Sunday Homily, November 29, 2015, 1st Advent
Jeremiah 33, 14-16, The days are coming.
Psalm 25, To you, Oh Lord, I lift up my soul
Pope Francis Letter “Laudato si” (“Praise to you”) – “There is an inseparable bond between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.”
Luke 21, 25-28, 34-36,, There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Luke: Ch 21 – “Up on your feet. Help is on the way!”
Author: The gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles make up a two-volume work which scholars call Luke–Acts. According to an early Church tradition, the author was the Luke named as a companion of Paul in three of Paul’s letters, but Scripture scholars say there is a problem with this. Though the author of Luke-Acts admired Paul, his theology was significantly different from Paul’s; there are countless contradictions between Acts and Paul’s letters. Bottom line: we don’t know who author of Luke-Acts is.
When written: The most probable date is around 80-100 AD, and there is evidence that it was still being revised well into the 2nd century. The author takes as sources the Gospel of Mark, written around 70 AD, the sayings collection called the Q source, and a collection of material called the L source (L for Luke).
Audience: Luke was written to be read aloud to a group of Jesus’ followers gathered in a house to share the Lord's supper. The author assumes an educated Greek-speaking audience, but attends mainly to specifically Christian concerns rather than to the Greco-Roman world at large.
Today’s passage: A commonly held belief of the early Christian community was the return of Jesus; many thought this would happen within one generation. So it’s not surprising to read prophecies of that event attributed to Jesus in the Gospel writings.
Homily by John
As a kid I attended school and church regularly. I really liked the beginning of a new school year and the season of Advent at church. Both of these were like a chance to start over again. Another chance to start fresh and without judgment. During my school years, we had summer fun times for 3 months and, remarkably, I was often ‘summered out’ and looking forward to a new school year with my classmates and most of my teachers.
We started over with new subjects, new books, new teachers – happy time for me. At church we had finished that long ‘ordinary time’ without much happening, and had the scary sermons just before Advent about the ‘end of times’ and the ‘sheep and goats’ and judgment and punishment.
Advent for the most part aimed us toward Christmas and the baby Jesus and the lights and happy thoughts and times. I remember gathering a bunch of green fern moss to be the grass for the village I helped build around the manger scene. Advent – happy time.
This week I’ve been thinking how happy it is for me to not actually ever hear hell and brimstone and judgment when we gather here; rather, acceptance and encouragement and challenge.
I have so much to be thankful for. I have a loving family who care for me in so many ways. I have loving friends who show care and acceptance, including you guys. I have a Pope with whom I feel a togetherness in thought and aspiration, and permission to express my thoughts, even my doubts, without judgment. I have a Pope who encourages and challenges me to love and care for the world, for the environment, for my neighborhood, for my neighbors, for myself. And I am grateful.
My question is: What are you grateful for at this start of the new church year? Or for the entire last year?