homily for the second Sunday of Advent, Year C (2024). Readings Philippians 1.3-6, 8-11 ; Luke 3.1-6
Last week, the first Sunday of Advent, our Gospel told us about scary, ominous things. Signs in the skies. Roaring of thunder. Perplexity of nations. Scary. Especially given all of the wars and events unfolding in the world today. And maybe we were so struck by the powerful imagery, we missed a really important message, where the Gospel told us to beware that our hearts don’t become weighed down from the anxieties of daily life.
Beware that our hearts don’t become weighed down from the anxieties of daily life. Do the anxieties of daily life weigh you down? Of course they do. We all get tense, stressed. Especially with all that is going on in our world. And especially at this time of year.
Now in this Sunday’s Gospel, we have John the Baptist telling us to repent. The word that Luke used in his Gospel was a greek word …. μετανοέω (metano-wey-o). We translate into English as “repent”, but a more complete definition would be to undergo a change in our frame of mind and feeling, our principles and practice, to change our hearts.
And it is no surprise that a hint to how we can achieve this metanoia, this change of heart and actions, is found in our second reading today taken from Paul’s letter to the community at Philippi. Paul says “this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more, with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what really matters …….”. How many times have we asked that question of ourselves! What really matters in my life? What really matters in your life?
It was a question that I encountered many many times in my role as a hospital chaplain. And most of the times it was asked by those who were facing the imminent end of their lives, and were asking themselves if they had ever really figured out what really mattered. Most of the time, the answer to that question was no. Now that their time was limited, they wondered if they would ever discover the answer. And almost without exception, they wished that they had taken the time, when they had the time, to discover the answer.
You – here today – have the time to discover that answer. If only you will take the time.
So, what has any of this to do with Advent and the coming of Christmas, the celebration of when God was made present to us in the birth of the Christ? Only this …… The subtle message from last week’s gospel about not letting the anxieties of life weigh us down, becomes somehow linked with Paul’s prayer that we attain the knowledge and understanding of what really matters in our life.
Like you, I can let the anxieties of life weigh me down. I can worry about the increasing intolerance I see in our world. The increasing cost of food and shelter. I can worry about the wars being fought in Ukraine, the Middle East, in Syria, in Sudan, in Yemen. With five kids and 9 grandkids, there is even more people that I love and worry about. And like you, with all of these worries and fears and anxieties, I can sometimes lose sight of what really matters in my life.
For me, it comes down to two things.
The first is that I am more than just the old man you see standing before you. I exist within, am nurtured within, an intimate relationship with the Creator God. Even if at times I don’t appreciate how deep that relationship is … Like each of you, I am made in the image and likeness of God. Coming from God, and with a destiny to return to God to perceive God’s creation in a whole different way. To enter a whole new domain of existence.
And the second? I learned from the wise counsel of those I met in hospital who were about to take their journey to infinity. I took time to reflect deeply about what really matters in my life, while I had time. And after discerning what matters for me, then – with the help of the Holy Spirit, I proceeded to change myself, to encounter a metanoia, so that the way I lived my life, spent my time, focused my energies, was consistent with the meaning I discovered. And perhaps not surprisingly, I found that I was not as “weighed down with the anxieties of life.”
Taking that time to really reflect deeply on the meaning of my life, and to become ever more aware of the presence of God in my life, was the best gift I ever received at Christmas. Wrapped and placed under the tree, with a note attached that said “from God, with love”.
Last week’s readings told us to not let our hearts be weighed down by the worry and anxieties of our life. And this weeks readings call us to a metanoia, a change of heart. As Christmas approaches, we can become so wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of this season, so focused on all the things we need to do to get ready for Christmas, that our lives become filled just completing tasks and plodding on from one commitment to another.
So maybe, in the few weeks that remain this Advent, while you are busy getting gifts and preparing for encounters for others, you can take time to prepare to receive a gift for yourself. Take some quiet time alone each day this Advent to reflect on what is truly important in your life. What gives your life meaning and purpose.
In these two weeks that remain, why not go to bed each night – not with a tasklist for the next day, not with a deep seated anxiety about events in the world over which we have little or no control- but rather, go to bed each night with a prayer for openness of heart To become more and more aware of God’s presence. And a prayer that, as Paul said in his prayer for you – you may discover what really matters in your life. And then, each day, take some quiet time to reflect deeply on your life. It’s meaning. And what really matters. In doing so, you will find that you will not be weighed down as much by the anxieties of daily life.
Prepare yourself to receive that Gift under the tree this Christmas. The one that say “from God. With Love”. It will change your life.