Christmas Homily by Fr Mathew December 24 &25, 2014

The Meaning of Christmas

On Christmas morning a woman told her husband, "I just dreamed that you gave me a beautiful diamond necklace. What do you think it means

You’ll know tonight, said the husband.

That evening just before opening presents, the husband came home with a small package and gave it to his wife.

Delighted, she opened it only to find a book entitled "The Meaning of Dreams."

What is the meaning of Christmas?

Most of the time, we do not respond to one another as human beings but as categories. I put you into some hard and past category and respond not to you but my mental construct about you.

And you may do the same to me.  When I am introduced to a stranger, he asks me, “what is it that you do.? And whatever I reply becomes the basis for 90 percent of all the thoughts or feelings that he will ever entertain toward me!

If I say, I am a priest he will be careful not say off color jokes in my presence, apologize for having missed church last Sunday and be sure that I am not invited to his next cocktail party.  If I were to say that I were retired, he would want to know, “retired from what?” so that he would be able pigeon-hole who I was and what I was like as a  person. If he could not comfortably work me into a pre-established category, he would always feel unsettled in my presence.

The Chinese have a saying which they use to explain prejudice and hatred toward others: “Call a dog a bad name and shoot it.” Once you have categorized someone, you are no more responsible to treat him as a human being.

We characterize our enemies as insects, animals or monsters and then feel justified to exploit them or take their lives.  When someone disagrees with us, we declare that person “sick,” “crazy” or stupid.  I label that person first.  From that point I feel justified to react to the label and pay no attention to the reality of the person.

The incarnation of Jesus challenges such assumptions that we hold against each other. Christ challenges every assumption as to who is good and who is evil.  Jesus mingled with all kinds of people: he enjoyed the company of the most despised people in the society. That does not mean that he spurned such conventionally upright individuals like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethea.

This is the challenge of incarnation. You and I are beloved children of God. We are God’s children; our human dignity comes from the fact that God created you and me in His image. We have a divine element in each and every one of us.  Our original human condition was tarnished by the sin of our first parents. By incarnation, God restored our human dignity.  God made his dwelling among us. He has established his tabernacle in each and every one of us.

Our tendency to categorize people is a great obstacle to see the worth of human life. Our inclination to pigeon-hole people is a real threat to cherish the divine in those people we meet.

The great mystery of divine incarnation is upheld and celebrated in everyday life by people of India by in the tradition of greeting one another by saying, “Namaste.” The person greets the other with folded hands and says, “Namaste” WHICH MEANS I revere you, I respect you because I see the same God who dwells in me dwells in you, too.

This is the great lesson we have to learn from the mystery of incarnation: When I respond to you and you respond to me without prejudice and preconception, we are both changed. When I am able to see someone as real human person with flesh and blood and not just categories in which I place you , I will find who I am and my real worth.  Then the incarnation will become a reality in my life.

To Paraphrase Meister Eckhart, if the Christ is born in Bethlehem a million times, and trudges the dusty roads of Palestine, preaching a million years, but is not born in your heart and life- and in my heart and life-then what difference does his Gospel make? But if you and I are crucified with the Christ and yet we live because he lives in us, then the good news is true: God is for us. God is with us. God is in us. We are thankful.

Homily by Fr Mathew 3rd Sunday of Advent Year B

Gaudete Sunday

Is 61:1-2a, 10-11,       I Thess 5:16-24,     Jn 1:6-8, 19-28

When does life begin? A priest, a rabbi and an Episcopal minister discussed this  at a Rotary luncheon.

“We believe that life begins at conception, “said the priest.

I would argue that life begins at birth,” added the rabbi.

The Episcopalian said nothing until he was pressed by others. “Well,” he said “,for me life begins when the children go to college, my mother-in-law moves to Florida, and the dog dies.”

Like the Episcopal clergyman, we are always waiting to lo live. Some people think that they cannot start a real life and s joyful life until something happens. Do not wait to live. It starts now, this very moment.

