Two Homilies

On Wednesday December 16, 2020 I listened to two homilies that I thought would be of true value to me and my readers. The first was by Msgr. Sam Bianco at the Daily TV Mass here. Msgr. Bianco commented on the Gospel's reading from Luke "John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?' When the men came to the Lord, they said, 'John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’ At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also granted sight to many who were blind. And Jesus said to them in reply,'Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” Msgr. Bianco said that in the ancient culture, 'offense' meant a trap to capture a bird. What trap was John the Baptist facing in his relationship to Jesus? Part of it is the expectation that John the Baptist had for Jesus. John the Baptist would have destroyed evil. He thought that the God of wrath would not tolerate evil. Jesus was probably a stumbling block because he showed himself a merciful God... He touched the lepers that he healed, and the blinds whose light of eyes he restored. He was physically present to the people that he healed - a COVID, or sickness. He had compassion for the poor, sinners, and the trodden. The second homily was that of Pope Francis: Pope Francis on December 16 encouraged everyone to “‘hasten their steps’ toward Christmas,” taking up the restrictions that will characterize this year’s holiday as a chance to make the feast more “authentic, more true.” The pope offered this encouragement at the end of the Wednesday general audience, which he dedicated to the theme of intercessory prayer. He said: I would like to encourage everyone to ‘hasten their steps’ toward Christmas, the true Christmas, that is to say, the birth of Jesus Christ. This year, restrictions and inconveniences await us; but let’s think of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph’s Christmas: it wasn’t a rose garden! How many difficulties they had! How many concerns! And yet faith, hope and love guided and sustained them. May it be thus also for us! May it also help us – this difficulty – to purify a bit the way we live Christmas, the way we celebrate, leaving consumerism behind: May it be more religious, more authentic, more true." More here.