Homily for Sunday, January 26, 2025

[Father Paul]

A few years ago, before I bought my little “Smart Car,” one of the ignition coils went out on my car. Rather than take it to the dealership, I looked it up on YouTube and repaired it myself—it was a very simple job. Then, a few years later, when I didn’t have as much time, another ignition coil failed. But this time, I took it to the dealership, holding tightly to my wallet because I knew it was going to get a lot thinner. Well, imagine my surprise! They replaced all four ignition coils for free. It was part of a recall.

I would call this good news based on surprise. You got a raise, an unexpected gift, or when a girl or boy you like asks you out or says they like you. Heaven is going to be like this, in fact. This is the source of great rejoicing. The bigger the surprise, the greater the rejoicing.

Another kind of good news is the good news of expectation. My car starts in the morning, the sun came up this morning, spring is right around the corner, and the days are getting longer. We don’t usually think of these things because they are always there—we don't expect them not to happen. If something goes terribly wrong, we usually face some degree of suffering. If my car won't start or if someone has broken into it, I’ll be upset. It's frustrating when things go wrong. But when things are right, it’s good news of expectation. These are things we need to be grateful for.

There is a third kind of good news: good news based on hope. This is different from expectation because you don't hope your car starts; you expect it to. It's also different from surprise because a surprise is unexpected. With the good news of hope, you are very well aware of the possibilities. This kind of good news is the fulfillment of a promise, and it is the source of great happiness.

I wonder what kind of good news today's Gospel is:

He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then he began to say to them, "Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

This Gospel is good news based on hope. Jesus was speaking to an audience that was very well aware that God had promised a savior; they just didn't know when he was coming.

What does this mean for us today? Jesus is the fulfillment of all our longing. Romans 10:9: “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." This, for us, if we truly believe it, is good news based on hope and is the source of our fulfillment and our confidence.

The effects of this good news for us are also boldness and confidence: Hebrews 4:16. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

This kind of hope is expressed beautifully in Patrick Stewart's advice about auditions (Patrick Stewart played Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as Professor Xavier in the X-Men franchise):

"The first absolutely vital thing that you have to remember when you're going into an audition, whoever you are and whatever age you are, and I speak as somebody who has auditioned actors because I directed six episodes of Next Generation and done little bits of theater work... you must remember that all the people sitting behind that table want you to be the best thing that's ever walked through that door. They want you to be great; they're already on your side. They want to be blown away by what you do. So cast aside the timidity, the unease, the fear, the insecurity—all those things that can wipe you out in an audition situation. You will never have as great an audience as you have in an audition because they want you to be brilliant."

Perhaps we can say the same thing about God. Does God actually hope? Of course, God hopes. What does God hope for? He doesn’t hope for much; God has everything already. You will never hear God say, “Ooo, I hope I win the lottery.” God only hopes for one thing:

You.

God has everything else. God created you with freedom so that you may choose Him. That's what God hopes for. And if there is anything that can give God more joy than God already has (if that’s even possible), it's you. And if there is anything that can give you more joy, it’s God. “Today, this passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”