COMFORT!
ISAIAH CHAPTER 40: VERSE 1

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Comfort! Isaiah Chapter 40, Verse 1.”

I don’t know if I have ever preached on the theme of comfort.

TODAY’S READINGS

To prepare a homily, I like to read the 3 readings out loud to myself, and see what hits me.

The first reading for today begins with the words, “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah chapter 40, verse 1.

That hit me, but I felt a bit uncomfortable with it. I thought, “Aren’t we supposed to preach tough stuff – sort of the opposite of comfort?”

So I read on to see what else might hit me. Sure enough some uncomfortable stuff appeared. Today’s Gospel has some tough and rough stuff: the call to repentance – the call to raw simplicity – the image of John the Baptist going into the desert – and eating off the land – eating honey and locusts – clothed in camel’s hair and wearing a leather belt around his waist.

Should I preach on repentance? That theme also appears in today’s second reading from St. Peter.

However, the theme of comfort continued to intrigue me.

So some words on “Comfort!”

THE COMFORTER

An image from childhood came to mind. I remembered a sort of patch work, big lined blanket, that used to hang out in our living room – usually folded up a bit and resting on the couch. We called it, “The Comforter.” It was like a big down blanket, long before we had big down blankets. It was perfect on a cold evening.

Each of us was Linus – wanting that blanket – not for security – but because it was a warm comfortable blanket.

Whoever was first on the couch in our living room listening to the radio – and then TV when it came - got “The Comforter.” I don’t remember the details and the exact fabric of this blanket – I’ll have to talk to my two sisters at New Year’s for their memories about all this. I remember sometimes we would give it up, if someone said they were really freezing.

It would also be stolen – along with the couch – if someone went to the bathroom or to the kitchen to get something to eat or drink – while we were listening to The Lone Ranger or The Shadow on the radio or Milton Berle or Bishop Fulton Sheen on black and white TV.

The Comforter was a prized component of our lives in winter – having more importance than the radiator. I also have fond memories of my mom putting her “paltoona” - I think that was her Gaelic slang word for “butt” – when she would stand there leaning up against the sizzling radiator when she would come in from outside – when it was freezing cold out there.

Winter challenges us with the issue of comfort.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

This parish is very generous when it comes to donations to the Poor Box and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Thank you. And we have a wonderful group of folks who serve on Monday nights and Wednesday afternoons giving assistance to the poor – with your money.

Work is moving along towards a new Lighthouse Shelter here in Annapolis! Winter is almost upon us.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1

PEOPLE OUT OF WORK

And this winter we hope and pray those out of work can find jobs. We hope the recession has hit bottom already. That we don’t know. We hope the new president’s administration in Washington comes up with and implements plans that work – to get people work.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1

DIVORCE

We’re at work. It’s time for lunch. So and so comes over to us and asks if they can talk. We thought they had a perfect marriage. We find out about multiple affairs – dozens of forgiveness moments – the tears and the fears about how this is going to impact their teenage kids – and we don’t say anything but listen.

A year later this person comes to us and says, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you last year for just listening. You helped me more than you could ever know.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1
THE MISTAKE

The man across the street got caught stealing funds from work. It hits the papers. He goes to jail. Our family, who really never got to know his family, decides to reach out – to invite his family for a meal now and then – to cover for his kids while his wife visits him in prison. It is at quite a distance. Our kids see this – and years later we see a son volunteering to do prison ministry and a daughter becoming a criminal lawyer – and they tell us how much we taught them when we reached out to our neighbors across the street.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1

DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT

Our granddaughter was talking for months how she was going to make the lacrosse team – but she didn’t make the cut. We see her tears – and we simply say, “It must be really tough not making the team – after telling your close friends you thought you were going to make it.” And we don’t tell them about the play we didn’t get into during our high school junior year and the job we knew we had, but didn’t get. No, we simply listen.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1

THE NURSING HOME

An aunt – a widow – who had no kids – is in a nursing home and we go once a month to see her. It’s an hour’s drive. We bring her soup and Hershey Kisses. She takes the soup – she loves to give Hershey Kisses to the nurses and those who attend to her.

Driving there – we feel the stress of traffic and the time squeeze; driving home we feel great feelings of grace and comfort for the hour visit with our aunt.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1

EMPHYSEMA
A long time buddy has emphysema. When we visit him we see that his favorite chair is a loser. We have an extra Lazy Boy Lounge chair, so we borrow another buddy’s pick up truck and bring him the Lazy Boy Chair. Every time after that, when we're watching football, we see how appreciative he is for the gift of the chair, “It’s so comfortable. Thank you. Thank you.”

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1

ARMY-NAVY GAME

I called up a buddy of mine on Friday evening to comfort him. He is a big time Army fan. His wife answered the phone and said, “Please tell him I don’t want to go to the game.” When he got on the phone I relayed that message – and then comforted him – preparing him for the upcoming loss in Philadelphia yesterday. Now if I called him up today, that wouldn’t be comforting him. That would be rubbing it in.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1

ONE GREAT NURSE

We all know how great nurses can be – but a brand new nurse discovers how great this one nurse on her shift is. She sees her go searching in every closet on every floor – to steal a second pillow or extra blankets for people under her care who are shivering and cold – even though everyone else is sweating – or for someone who is staying over night in the hospital, keeping vigil for a very sick family member.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1

CONCLUSION

So yes, today’s message about bringing comfort to others is an everyday opportunity.

I talked about a big old blanket we had as kids called, “The Comforter.”

What are your comforters?

The Comforter can be a glass of water or a beer on a hot day or hot chocolate with marshmallow in it on a cold day or a blanket or chocolates or baby sitting so a mom or dad can get a break.

The Comforter can be giving others the best seat in the family or living room or the car.

The Comforter can be listening to a joke or a story we’ve heard a hundred times from an old uncle.

The Comforter can be taking the time, making the extra time, to write on a Christmas card more than just a name, but a personal reference to something very significant to the person we’re writing to.

The Comforter can be holding hands with a child or the family around the dinner table and saying an Our Father before we eat or before we go to bed.

The Comforter can be great bread or wine, great music, a great listening to each other.

Today’s Gospel ends with the words, “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Come Holy Spirit! Isn’t that one of your nicknames, “The Comforter”?