New beginnings for a new liturgical year

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for the First Sunday of Advent: new beginnings, new opportunities for giving thanks.

Your redemption is drawing near

Today, we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent, and the beginning of a new liturgical year.  As we do, the scripture passages we have just heard challenge us to pay attention to the signs of our times and to look forward in hope.

Saint Luke tells us what Jesus pointed out to his disciples: There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars (Lk 21:25).  These signs are apparent to us today too.  Pope Francis has called repeatedly for the world to pay attention to protecting our common home, which is being increasingly damaged by a society that is being viewed more and more as disposable; where people focus increasingly on financial profit to the neglect of the value of the human person.  As if in response to the Pope’s warnings, the world’s political leaders will soon be gathering in Paris for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21).  There, they hope to negotiate a new international agreement that will determine the future of the world’s climate.

We ourselves might be tempted to think that we are powerless when it comes to making a difference for the sake of our climate, but this is not true.  Jesus tells us all to be on guard, so that our hearts are not weighed down … with the worries of this life (Lk 21:34).  Instead, we should be alert at all times (Lk 21:36) so that we can identify the need for change in our lives and be willing to do what we can to make a difference.  What better time can there be than the beginning of a new liturgical year to set goals for ourselves: goals that will make a difference, goals that will allow us to be increasingly aware of the little things we can do to help create a climate of change.  As you entered the church today, you received a copy of a pledge card which gives you some concrete ideas about how each one of us can make a difference, and at the end of this homily, we will allow you some time to complete these cards.  We would then ask you to deposit them in the collection baskets so that they can be forwarded to the offices of Development as Peace as our pledge to do what we can to be agents of positive change.

Speaking of new beginnings, there are two children who will celebrate a new beginning in their lives this weekend.  They are twin girls and their parents have asked us to accept them as part of our family of faith.  At the 11:00am Mass today, they will be baptized.  Sarah and Emma’s parents are counting on us to help them to provide their newborn baby girls with examples of faith so that they will grow to know God, to love Jesus his son and to be aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

The prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of a righteous Branch that would spring up (cf Jer 33:15), a new beginning of hope and joy for all God’s people.  This promise was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ who showed us the way to the kingdom, who loved the disciples and all of us even to the point of shedding his blood for us, but not before leaving us the gift of the Eucharist that we share around this table.

Because Jesus loved us, we too can increase and abound in love for one another, just as he abounded in love for us.  Jesus strengthens our hearts in holiness (cf 1 Thes 3:12-13) and feeds us with his own body and blood so that we in turn can live as examples of faith and joy for the sake of our brothers and sisters.  We receive this divine food each time we gather for the celebration of the Eucharist. 

I’m not sure whether you have noticed, but there are special vessels that we use only for the celebration of the Lord’s supper.  Since the chalice (the cup we use) and the paten (the plate used to hold the host) are used for the consecration of these holy gifts, we reserve them permanently for the celebration of the Eucharist.  This weekend, we will begin using a new paten, new chalices and a new corporal (the cloth on which we place the body and blood of the Lord) at all the Masses, so we will bless them after the Prayers of the Faithful, consecrating them so that they can be reserved exclusively for the celebration of the Eucharist.  This is yet another new beginning in the life of our community. 

Let us ask the Lord to help us celebrate this new beginning with joy and to be increasingly aware of the gift of his love for us in the coming year.