This is Gaudete Sunday. It means we Christians should be joyful. Paul says Rejoice always in the Lord. God is good. God loves us. God sent Jesus into our world so that we could be his brothers and sisters, children of God. Jesus overcame our greatest worry - death - and we shall live forever.

This does not mean there will be no gloom in our life. Of course, there will be ups and down, sadness and sufferings in our life. However, deep down, at the deepest level, we feel a serenity and peace emanating from a power superior to us and holding us up. I heard somewhere, "Happiness is no laughing matter." That's true. Happiness isn't all laughter. It is a steady, down-deep sense of peace and joy.

So let us "Rejoice always" as Paul says in today’s second reading. However, this does not rule out some angry and gloom moments in our life. Can you come up with 10 angry moments that really upset your life? I came up with a list of ten and I want to share with you to know whether your list will be like mine.

  You know what I came up with? I call them “favourite angers." These are things that we know will make us angry.

1) The first one I have written down is "lousy drivers." You can get all worked up just driving across town. That gets us started. Let's hear what "favorite angers" you can come up with.

2) Taxes. We believe in paying taxes. However, some of us can get worked up about taxes and Government

3) Politics and politicians. Our politicians are like taxes.

4) The way people park and take up two spaces

5)  Gasoline prices. We get upset when the gas prices go up when someone sneezes in the middle east and during the holidays.

6) Football coaches (Especially if they coach the Lions

7) Children who are disrespectful. (We can all get talking about that ... youngsters who get away with things we would have gotten clobbered for.)

8) Rap music. (That's one I hadn't thought of, but you're right.)

9) Tele-marketers. (We could all get going on that one.)

10)  Rudeness. (You notice it in lots of places. People are rude to store clerks. Or, they talk very loud on their mobile phone right in the midst of other people.)

-- The media. (Everyone will chime in on that one.)

  These are some of the things that really make us angry. They are called angry moments. We are ten days away from Christmas. This is Gaudete Sunday.  Paul says, let us rejoice always.

You've heard of the list of the seven deadly sins. I think it was Saint Teresa of Avila who said gloom is the eighth deadly sin. It's a contradiction for a Christian to be gloomy.

  

What can we do about that? I have a suggestion. The very first line of today's Gospel set me thinking. The opening words are: "A man named John was sent from God."

  Do you know what? Those same words can be used of each of us. Try putting your name in there: "A man named _”Matthew”_ was sent from God." "A woman named __Jenifer___ was sent from God."

It's true. God knew us even before we were born. God created us in his image and likeness.  God acts through us to move creation gradually toward its destiny.I want to ask you to do one thing this week. Just sit down and write down some of the gifts you have.  

What I want you to do later today, or sometime this week, is to list the gifts you have. They may not  be very sensational.  They may seem very small, but God gave them to you. Others may not even notice some gifts, but God gave them to you.  "A man/woman named ______ was sent from God." 

Be specific, not vague about your gifts. And make sure you come up with more than two or three, because our God is a God of largesse. When we think about ourselves this way, and see ourselves placed in the world to use our gifts to help shape creation, then we have a sense of purpose, a deep down peace, happiness. It beats feeding on one another's "favorite angers." Instead of thinking about all the problems and evils in the world, we think about the gifts God gave us to help overcome the kinds of things that cause our "favourite angers."

    

So think about your gifts. And take Paul's words to heart: "Rejoice always. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you."

Homily by Fr Mathew 1st Sunday of Advent

First Sunday of Advent – B

What Time It Is?
First Sunday of Advent, Year B 

Is. 63:16b-17; 1Cor 1:3-9; Mk 13:33-37 

On the 19^th of November, Fr John Peter and I were on a trip to Peru with the Gate 1 Travel company.We flew out from Miami and arrived in Lima at about 9. 30 pm.  At the airport in Lima, as we were coming out of the airport to meet our tour guide along with a few others on the same trip, there showed up a short man with a banner of the Gate one travel and greeted us. Then he said,  “You know Peru is 90%  Catholic. Throughout your stay in Peru, I want to tell you that  Jesus is going to be with you, walk with you, eat with you, talk to you and all you have to do is to follow Jesus. Jesus works for the Gate 1 travel company” Who would have thought that! And then he said, “Follow me; my name is Jesus Cardenas…”

This week we start the Advent season This is the First Sunday of Advent. The word “Advent” means ‘coming.’ Jesus is coming. Many of us are thinking of Christmas which is Jesus’ First coming. But none of the readings today mentions Jesus’ first coming.

