3rd Sunday - Signs of the Kingdom of God

Advent Sermons and Petitions

Signs of the Kingdom of God

Third Sunday of Advent (December 16, 2007)

Isaiah prophesizes a bright future, when God’s light will shine on Israel and justice and peace will reign.  He foresees the coming of the Messiah ushering in a new era.  “Flowers will bloom in the desert…. The eyes of the blind will be opened; the ears of the deaf will be cleared, then the lame will leap like a stag, and the tongue of the mute will sing…and sorrow and mourning will flee.”

John the Baptist was looking forward to the coming of the Messiah.  He was preparing the way for Jesus who would usher in a new era.  He preached: “The crooked roads will be straightened, the rough paths made smooth, the mountains will be leveled and the valleys filled.”  John believed he was on the cusp of a new period of human history.  The Messiah was coming: Prepare for his arrival. 

Today, we must put on John’s mantle and prepare for the coming of the Lord.  We are the ones who are responsible for furthering his mission until he returns. We are the ones who are obligated to establish his kingdom of peace, justice and love, a mission which will be fully completed only when he comes again in glory.

When John was incarcerated for his refusal to bend God’s law for Herod, he sent his messengers to Jesus to ask “Are you the one who is to come or should we look for another?”   Jesus responded, “Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind can see, the lame can walk, the lepers are clean, the deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor.”  These are the signs that reveal Jesus as the one sent by God.  These are the signs of the Kingdom of God.  And they are the signs that must characterize the work of our worldwide Catholic Church, our parish and even our country.

We would like to think that we as Americans live in the most generous nation in the world, the country that excels in compassion and reaps justice both here and abroad.  While there are millions of generous people and wonderfully generous institutions in our country, we know that we have a long way to go to fulfill the criteria that Jesus laid out for us. 

In fact, we are not the most generous nation.  While we may spend more money in foreign aid to other countries, we are nowhere near the top of the list of donor nations on a per capita basis. While we contribute millions and millions of dollars to alleviate the effects of poverty and natural disasters around the world, we rank lower than 25^th among countries of the world in the percentage of our national income dedicated to help poorer nations.  Sadly, the amount of assistance we give to poor countries has declined since 2001 while the amount of money we dedicate to war has escalated dramatically.

Other developed countries have universal health care.  In the United States, there are 40 million people without health insurance. Each year as health care costs skyrocket, more and more Americans become uninsured and are practically unable to access medical attention.  In regards to infant mortality, the United States ranks 37^th among the world’s countries.   And yet, we are unquestionably the richest country in the world.  We have only 6% of the world’s population but we use 40% of the world’s resources.  Certainly we can afford to be more generous.  Don’t you think that if Jesus were to come today, he would challenge us as a people to be more compassionate and generous?

In 2001, the American and Mexican bishops noted in their joint pastoral letter that “only a long-term effort that adjusts economic inequalities between the United States and Mexico will provide Mexican workers with employment opportunities that will allow them to remain in Mexico and to support themselves and their families.”  The root cause of most immigration is economic inequality. 

In the last 15 years, 3 out of 4 immigrants to the United States were Mexicans.  Most of them came here because of desperate economic need.  This flow will not be stopped by fences or fancy electronic equipment; it will only be stemmed by sustained economic development within Mexico. 

The bishops note positively that the American and Mexican economies are intertwined, but they also note that the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) promoted by the United States has harmed small businesses in Mexico, especially in the rural agricultural areas.  And these are the principal areas from which most immigrants originate.  Until these inequalities are resolved, the flow of immigrants will most certainly continue.  It is doubtful that more money for greater border security will stem the flow of people desperate for a better life, if not survival.

Today and in the near future, we face important decisions about receiving the immigrant.  Jesus was clear on this matter.  He followed the teaching of the Old Testament: to care for the widow, the orphan and the immigrant.  He stood up to the Jewish authorities who wanted nothing to do with Samaritans. Rather, Jesus held up these foreigners as exemplary people.  The compassionate person who cared for the wounded man lying by the side of the road was not a priest or Levite but the Good Samaritan.  When only one out of ten lepers returned to thank Jesus for healing him, Jesus noted he was a Samaritan, a foreigner.  When he talked with the Samaritan woman at the well, his apostles criticized him.  While questioning the woman, Jesus restored her self-esteem and motivated her to return to her village and evangelize her people.  Jesus not only welcomed foreigners, he praised them for their virtue and invited them to be part of his community.

John the Baptist would have recognized Jesus’ openness to foreigners as a sign of the Messiah, as a sign of the kingdom being established by Jesus.

In their 2001 pastoral letter, the American bishops stated that we must respect the human dignity and human rights of immigrants living among us, whether legally or illegally.  They deplored that government officials sometimes treat undocumented immigrants unjustly.  Across the country, various local governments have implemented policies to limit basic human and civil rights of immigrants by adopting laws to limit immigrants’ access to schools, health care, and housing.

Increasingly, local police are authorized to hand over undocumented persons to immigration officials.  Such empowerment easily leads to abuses where police stop people just because they suspect they are undocumented.  And some unscrupulous employers also are, unfortunately, taking advantage of the vulnerable position of undocumented workers by paying them less than their full wages or making them work in hazardous conditions.  So we should not be surprised that the highest rate of industrial accidents in America is among undocumented Mexican workers.  

How shall we categorize these restrictive and punitive actions against immigrants?  Intolerant? Selfish? Inhumane?  We certainly cannot say they are policies to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. Nevertheless, there are positive signs that God’s kingdom is emerging. Fewer people in the world live in extreme poverty than 50 years ago.  Globalization has helped to connect our world in terms of economics, communication, trade, and services.  Globalization has also facilitated migrations across borders and increased diversity in major cities around the globe, almost always with positive economic consequences.

Clearly, another sign of God’s kingdom growing among us will be our compassionate response to the stranger in our midst.

Intercessions

For all Christians, that we may have courage to call for justice, fairness and peace in our country’s immigration policies.

For all members of the Body of Christ, that we may rejoice in the opportunity to encounter the risen Christ, especially in the poor, the oppressed and the stranger.

For developing countries, that they may find the paths to economic growth that will enable their citizens to find meaningful employment and opportunity...