Homilette for Wednesday, December 6

(Isaiah 25, Matthew 15)

Some day take note of the mass readings during ordinary time. You will find divergent ideas in the first reading and the gospel. The two were not selected for their correspondence but to give us a sense of the different books of the Bible.

Asymmetrical mass readings are not found during Advent, however. During this season the first reading always anticipates the gospel selection. Together they show how God’s promise to Israel was fulfilled with the coming of Christ. Today, for example, we hear how God will save all His people by preparing a banquet for them. In the gospel passage Jesus does just that. First, he assists those who are usually left out – the blind and the lame. And then he feeds the whole crowd large portions of bread and fish.

We can always count on God to fulfill His promises. Because Christ has promised to return with salvation for his faithful people, we prepare ourselves to receive him during this time of Advent. In a sense it is like an emergency drill. We keep ourselves prepared so that when the eventuality indeed takes place, we will know what to do.

Garrison Keillor once told the story of preparations for snow storms in the Minnesota town where he grew up. He said the children from the country were all assigned “snow parents” to whom they could go if the snow ever piled so high during the day that the buses would be unable to take them home in the evening. He himself was assigned to a couple whom he had never met. He was showed where they lived so that when the snow came, he could go directly there. Keillor says that he remembered the house because of the statue of the Blessed Virgin on their front lawn. One day he had some extra time so he went to meet the couple to whom he was assigned. He introduced himself at the door as their “snow child.” The woman who answered the door invited him in. She said that she wanted her husband to meet him so asked him to sit down. In the meantime, she brought his some cookies to eat.

This is much like Advent's preparation for the coming of Christ. As Minnesotans in winter are sure to get a heavy snow, we can be sure of Christ’s eventual coming. Just like them we prepare for the day. And again like the child in Garrison Keillor’s story, in our preparation we often experience a miniature salvation. Something happens that will be a sure sign of God’s love.