First Sunday of Advent (C)
Gospel
Lk 21:25-28, 34-36
Jesus said to his disciples: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.
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Homily
Today we begin the celebration of Advent, the period in the liturgical year which reminds us of our fundamental attitude as followers of Jesus Christ, i.e creative and hopeful waiting.
In order to understand the Gospel reading for this Sunday which predicts what will happen in the build up to the last days, it is important to remember what there was in the first days. We remember that God created a world of total harmony, a harmony which was lost through the machinations of the evil one and the weakness of our first parents. We must also recognize that for us followers of Jesus, all of history can be seen as a journey from the harmony which was lost to the harmony which will be regained and that all of us are situated somewhere on that journey, either as facilitators of the journey or as obstacles. The evil one and his collaborators concentrate on disrupting the journey of the restoration of harmony. Everything possible is done to ensure that the harmony between God and humans, between humans themselves, between humans and nature, and within humans is disrupted.
The gospel reading describes for us the attempts at the disruption of harmony but as these attempts are described we are also told that we must not lose hope; “But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” If we are faithful to Christ and the message which Christ brings then we wait in hope for the restoration of harmony because it will happen.
But we Christians are also warned that as we wait we must not fall when we are tempted as our first parents did. Very subtly the Evil one will try to make us become obstacles to this journey which will end in the restoration of harmony. St. Luke therefore tells his readers who were the wealthy and therefore those with influence in the shaping of society (the poor, which was the vast majority lived at a subsistence level often wondering where the next meal was coming from)
“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”
All of the above, the excessive partying i.e the pursuit of pleasure, the drunkenness or the excesses in comfort, the anxieties of daily life, i.e., the desire to have more and to be more are the things which make us disrupters of harmony. These things coarsen our hearts; they do not allow us to read the signs of the times and the approach of the day of destruction. St. Luke therefore warns us to be hopefully and creatively vigilant as we await the restoration of harmony, seeking to be agents and restorers of harmony so that we remain in God’s presence ushering in the new world, the new heaven and the new earth which we all desire. Who amongst us does not want an end to sin and its destructive effects? Who amongst us does not want an end to family breakups, to community divisions, to wars between nations? Who amongst us does not want an end to the effects of natural disasters especially on the poor and marginalized? Who amongst us does not want to experience wholeness within ourselves? We all want these things and so we must together, following the example of the saints and all persons of good will, work for these things to happen, secure in the knowledge that they will happen. This will be the sign of our fidelity to the Gospel and of our love for humanity.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, today your Word reminds us that in spite of the trials and tribulations of life, you are there and that You are bringing this world inexorably to its fulfillment, i.e. the restoration of the complete harmony which You always desired for us. You gave us free will however and we chose to be facilitators or to be obstacles to this journey of harmony. Help us your people to be amongst the ranks of the facilitators, resisting the temptation to be amongst the obstacles. We ask this through the intercession of Jesus the model of facilitators and Mary our Mother. Amen
