Church of St. Mary at Clinton Heights

[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.