RE-DO

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Second Sunday in Advent - Year C -  is, “Re-Do”.

It’s spelled, “re-hyphen-do” or simply “redo”.

I think it’s a good word and a good theme that can sum up today’s first and third readings.

Re-Do.

FIRST READING

The first reading is from the scroll called Baruch. It’s a Jewish document, but not in the Jewish Bible, but it was in the Septuagint - the Greek Old Testament from the Jewish community in Alexandria and our Bible comes from that. So it's in that Bible - which the Catholic Church uses. [Cf. Baruch 5: 1-9.]

Commentators place it the Babylonian Captivity or Exile [586-538 B.C.] - where Jewish leaders - were talking about and hoping from a return to Jerusalem.

They wanted a re-do - a return - a restoration - a re-beginning -  of Jerusalem and their country.

The mountains will be leveled and the gorges will be filled up.

I’m sure parts of California - that were burnt big time - want a similar re-do.

GOSPEL

The Gospel for this Sunday - from Luke  - Chapter 3: 1-6 -  talks about John’s Baptism - which John proclaimed was to be  a moment for repentance - a starting all over again.

John brought all those interested in renewal to the river. He brought them to the other side of the Jordan - to the spot - to the  moment - to the reenactment - the crossing - the re-crossing of the Jordan River. Their ancestors coming from Egypt had just spent 40 years  in the dessert. They crossed over to the other side of the Jordan river - into the Promised Land - to begin a new life.  They were to be a new people - ready for a re-do - a new start - a new beginning.

Notice Isaiah's images in this gospel reading: every valley shall be filled - every mountain will be made low - the rough ways will be made smooth. 

It’s the same hope as we heard in the first reading from Baruch. In other words - traveling will be much smoother. Life will that much easier from now on.

RE-DO’S

Think about re-do’s in life.

Sometimes marriages don’t work.

Sometimes relationships don’t work - jobs don’t work - investments don’t work. 

Sometimes kids pick the wrong college for them. So too homes or a neighborhood. They take a loss and move on.

Sometimes people try again from where they are; sometimes people make a fresh start elsewhere.

I’m willing to bet if you walk down to waters here in Annapolis, you’ll find a boat or two, with the name, “Second Chance” on it.

I love stories about people who get a second chance - and they re-do their lives.

I hope prisons offer  courses and training for people who want to start all over again. Others just  do their time and finally get out - no different than the day they went  into prison.

Advent - Lent - are seasons preparing us for re-do’s.

I spent 14 years of my life in two different retreat houses: 7 years in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, in the Poconos and 7 years  in Long Branch,  New Jersey, on the ocean - where people came for a weekend or longer to ponder a re-do - a retreating - a renewal of their lives.

I spent 8 ½ years of my life in my last assignment in Lima, Ohio - giving parish missions - out of there, mostly in rural Ohio. A Parish Mission is a Redemptorist hallmark - with the idea of challenging people to look and re-look at their life - and see what has to be re-done.

EVERY DAY REDO’S

Or take everyday re-do’s in life.

Haven’t we all had the experience of walking into a room or a situation and all goes wrong. We say something - or someone says something - and it’s a disaster.

How many times in such a moment - have we been tempted to say, “Wait a minute. Let’s redo this moment? Let’s try this again?”

So we step out of the room - take a deep breath - and then come back into the room - as if the last coming into the room didn’t happen.

We could even say, “It’s a redo.”

It’s a do-over.

And we say out loud, “Let’s try this again.”

In football, I’m sure Navy can’t wait till next December for another re-do.  Besides that it sells t-shirts.

In baseball, it’s a rare game, it’s a rare day, when someone goes 4 for 4 or hits 4 home runs.

Hitting .333 ain’t bad - that’s one for three.

Why can’t we say,  "That’s not bad - that’s life."  

Can’t we realize that re-do’s are part of life.

I like it when I have at least 2 Masses on a weekend. I can straighten out my homily and get it right - or better - the next time.

It’s not as easy in conversations - especially when we say the wrong thing the first time.

CONCLUSION

The message and the  hope of this sermon is: forgiveness, conversion and trying again.

The message of this homily is saying and hearing, “I’m sorry.”

The message of this homily is  second chances, 7 times 7 chances, coming home with the hope someone there saying, “Welcome” - even though often there might be someone who is older who won’t forgive.  Whenever that happens, please re-read the Prodigal Son story and notice that the forgiving father went out and tried to get the unforgiving brother a second chance to forgive his younger brother. 

In golf - miniature or on grass - the others might not give us a re-do - but hopefully in life - God and others give re-do’s - do-overs - lots of mulligans.

This will be a successful sermon or homily if someone here says to their spouse or family member - in the coming week - in the coming year.

“Let’s do a re-do!”

ooooooooooooooooooooo

P.S.  If Father Tizio was giving this homily he would make the following comment.  As you know you’re allowed 16 marriages - 16 re-do’s: 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer.