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Homily

Christmas 2005

St. Paul’s on the Lake, Grosse Pointe

Faith, Hope and Love in the Baby Jesus, Son of God, Son of Mary

I announce a great joy to you, and I proclaim good news to you: a child has been born for us, a Savior given to us, and he is Christ the Lord!

[Children: What am I talking about? What are we celebrating today?]

In this homily, we need to meditate on our salvation and on our Savior. For it is urgent for us to believe in him, hope in him, and him to love with all our hearts. Yet faith, hope and love are two way streets, and as much as these three virtues are infused in our hearts by God as a gift, we need to collaborate with that gift to earn their increase and preserve them from decay. So there’s the gift, and the challenge. In order to discuss the gifts of faith, hope and charity for Jesus Christ, born on Christmas day, and to discuss the challenges we have in living them, the children are going to help me prove my point from time to time.

The fundamental problem we have is this: we think we don’t need to be saved, and that we need no Savior. Yet this is a paradox, for even though we have so many worries – health problems, relationship problems, difficulties at work, serious financial threats, humiliations we’ve endured, concerns for our children, concerns for a healthy pregnancy, distress for infertility, threats from family, friends and foe, and the list goes on – yes, even though we have so many worries, God sits there on the shelf, and if we’re luck we appeal to him as a last resort. We count on our own intelligence to save us, our own experience to save us, our own fears to save us, our money to save us, and our prestige, our possessions, our fame, our power, everything, but never God. This is the good news: when all was hopeless, we were given a Savior. When all was dark, we were given a light. When all was barren and desert, we were given water: for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born of Mary in Bethlehem, according to the Prophets.

First, faith. We believe in the Savior. The Preface of today’s mass reads, “Your eternal Word has brought to the eyes of faith a new and radiant vision of your glory.”[1] Why do we believe in the glory of the Son of God? For several reasons. He fulfilled all the prophecies given to the people Israel; by which I mean the entire Old Testament. He said he was God, and he did things only God could do. Furthermore, the power to believe has been given to us, for we have received the power to become the children of God,[2] and our faith is both a sign and a fruit of this truth.

There are challenges to our faith, and we need to respond to these challenges lest we loose our faith. We are called to put faith first in our lives. God is number one. Everything else has no importance, unless God is number one. With God first, all else is important, but in a reasonable hierarchy of values. We are also challenged to believe that Jesus, and only Jesus, is the name by which we are saved. We are challenged to believe that the Catholic Church is the one true Church, and that we need to win people over to the truth of Catholicism. Yet why don’t we believe? Why is it so hard to believe in Jesus Christ and in his Church? Here the children will help me.

[Children: do you believe that, after mass, when you get in your car, the car will actually start? If Mom or Dad says to you it will start, do you shoot back, “Prove it!”? We believe GM and Ford more readily than Jesus Christ and his Church: that’s very irrational. The Apostles are far more believable.]

Second, hope. We read, [this evening] in Acts, “God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.”[3] This is the teaching of the Apostles to the whole world. We hope in him mainly because of his promises. God has made promises, through is covenants, and all through the Old Testament, and fulfilled them in Jesus Christ, who in turn made greater promises to us. Now, if it is God who made these promises, they cannot be in vain. God doesn’t promise, then fail to fulfill.

Yet our hope for heaven in Christ is challenged. The worst challenge, indeed, the enemy of hope, is our own sins. When we sin, it’s like spitting on a candle, and we extinguish what inspired us, for as long as we go without repenting and promising to confess. Another challenge of hope is that whole army of things which are not God, yet promise us happiness. In such a case, we exchange the means for the end, which is foolish: I want a car to get around, not just a key – and only a key – to start a car. [Develop:] /A family I know in Chicago was poor, and one Christmas they told the kids they had no money for presents. So the kids somehow got some wrapping paper and wrapped up all the pots and pans, toasters and dust pans, which they found lying around the house. The family’s fun and joy that Christmas made it probably their favorite Christmas memory ever. And they had nothing!/ Again, here’s where the kids can help me.

[What do you hope for most at Christmas? If I get the answer presents or food: Did you ever think of that as a threat to your hope, to your faith? Let us hope more for the happiness which God offers us, than the gifts that bring the passing happiness of a moment.]

Finally, love. The Scriptures read, “No more shall people call you ‘Forsaken,’ or your land ‘Desolate,’ but you shall be called ‘My Delight,’ and your land, ‘Espoused’.”[4] Did you ever think that God takes that much delight in you? For one delights in the people he loves, and God loves us. (That’s why it’s so important to tell the people you love how happy you make them!) God has loved us, and has saved us from our sins, offering us an infinity of mercy and forgiveness, if only we want it! So we are to love first God, then our neighbor, and we are to forget our very selves out of love.

Yet even our love is challenged. We are called by love to spend time in prayer each day, to receive the sacraments frequently [here appeal to the “Christmas Mass only” crowd: “We love you, and it makes us happy to see you here with us!”].  When we have really put God first on our list, then we need to put our neighbor second, by deeds of love, even heroic ones. And then we must leave ourselves to the bottom of the list, putting God first and neighbor second. Again, here the children can help me prove my point.

[Children: do you love your parents? Good! Well, guess what, we are children of God,[5] “Christian know your dignity,” for that is what we are! [6] If your children love you, who are imperfect and sinners, why don’t you love God, who’s love knows no limits, no selfishness, no defect?]

The light has come into the world: let us believe, and let us spread the faith. The Lord has promised us salvation: let us have hope, and let us spread hope. The one thing all our hearts really longs for has come into the World: let us abandon ourselves, turn away from the devil, the flesh and the world, let us love God above all things, and our neighbor as ourselves.

Jesus Christ, the Truth, has sprung up from the earth,[7] and he says to us, “I am the truth, born of the Virgin.”[8] Today our savior has been born, let us believe in him, hope in him, and love him with all our hearts.