Weekly HOMILY for December 8, 2013: 2nd Sunday of Advent, Cycle A -- An Advent Lesson from Forest Fires

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2^nd Sunday of Advent, Cycle A

Mepkin Abbey

December 8, 2013

An Advent Lesson from Forest Fires

By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato

 

Forest Fires

I have never seen a forest fire, except on TV news reports.

They seem fearsome.  We have had some very large ones in the west over the last several years.

We all know that forest fires can have several causes.  They can be intentional or accidental.

An intentional fire can be a controlled burn that is set by the National Forest Service for managing a certain wooded area.  An accidental fire can be caused by a campfire that is not fully extinguished.

Whether the cause is intentional or accidental, the destruction from a forest fire can be devastating.  There can be great loss of trees and of personal property and even of human life.

The Promise of Forest Fires

An amazing truth of nature is that there is promise and hope hidden within the very destruction of a forest fire.

The timeline for new growth after a forest fire varies.  But one thing is certain.

The ashes become a nutrient for new growth.  Eventually, new shoots of life will sprout from the earth or even the stumps of trees.

This is the image that Isaiah uses in our first reading.  Isaiah compares the recent kings of Israel – the line of kings that began with Jesse, the father of King David – he compares this to the stump of a tree.

These recent kings have been so weak that they have brought devastation to the country, much like a forest fire.  And yet, Isaiah says with beautiful alliteration, “A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.”

Isaiah offers promise and hope.  New life will eventually emerge here much as from a forest fire.

Our Forest Fires

We can also experience forest fires in our own personal lives.

In a sense, some of them are intentional and some are accidental.  Our intentional fires might be speaking hurtful words to your husband or wife or friend, or not applying ourselves well to our school work.

Our accidental fires might be the death of a son or daughter, or being bullied in school or put down at work.  These personal forest fires can also be destructive.

They can destroy relationships and leave us alone and lonely.  They can destroy self-esteem and leave us feeling worthless.

They can destroy our immediate future and leave us feeling overwhelmed.  So, we can know firsthand the barren, charred remains of a personal forest fire.

The Promise of Our Forest Fires

But, as with the forest fires of nature, there is also promise and hope.

We can live in the hope of a shoot sprouting from a stump.  This hope is a core message of this Advent Season.

The candles on the Advent Wreath express this.  There is hope of light and increasing light in the mist of darkness.

This hope is based on God’s Word and on Jesus’ life.  It is the hope of regeneration, of new life springing from destruction.

Usually, it will not happen automatically.  We cannot leave it totally up to God.

We must do our part too.  So we may need to own up to our own behavior and even connect with a counselor to assist us in changing our ways and rebuilding a relationship.

We may need to rediscover our own self-worth by being with persons like Isaiah and Jesus who build up and not tear down.  And we may need to work day by day to develop our potentials and build a future that God wants for us.

So yes, hope is not whimsical.  It demands that we do our part.

But we do this because we have the promise and hope extended by Isaiah and by Jesus.  With this, our forest fires can give way to new life:  “A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.”