2nd Sunday of Advent @ St. Apollinaris Church

HOMILY - SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
DECEMBER 4, 2016
7:30 AM ORDINARY FORM MASS

This past summer, as I was sorting through my belongings and packing things for my cross-country trip from Michigan to California; my parents were working on their own project.

A couple of lilac bushes that they had planted 20 or 30 years ago had not only gotten too big, but had overgrown and were leaning against the house. And because of this, ants were climbing from the ground, up the branches, and into the house.

So, over the course of several weeks, the task commenced of cutting the branches, dragging them behind the pole barn, and burning them in a fire pit. After the two were reduced to a pair of tangled stump, the next task was loosening the stump by cutting the small roots, digging under it, loosening it, and then hauling the stumps to the fire pit.

In the heat of a Michigan summer, this was quite a task. Not to mention that my parents are both in their 80s. Nonetheless, all that remains of those two bushes is a pile of ashes.

Today is the second Sunday of Advent. And in the First Reading and in the Gospel, we hear talk of stumps.

In the Gospel, St. John the Baptist talks about the axe being laid to the root of the tree, and cutting down unproductive trees which are thrown in the fire.

On the other hand, the prophet Isaiah speaks of new life springing from what seemed to be a dead stump – a shoot sprouts … a bud blossoms.

St. John the Baptist was speaking of the fruits of repentance, and the consequences of unrepentance. While Isaiah was prophesying about the resurgence of the line of King David in the person of the Messiah.

St. Paul, in the Epistle from the Romans speaks of the fruits and gifts of living in Christ Jesus – most especially harmony, peace, and unity.

Isaiah gives a prophetic image of that when he speaks of the vision of predator and prey living together … and deadly poisonous snakes being playmates for children.

This prophesied “day of the Lord” brings with it spiritual gifts for God’s people. Gifts for our sanctification. We know them as the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and they are enumerated as:
wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, fear of the Lord.

From a moral theological perspective, these gifts complete and perfect the virtues. That is, the more virtuous we are, the more open and attuned we become to the Holy Spirit. The natural or human virtues being understood as prudence and justice, fortitude and moderation. And the supernatural or theological virtues we receive being Faith, Hope, and Love.

As we continue our Advent preparations for the three comings of Christ, let us engage the power of the Sacraments to grow deeper in all the virtues – both natural and supernatural – so as to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that we might grow in holiness of life.

May the Eucharist we receive today draw us more deeply into the life of the Most Holy Trinity … as we pray for an increase in Faith, Hope, and Love.

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