Readings: Isaiah 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7; 1 Cor. 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37
Advent is about Waiting in Hope
1. Life is full of periods of waiting. Waiting to be born, grow up, start school, graduate, and work. Waiting to get married and begin a family, and of course, waiting for your first child. There are other waiting periods: waiting to see a doctor, catch a flight, get a cab, or get a vaccine. If things do not go well with us, we wait in hope for better days. There are always some anticipations associated with the waiting period. Say you are waiting for the test results ordered by your doctor: you may be anxious about your prognosis. While we wait, we usually occupy our time by reading a book, going through Facebook feeds, playing games on our phones, or doing a puzzle. Advent is a period of waiting in hope for the birth of Christ while anticipating his second coming. So, what do we do while we engage in the waiting game?
2. This Sunday, we begin the liturgical season of Advent, which means “arrival” or “coming.” It is a four-week period whereby Christians recall the first coming of Christ in his incarnation at Christmas while anticipating his final coming in glory at the end of time. The purple color used during this season, except for the third Sunday, symbolizes hope, a yearning by God’s people and all creation for the transforming light of Christ. The sense of hope generated by this season portrays a time of darkness and gloom, hence the reason to hope for better days.
3. In the first reading, Isaiah the prophet recounts the return of the children of Israel from captivity in Babylon and their feelings of sadness, loss, depression, and desperation. He told them they were responsible for their misery, for they had abandoned the way of the Lord. The task of rebuilding their fallen city was so daunting that the prophet cried out and begged for God’s mercy and forgiveness on the people: “You, Lord, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever. Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down…”
4. Since we must wait for the coming of Christ what sort of life should we live? According to St. Peter, “Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise, we await new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace.” (2Peter 3:11-15). St. Paul prays in the second reading that, “…you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Gospel urged us: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” Matthew 25:31-46 tells us to give food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the ill, and visit those in prison. We are not asked to do the impossible but to do the simple. We are not demanded to execute extraordinary tasks but to do the ordinary things in life extraordinarily well. In short, we should be doing ‘good’. “Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways!” (Is.64:4).
5. So, dear friends, let us be engaged in sporadic acts of virtues, like honesty and trustworthiness, coming to the aid of unjustly treated people and speaking out for the voiceless. Let us deepen our relationship with the Lord during this Advent by praying the rosary with our family and reading one chapter of St. John’s Gospel every day. By the end of Advent, you would have read the whole of St. John’s Gospel, it is only 21 chapters. Share a meal with your family and talk about the things that matter. Your sacramental life should, by no means, be ignored. Attend Mass during the week, go to confession and spend some time with the Lord on Wednesdays during the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. These practices will realign your life with Christ and keep us alert and watchful so that the coming of Christ may not take us by surprise. Then, we will be ready to be admitted into the wedding feast of the lamb. May it be so for us now and always! Amen.
Rev. Augustine
Etemma Inwang, MSP
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