November 30, 2008 - First Sunday of Advent  - Fr. John Yonkovig
Some of you may recall about five years ago when our parish helped a young man from Ghana - John Asare. He arrived here in January to study at the University. He wants to be a doctor and will enter medical soon this year. He told me that it has never been below 70 degrees in Ghana - trees are always green. In my first conversation with him we were driving through Plattsburgh one cold January day and he was looking at all the barren trees. He said, “I had read about it, but I did not realize that it was as bad as it is.” Not knowing what he was talking about, I asked him, “What do you mean?” He said, “the effects of air pollution in America - what it has done to these trees - I never thought it was as bad as this with all these dead trees.” I told him they were not dead. Once we got out of the car I showed him the buds shriveled up on the branches he thought to be dead.

As we look around our world we might conclude that death has the upper hand and because of that we live with fear and despair. Advent is the time we confront these dark fears in our lives. Fears of illness, financial fears, fear of failing in school, failure in friendships, fears of growing old and forgotten, fear of loneliness, marriage fears...our fears abound and because of these fears we often find ourselves in darkness.

Financial fears often force us into the darkness of greed and selfishness, fear of failure pushes us to be dishonest, to cheat. The fear of loneliness often leads us into destructive relationships. You and I may not be afraid of the darkness like little children are, but I am terrified of the darkness in our society. That darkness is real and destructive. Darkness can be found in the outbreak of terrorism, this time in India. Darkness is found in the social evils of crime and drug abuse, darkness is found when countless numbers die of starvation everyday, darkness is found in a world where human rights are denied, where the human spirit is crushed. Darkness is found in the idle gossip among friends or the bitter words of government leaders.

There is terrifying darkness in our world, and we often try to cover it over with the tinsel and lights of Christmas but that won’t dispel the real darkness of our lives. Advent is the time to boldly confront the darkness of our lives...your life and my life. We don’t have to point fingers or look far...for there is darkness in each one of us.

Solutions are not easy. However, this Advent should be the season of solutions and not the season of shopping sprees. Isaiah, in our first reading makes a pronouncement of such great hope. “You, Lord are our father, we are the clay and you the potter, we are all the work of your hands.” In these dark days of Advent, these days made perfect to ponder our fears, let us also discover the buds of hope. In Advent we place our trust in our God who over and over has proved faithful to the promises God made us and our ancestors - promises summed up in one translation of the name God revealed to Moses, “Yahweh” - “I am the one who will always be there for you.”

As we begin this Advent season we need to honestly face our fears and invite our Creator God to lay hands on us again and remold us into a more faithful people. The gospel told us to ‘watch’ ‘be alert’ - the buds of hope are found in our barrenness. What does God want to reshape in your life?