Third Sunday of Advent – B
Mass with the Young Adult Group C-YEG
Homily
[Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Isaiah 12; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18]
In a recent visit to one of our Catholic schools, I was invited to engage with the students in a Q&A session. I agreed, thinking I knew what to expect, since every time I do one of these the questions are mostly the same. This session, though, was different. I encountered a real seriousness in the junior high and high school students regarding the life of faith, and their questions actually left me questioning myself afterward.
For example, one young man asked about the struggles I face as a Bishop. After I spoke about some of the things I do find challenging and preoccupying, a young woman then asked: “Well, what is it that keeps you doing what you do? What moves you to continue in the face of difficulties?” That certainly set me thinking, not only then but afterward throughout the day.
I raise this, not only because those same questions inevitably arise for any Christian living in the midst of a multitude of temptations to disbelief and discouragement, but also because the Scripture texts for this mass provide the answer regarding our motivation and persistence: expectation. Let me explain. Our faith is grounded on the historical fact of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit. That divine eruption into time was the culmination of all that God had done in previous history to prepare for His Son, and inaugurated the reign of Christ as King of the universe. God remains always active, working now to place all things under the feet of His Son until God’s plan to save the world reaches fulfillment. Here is the point: God is at work in our lives, with all their complexities and challenges, and God knows what He is about. This is what gives rise to expectation – the expectation that, even though I may not see what He is doing, especially in difficult moments, God is surely at work to turn all to the good in accord with His saving purpose. Knowing this, and seeking to help others grasp this and find hope, is the reason I get up in the morning and keep doing what I am doing.
Notice how expectation arises among the people as they engage with John the Baptist in their own question and answer session. They are asking what they must do to give expression to the repentance to which he has called them. From his answers a spirit of expectation arises: could John be the Messiah? Behind this wondering is the awareness that God had made a promise to send a Messiah, and the people knew that God is faithful to what He says. Faith in God’s fidelity to His word is what gives rise to expectation that God will act to help and save His people.
That expectation, in turn gives rise to joy. We hear the summons to joy coursing through the text we have from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. “Rejoice always,” he says. The reason? “The Lord is near.” Faithful to his promise, the Lord Jesus is always near to us, and at work. This is why Paul encourages his readers not to worry about anything! Simply tell God what is on your mind, he says, and then give thanks, knowing that your prayers are heard and God will respond.
In my own stumbling way, this is what I tried to say in answer to the young woman’s question. What I remember, too, is how intently the students listened. That isn’t always the case! Clearly, she had touched on something that they are all grappling with. In the midst of so many causes for anxiety, where do we find hope? Why should we keep going? What motivates us? This is a question that touches not only the lives of Christians; it is also impacting the lives of people everywhere, particularly the young, evidenced, for example, in their loneliness and sadness, and even suicidal ideation. As we connect within ourselves to that expectation and joy that fuels our lives, we sense the Lord’s call to share with others the reason for real hope: Jesus Christ.
So, let’s bring to the Lord in this mass whatever is worrying us, what might be keeping us awake at night, what fears we are harbouring. And remember: here in this mass, the Lord is very near, indeed! He is present in the gifts transformed into his very Body and Blood. Give it all to him, and allow his grace to transform your worry into expectant joy. He is near, and he will act, though we know not how or when.
Bring to him also those you know who remain burdened by their fears, perhaps also paralyzed as they see no way forward, no cause for hope. Give them to the Lord, asking him to show you how you might be for them bearers of the answer as to why they can keep going: the assurance that, because Jesus is near, they need have no fear if they but place their full faith in him.
✠ Most Reverend Richard W. Smith
Resurrection Parish
December 15th, 2024