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Welcome to Sunday Homilies with me, Fr. Mike Schmitz. I hope today's homily inspires and motivates you, and I also hope that it leaves you hungry for the One who gave everything to feed you. If you want to get this and other Sunday Mass resources sent straight to your inbox, sign up@ascensionpress.com Sunday or by texting Sunday to 33777. You can also follow or subscribe in your podcast app for weekly notifications. God Bless the Lord be with you. A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to Matthew Glory to you, o Lord. Chapter 11, verses 2 through 11 When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another? Jesus said to them in reply, go and tell John what you hear and see. The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them, and blessed is the One who takes no offense at me. As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind. Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing. Those who wear fine clothing are in the royal palace. Then why did you go out to see a prophet? Yes, I tell you. And more than a prophet, this is the one about whom it is written. Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you. He will prepare the way before you. Amen. I say to you, among those born of woman, there has been none greater than John the Baptist. Yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. I should have a seat. So if there's anything that we've noticed, I don't know if you noticed this about this season right now, the season of Advent, the season leading up to Christmas. It seems like this season, what we're doing right now, what we're in the midst of, is marked by so. Well, so much is marked by so many things. But it is marked by being in a hurry, right? It's being rushed, being frenzied that we talk about them in frenzy shopping or being harried. In fact, the term hustle and bustle. We've heard the term hustle and bustle. I think the only time I've ever heard the phrase or the term hustle and bustle is in relation to this season. We're in right now. It's so unique. It's such a busy time. In fact, I looked, I asked a little Internet, like, what's the busiest time of the year? And they're like, now, basically, now is the busiest time of the year. And there's so many people who are in a hurry. Like if last week we talked about this, if last week, advent, this time of waiting, or life of waiting is marked by worry, this week we recognize that waiting for so many of us is marked by hurry. And yet we ask the question, like right now, you might be again, frenzy, tussle and bustle in a hurry. But how strange it is to be in a hurry. And how sad we become when we're rushed. I wonder about this question, like, what are we saying when we're in a hurry? Because we're saying something, you know, with all the desire to be there, what are we saying? We're saying, basically, I'm not where I'm supposed to be right now. That's why I'm in a hurry. I'm not where I'm supposed to be. Or we say, I don't like where I am right now. Many people could say that about their lives. Or I don't have what I want to have, or I'm not where I want to be. That's what we're saying. We're in a hurry. And of course, that can be legit. Like, I was thinking about this. I was running late once, and I tell you, it was stressful. One time. One time. But no, I mean, I'm always running late. And so this whole notion of being in a hurry is deep to my heart. And I'll tell you this, my answer, I think all of our answer when we're hurried is just go faster. How many times is that? I'm rushed. So, okay, just go faster. In fact, it's fascinating though, because that doesn't always work. To just go faster doesn't work. In fact, I was listening to a man talk about this. He talked about the law of diminishing returns when it comes to speeding. And he said this. He pointed out, he said there's this huge difference. If you're going 10 miles an hour, there's a massive difference between going 10 miles an hour and 20 miles an hour. In fact, if you're traveling, I don't know, say 60 miles, you save a half an hour, maybe even like 34. I don't know the exact, but you save like a significant amount of time going from 10 to, to 20 miles an hour. If you go at another 10 miles an hour. So you're going 30 miles an hour, you shave off another 10 minutes. So that's pretty significant. Go from 10 to 30, that's 40 minutes of time you can save over the course of a journey. But then he pointed out, he said, but if you're going 50 to 60 miles an hour and you increase your speed by 10 or 15 miles an hour, the amount of time you save actually diminishes radically. That increase in speed linearly does not decrease the time in a linear way. In fact, it doesn't only not decrease the time, it increases the risk of you hurting someone around you. In fact, I think I came across a statistic the other day that said that for every mile per hour you go over 50, you're increasing your chance of getting an accident by 1%. With every mile an hour you go over 50 miles an hour. And so realize this, that sometimes just going