Today’s gospel talks about some of the implications of Jesus’ Parousia (second coming).  One of them is waiting. Are we eagerly waiting for Jesus' second coming? During my trip to Peru, after spending a couple of days in Lima, we flew out from there to Cusco city. After eating our lunch, we went to visit a site where Incas ruled for many centuries before the Spanish invasion. We can still see some of the remains of Incas' civilization. As soon as we reached there, all of a sudden I got dizzy and  experienced shortness of breath. When I took a few steps which implied climbing, I found myself gasping for breath.

 I was so amazed that this happened to me because back home I was able to run and climb the hill adjacent to the Social Hall of the church. The next day I talked to the tour guide about my discomfort I had felt and expressed doubt about my ability to continue the trip. He tried to calm me down by saying that it was quite normal and what I was experiencing was because of the altitude. Cusco city is situated at 11000 feet above the sea level. It is said that we human beings can breathe normally in places which are at 7500 feet or below from the sea level. In places like Cusco, the level of oxygen was very low and that is why I was feeling the shortness of breath. We spent another six more days in places with an altitude of 13500 feet.  Even though I enjoyed the tour and I don’t regret about my decision,  to tell you the truth I was eagerly waiting for the day  to return to Lima where I could breathe normally.

This reminds me of the psalm 42 which says, “As the deer craves for the water brooks, so gasps my soul for You, O God.” Are we eagerly waiting for Jesus’ return? This can happen to us any moment at any time.

Therefore, we should be always on alert. We should be prepared. When this happens, how you would like to be found by Jesus? The answer to the question depends on our  response to the question “what time it is?"

In English language the word TIME has only limited meaning. On the other hand, the Greek language is very descriptive and expressive regarding the TIME as it has two words, Chronos and Kairos which explain the different dimensions of the Time. 

From “Chronos” originates the word Chronology in our English language. Our life is chronological. In a day we have 24 hours: we allocate different activities to different segments of the Time.  On a certain date we were born. We drink, eat, work, and watch TV and go to sports activates. These are all Chronos. In Chronos, I cannot remember what really happened on October 14, 1985 at 3.00 pm.

Kairos, on the other hand is, is God’s time. We know some of the events in our life are memorable and special. You remember the day you held your first child in ecstasy and committed yourself to raising your child in God’s way. You can still vividly remember the moment you decided to get married to your future husband or wife in a long term relationship.  You will never forget the day you reconciled to your enemy. You helped someone at a dire need and still those moments will never fade away. These events are Kairos or God’s time.

Our life is a mixture of chromos and Kairos. Chronos runs most of our life. However, if our life is full of CHRONOS-just eating, drinking, watching football, carousing and gossiping, it has no value in terms of our eternity.  We are like servants whose Master is away and he can return in any time. When he comes, let us be found as people who live by KAIROS.

In the first reading, Isiah warns that our actions are like rags.  That is why Paul talks about spiritual gifts in today’s second reading. Paul is asking us to use those gifts in an impeccable way. We can use them either to build the church or tear other people down. Make use of those gifts in a memorable way.  Convert them into God’s time (KAIROS) like a potter converts clay into beautiful vessels.

Christ is coming. We don’t know the time and the moment of his coming. How do we want to be found when he comes? We don’t want to be found like those people who eat, drink, watch football, criticize other people around us as if we are the only one who is perfect. As Christians, our task is make this life special for us and others.

In a nutshell, the message of Advent is this: “ be alert! Stay awake! Watch! For Christ is coming! Therefore let us know  the difference between clock time and God’s time and act up on it so that we will be found worthy and ready when he comes.