HOMILY – 4^TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA CATHOLIC CHURCH

DECEMBER 20, 2009 – 8, 10, 12 NOON MASSES

May our Dear Lord make us ready and give us His peace.

Barren, constipated, and law becomes will.

Barren. Zechariah questions the message the angel Gabriel sent about Elizabeth conceiving, and is struck dumb until He says the name of the child born, “His name is John.” John the Baptizer came in that way.

Elizabeth was thought cursed, either her sins or the sins of her family.

No children. For Jews being barren was a disgrace. Husband speechless, pregnant in old age, it is at least a weird time for them.

Into this weird time, after a week’s walk from Nazareth up to the hill country, Mary, pregnant also, greets Elizabeth. Leap baby leap! Your Lord is in the house. Barren? HAH! Not for God. 2 pregnant women and a hushed husband. Barren? Say barren then laugh – go ahead. Barren, hah hah hah.

Constipated. God’s people had obeyed the law and made sacrifices.

The blood of animals was spilled on the altar of God making an offering of life in thanks for life. Blood spilled, then carcasses burnt, smoke rising up to God, it was legal, prescribed, but it did not have the desired effect. Like a high fat diet they became constipated in spirit. They did not walk gratefully, they used to brood over having to do all this. The very act of worship clogged their spiritual veins. Ever complain about church?

So in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews he says God wants a new kind of offering. Offer God your will. Can you say, “I come to do your will” instead of burning something? Killing something? We can kill our will and do God’s will instead. God takes away the first law and establishes the second. By this will we are consecrated instead of constipated.

Doing God’s will does not clog anything. It frees us. I come to do your will O God. God is good, His will for us is good too. It isn’t constipated.

Law becomes will. Jesus was very poorly thought of. He ate with sinners, picked grain on the Sabbath, healed on the Sabbath, said He was God’s Son. Jesus is a blaspheming lawbreaker. But He came to show the Spirit of the law. It is God’s will that sinners be called back home. It is God’s will that people eat, and are healed, even if it is on His day. Jesus will show the way by making Himself servant of all instead of an overbearing Lord. Law becomes will. We can follow as servants too.

What do you think of God’s will? Do you prefer your own?

Look what happened when Jesus did the will of His Father. All were reconciled back. Look at what happened when Satan did his own will.

Many lose.

What could happen if you and I did the will of the Father?

God wills that all are made one, that things become more fair, that we are still at times, and know that He is God. It is not God’s will that we faction off, take what we can, think we know or have to fix everything. That is our will. Yuk. God’s will is oneness, fairness, His Lordship not ours.

We don’t want to be barren and have nothing within.

We don’t want to be full of ourselves, constipated.

We want to have the Spirit and the will of the Father, consecrated.

When Jesus obeyed it changed us not Him. We were given a gift.

You and I have gifts to give too. It can make a big difference.

Consecrated. That’s what we are. Can anybody tell?

Sometimes we need a little spiritual ex-lax, take the pill that is God’s will.

Be free. Gather, make things more fair, do only what is yours to do.

Hurry, here He comes…