WHAT ARE YOU
WAITING FOR?
The title of my homily is, “What Are You Waiting For?”
In a way, I think that question sums up all three readings
for this Sunday - this third Sunday of Advent.
I’m also wondering if that’s one of those depth questions in
every human being?
What am I waiting for? What am I looking for? What am I
hoping for? What do I want?
Put that on hold - while I make a few observations about
today’s readings. Then I’ll try to
tackle that depth - heart - question - the bottom line hope of every
person. What am I waiting for? What am I
looking for?
THE READINGS
All three readings talk about the hope for the earth to
flower and flourish. We hear that in the first reading from Isaiah, then the
second reading from James - and there is also a one sentence question in the
gospel - about this human hope for the earth to bloom.
Do gardeners and farmers have a better chance to get and
grow God in their lives than others - in their hopes to see flowers growing -
tomatoes and cucumbers filling their
gardens - as well as soybeans, wheat and corn to thrive in farmer’s fields?
Isaiah begins today’s first reading with the message: “The
desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe with rejoice and bloom. They
will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song.”
I’ve only seen three desert areas in my life: in Arizona - near Tucson, in California, neat the Salton Sea - and in Israel - down near the Dead
Sea. I’ve also seen a few
places in film where the desert was blooming because of big time irrigation
systems.
So Isaiah talks about the desert and the parched earth
blooming with lots of flowers. So James says that the farmer learns patience
because farmers have to wait for the early and late rains. And Jesus when
talking to the crowds about their fascination with John the Baptist, asks them,
“What did you go out to the desert to see?”
Besides wanting to see plant life flourish - the 3 readings
also get at our desire to see signs of God’s presence - God’s existence - God’s
concern for us - in creation - and in each other.
That’s why folks flocked to John the Baptist.
That’s why people follow Jesus Christ to this date.
NOW WHAT ABOUT
DOWN DEEP HUMAN DESIRES?
What are our down deep human desires? What are we on fire
for at times?
It can be for another. Shakespeare and poets often describe
young love just that way. It can be a cauldron of hot lava - splashing and spilling -
all over the brim. Ah young love!
Hopefully, if we are older, it’s for less messy love - but for deeper - more subtle and solid love
- in our marriages - in our families - in our lives.
The pope has recently asked for answers about marriage and
family life in a big long - complicated questionnaire - that was sent out to
our world. Great idea - but - I have several buts. I took a few hours to answer
it - and my main complaint was: good idea - but who the heck came up with the
questions - and the way they were worded. I began assuming that the main
benefit would be for the person answering the questions - and going through the
process - whether anyone really answers their questions or not.
As I was answering it - I realized that on the local level - a better way of
looking at marriage and family would be to have every couple and every family
go through some kind of an evaluation process on the question: “How are we
doing?”
When I am part of our high school Kairos retreats - we just
finished our 24th one - 4 days up in Malvern, Pennsylvania - once more I realized in
listening to high school seniors - that families don’t eat together and talk
together enough. Easier said than done - in our day and age - with so many
events going on.
As in prayer - as in so many things - a major solution -
after evaluation - a key answer is: taking and making time for what is really
important. Then when we get together -
to really be present to each other - whether it’s eating, playing cards, or
whatever.
So the first answer to the question: “What Are You Looking
For?” or “What do I really want?” it has to be relationships.
People are more important than stuff. We can stuff ourselves with stuff -
especially the latest stuff - but people are always more important than stuff.
People are more important than sports. In fact, sports, even if Navy loses in
football to Army 20 years from now, it’s
always more fun enjoying a game with each other.
With Christmas coming - we know gifts are important - but we
know what the kids don’t know they know - it’s the hand behind the gift that
really counts.
So the first answer to the question to the question: What am
I waiting for or looking for - it’s people.
My favorite example for this happened to me in a small town on the Ohio River. We had just finished preaching a parish
mission in Pomeroy, Ohio. It was Thursday evening. A guy was
telling me about a girl who went to a community college across the river in West Virginia. She was
getting horrible marks. In fact she was failing and a student advisor called
her in and asked her, “What did you here to college for?”
And the young lady gave a great answer. I said, “Wow!” And I
grabbed my ball point pen and wrote on a Styrofoam cup these words, “I came
here to be went with and I ain’t been went with yet.”
There it is. That’s what makes the world go round.
Jesus knew this big time - in his efforts to challenge
people to love one another as they love themselves - to notice the unnoticed -
to stop along the road - to help those who were stuck. To visit the sick. To
feed the hungry.
But he also realized that this should, this could, lead us
to get to know the one who makes the world go round - to make the universe -
keep working - our Father - who is in heaven.
He was aware - you have to see the visible - before you
start to catch the invisible - like a glint of light reflecting off a Christmas
tree ornament.
Of course, it takes years - lots of looking back -lots of reflections - lots of
homework - to see God - behind everything - like the hand and heart behind a
Christmas gift.
I often say to myself when I go by a jewelry store as well as every
Saturday afternoon when I do a wedding - and we come to the ring ceremony -
just after the vows: “There’s a world of difference between a wedding ring in a
jewelry store window - and the wedding
rings going on ring fingers at a wedding - and those rings 37 years later."
Catch the invisible - the love that picks the engagement and wedding ring - the love behind the shopping and the
supper - the love and concern behind the message to a teenager: “Give me a call
if you’re stuck and you’re going to be late!” - the visit to the nursing home -
the reason behind our troops being in some distant front or back station - the
holding of hands of a family at the Our Father during Mass - and on and on and
on.
CONCLUSION
It wasn’t till his thirties that Augustine discovered God -
and a bit later when he confessed to God, “Too late I loved you, O Beauty ever
ancient and ever new! Too late I loved you! And behold, you were within me, and
I out of myself, and there I searched for you.”
The title of my homily was:
“What Are You Waiting For?”
What am I waiting for? What am I looking for? What do I
want?
