My homily for the 1st Sunday, Advent C
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
If you’re asking “what’s up with all these readings about doom and destruction?” and, “didn’t we just hear this Gospel two weeks ago?” I’m glad you asked…
The prophet Jeremiah spent all his life telling the people of Israel that there was going to be doom and destruction if they didn’t change their ways. That’s not a popular message. Imagine if Obama instead of running his campaign on the promise of hope, had run it on a message of doom and destruction: “if you don’t shape up and stop spending money you don’t have, you’re going to lose your homes and the market is going to crash!” Not a popular message. Jeremiah didn’t want to proclaim it but those were the words that came out of his mouth. And the people of Israel did not listen and things were pretty disastrous. The Kingdom was again divided: The kingdom had been united under King David and it was still united under his son, Solomon, but after Solomon, it was a free-for-all. If you like TV shows like Camelot or HBO’s Rome, you should read the books of Kings and Chronicles. It was all power grabs and jealousies and murders and war, even among families. And so the Kingdom was again divided. There was the northern Kingdom of Israel, where Samaria is and the southern Kingdom of Judah, where Jerusalem is. And no one was following God’s commandments; in fact God’s commandments are completely forgotten. And to top it off, the Assyrians invade, take over the land, destroy the temple and exile everyone to Babylon. First the kingdom of Israel falls, and then the kingdom of Judah.
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A little out of focus, but the only photo I have with Hadeel.
A reflection for the 1st Sunday in Advent, year C. The readings are Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2 and Luke 21:25-28, 34-36.
When I was in Jordan 5 years ago, I met Hadeel. She’s a young Iraqi refugee. She’d come to Jordan five years before with her family because of the war and persecution of Christians. She had finished highschool in Jordan and been accepted into dental school. She wanted to be a dentist. But refugees in Jordan can’t work and they can’t become citizens, so all they can do is wait. Wait for things to change back home so they can return or wait until the United Nations or Caritas or the Pontifical Mission Societies or some other organization can help them find refuge in another country. Hadeel thought maybe she could go to Sweden or Germany, or maybe Canada. I wonder whatever happened to her.
I was thinking about her because it seems that all we are talking about now here in Canada is refugees; how we must welcome refugees. But also because I think that our three readings today speak of this very issue. Bad things happen; war, persecution; people are displaced and they have to wait for things to get better.
Reflección para el 32º Domingo, tiempo ordinario B. Las lecturas son 1 Reyes 17:10-16; Salmo 146; Hebreos 9:24-28 y Marcos 12:28-44.
Las lecturas de hoy nos presentan a dos viudas que nos enseñan dos cosas – parecidas pero un poco distintas…
La primera es la viuda de la primera lectura del primer libro de Reyes. Esta historia comienza un poco antes, en el capítulo 7 cuando Dios llama a Elías y le dice, “levántate, ve y espera.” Y así es con nosotros también: Dios nos llama, nos dice, “levántate y ve,” y a veces nos dice “quédate ahí y espera.” Pero Dios no envía a Elías al mejor lugar – lo envía a Sarepta, en la tierra de Sidón – adonde no había judíos fieles – ese era el reino de Israel, pero bajo el rey Ajab, casado con la malévola Jezabel – quienes no seguían los mandamientos. Es más, en esa región había una sequía, como castigo de Dios, porque no seguían sus mandamientos.
A reflection on Mark 7, 1-8, 14-15, 21-23 and Mark 12:28-34
Sh’ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Eḥad. These are words that every Jewish person knows: Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses presents two ways of living our relationship with God. First, it sounds like it’s all about the rules. Moses tells the people, ‘you have to follow these rules or else you won’t make it into the Promised Land. You have to learn them and teach them to your children and you can’t add anything to them or take anything away from them.’ It doesn’t matter why you follow these rules; just do it. But if you read with careful attention, you would see that if you follow these rules, ‘if you observe them diligently, this will show your wisdom and discernment’ (Deut 4:1-2, 6-8). Well, if you’re using wisdom and discernment, then you’re not just following the rules blindly! If you’re using wisdom and discernment, it means that you’re understanding the law and thinking about it; you’re not just following the letter of the law; but you’re understanding the spirit of the law.
So you have the letter of the law, what you have to do. A chapter later Moses tells them what they have to do: The 10 Commandments. This is where all Catholic moral teaching comes from: The 10 Commandments; pretty important stuff.
But then you have the spirit of the law: This is why you should follow these commandments. Moses gives them that a chapter later with what has become the prayer that every Jewish person knows, the Sh’ma Israel: Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might (Deut 6:4-5). That’s the spirit of the law. That’s why we do it. Because of love.
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deacon pedro 