Deacon Gary Bockweg has prepared a reflection for all of us today. It is the sermon he will be preaching this Sunday at St. Joseph's on Capitol Hill.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Irangot a lot of attention a few months ago
By saying that the Holocaust
never happened.
Others on the radical
fringe—including some Christians—agree.
They profess that belief
despite the overwhelming evidence that it’s untrue.
The testimony of witnesses,
the movies and photos taken by the liberators.
The records kept by the Nazis
themselves.
We can’t judge how genuine
the belief of those radicals might be.
But we know that deep faith
is a powerful force.
Even if that belief is mistaken.
The rest of us have no doubt
that the Holocaust really did happen.
Nearly 6 million Jews – wiped
out.
In a methodical plan to engineer
the extermination of all the Jews in Europe.
Considering today’s reading
from Samuel,
We might wonder just how that
Holocaust was allowed to happen.
Didn’t God make promises to David?
I will fix a place for my people Israel
Where they may dwell without disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked afflict them.
I will raise up your heir after you.
He shall be a son to me.
And your kingdom shall endure forever.
When we look at the evidence
of history.
Those look like empty
promises.
The Holocaust was about as
extreme a disturbance and affliction as we can imagine.
And of course, that’s just one
modern example.
Endless afflictions have
plagued the Jews throughout history.
As for a kingdom that will
endure forever,
The Jews were already a
subjugated people long before Jesus was born.
So what are we to make of
those promises?
In our Gospel, Luke tells of
Gabriel’s message to Mary.
Mary’s child, Jesus, will be
the Son of the Most High.
He will be the Messiah.
God will give him the throne
of David, his father.
And his kingdom will have no
end.
But then, Jesus himself is severely
afflicted and disturbed by the wicked.
And he fails to meet the
expectations of those looking for a powerful earthly kingdom.
He’s not the type of messiah
the people had hoped for.
It looks like the promises
made to Mary are empty too.
But surely, God does keep His
promises.
So there must be some deeper
meaning here.
Paul helps us toward an
answer when he speaks (in our second reading)
Of the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages.
The mystery that was revealed
through the coming, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
We’re fortunate to have
already received that revelation.
The mystery revealed by Jesus
himself.
Through his life and his
teachings.
That indeed the Kingdom is
real and will never end.
That not only the Jews, but
all of God’s people, will find peace there.
Peace from disturbance and
affliction.
We can now understand, as
those who lived before Jesus’ revelations could not,
That the Kingdom is not of
this world.
Jesus revealed that he came
to open that Kingdom to us.
To establish its beginnings.
To show us the way.
And he revealed that he will
come again to reign over that Kingdom forever.
We already understand at some
level
And believe at some level
That the Kingdom awaits us.
And that when Jesus comes
again we can enter fully into it.
But that’s not all the Good
News of God’s promises.
It’s true that the Kingdom is
not of this world.
But it’s also true that we
are not entirely of this world.
We can’t yet fully enter into
the Kingdom.
But we can, even now, enter
to some extent.
We can already enjoy some of
its protection from disturbance and affliction.
The more deeply we believe in
the truth of the Kingdom,
The more deeply we understand
that the disturbances and afflictions of this world
Pale in comparison to the
joys of the Kingdom.
And with that understanding
we enter more deeply into the Kingdom
And we enjoy real relief from
the disturbances and afflictions of this world.
So, God’s promise offers even
more immediate relief than we might expect.
In our few remaining days of
Advent,
As we prepare and wait to
celebrate Jesus’ first coming 2000 years ago,
We also prepare and wait for
his second coming.
And, as Mary pondered the
words of Gabriel,
We can ponder the promise of
the Kingdom.
And as we ponder, we may well
find that we are entering deeper into the Kingdom.