faster doesn't work. Now, of course, the person who made the point made a really important point. He said, so if you want to arrive on time, don't go slowly. But going too fast is a total waste of energy, total waste of emotion. I mean, how many times have you just been worried and hurried and you put others and yourself at risk? And yet that's my solution. Just go faster. Another solution is this. Just give me what I want. Then I'm no longer hurried. Just let me be where I want to be. I'll no longer be hurried. Yet God's solution is totally different. Again, my solution is external. Give me what I want. God's solution to being hurried is internal. And it's okay. God, help me become someone that I need to be. Again, my solution, I have something I want. Now, God's solution is I am saying something I need. I have a part of my character. And that part of my character we hear in the second reading today from St. James. He says, be patient. He said, be patient. That's the call for every one of us. No, we're in a season where we're trying to learn how to wait. Well, right, that's the whole series of this whole Advent. And we're trying to learn how to wait. Well, and here the Bible hymns, God's word itself says this, okay, just be patient while you wait. I know you're going to be hurried, but be patient. You know, what does patience mean? I remember hearing one of our Focus missionaries, she was talking to her chaplain, her campus priest, and she said, father, I just, hey, pray for me. Pray that I become more patient. And he said, awesome. That's fantastic. I will pray that you're able to endure long suffering. She's like, wait, wait, what are you talking about? He said, well, that's what patience means. To have that virtue of patience means you have the capacity. You've become the kind of person who. Who can endure long suffering. So if I would say I want to be patient, that's great. You become the kind of person who can endure, the kind of person who can wait even under duress. That's what St. James says, be patient. And he says. He goes on to say, he says, see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth. He even says that sometimes we hear the Bible and we don't actually do what the Bible says. He says, see how the farmer waits. So we can ask the question, how does a farmer wait? Have you ever wondered how a farmer waits, waiting for the precious fruits of the earth? Well, I think one of the things, the first thing a farmer does to a patient farmer, a farmer who waits well is the first thing is a patient farmer acknowledges that there are seasons. What happens when you acknowledge that there are seasons? Well, one is you're not worried that no crops are coming in when it's not yet time for crops. You know, that's not the season right now. This is the season to let the ground lay fallow. Okay. Or this is the season to clear the ground. Great. This is the season to plant the seed. Great. Or this is the season to harvest. See how a farmer waits. The farmer acknowledges that there are seasons, and so he doesn't worry and he's not discouraged. The farmer is not discouraged when no crops are coming in, when it's seeding time or when it's fertilizing time. Another thing the farmer who waits well doesn't do. He doesn't. He's not discouraged, he's not in a hurry and doesn't whine. Farmer doesn't whine about the current season. You know, that I came across years ago, so many years ago, the story of, like, Asian bamboo. Have you ever heard of Asian bamboo that talks about how when Asian bamboo is planted and begins to grow, for the first few years, in fact, between three to five years, you plant the bamboo seed and you water it and you fertilize it, and virtually nothing happens above ground. The only thing that even marks that space is the fact that you know that you planted bamboo seeds there for three years, for five years, which can be obviously maddening because it looks like all the work you've done and all the work you're currently doing is having no effect. But then after three or five years, you realize what's been happening this whole time is that bamboo has been growing. It's not like it's just sitting there as a seed. It's been growing, but it's been weaving together this network of underground roots. And after three to five years, when it finally pierces the surface, it grows above the surface so fast, it can grow up to actually 90ft in just a few weeks. In fact, some people have measured that bamboo tree will grow one meter each day. But if you were in the season where it's now, this is the season for it to be growing underground, you. You could get discouraged, you could worry, and you could whine. Remember last week we talked about this? We talked about how when we trust that we trust God's goodness and we trust God's timing, timing is critical. So we remember there are seasons. We asked the question, like last week asked the question, what if you knew what season you were in, would you be more patient? If you knew the season you're in is, no, this isn't the season to have what I want to have or be where I want to be. Would you