"Christ Brings Light to the Site of Darkness" - 3rd Sunday homily

There have been two things people want to talk about this week.

The first is the impending snowstorm.

That's the big crowd tonight.

Feels like Christmas even here.

And hope we see a big crowd too for our snowball fights in the next few days on this property.

You're more than welcome.

The second is the Indiana football team.

Incredible victory.

Monday night won the national championship, Indiana football.

We know it as a basketball school.

It's an improbable, as you know by now, improbable victory.

Before this past season, Indiana was the losingest team in college football history.

It's amazing.

So in the context, you know I'm going to tie in with the reading somehow, of course.

Because the people talking this week from the parish they're not necessarily college football fans or even sports fans.

But they know that the Indiana quarterback is a devout Catholic.

A really incredible young man, all American type, media darling, everyone loves him.

And he won the Heisman Trophy, incredible season all around, and took the trophy to the Newman Center to show the priests and all the Catholics there, because he's a big part of

the community.

So really,

As Catholics, it's a heartwarming story, it's inspiring, and it does relate to the readings, I promise you, I'm getting to that.

Zebulun and Naphtali, they suffered the worst defeat, well the first defeat at least, in the country of Israel.

733 BC, they got attacked by the Assyrians.

And so Isaiah speaks of them.

in the wake of the defeat and promised them victory, promised them light.

So imagine someone, I don't know, 50 years ago, 20 years ago said, Indiana football, they're going win the national championship one day, go 16 and 0.

Yeah, guy, good prediction.

That's maybe what the people in that region thought with Isaiah 700 years before Christ.

It was the land of darkness.

The Lord had degraded it.

They were degraded from this defeat.

So we get some context of the gospel scene big time.

And the emphasis that God gives through Isaiah, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, is that he's coming to bring victory.

He's coming to bring light to that very spot.

Because this gospel passage takes place in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali.

In Jesus' it was known as Galilee.

This land by the sea, the waves of the sea.

popular reason, well-known reason historically.

Indiana football back in the day, 0-10 seasons, now 16-0.

That's Zebulon Napatali.

Because this is where Jesus started his public ministry.

No coincidence.

In Matthew's gospel, he starts preaching right away, repent, at that spot where they suffered the defeat and the attack and the degrading so many years ago.

Like how intentional is God?

How intentional is God in Jesus Christ to not only bring light, but to signify He's bringing it to those in darkness.

Here is the land that suffered for so long, and He's coming to restore it.

That's very spot to bring about the restoration of Israel and salvation to Gentiles.

For you and me, we can relate to Zebulon and Naftali.

Times that we've been personally attacked, degraded, fell into darkness.

In Christ we are among those people who sit in darkness and have seen a great light.

We come tonight to receive his light.

And he is so intentional.

He wants to come right to the site.

Our hearts that have been darkness, that have been defeated, that have been attacked, come right to the site again with his love, with his strength.

with his grace, with his light, and his victory.

The Lord brings the light to our hearts, which has been the sight of darkness.