Father Rick Bolte's Homily

C: 1st SUNDAY OF ADVENT

In today’s gospel we again have a contrast established between “the people” and Jesus’ followers. We’re told that the people will see signs and wonders that they can’t understand. They will be dismayed and perplexed. They will die of fright of what may be coming. However Jesus tells his followers that the same signs and wonders should prompt them to stand erect and raise their heads. They have nothing to fear but only to welcome their redemption.

We would like to be in that group of Jesus’ followers. We would like to be the people who have lived according to our values and the priorities we claim for ourselves. But we know we don’t. Part of our interest in trying to know the “day” of Christ’s second coming is we would like to have time to prepare. If we knew we had one day, we could probably live the way we believe for that 24 hour period. A week would give us more time but we likely would struggle some to live our values for the whole week. If we had a month and especially a year, we would have a hard time living our values consistently until we were closer to the time. That is much the issue Luke is dealing with in his community. He is writing 40 to 50 years after Jesus’ death and Resurrection. The early Christian communities were expecting Jesus’ return to be very soon. Luke is worrying that the delay has allowed the distractions of everyday life to distract their focus from God’s kingdom.

What is it that “the people” fear? The imagery is of cosmic, cataclysmic events. But the meaning is of a world seemingly turned upside-down because the things we actually value (not the things we say we want to value) prove to be of little value. The ‘judgment’ is not so much God passing judgment on us as it is simply our facing the truth. Jesus said last week in the readings for Christ the King, “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." What we fear is a world where the truth is revealed and we can’t escape from it.

All of us likely profess “good” values. None of us lives up to our values. Most of us don’t like to admit that. A few weeks ago I spoke about accountability; about the need to have someone we dare to be honest and accountable to. This isn’t easy for many of us. When we started the Offertory Program people were asked to commit to what they believed they could give per week. It got hard when people received their quarterly notice saying “this is what you pledged and this is what you’ve given.” It was no bill and there was no judgment, just the truth. There were a lot of angry responses to that letter. The truth of their falling short of their professed generosity was hard to bear.

To avoid being a people in fear, we need to learn to face the truth now. Without this we usually have great intentions but little ability to really live according to our values until we think it is the end. Since I proposed it to the parish, I have been trying to do it myself. In being accountable, I found myself having to admit that I have not been successful in doing all that I proposed that I should. It’s been an exercise in humility. The good news, sort of, is that the other person has had struggles with their goals as well. By being accountable, we keep our goals in mind and don’t give up. We can change our goals (usually trying to be more realistic) but we can’t walk away from having them. At the same time we have been able to share the mercy and patience of God. We can admit our failings without giving up. We can face the truth without feeling judged and condemned.

I don’t think Jesus’ followers stand erect and raise their heads because they are convinced they are good. Jesus has harsh words for the self-righteous. I think a follower of Jesus may dare to face the second coming because they have faced the truth of their weaknesses and have come to know the mercy of God. That’s why Jesus came to call sinners and we are gathered as a community of sinners. We are not a community of perfect or near-perfect people. We are a community of sinners who are coming to know the mercy and love of God.