Please read the passage before the homily.

Eleven years  of conflict are recorded in the books of the Maccabees.  Perhaps this is the period of Antiochus IV’s administration.  We began the books of Maccabees with the profanation of the temple in Jerusalem.  We come to the end of our readings from these books with the renewed dedication of the temple.

The Books of Maccabees would have given comfort and energy to the Jewish people living under Greek and Roman rule.  Like the sojourn of the Israelites in Egypt and their exile to Babylon, their life under the Greeks and Romans were trying times, times of ordeal and struggle.  Through these struggles the Israelite people remained faithful to God’s call.

We live in times of trial and struggle.  Our culture, our civilization, our leaders do not always understand our religious way of life.  They may wittingly or unwittingly put pressure on us to conform to other standards.  The temple of the Lord is in constant need of being cleansed and restored.  We are in constant need of repair and renewal in our own lives.

The Jewish celebration of Chanukah celebrates this rededication of the Temple.  This year the celebration begins at sunset, December 14 and ends with nightfall on December 22.  Perhaps we should be thinking of rededicating our lives to the Lord in this season.

  What in our lives needs to be cleansed, purged, and straightened in our lives?  It is good to be aware of our shortcomings as we try to live our lives faithfully to the Lord.