Homily Outline for the 4th Sunday of Lent, Year C
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have passed over the “hump!” We are more than halfway to Easter! Holy Week, the heart and center of our liturgical life, is just two weeks away. Today I read the Introit, the verse that the Mass has traditionally begun with, now typically replaced by an opening hymn… Isaiah begins “Rejoice” – Laetare in Latin. This is Laetare Sunday, Rejoice Sunday, and I am vested in rose, as if I were a rosebud not quite ready to burst into bloom (I know, I’m a little furry to be a rosebud, this may be hard to picture, but work with me!). It is the early rose of a new dawn. The sun is still below the horizon, but we know it will be here soon.
Yesterday I had the chance to hike of Hogsback with a friend of mine. It was a little soggy, but everywhere you could hear water moving, dripping off the hemlocks, flowing in the streams and gullies at full spate. We even had to get over the biggest stream by walking on the railing of the bridge that was under water. Up on Hogsback you could barely make out the big lake, but the mist and fog drifted beautifully over the treetops. Spring is coming, you can taste it in the air.
This is where the Church wants us to be liturgically – tasting in the air at this moment the closeness of Easter. Rejoice – we still have three weeks of penance, but the goal is in sight!
The Church puts before us readings of great hope and encouragement today. We have been seeking penance and self-knowledge in the Lenten desert, to know ourselves honestly and to seek forgiveness and conversion. Paul gives us great hope – God is reconciling the world to Himself in Christ. We are ambassadors of Christ, of this reconciliation. “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Have you built up your courage so far, to look at some real pain or difficulty in your heart? Bring it to the Lord, especially in the Sacrament of Penance. We’re entering high season for Confessions – opportunities abound! The Church encourages every Catholic to go to confession at least in preparation for Easter. The next two Mondays and Tuesdays there will Reconciliation services in each of the city parishes. Be reconciled to God! Take courage; trust in His mercy.
This brings us very naturally to our beautiful and hopeful Gospel – the Parable of the Prodigal Son, of the even more Prodigal Father. I want to focus on a core moment. The son has realized his sorry condition and makes a decision. “So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.”
While he was still a long way off! As Paul said, God is reconciling the world to Himself, He is doing the heavy lifting, He is taking the big step. We need only turn to Him, take the smallest step, open the door of our hearts the smallest crack, and He runs to us. Do not despair, do not give up – God desires to heal you and receive you with joy. Take that little step, a small step that can change you, change your heart, change your life. Come back to our Heavenly Father.
Let’s look at the Offertory in this light. We bring forward the bread and wine, small humble simple gifts. We would not even have them without the soil, sun, and seed the Lord has already given us. We are meant to offer in our hearts along with these simple gifts all our joys and sorrows, our whole selves. The Lord takes these gifts and by grace transforms them into Himself, His Body Blood Soul and Divinity. We take a small step, and He runs to us. Just as the People of Israel in our first reading prepared to receive the food of the Promised Land, we prepare to receive the fruits of Heaven. In a few moments we will take a few small steps toward this Altar to be given everything. Let us open our hearts with confidence. Let us get up and go back to our Father.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have passed over the “hump!” We are more than halfway to Easter! Holy Week, the heart and center of our liturgical life, is just two weeks away. Today I read the Introit, the verse that the Mass has traditionally begun with, now typically replaced by an opening hymn… Isaiah begins “Rejoice” – Laetare in Latin. This is Laetare Sunday, Rejoice Sunday, and I am vested in rose, as if I were a rosebud not quite ready to burst into bloom (I know, I’m a little furry to be a rosebud, this may be hard to picture, but work with me!). It is the early rose of a new dawn. The sun is still below the horizon, but we know it will be here soon.
Yesterday I had the chance to hike of Hogsback with a friend of mine. It was a little soggy, but everywhere you could hear water moving, dripping off the hemlocks, flowing in the streams and gullies at full spate. We even had to get over the biggest stream by walking on the railing of the bridge that was under water. Up on Hogsback you could barely make out the big lake, but the mist and fog drifted beautifully over the treetops. Spring is coming, you can taste it in the air.
This is where the Church wants us to be liturgically – tasting in the air at this moment the closeness of Easter. Rejoice – we still have three weeks of penance, but the goal is in sight!
The Church puts before us readings of great hope and encouragement today. We have been seeking penance and self-knowledge in the Lenten desert, to know ourselves honestly and to seek forgiveness and conversion. Paul gives us great hope – God is reconciling the world to Himself in Christ. We are ambassadors of Christ, of this reconciliation. “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Have you built up your courage so far, to look at some real pain or difficulty in your heart? Bring it to the Lord, especially in the Sacrament of Penance. We’re entering high season for Confessions – opportunities abound! The Church encourages every Catholic to go to confession at least in preparation for Easter. The next two Mondays and Tuesdays there will Reconciliation services in each of the city parishes. Be reconciled to God! Take courage; trust in His mercy.
This brings us very naturally to our beautiful and hopeful Gospel – the Parable of the Prodigal Son, of the even more Prodigal Father. I want to focus on a core moment. The son has realized his sorry condition and makes a decision. “So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.”
While he was still a long way off! As Paul said, God is reconciling the world to Himself, He is doing the heavy lifting, He is taking the big step. We need only turn to Him, take the smallest step, open the door of our hearts the smallest crack, and He runs to us. Do not despair, do not give up – God desires to heal you and receive you with joy. Take that little step, a small step that can change you, change your heart, change your life. Come back to our Heavenly Father.
Let’s look at the Offertory in this light. We bring forward the bread and wine, small humble simple gifts. We would not even have them without the soil, sun, and seed the Lord has already given us. We are meant to offer in our hearts along with these simple gifts all our joys and sorrows, our whole selves. The Lord takes these gifts and by grace transforms them into Himself, His Body Blood Soul and Divinity. We take a small step, and He runs to us. Just as the People of Israel in our first reading prepared to receive the food of the Promised Land, we prepare to receive the fruits of Heaven. In a few moments we will take a few small steps toward this Altar to be given everything. Let us open our hearts with confidence. Let us get up and go back to our Father.
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