(Second Sunday of Advent (A): This homily was given on December 4, 2022 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-17; Romans 15:1-9; Matthew 3:1-12.)
We live in a world of excuses.
On that note, several years ago someone gave me a copy of the following church bulletin announcement:
To make it possible for everyone to be able to attend church next Sunday, we are planning to have a special "No Excuse Sunday." Cots will be placed in the vestibule for those who say, "Sunday is my only day to sleep in." There will be a special section with lounge chairs for those who feel that our pews are too hard. Eyedrops will be provided for those with tired eyes from watching TV late Saturday night. We will have steel helmets for those who say, "The roof would cave in if I ever came to church." Blankets will be provided for those who think that the church is too cold, and fans for those who think that it's too hot. Scorecards will be provided for those who would like to list the hypocrites present. We will distribute "Stamp out Stewardship" buttons for those who feel that the Church is always asking for money. One section of the building will contain trees and grass for those who say they can only find God in nature. Doctors and nurses will be on hand for those who plan to be sick on Sunday. The sanctuary will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who have never seen the church without them. We will provide hearing aids for those who can't hear the sermon and cotton for those who can. (One editorial comment: If this ever happens at St. Pius X, no cotton will be distributed!)
Now I must say that's a very noble attempt to deal with some of the more common excuses that are made for missing Sunday Mass. But I guarantee you, even if all those excuses were adequately dealt with at a given parish, some people would still manage to find other ones. The problem, of course, goes back to Adam and Eve. When Adam was confronted by God after he and his wife had sinned, what was his response? He conveniently made an excuse, did he not? "The woman whom you put here with me--she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it." By the way, it's clear from this response that Adam was not very good at making excuses. In his lame attempt at exonerating himself, he tried to blame his wife, but he ended up blaming God! In effect he said, "Lord, it's your fault! You're the one who put this woman here with me to tempt me in this way. If you hadn't brought her into my life, this never would have happened!" Needless to say, it's not a good idea to blame God to his face when you're trying to excuse your sinful behavior. At least Eve was a little more diplomatic in her excuse. She said, "[Lord] the serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it." In other words, "It's his fault!" The Lord, of course, was not influenced or impressed by either excuse. Nor is he influenced or impressed by our excuses. That's because he knows everything. Excuses can only be effective if you're dealing with someone who is not omniscient. They hold no water when you're dealing with the all-knowing, all-seeing Creator of the universe!!!
Which brings us to John the Baptist. As we heard in today's gospel text from Matthew 3, during his ministry John proclaimed a message that was basic and clear: "Reform your lives! The reign of God is at hand." And he wanted people to respond to this message—to this call to repentance—without making any excuses for their behavior! Why? Because he loved them. John did not tolerate excuses because he loved people and wanted to see them reconciled with God. John understood that if people made excuses for their sins, they would not recognize their need for someone to save them from their sins. Hence, they would not recognize their need for Jesus when he came. And John wanted everyone to recognize their need for Jesus and to accept him in faith, so that they would receive forgiveness and eternal salvation.
This helps us to understand his harsh reaction to the Pharisees and Sadducees. It was a reaction (believe it or not) that was borne out of love. You see, John anticipated the excuse they would use for not repenting, and he knew that this excuse would threaten their salvation. And he didn't want them to go to hell.
What was the excuse? Their excuse was: "We don't need to repent of our sins like everyone else because we're already right with God. After all, Abraham is our father. We're his spiritual children. We already share in the benefits of the covenant that he made with God." (This, by the way, is very similar to an attitude that you find in certain Catholics who think that they can live any way they want and still go to heaven simply because they were baptized as children.) John's response to this excuse? "You brood of vipers! . . . Do not pride yourselves on the claim, 'Abraham is our father.' I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax is laid to the root of the tree. Every tree that is not fruitful will be cut down and thrown into the fire." In other words, "Forget it, guys. That's a lousy excuse for not repenting and it won't fool God on Judgment Day!"
I believe the Lord is challenging us today to come to terms with any excuses that we might be using in our lives--excuses that might be keeping us in the state of mortal sin, or at least preventing us from growing in holiness: excuses for lying perhaps, excuses for cheating, excuses for cutting corners at work, excuses for swearing or taking the Lord's name in vain, excuses for holding a grudge, excuses for missing Mass on Sundays and holydays, excuses for using artificial contraception, excuses for drinking excessively, excuses for gambling excessively, excuses for not reaching out to those in need. As Adam and Eve, as the Pharisees and Sadducees would surely attest: the temptation to sin is great, but the temptation to make excuses for sin is every bit as great. May all of us overcome both temptations during this season of Advent and resolve to make a good, excuse-free confession. That will certainly make for a joy-filled, Spirit-filled Christmas.