Roc Homily – First Sunday of Advent Cycle A (2016) drei

There is only one war on Christmas…

Otherwise, there’s only a war on Advent, my dear Catholic friends.  Our season is Advent now.  You know, purple or deep blue; ‘O Come O Come Emannuel’, readings from the prophet Isaiah.  This is our season.  It isn’t Christmas until the sun goes down on the 24th of December.  Let’s greet others cheerfully with, “Happy Advent!”

Yet, aren’t many of us enthralled by the ads and commercials?  Don’t they tug at something?  Black Friday.  Small Business Saturday.  Cyber Monday.  Salivating Tuesday.

Or, don’t may of us overeat this time of year?  Pies and cookies abound.  Yum.  Or, watch football and basketball until our toes become gangrenous?  (Go Bluejays!)  How many channels?

My experience of this war:  I intend to wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, to pray more, to sit in silence more…  Well… TO sit in silence and wait means I have to endure my unruly sense of wanting something to fill my emptiness; means I get to ‘enjoy’ grudges and fears about the state of the world.  Or, wait for Christ’s return… again.  When will he come back and clean up this mess?  And who in their right mind wants to sit with that ‘stuff’?

Amazon, here I come!  You?

Happy Advent! –roc,sj