Here's a video (above) of my homily for Sunday, January 18 and here's the gospel text I preached on - and the text of my homily follows. I know that some folks skip the video and read the text - but if you want to hear the musical element in my homily, please take a look at the video! (If a video doesn't appear above, click here!)
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Well, if you're paying attention and
have a halfway decent memory, you'll recall that last week's gospel also
featured John the Baptist – and - what transpired when Jesus approached
him at the Jordan River - and - how the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form
of a dove.
Two weeks in a row -
the same story. Seems early in the season to me for a rerun!
I was struggling on
how to preach on this (since I already preached on John last week) until I was
in my book group on Friday - and we were discussing all the discord and
the turmoil in the news these days. And a friend at the table said,
"I need a way to find peace in the midst of all of this." I need a way to find peace in the midst of
all this…
And as soon as he
said that - I felt as if the Holy Spirit came down on ME - not in the
form of a dove!
And I knew for
certain what I was called to preach this weekend.
When I read or
listen to the news these days, I find myself increasingly more troubled,
confused, angry, exasperated, disappointed, hurt and helpless. And it’s precisely then - in the midst
of all that - that I need to look up and see John the Baptist, and Jesus
approaching him, and I need to hear John announcing:
"Hey, everybody - look! Here comes Jesus - the Lamb of God. He's coming to take away the sin of the world. He's coming to relieve you of your troubles, anger, confusion, exasperation, your disappointment and hurt. He's coming to be the strength you look for when you feel so powerless.”
If I call myself a
Christian- and I do.
If I name myself as
one who follows Jesus - and I do.
If I believe that
Jesus forgives MY sin - and - has the strength and power to take away
the trouble, anger, confusion, exasperation, disappointment, and hurt
that MY sin dumps in the laps, in the lives, in the hearts of
those who feel powerless over MY words and deeds --- then I might also look to Jesus, I might behold
him (as John tells us). I might look to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world in which I live.
Now, is all that
little more than pious fluff? Or does it have some
real meaning, some nitty gritty IM-plications and APPlications - for my life
and for yours?
Well, the answer to
that question is this: John's announcement
about Jesus is either everything or it's nothing. It's either true
or it's false. It's either everything in my daily life and yours,
or it's nothing – it’s pious fluff.
I'm not suggesting
here - or more importantly, the gospel is not suggesting here - that if we
believe in Jesus, then all our problems will go away. We don't believe that.
But we do believe is
that the deepest peace we will ever know in the midst of this broken
world - will be the peace we find in Jesus - while we are living in this
broken world.
We believe that the deepest
peace we will ever know will be found not in the present
administration, nor in its alternative - but in Jesus.
We believe that the deepest
peace we will ever know will be found not in the Constitution of the
United States of America - but in Jesus.
We believe that the deepest
peace we will ever know will be found not in any decisions of the
Supreme Court - but in Jesus.
We believe that the deepest
peace we will ever know will be found not in our trouble, anger,
confusion, exasperation, disappointment and hurt. No, not there - but in Jesus.
Of course, finding
our deepest peace in Jesus in no way relieves us of our responsibility,
of our call as Christians to work for, to protect and defend,
to ensure those civil laws and structures that guarantee and safeguard
the dignity and rights of every human being on the face of the earth - without
exception.
But while engaged
in the struggle to achieve all of that - we Christians find our deepest
peace, our ultimate peace, the peace we seek - only in Jesus -who
is our peace and who is the way to the peace for which you and I
hunger and thirst.
So, when we read or
listen to the news these days and find ourselves feeling increasingly troubled,
confused, angry, exasperated, disappointed, and hurt, and helpless - it's
precisely then - in the midst of all of that - that we need to
look up and see John the Baptist, and Jesus approaching him, and hear John
announcing:
Hey, everybody, look! Here comes Jesus, the Lamb of God! He's coming to take away the sin of the world. He's coming to relieve us of our troubles, anger, and confusion, our exasperation, disappointment, and hurt. He's coming to be the strength we seek when, in our helplessness, we feel powerless. He’s coming with grace and peace from God, for all who call upon his name.
And that's why we
pray, every time we come to Mass, just before communion:
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil. Graciously grant peace in our days that by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress - as we await the blessed hope, the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ - who is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
Or we could sing the
same prayer…
In the morning when
I rise
In the morning when
I rise
In the morning, when
I rise
Give me Jesus!
Give
me Jesus, Give me Jesus!
You
may have all this world
Give
me Jesus…
Oh, and when the
road is rough
Oh, and when my
spirit's down
O and when I'm losing
hope
Give me Jesus!
Yes, and when I come
to die.
Oh, and when I come
to die
Yes, and when I come
to die
Give me Jesus!
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