Bishop Bambera’s Homilies 2024

HOMILY
Opening Mass of the Jubilee Year of Hope
Feast of the Holy Family – December 29, 2024

Four days ago, on Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome to begin a Jubilee Year which the Church celebrates every twenty-five years in accordance with an ancient tradition. Rooted in Saint Paul’s words from his letter to the Romans, “Hope does not disappoint,” the Holy Father invited the entire Church to become “Pilgrims of Hope.” In so doing, he prayed that during the Holy Year, “the light of Christian hope might illumine every man and woman, as a message of God’s love addressed to all,” and that “the Church might bear faithful witness to this message in every part of the world.”

Today, on this feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we join with Pope Francis as he opens the Holy Door of the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, the Cathedral of Rome. And by decree of the Holy Father, we also join with bishops and faithful in every cathedral throughout the world to celebrate Mass this day to mark the solemn opening of the great Jubilee Year.

How providential that as the Church gathers to reflect upon the gift of family life with today’s feast, we are also invited to consider the hope that is ours through faith in the Son born within that holy family.

In pausing to consider today’s feast that focuses our attention upon family, I trust that most of us will readily acknowledge how blessed we are. Yet, if we’re honest, most of us will just as readily focus our attention on moments of misunderstanding, sadness and pain that weave their way into our families. From financial struggles that weigh us down – to the loss of loved ones through death and divorce – to fragile physical health – no family is immune from life – no matter what we might imagine or conclude as we look at others from the outside – as we look at picture perfect photos of families frozen in time.

It is because of this human reality that touches every life in this cathedral today that we are given the model of the Holy Family to reflect upon today. … Yes, Jesus, Mary and Joseph provide us with a unique example of how best to live our lives, one with another in our family settings. … But as we confront the realities of our particular family experiences, let’s not romanticize the Holy Family but learn from them. For they also remind us, more than we might imagine, of how to find hope in the midst of life’s challenges and burdens.

Like families of every time and place, Mary and Joseph experienced hardship and pain – from Jesus’ unexpected conception – to the burden of life lived in an impoverished land – to being forced to flee to Egypt to protect their newborn son – to losing Jesus amid the crowds in Jerusalem during their Passover visit as we heard in today’s gospel passage.

Not at all unlike Jesus, Mary and Joseph, every family knows what it is to hope for something more. In the heart of each person and family, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring. Even so, uncertainty about the future may at times give rise to conflicting feelings, ranging from confident trust to apprehensiveness, from peace to anxiety, from firm conviction to hesitation and doubt – not to mention discouragement, pessimism and cynicism.

In the face of such sobering realities, the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary and Joseph – teach us all a valuable lesson from the struggles that they experienced. They faced their fears, disappointments and uncertainty with a deep sense of trust in God and a selfless, sacrificial love that bound them together as a family and provided them with hope.

For all of us who are humble enough to acknowledge the difficulties that we face and to look, to listen and to open our hearts to the power and presence of God, this great Jubilee is an occasion to be renewed in hope. Throughout the upcoming year, both in Rome and here, in our local church, there will be countless numbers of opportunities for us to reflect upon our unique situations in a changing and complicated world, to deepen our faith, to trust in God’s abiding presence within our lives and to hope in his promise of life and peace.

Every soul within the Church is invited to experience Jesus’ healing touch and so come to a renewed spirit of hope in our lives – from families who are at the heart of today’s feast – to grandparents and the elderly – to the sick and those who care for them – to children and teenagers – clergy and religious – migrants and refugees – missionaries and teachers – musicians and artists – the poor and marginalized.

As members of the Church and heirs of the life of God’s grace, this great Jubilee Year reminds us that for all that confronts us in life, it is our ability to hope that gives us the strength to persevere in the midst of trials. Hope founded on faith and nurtured by charity, more than anything else, enables us to press forward in life. As Saint Augustine observes: “Whatever our state of life, we cannot live without these three dispositions of the soul, namely, to believe, to hope and to love.”

As such, Pope Francis set before us both the challenge and consolation of this year of grace. “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. The Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire” in our lives, in our families and throughout our world.”

“May the power of hope fill our days,” Pope Francis concluded, “as we await with confidence the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and glory, now and forever.”