be more patient? Or would we still just complain that I'm not where I want to be? I don't have what I want to have. You know, it's funny because James goes on to say, he says, make your hearts firm. Another translation says, strengthen your hearts. We realize that whatever we choose, whatever kind of behavior we choose, we get stronger in that behavior. So if we choose to worry a lot, we become stronger in worry. If we are hurried all the time, we become stronger and hurry. If we complain a lot, we. We become really, really good complainers. Some people, that's their spiritual gift, is complaint. What kind of behavior makes our hearts grow stronger? Well, any behavior that we choose. That's why, because of that, I can't rush. I have to realize, okay, this takes the time that it takes. So what can I do? Well, I can worry. Yep, make that stronger. I can whine, I can complain. And we complain. This is when we don't wait well, we complain while we wait. And St. James says this so clear to us. He says, be patient. He says, see how the farmer waits. And then he says, do not complain. Do not complain, brothers and sisters. So if we wait well by being patient, and we wait well by seeing how the farmer waits, acknowledging that there are seasons, and we weigh well by not complaining, that means we do the opposite of complain. Really, what it means is, if we want to learn how to wait, well, we have to learn how to praise. When St. James says, Strengthen your hearts and do not complain, what he's telling us to do is, okay, choose the opposite of complaining. Which is what? Praise. Strengthen your hearts. Make your hearts firm by choosing to praise God. Now, here's the important thing. Even if you're in the season of pain, you're in a season of difficulty. You could be in a season where things are. You're going through a lot of suffering. Praise is not a denial of pain. Praise isn't a denial of suffering. It is the decision to trust God in the midst of that pain. Praise isn't a denial of suffering. It's a decision to trust God in the midst of that suffering or that difficulty. And there are. There are seasons. We know this rushing steals the joy from every season. Being in a hurry steals the joy from a season. And complaint crushes, obliterates the joy. But what if I chose to praise God in this season? Why? Because praise is what? Praise is the declaration God, I have what I need, and I am where God wants me. I'll say that again. Praise is the declaration God. I have what I need, and I am where you want me to be. And to be able to do that, that makes our hearts strong. And doesn't just make our hearts strong, it makes the hearts of those around us strong. You know, again, go back to James today, James, chapter five. He says, take as an example those who went before you, right? The prophets went before you. And we could do the same thing. We have this incredible history of Christians, incredible history of Catholics who in the midst of the worst situations ever, in the midst of the worst seasons ever, didn't complain, but praised God. In fact, you look at Acts, chapter 16, you have St. Paul, right? St. Paul and Silas. What happens is they are proclaiming the gospel of Jesus and they get arrested. And as they're arrested, what does it say in Acts 16? It says, around midnight, Paul and Silas were praising and singing hymns to God. And the prisoners were listening to them. You realize that what they were doing is they're making their hearts firm. What they were doing is they were learning how to wait. Well, they had no idea what was happening the next day. They had no idea if God was going to release them or if he's going to lead them to the gallows. And. But they did know that, okay, this is where God wants me to be. I have what I need. And so what I can choose to do is I can choose to praise God. And it did not just strengthen them. It did not just make their hearts firm. It made the hearts of the prisoners around them firm. We know this because Paul and Silas aren't the only people who ever praised God. In fact, in our era, there's this incredible saint. His name is Saint Maximilian kolbe, who did the exact same thing. Saint Maximilian kolbe was born at. At the end, slash, beginning the end of the 1800s, beginning of the 1900s, and he became a Franciscan priest. He was an incredible. Actually really incredible evangelist. He was a missionary literally all over the world. But in 1941, Maximilian Kolbe was arrested by the nazis because he was sheltering jews and because he was speaking out against the regime. He was sent to Auschwitz. And Auschwitz. The average lifespan of a prisoner in Auschwitz was three months. Maximilian Colby went there. He went there as a priest, as a prisoner, but as a priest, to serve the people around him. At one point, there was a man who had escaped. They thought he had escaped. And so the guards picked randomly 10 men out of the lineup to say, okay, you 10 are going to go to a starvation bunker, and you will be killed. Because that one man they thought escaped, One of these ten men, his name was Francisek Gwynne, Polish name