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Bishop's Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent

December 8, 2024

Homily of the Most Reverend Larry Silva, Bishop of Honolulu
[Immaculate Conception Church, Lihue (140^th Anniversary Celebration)]

Some people live in the valley of depression for a very long time, and the closer they move toward the bottom, the less hope there seems to be that they can ever come up to the light.  Some people live on the mountaintop of pride, thinking they are superior to others – and sometimes even superior to God, who is competition for them.  The closer they move to the top, the more rarified the air becomes, and they begin to wonder why they are so lonely.  Some people move along the paths of life and find that it has many twists and turns.  Just when they think they are in lush and verdant pastures in their families or other relationships, they make a turn into the desert where they find discord or suspicion instead of the love they once felt.

These are the realities of life, and when things do not go our way, we can easily put on the garments of cynicism, negativity, and despair.  We may find ourselves being even more isolated from others because these outward coverings do not attract people to us but subtly drive them away.

This is why it is so important that we have parishes like this, where people can gather, whether they are in the darkest valleys or the most rarified mountaintops, wherever they are on the long and winding road of life, so that they can – at least for a while – put on the garments of gladness, of joy and of hope.  We do this most of all when we turn to God in worship, reminding ourselves of what we often forget:  that God loves us with an everlasting love, so matter where we find ourselves on the journey.  We gather as the people of God to praise God, even if we do not necessarily feel like doing so, because we know that when we put on this garment of gladness, things change inside us as well, and our worship is not just external ritual, but real encounter with the God who has chosen to accompany us personally along our journey in life, with all its ups and down, twists and turns.

It is also important that we have parishes like this, because once we realize that God loves us, we gain the desire and ability to be stewards of his love toward others.  When we are in full and intimate communion with Emmanuel, God-with-us, the Lord Jesus, we do not simply put on the garments of gladness, which can easily be removed, but the Lord himself makes us his garments of gladness and joy for others.  Like John the Baptist, we who have the Lord Jesus within us through Word and sacrament, become the presence of Christ himself, so that we can reach out to those who dwell in the valleys of depression and anxiety and let them know that the Lord wants to fill up those valleys.  Our love and care for them, our listening patiently and consistently to their anxieties, can actually fill in those valleys and bring them up to the surface.

When we become the clothing that Christ himself wears into the world, we can gently bring down the lofty and lowly by showing them what joy we experience when we lower ourselves to serve others, to wash feet, and to be obedient to the one God who is always above us.  When we give this joyful witness, the mountains of pride can be leveled.

When we, in our communion with Jesus in the Eucharist, become the garments he wears to go out into the world, we can walk along the winding paths of life with our brothers and sisters and assure them that, no matter how inhospitable the terrain may seem, if we are faithful to God, he will lead us along the right path.

We celebrate this Advent as a season of hope that all valleys can be filled in, all mountains be made low, all crooked ways be made straight, so that together everyone may see the glory of God.  We celebrate this parish, because here we are reminded, day after day and year after year, that God is with us, and that no matter what else may happen in the world or in our lives, no one can take away the joy of knowing how much we are loved by God himself and by all those who allow themselves to be clothed with his love.