Covid Curse or Advent Blessing?

 

Deacon David Previtali · Covid Curse or Advent Blessing?

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Dec. 6, 2020. Gospel of St. Mark 1:1-8. Theme: Covid Curse or Advent Blessing? 

Well, here we go again. Into a shutdown ordered by those in authority who refuse to take into consideration the enormous negative ramifications that their edicts have upon the financial, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being of the people. They are obsessed with just physical health, frightening people into submission by overemphasizing the reach of a virus that is seriously dangerous to only an extremely small percentage of the entire population. 

But really, their behavior and dictates should not surprise us because we know from Christ that the spiritually blind simply cannot see the truth that sets us free. Those who are caught up with the pursuit of prestige, power and position see only the material world. They cannot see the bigger picture of human life and the dignity that belongs to every single human being. They step on the needs and rights of others to climb the ladder of worldly success and too often seem to rule with contempt for the ordinary citizen. But you know, this sounds so very much like the world in which Joseph and Mary started out their budding family life. It sounds so very much like the world into which Jesus was born. 

When the Roman mandate for a census disrupted their lives, requiring that Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem, they could have chosen to ignore it. After all, Mary was nine months pregnant and in no condition for the arduous journey. They could have spent their time grumbling over one more intrusion of Roman oppression into their lives and ignored the edict. But instead, they chose to obey and trusted that God who is all-powerful would fulfill his plan in their lives despite this political proclamation. So, Joseph saddled up the donkey, picked up his walking staff and they made their way to King David’s City. 

Their choice to obey and trust turned an annoying curse into an awesome blessing because it was how the prophecy was fulfilled which foretold that the Savior would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem. So, it seems to me that we have a choice, just as Joseph and Mary had a choice. We can see the present restrictions and infringement upon our lives as a curse, and allow it to give rise to anger and frustration within us. Or, without condoning it, we can nevertheless obey and trust turning it to our spiritual advantage. We can choose to see this latest Covid Curse as an Advent blessing that enables us to engage in a more Christ-oriented focus to our preparation for Christmas. We can choose to see in the shutdown an opportunity to have more time for reflection on God’s Word, more time for silent meaningful prayer form the heart, more time to focus on the Giver of Gifts and not on the purchasing of presents and the planning of parties. 

I think this would be very much in line with what St. John the Baptist is telling us to do in today’s Gospel. He calls us to prepare the way of the Lord into our hearts; to make straight the crookedness in our lives and clean up the wastelands in our thoughts. In other words, he is challenging us to acknowledge our sins and then repent of them. If we are truly sincere in wanting to better prepare the way for Christ, then we can take advantage of the extra time the shutdown will provide for us and put it to good spiritual use by heeding the message of St. John the Baptist. 

And what exactly is this message? To turn away from selfishness, from the refusal to love and show mercy; to admit that we need God in our lives to straighten things out; to open our hearts to the cries of the poor and suffering; to ready ourselves to receive the power and presence of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed One, will send us. 

So, let’s use the opportunities provided by this latest shutdown to spend some time during this Advent honestly asking ourselves some real and meaningful questions about the crooked highways and wastelands in our lives. Let’s ask for the intercession of St. John the Baptist to help us do what is needed to level the road and make straight the pathway of Christ to our hearts. Let’s ask for the grace of Advent repentance and Christmas conversion so that we can take on a new way of thinking, a new way of looking at life, and a new way of living, that is a true and life-transforming preparation for the coming of Jesus, who is both Messiah and Lord.