HOMILY
Christmas – December 25, 2024

Welcome to Saint Peter’s Cathedral for this celebration of the birth of Jesus. Welcome to our faithful parishioners and to our friends and those of you visiting with your families and loved ones. Welcome to those of you from other religious and faith traditions. And a special word of welcome to our Jewish brothers and sisters who begin their festive celebration of Hanukkah this very day! You honor us with your presence, and we hope you feel at home.

More years ago than I care to acknowledge, when I was about 10 years old, I recall asking my parents if I could go Christmas shopping in our town for them and my sister on my own, using money that I had saved up for some time. They agreed to my request, but then came the hard part. When I asked them what they might want from me, unlike the interminable list of things that I had presented to them in early December, they responded by saying, “Thanks! But we really don’t need anything. Get something nice for your sister and that will make us happy.”

I didn’t appreciate their response until I got a little older and began to understand what matters most in life and the heart of what we celebrate this day. Of course we still share gifts and all of us enjoy an unexpected gesture of kindness during this treasured season. But what I learned from my parents and that most of us have come to understand with the passing of time is something far more profound than we might imagine or believe.

For me, at least, the willingness not only of my parents but of all of us to set aside our own needs to provide hope for others – whether it be a child, a grandchild, a friend or a stranger – reflects, even in small ways, the miracle of the incarnation and the birth of Jesus. With an incomprehensible love for creation, God stepped apart from the peace of his heaven and reached into our lives on that first Christmas, giving us hope and a way forward in a world turned upside down.

You see, in the birth of Jesus, we’re given all the gifts that we need to find the blessings of life that truly matter: meaning, purpose and peace. … We’re offered nothing short of a relationship with God. … Through the pattern of his life, we’re taught how to love selflessly – to forgive – and to serve – the ingredients of a life of a life well lived. … Through Jesus’ presence in our world, we discover how God set aside his heaven to come close to his creation, walking with us in moments of grace and joy and particularly as we face loss and grief, broken relationships, suffering and death – a closeness that alone gives us hope.

It’s not by accident that the very first words spoken in Saint Luke’s gospel are words of consolation and hope shared with poor shepherds who represent a broken, suffering, searching people. “Do not be afraid. … A savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.” (Luke 2:10, 11).

Some might question how we can come to know and feel the embrace of the Savior’s love when we confront this broken world of ours with far too many lives turned upside down by natural disasters, wars, terrorism and divisions born from prejudice, jealousy, envy and pride. If you do, I’d suggest that we just need to look and listen for it with care. The Savior’s love is all around us.

I’ll share one example that I won’t soon forget. … This past August, you may recall that Hurricane Debby made its way up the east coast of the United States and wreaked havoc not only in coastal towns and cities but inland as well, including the little village of Westfield – located in Tioga County in our diocese.

Once the roads were passable, I made my way to Westfield to celebrate Mass in St. Catherine’s Church, the only building in the neighborhood that seemed to be intact following devasting floods that destroyed homes all around it. In addition to celebrating Mass, I wanted to offer families a small amount of financial support from a disaster fund that we established years ago.

To my astonishment, a parishioner approached me after Mass. “Bishop,” he said, “I could use whatever you give me, but I don’t want it. Give it to a family that lost everything and has no money to rebuild. They need it more than I do.” Before the man had gotten these words out of his mouth, another parishioner chimed in, saying, “Don’t worry about me either, Bishop.” And then a third person said the same thing.” … For me, the response of those three men was a poignant reminder of how faith, rooted in God’s love, has the power touch shattered lives with peace and consolation – even in these unsettling times.

To love so selflessly and to serve so generously won’t eradicate pain and suffering from our lives or our world. Such signs, however, have the power to give us hope if we see them through eyes of faith. Pope Francis put it best: Each year, Christmas gives us the certainty that God’s light continues to shine, despite the brokenness of our world.

God’s light does indeed shine far more brightly than we might realize. … And we experience the warmth of his love when we’re humble enough to admit our need for a Savior and, in turn, generous enough to follow the pattern of Jesus’ life in the love and service of our sisters and brothers.

Saint John Henry Newman, the nineteenth century English theologian, put it best in a Christmas sermon. “Let us pray to God to give us the spirit of ever-abundant, ever-springing love, which overpowers and sweeps away the vexations of life by its own richness and strength, and which above all things, unites us to Him, who is the fountain and the center of all mercy, loving-kindness and joy.

God bless you and Merry Christmas!