Homily, 12-18-23: Monday of the 3rd Week in Advent:
Our psalm response today was: “Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.” But what is His time?
We heard in the psalm itself: “For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save.” We look around the world and see people destitute, living in poverty. They cry out but the Lord does not rescue them. We see people afflicted with terrible diseases. They cry out but the Lord does not appear to help them. And we can conclude that this must not be His time.
We await His time when all will be made new, when there will be no more suffering or affliction. But in the meantime, we look for God to provide comfort and consolations, strength and endurance to persevere. We remember that our time here on earth, in which we might suffer afflictions, is infinitesimally small compared to eternity in the new Heaven and new earth. God may allow us to suffer on our earthly journey, but reward us in the afterlife.
In this life, we can accept and endure sacrifices when we know they are temporary and may lead to a good result. We make sacrifices during the year to save for a vacation. We fast during Advent and Lent to prepare for the great feasts of Christmas and Easter. We accept the pain and discomfort of medical procedures because they promise better health as a result.
In much the same way, we can accept our human condition, with all its troubles and difficulties, if we can truly grasp the temporary nature of our existence here on earth. St. Paul tells us that our temporary earthly life is equivalent to living in a tent. We have a heavenly mansion to look forward to if we can only stay on the straight path and endure what God allow to happen to us, if we accept His will.