star; the sea knew Him because it would allow Him to walk upon the waters; the earth knew Him because it trembled when He died; the sun knew Him for it hid the rays of its light one afternoon.

So, my sisters and brothers, our own response to Christ’s epiphany must be that of the Magi.  For if those gentiles could see Him as their God, their Savior, their Light, their Hope…clearly we know the rest of His story and must declare at least as much!  Our Epiphany Proclamation of the dates of various and significant feasts throughout this upcoming year, invites us to come to Him throughout these great feasts, to receive His revelation of God, and to worship and adore.

Yes, our response to The Gift of God is now necessary in very practical terms: to seek Him, to accept Him, to serve Him, and to bless Him all our days.  And once we do, once we acknowledge that the manifestation of the Son of God to the world on the Feast of the Epiphany, we will see that Christ is begging belief from us, that He might show us the power of the gifts offered to him as King, and Lord, and Redeemer, and that He might then lead us home by another way….

[These reflections were shared at a special Mass on the Feast of the Holy Innocents held at our parish on December 28, just a few short weeks after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  During this liturgy of remembrance, twenty-six white lilies were placed under the statues of the Holy Family.]

“It is fitting that we honor the little and very innocent children and their teachers whose lives were tragically taken from us just a few short weeks ago in a small school in Sandy Hook.  We honor them and pray fervently for their entry into heaven as we, today, keep the festival of those thousands of little Innocents who gave of their lives two thousand years ago in Bethlehem, in defense of the Christ child.  Beyond this, there isn’t much that can be said to soothe the hearts of all who mourn each of these deaths.

You recall the three gifts brought to the Christ child by the magi?  Gold, frankincense and myrrh, but it is this third gift that might give us some consolation.  Myrrh, a rare spice most often found in the form of ointment that was used to embalm the body of one who has died.  Even at his earthly birth, the Christ child promptly receives the precious gift that will surely be needed at the horrendous conclusion of his thirty-three short years.  But the gift is not for him: it is now destined to be offered by him to be the balm, the salve, the ointment that will wash and prepare the thousands of innocent young boys whose lives were stolen and forever silenced by Herod.  Even at his birth, Christ is offering salvation (from the latin salve) to those who suffer innocently, even unknowingly.

And so it is again in our own time: as these twenty and six were robbed of their sweet lives; as countless elderly are ushered so swiftly and cruelly to their early deaths; as thousands upon thousands of little lives are never even given the opportunity to pass through birth into this world…and for the countless, faceless who suffer the loss of their innocence in so many horrific ways by the hands of treacherous others; for each of these the Christ child offers again and again His salve, His balm, His gift of anointing.  He knows them by name, He loves them by soul, He redeems them by His grace.

These are enough words: now may the work and ministry of the Christ child pour forth in our hearts and throughout our world.  And may the Holy Innocentsof today and of long agoshare in the joy, peace and majesty of God’s heavenly throne.”

This past Monday evening, about 160 of you gathered with 6 priests and celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  For some it’s a practice that you exercise a couple times a year; for others maybe a little less often; and for others, maybe it had been a much longer while.  But for almost all, there is a feeling of awkwardness isn’t there?  Maybe shame is the source of apprehension; maybe not feeling the full sorrow one really wants to feel makes it difficult; maybe fear of reprimand adds to the anxiety…no matter what, as penitents, oftentimes we feel awkward approaching the sacrament.  Yet, after the service was completed, several of you said how beautiful it was for you: a real source of peace and grace; a palpable sense of freedom and liberation; a sure source of comfort leading to renewed joy.  And several confessors were so pleased that folks really approached the sacrament looking for forgiveness and a fresh start this Advent.  What great spiritual gifts for us!

From this, we can see that although there may be an awkwardness, the decision to simply jump over it and have an encounter with the Lord pays off.  Maybe another example will help: two weeks ago I was at the food market and ran into a parishioner that I hadn’t seen for a few months.  Knowing she would be in an awkward position, I simply went up to her, gave a hug, andin my usual stylejust started yapping.  Turns out, she was able to confide in me and share her situation a bit and, after sharing a few thoughts from my perspective, she was so grateful and happy she saw me.  See, just by diffusing the awkwardness, or as I like to say “jump over it”, we were both free to have a meaningful encounter.

And in our gospel, we hear of another meaningful encounter that could’ve been quite awkward: the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.  Mary is a young teenager, an unwed virgin, yet she is with child.  Although this could have been very awkward indeed, Mary must share the joy she has and she must also share the joy of Elizabeth and the child in her womb.  Ignoring the awkward situations, Mary and Elizabeth, and the infants in their wombs were able to encounter each other and rejoice.  And why not?  Our second reading today tells us that we have each been consecrated by the will of Christ to bear him, possess him.

The Visitation that we heard about is only one of so many that would follow: each time we gather for Mass, the Liturgy of the Word is an annunciation and visitation; the Liturgy of the Eucharist is then Christ coming in us!  As much as the Word of God may challenge us and make us awkward, still, to engage ourselves with Him will always be a continued source of blessing, if only we “jump over” the awkwardness and enter into an encounter with God in the Church.

In just a few days, I promise, the encounter will again be spectacular!  A happy last days of Advent to each of you.

