- 1st Reading – Jeremiah 33:14-16
- 2nd Reading – Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
- Gospel – Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
Last Sunday we ended the liturgical year with the Feast of Christ the King. Today we begin the new liturgical year with the 1st Sunday of Advent. So, as we enter the season of Advent, we start looking forward to and preparing for Christmas, which is now just over three weeks away. For many people that means the rush is on to put up Christmas lights and other decorations, planning for the various holiday parties, sending out Christmas cards with the obligatory annual family letter, and of course all the shopping. Many people spend most their time making those kinds of preparations. Those kinds of preparations are somewhat important, but we, as good Catholics, should know that there are far more important preparations to make. According to the teachings of the Catholic Church, Advent means we should observe three main things.
1. It means to prepare ourselves worthy of celebrating the Christmas anniversary of the Lord’s coming into the world.
2. It means that through the sacrament of Holy Communion and through Grace, we are to prepare our souls as fitting abodes for the coming of the Redeemer.
3. It means to prepare ourselves for the final coming of our Lord as Judge, either at each of our own individual deaths, or at the end of the World, whichever comes first.
So how do we prepare ourselves? As the Gospel tells us, “Be alert at all times.” We should do all within our power so as not to be caught off guard. First and foremost, we need to put God first in our lives. After all everything we have, including our very lives is a gift from God. Taking a que from last weekend’s Solemnity of “Christ the King,” do we let Jesus rule our lives, or do we let the temptations of this world lure us away. Secondly, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. How do we treat our fellow man? Not just our family and close friends, but all that we meet. Next, we need to cleanse our hearts and our souls of sin. It’s very important during this time of Advent to examine our consciences, admit our faults, and ask for God’s mercy. That’s why the Church stresses the importance of the sacrament of reconciliation during Advent.
During Advent the Church asks us to reflect on the coming of Christ, and to prepare for it. Not just the remembrance and celebration of his birth a 1st coming, but also his return, when he will come again. That’s why on the first Sunday of Advent each year we read Gospel readings pertaining to Christ’s return. Today’s Gospel reading appears to contain prophecies of times to come, when Jesus will return again in final judgment. However, today’s reading from Luke’s Gospel chapter 21 omits one very important verse in the middle, where Jesus tells his disciples, “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all things have taken place.” So, have these signs already happened? These signs can also be perceived as representative of the ending of the old age and the old covenant and the beginning of the new age, when the New Covenant was made during the Last Supper and at Christ’s death, or it can also be perceived as Jesus’ foretelling of the destruction of the Jewish temple approximately 70 years later, which to the Jews at the time would have seemed like the end of the world. So, which is it A, B, or C? The answer is D, all of the above. Unlike us, time holds no boundaries on God. God is present in all times. Therefore, this Gospel reading, as well as all the Gospels has meaning for all generations. God doesn’t limit his words to just a few in one generation. We will all experience the end of the world . . .. in some way. And so, we must all be prepared for his return at all times, since, as Jesus tells us, “No one knows the time except the Father.”
During Advent, let us look beyond the fact that Santa Claus is coming to town and prepare our hearts and our souls for Jesus coming to town. In times of economic success, when life seems good, it’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of security when some may be tempted, as today’s Gospel tells us, to allow their hearts to be “coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life. Not knowing when the coming of the Lord will be for each and every one of us, we must persevere in our living faith. We cannot allow ourselves to take a break from our faith. We must do all we can do to continually remain in communion with God on a daily basis.
During Advent, let us embrace a spiritual attitude so the season may become something special for us. Let us reflect on who we really are and the only way in which we will achieve the true happiness we seek. Let’s spend more time in prayer reflecting on whether we model our lives after Christ. Is Jesus the one we look to for guidance? Is Jesus the one shaping our life? Let’s examine our consciences and open ourselves up to receive God’s grace. Be watchful, be alert. You do not know the time when the Lord of the house will return.
Today’s readings may sound like a prediction for the end of the world, but they’re not just about the end of the world, they are about the completion of God’s Kingdom. We as Christians are waiting for a new beginning, rather than an ending.