HOMILY 1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
BE PREPARED FOR THE UNEXPECTED, BUT MEANWHILE, DO SOMETHING ABOUT BEING A PEACEMAKER
Mt 24.37-44 Is 2.2-5 Rom 13.11-14
Now for Matthew’s Liturgical Year, as the apocalyptic theme continues from last week’s ending with Jesus welcoming the good thief into Paradise with him, despite the grim picture of crucifixion appearing to end it all!
If we look at the current state of the world, we could well wonder about the future of humanity, with the ongoing wars, dislocation and dispossession of so many people, because of ethnicity or religion, with a focus on differences, rather than our common humanity, all 8 billion, sharing this one precious planet.
Going back to the 8th century BC, today’s first reading, we have the First Isaiah, early in his ministry, with a vision of faith in the one God, bringing all together, teaching us his ways, so that we walk in his paths, speaking words of hope, with lovely imagery of peace emerging from darker times. Swords are to be hammered into ploughshares, and spears into sickles, nations coming together without conflict, and no more preparing or training for war. If only, we might say, hope and pray!
Outside the UN building in New York, there is a large sculpture, depicting Isaiah’s text, with a working man hammering a sword into a ploughshare, a symbol of the UN’s role in promoting and working for world peace between all nations. And would you believe the USSR (Soviet Union) was the donor, back in December 1959, just 3 years before the Cuban Missile Crisis (which ruined my 10th birthday!), and in the midst of the Cold War, which ended some 30 years later, only to lead to the present hostilities which exist around the world! When will humanity learn to work for and live in peace? Professor Google tells us: “This action symbolises man’s desire to put an end to war and transform tools of destruction into tools to benefit mankind (humanity)”! “When will we ever learn?”, as Peter, Paul and Mary sing to us from the 1960’s, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”? Who remembers? The verses move from young girls picking the flowers, then looking for husbands, who move to being soldiers, who end up in the graveyard, where the flowers appear again, and so the cycle goes on. “When will we ever learn?”
It is significant now, that Pope Leo XIV has made his first international trip, having taken his time in settling into the papacy, and having a broad perspective on the world scene, of which he has a pretty good idea, from his prior experience as a missionary priest and bishop in Peru, and as a global leader of the Augustinian Order.
Invited by Patriarch Batholomew, he has gone to Istanbul, the old Constantintople, where he has called for peace, mutual respect and understanding, between the Catholic and Orthodox faiths, where there is obviously so much more common ground than differences. It is the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed (formulated in 325AD), over which disputes eventually led to the East West Schism or split in 1054, but of course, power, politics and wealth were also very much a part of the mix, as has continued to be the case ever since!
In Leo’s words: “At a period of history marked by many tragic signs, in which people are subjected to countless threats to their very dignity, the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicea is a precious opportunity to ask ourselves who Jesus Christ is in the lives of men and women today, and who he is for each one of us personally. The question is especially important for Christians, who risk reducing Jesus Christ to a kind of charismatic leader of superman, a misrepresentation that ultimately leads to sadness and confusion… Our faith (is) in the God who, in Jesus Christ, became like us to make us ‘partakers of the divine nature’… This Christological confession of faith is of fundamental importance in the journey that Christians are making towards full communion.”
He then, unsurprisingly quotes Augustine: “Although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.” He moves on to reflect: “The whole of humanity afflicted by violence and conflict is crying out for reconciliation… The more we are reconciled, the more we Christians can bear credible witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is a proclamation of hope for all. Moreover, it is a message of peace and universal fraternity that transcends the boundaries of our communities and nations…. It would not be possible to invoke God as Father if we refused to recognize as brothers and sisters all other men and women, who are created in the image of God. There is a universal fraternity of men and women, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, religion or personal perspectives… Furthermore, we must strongly reject the use of religion for justifying was, violence, or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism. Instead, the paths to follow are those of fraternal encounter, dialogue and co-operation.” Here are words of leadership and hope for peace and a better world, but is he just a voice in the wilderness, or will others listen? That’s our hope, but with no guarantees!!
Advent is our time for reflection and preparation, when we can get a chance, in the leadup to our season of peace and good will at Christmas. No-one can deny that this is at the heart of the Christian message, as we celebrate his coming and ongoing presence among us once again, as the years roll by, faster and faster, if you ask me!
And, to conclude, I like Claude Mostowik MSC’s thought: “We may be sceptical about real positive change in our world, but it can and does happen as with the unexpected dissolution of the Soviet Union, the end of apartheid in South Africa, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the so called ‘Arab Spring’, to name some. A new day is upon us with radical new possibilities. Let us walk in the light of God. The night will not last forever; the day is coming, and it is very close.”
We can only do our bit as people of faith and hope, who share the love proclaimed and lived out by Jesus, as his followers, facing our imperfections and flaws, but also aware of our capacity to make a difference by who we are and how we speak and act.
john hannon 30th November 2025