 “What should we do?” was the question posed to John the Baptist as he preached to crowds, toll collectors and soldiers: to those who were longing in their hearts for the coming of the messiah, John encouraged them to live righteously in the everyday circumstances in which they would find themselves.

“What should we do?” was the question so many of us asked when just 14 days ago, teenagers Chris Stewart and Deanna Rivers were innocently returning from a basketball game and were killed in a traumatic car accident on the Northway.  They were living righteously, so “what should we do?”

“What should we do?” was the question every one of us muttered on Friday as we heard the horrific and senseless tragedy unfold in Newtown, Connecticut.  Our beautiful children were living innocently… so “what should we do?”

And for one family just yesterday, as they prepared to face the death of their beloved dad and husbanda pillar of a man, with great virtue and constancythey cried out silently “what should we do?”  And with that plea, they called for me to anoint him for a last time; they asked for the Church to pray with them, and for them, and for him.

These are but a few of the many, many times we might find such a question in our hearts or on our lips.  It’s an age-old concern, but not without a response.  When the people came to John with this very question, he gives them the most reasonable, commonsense reply.  He says in effect, “Live reality.  God is asking you to be faithful to the ordinary circumstances of your life.  He will make himself evident there.”  And with that the people were filled with expectation.

They could hear the meaning of John’s words because they had heard it before, in other ways and other places.  From our first reading, for example, the prophet Zephaniah declares, “shout for joy; sing joyfully; the Lord your God is in your midst…He will rejoice over you…and renew you in His love”.  The people would have heard these words from childhood, and because of this, John was merely an echo of the Jewish faith.

For the toll collectors, John exhorted them to take only what was prescribed by the law, only what was required by the state for a passage tax.  Oftentimes, such tolls were increased for the benefit of the collector alone.  John urges them to be fair and responsible in their official dealings with others.

For the soldiers, John charged them to be peaceable, honest, and authentic defenders of true justice.  In all of their duties, soldiers were to protect the people and the virtues of their office…nothing more, nothing less.

And for the crowds, John urged them to share themselves with others most generously.  If blessed, share your blessing with the needy; if healthy, share mercy with the downtrodden; if strong, help leverage the weak; if rich, share all that you do not need with the poor.

In all of these, John is asking the people to understand that when such gifts of honesty, peace and justice, mercy and compassion, generosity and empathy are lived out in their everyday lives, God is in their midst to lead them rejoicing.

And with that, the people turn from their anxiety and fear and desperation: John made them attentive to their own hearts without neglecting anything of their humanity.  You see, they were able to exalt with all their being because they knew they could trust the desires of their hearts: the desires for real & living love amongst each one; the desires for freedom and acceptance within their communities; the desires for affection, care and support among their sisters and brothers…in all adversity, suffering or fear…they knew that such desires were good and right.  And those desires all demonstrate the closeness of God, for the Lord is as near as the next moment and whatever it brings.

And so it can be for us as well:

• our hearts desire healing when sickness invades or hope fades;
• our hearts desire forgiveness when we stumble and harm another;
• our hearts desire love, both giving and receiving, yes being “wrapped” in love;
• our hearts long for lasting peace when turmoil surrounds;
• our hearts desire a justice that serves well and protects each and every one of us;
• our hearts desire safety for the innocent, care for the forgotten, comfort for the sick, and home for those cast out.

These are all of the goods of our humanity, these are all of the graces we can rightly seek, these are all the blessings that can demonstrateeverydayjust how near God is to us.

And so we rejoice, not with an ignorant happiness; no, our lives are definitely not all about happiness (as I eluded a few minutes ago).  But our lives still can be rooted in the deep and abiding joy that our strong faith gives: our sure belief is that God is with us, and so we are able to express a solid hope that He will redeem us and make us His own.  That’s the source of our Advent JOY.

Tomorrow evening, we will have the opportunity to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation with 7 area priests coming to St. Mary’s.  If you have found that your own everyday life and the choices you’ve been making steer you away from a path toward God, if you’ve been despairingnot caring for the gift of faith, if you’ve simply become lazy in seeking out goodness and sharing it with those around you, this is an ideal moment and opportunity to hear God’s invitation to “Rejoice”.  Please, trust God’s love and mercy, and let Him show you how near He is to you.

A further question might be: not “what should we do?” but rather, “why should we do?”  Because when we do such gracious things, they help each one of us to see the salvation of God in our midst.  Acting upon the longings of the human heart reminds us, reinforces us, and emboldens us then to cry out to God with rejoicing.

And finally, “how should we do?”  I would suggest that we seek the example of the Lord Jesus: He faced up to all of those things that stood in the way of these ‘desires of the heart’, not with fury or retribution, but rather with true affection for the wrongdoer to be converted to goodness; He called people to dwell so near to Him and, by establishing the Church, continues to call us together each week so that we might share support, a common purpose in expressing our faith, and a singular prayer for God’s grace to assist us in the many times of need that we so often face; He mercifully forgave those who sinned against Him and encouraged them to seek righteousness anew.  And in so many other ways, Jesus shared the desires of His heart with ours.

So, here is a key: we do as Jesus does; and we do so because, in this way, God’s presence is again made manifest; we do as Jesus does because He is the Lord of lords, the one who came to set us free, bring us life, and lead us home.

Rejoice, church, for this is our heritage, our calling, and our blessed destiny.

God love you always.