Dec 16th

Post date: Dec 18, 2018 7:7:2 PM

Dec 16, 2018 Homily by Fr. Karl Schray

Today we are reminded that Christ’s coming to us at Christmas requires our coming to him during Advent.

Christianity is a very practical religion. It is not only a matter of words but also of deeds. And Christianity is also a social religion. It is not just a matter of God and me but of God, others, and me.

We see a good illustration of this in today’s Gospel. John the Baptist had been telling people that the Messiah was coming and that they should prepare themselves. So, the people asked—What must we do? John gave them practical advice:

‘Those who are well off must share with those who are not well off.’ To the tax collectors- Don’t use your office to exploit people. And to the soldiers he said- Don’t use your position of power to intimidate or oppress people. In other words: Show concern for others and be just in all your dealings. This is how practical Christianity is. It lives by deeds but dies by words alone.

Jesus not only comes to us at Christmas. He comes to us at the oddest times and places and wearing different disguises. He comes in the person of the other, especially of the other in need.

Leo Tolstoy has a story about a cobbler (Martin) who lived and worked in a basement room. Its one window enabled him to see just the feet of the passers-by on the street above. Since there was hardly a pair of boots or shoes that had not passed through his hands, he was able to identify the passers-by by their shoes.

Life had been hard on him. His wife died leaving him with a young son. Some time later his son fell ill and died. Martin was devastated. After burying his son, he gave way to despair. He gave his practice of religion and took to the bottle.

One day an old friend dropped in. Martin poured out his soul to him. His friend advised him to read a little from the Gospels each day—promising that if he did so, light and hope would come back into his life.

Martin took his friend’s advice. At the end of each day he would take the Gospels and read a little. Slowly things began to change for the better.

One night as he sat reading, he though he heard someone calling him: ‘Martin, look out into the street tomorrow, for I will come to visit you.’ Since there was no else in the room, he presumed it was the Lord who had spoken to him.

When he sat down to his work the next day, he was very excited. As he worked, he kept a close eye on the window. He scrutinized every pair of shoes or boots that passed above him. He was looking for someone special.

In the early afternoon he saw a pair of familiar boots. They belonged to an old soldier named Stephen. Going to the window he looked up and saw the old man rubbing his hands together for it was bitterly cold outside. Martin wished he would move on, because he was afraid, he would not see the Lord when he passed.

Finally, it occurred to Martin that maybe Stephen had nothing to eat all day. So, he tapped on the window, beckoned Stephen in, and gave him some tea and bread as he warmed himself by the fire. Stephen was most grateful. He said he had not eaten in two days. When he left, Martin gave him a second overcoat for the biting cold. All the while, Martin had not forgotten the window. But no one special passed.

Night fell. Martin finished his work and closed the window shutters. After supper, he started to read the Gospels as this was now his custom. At random his eyes fell upon the words from today’s Gospel— “If anyone has two coats, he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same.”

Martin understood then that the Lord had indeed come to him that day. He had come in the person of Stephen. And Martin had made him welcome. All at once his heart was flooded with joy the likes of which he had never experienced.