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Bishop's Homily for the First Sunday in Advent

December 1, 2024

Homily of the Most Reverend Larry Silva, Bishop of Honolulu
[St. Stephen Church, Honolulu (Adult Confirmation & First Communion)]

Why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25?  Nowhere in Scripture are we told the actual date – or even the season – of the birth of Jesus.  The short answer is that the early Christians “stole” a pagan feast and made it their own.

Back before there was electricity, people did pay much more attention to the sun, the moon, and the stars.  They noted that the darkest day of the year was around December 21, and after that, the sun began to give a little more light every day.  The ancient Romans had a festival around December 25 that they called “Sol Invictus,” which means “unconquered sun,” because the sun, which seemed to be in decline, was now showing its power to revive.  Christians interpreted this with Christ as the true Sun, the light that rises over the whole world.  Given that he, too, had his light dimmed in the crucifixion, but rose again in triumphant glory, they began celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25.

It has become apparent to me, however, that the tables have been turned.  What was a Christian feast of such great beauty and importance has been “stolen,” if you will, to become a pagan feast.  The “ritual” focus of this feast is on Santa Claus and his reindeer, elves, Christmas trees and lights, gift-giving and Black Friday shopping.  These are all beautiful and heart-warming, but it has reached the point where even saying “Merry Christmas” in some places can be considered offensive to pagan sensibilities.

Now we Christians must take some responsibility for this unfortunate cultural trajectory.  We have often lived our faith as if it were only a series of rituals in which we engage, or moral principles we must follow.  And while these are important, in many ways we have forgotten that our faith is all about Jesus and coming to know him personally and communally as our Savior and Lord, as our Light and our Sun.  We are still in the midst of our national Eucharistic Revival, and the whole purpose of this was to renew our understanding that the Eucharist is not just a series of rituals but a true and living encounter with the risen Lord Jesus, who comes down to us, lives among and within us, and changes us by the love and mercy with which he soaks us.  He is God-with-us, Emmanuel, to shine in the darkness of war, conflict and sin.  He is the Sun that gives us hope when all seems to be fading away in sickness and anxiety and depression.

It is for us this Advent to rediscover the person of Jesus, especially in the Eucharist.  He is a real person who can and wants to change our lives and our world.  He knows that we are often affected by various forms of darkness in our lives, and he wants us – and through us, everyone else – to know that he is the Unconquered Son of God.

I believe very much that one of the best ways to learn something is to know that you have to teach it.  And it is our mission as followers of Jesus to share his Good News with all we meet.  We can grow as disciples to the extent that we become missionaries of the love of Christ.  And so, we are challenged not just to enjoy our own relationship with Jesus, but to let others know that he is waiting for them, too.  Yes, of course, we do this by kindness and love, by acting justly, so that others may admire what we believe, but it is also important to speak explicitly about Jesus as a real and living person who can save us and bring light to our darkness.  But we must be careful that we do not portray our faith as simply rituals or moral principles, but as a living encounter with God-with-us.  Our family gatherings, our Christmas parties, our shopping, and everything we do should be a renewal of this living faith for ourselves and others.

When we have all been faithful to this call, then we who are the disciples of Jesus will be able to retake this feast of Christmas and prepare ourselves and others for the glorious coming again of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!