Gospel
Luke 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.
“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.”
Homily
I think that it is a fact of life that instant food never tastes as well as food prepared the old fashion way. It takes time to prepare food the old fashion way and we have lost the habit of spending time in preparation. We now have instant things, instant coffee, instant tea, instant friendships, etc., and we would like our relationship with God to be instant also.
We often think how great it would be if we could live enjoying fully a worldly life and then just before death have a conversion. Even if in God’s mercy this may appear to happen at times, we would have lost the great joy of building a relationship with one whom we say we love, just as the joy of preparing a meal for loved ones is often lost in the microwave. Preparation, which is different from simple waiting is always creative.
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The gospel reminds us in very symbolic language once again that the world and indeed our own world will come to an end. Waiting for the end is a frightening experience, but we are remind that our waiting is in fact for the coming of God whom we say that we love; “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory”. We are in fact reminded that we are people of hope. The onset of these frightening things are occasions of great hope for the future “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
We must ask ourselves then whether we see moments of apparent disaster as opportunities for new life. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
How do we await the Day when God will come to us? It must not be a waiting in which we occupy ourselves in useless activities. As said above this waiting must be a preparation. It must be creative. It must be creating something worthwhile that we can present to God when God comes to us.
And so the big question for all of us is; what have I done with my life as I await the coming of my Lord? For so many of us the spectre of death is terrifying but it is only terrifying because we have nothing worthwhile to offer to God when God comes.
As we begin our celebration of Advent, let us thank God for the example of the saints who waited creatively for the Day of the Lord. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta waited creatively by working to change the lives of those living and dying on the streets in Calcutta. Blessed Oscar Romero waited creatively by seeking to change the lot of the poor landless peasants in El Salvador; Archbishop Pantin here in Trinidad and Tobago waited creatively by seeking to help the poor in T&T live more human lives. We too are called to creative waiting and we must ask ourselves whether or not we have taken seriously over the years the call to prepare ourselves. Let us resolve then to take this opportunity to reflect on the preparation which we have made up to this day to welcome God when God comes and may God’s Spirit enlighten us so that we may await creatively God’s coming.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, forgive us for living many advents without starting to prepare for the Day when you will come to us. Rid us of the feeling of apathy which prevents us from preparing ourselves to meet you. Help us to understand that the tinsel and bright lights will disappear one day and with you we will be left in total darkness. May we always seek you, the Light of our lives. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our Mother and may she teach us how to wait. Amen