Kwajczyk. He said, I have a family. I have a wife. I have kids. And when Maximilian kolbe heard that, he steps forward, and he calmly asked the guards if he could take this man's place. They asked him why. And he said, because I'm a catholic priest, I would like to take this man's place, which is huge. What happened next is even huger. Now, normally, a bunker like that, normally a starvation bunker, where you just. You basically slowly torture these men to death by not giving them any food, was marked by fighting, by cursing, by screaming. That echoing from those bunkers were the sounds of hell as these men starved to death. But a man who was the janitor of these bunkers, he described afterwards. He described. It's a long quote, but I want to share it with you. He said, from the cell, this is the janitor talking about When Maximilian Kolbe's is in a bunker with nine other men starving to death. He said, from the cell where these unfortunates were buried alive, you could hear the sounds of prayers recited out loud. And the condemned men from the other cells would join them. I had to go down once or once a day to accompany the guards on their inspection tour. And every time I went down there, I was greeted by fervent Prayers and hymns to the Holy Virgin Mary. Whose sound pervaded the whole underground chamber. Father Maximilian would start them out and everyone would join in. And sometimes they'd be so absorbed in prayer that didn't even realize the guards had come in for the daily inspection and opened the cell door. Only when the SS began shouting at them would they stop praying. Now, this wasn't because everything was great. In fact, they were experiencing incredible agony. In fact, it's so agonizing that he goes on to describe. He said this. The 10 condemned to death were went through terrible days. From the underground cell in which they were shut up, There continually arose the echo of prayers and canticles. The man in charge of emptying the buckets of urine found they were always empty because thirst drove the prisoners to drink the contents. This wasn't like they were experiencing Club Med in the midst of this underground bunker. They were experiencing the agony of men who were being starved to death and dehydrated to death. Thirst drove the prisoners to drink their contents, and they had grown very weak. Prayers were now only whispered at every inspection. When almost all the others were now lying on the floor. Father Kolbe was seen kneeling or standing in the center. As he looked cheerfully at the face of the SS men. Father Kolbe never asked for anything and did not complain. Rather, he encouraged the others, saying that the fugitive might be found and they then would all be freed. One of the SS guards remarked, this priest is really a great man. We have never seen anyone like him. Two weeks passed by in this way. Meanwhile, one after the other, they died. Until only Father Kolbe was left. This, the authorities felt, was too long. And so a cell was needed for a new victim. So they dragged him out of there. And they injected a lethal dose of carbolic acid into his left arm. And he died. But his heart had been made firm by praise. Then, even in this in between time, this time, in between where he was and where he wanted to be, these other nine men, in between where they were and where they wanted to be, what happened? Because they chose not to complain, because they chose to wait. Well, because they chose to praise, their hearts were made firm. I just ask the question, could I do that? I don't know that I could. Could we do that? Not in a bunker, Can I do that now? Not in some far off land like Auschwitz, but right now, right here, Can I praise? When I'm tempted to complain? Can I have the trust that's required to wait? Well, could I choose to have joy while in the in between. This is the last thing. We have to know this. We'll hear more about it next week. But praise is relational. Joy is relational, and hope is relational. Right? We know this. We know that joy isn't just positive thinking. Hope isn't just wishing things will get better. And praise is not just trying harder or hurrying faster. Christian trust is putting our trust in another. Christian hope is putting our hope in another. And Christian praise is knowing that Jesus Christ has come into this world. That's why we're in the midst of Advent. That's why we're heading towards Christmas. That's why even in the midst of a season where we could be worried or, or we could be hurried or we could be rushed, we can give God praise because we know this truth. No matter how much hustle and bustle there is, I don't have to worry. No matter how much there is going on, I don't have to hurry. I do not have to complain that because Jesus Christ is the light that has come into the world, I can praise him now. Because Jesus Christ is the one who is crossing. Christ is the one who has conquered darkness. I can have joy right now in the in between. And when I do, I become the kind of person who is patient. I become the kind of person who praises. I become the kind of person who can wait. Well.