By Endurance and Encouragement we might have hope!
Homily preached December 4, 2022
by Monsignor Michael Deering

Most of you probably know what Book-Ends are. They are solid structures that hold a row of books upright and in line ... they keep things from falling over.

They come in different shapes and sizes and they’re usually found on Desks and Dressers and Family Room cabinets to keep your books or DVD’s in order.

In my office I have 2 beautiful heavy statues of St. Peter and St. Paul that serve as

Bookends to uphold several of my Office Guides and Directories.

So knowing how Bookends work , I’m sure you’ll easily see what I mean when I use the word  “Bookend” ... not as a noun ... but as a verb ... as in ...

Bookend your Day ... with Prayer.

That would indicate that you begin and end your day with Prayer ...

that Prayer is the Heavy item that can contain all the events of your day ...

keeping them organized and in order.

Here’s an example of how that can be done.

It comes from something my Brother Jim and his wife Kay and their daughter, Janay, have been doing for years.

As Jim & Janay eat breakfast each morning before going to work and school,

Kay reads to them at the Kitchen table ... the Scripture readings

and Saint descriptions of the day.

You see, they subscribe to the “Magnificat” monthly prayer book that has ...

the Readings for Mass and descriptions of the many Feast Days during the year,

... and they read from it ... at the start of every day!

What a wonderful way to start each day ... listening to what God has to say!

It’s also a wonderful way to end each day.

And Jim, Kay and Janay do that too ... as Kay reads to them... again at the Kitchen Table  ... about a chapter a night ... from the Bible

And this is before those three go into the Master bedroom and kneel around the bed with their dog, Beauty, and pray their Bedtime prayers ...

that include repenting of sins, giving thanks for blessings and asking for help.

This is an example of what families can do to stay on the journey to Heaven.

St. Paul speaks of this today saying,

“Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction,

that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

That’s what the Scriptures do ... they give us encouragement ... to endure the trials and tribulations of life and to stay on the road to the Kingdom of Heaven.

How do we maintain our hope for Heaven?

St. Paul says it’s with Endurance and Encouragement!

If you want nice teeth ... you brush them every day

If you want to excel at playing the piano ... you practice every day

If you want good grades ... you study every day

And if you want to be a Saint in Heaven ... you pray every day.

What does it take to do things ... every day?

It takes Endurance and Encouragement ...

And where do we get endurance and encouragement for Heaven?    From God!

St. Paul says today,  “May the God of endurance and encouragement

grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Jesus Christ.”

This reminds me of the saying you’ve probably heard:

The family that prays together ... stays together.”

Praying together as a family helps us ...

to think in harmony with one another,

and ... in keeping with Jesus Christ.

Case after case has shown this to be true.

When we pray together ... especially when we listen to God’s word from the Bible, we’re reminded of his love for us and His desire for us to be with Him in Heaven.

And it’s this encouragement that moves us to strive to do the right thing every day.

It’s not always easy to do the right thing ... especially when we’re surrounded by friends ... and often a whole culture that says ... doing wrong things is ok.

Right and wrong ... who decides?

Society gives the impression that right and wrong

is only determined by the majority rule.

It’s as if standards of right and wrong change over time by the will of the people.

Sometimes this is good: like making right turn on red after stop legal.

Sometimes this is not good: like making the use of marijuana legal.

So you see, Human laws can and do change.

But there are other laws that remain unchanging.   These are laws given by God.

Yes, God the Father gave us His Moral Law through Moses ...

that was later emphasized and expanded by His Son, Jesus Christ.

All people of all time and places must live in accord with God’s Law in order to

enter into eternal union with God in Heaven.

God’s Law ... God’s description of right and wrong never changes!

And we have His written word and Jesus, the Word made Flesh, to encourage us

... to always choose to do the right and walk in His ways in daily living.

In our weakened human nature we sometimes do wrong.

This can happen through ignorance, or through weakness or through indifference.

And when we do wrong in God’s eyes ... we fall into sin.

Society may not agree that it’s a sin ... but if God says it’s sin … it’s sin!

And society is not the one determining whether we get to Heaven or not ... God is!

And while God is a God of Love and Mercy, He is also a God of Justice.

In our First Reading, Isaiah describes the coming Savior saying,

“Justice shall be the band around His waist.”

Yes, Jesus is the Just Judge ... and when He comes again ...

He will judge between right and wrong ... by His standards.

So it behooves us to know His standards and to follow them.

That’s why it’s so important to come to Church .... where God’s will is taught.

Then we know God’s will … then we know His definitions of right and wrong.

And when we recognize that we’ve done wrong, we need to seek His forgiveness.

That’s what John the Baptist preached in the desert of Judea,

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Those very words apply to us today!

As Catholics we know the difference between right and wrong.

Because the Spirit of the Lord came upon us ...

first at Baptism ... and then more fully at Confirmation.

And so we’re carrying all the gifts we need to help us choose right over wrong.

Isaiah itemized these gifts in our First Reading, saying,  “The Spirit of the Lord is:

a spirit of wisdom and understanding ... a spirit of right judgment and courage,

a spirit of knowledge and piety, and ... a spirit of fear of the Lord.

So you see, we’re well equipped to live lives that are pleasing in God’s sight!

We have everything we need to attain salvation.

We just need to make use of the many gifts we’ve been given.

The season of Advent is a good time to reflect on how we’re using our gifts.

In addition to preparing to celebrate the First Coming of Jesus on Christmas Day,

it’s also the time to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus ...

when He will come to separate ... the wheat from the chaff ...

those who do right from those who do wrong.

What are you doing this Advent to prepare for this important meeting with Jesus?

Attending Daily Mass?             Reading the Daily Mass Readings in Magnificat?

Reading the Bible?   Reading the Little Blue Advent Book?    Going to Confession?       Saying Bedtime Prayers with family?               Doing acts of Charity & Kindness?

Please seek the Endurance that comes from the Encouragement of God!

Try Book-Ending your day with Prayer.  We Priests do; we make a promise to pray

the Liturgy of the Hours  that includes Morning and Evening Prayer.... every day! 

There’s 3 weeks left until Christmas ... so take advantage of the graces that God pours forth on His people in Advent when they prepare their hearts for Him.

Let the words of Isaiah and John the Baptist be your motivation:

“Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” and

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

Jesus, the Lord, came once as ... Savior

Jesus, the Lord, will come once again as Judge.

Let’s prepare for this most important encounter so it brings a Heavenly Reward!