Reflection for November 28, 2021

First Sunday of Advent ( C )

​Jeremiah 33:14-16 | Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14 | 1 Thessalonians 3:1 —4:2 | Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Many years ago Joseph, a Cebu-based businessman dad, had to leave his home to go on a long journey. Just before he left, Kobi, his little three-year old daughter asked him, `Daddy, when will you be coming back again?'

​Now Joseph knew that he would not be back till the end of May. However, he realized that it was no use talking about dates and times and seasons to his girl, for he would not know the difference between them. Sitting down beside her, the father said to the girl, `Now, listen; when you see the leaves on the trees turning red and brown and beginning to fall to the ground, then you can be sure that Daddy is coming back very soon.' The next day the father left home. During the months of March and April the little girl would go for walks with her mom. On these walks she used to talk about his absent daddy. Slowly the weeks went by until it came early April and then mid-April. Although the girl did not notice it, the leaves on the trees were changing colour. Then one night there was a big wind storm and thousands of leaves came down, filling the sidewalks and the gutters. The next morning when the little girl went out, she immediately saw them. Letting go his mom's hand, she went amongst the leaves and began to kick them sky-high. Then she began to shout, 'Yahoo! Yahoo! Daddy's coming soon.' All over the world there is an expectation; the leaves are turning brown and they are beginning to fall. Jesus said, 'When you see these things begin to come to pass'—be very gloomy? No, chins up—`Lift up your heads.' The great future of every child of God may be dawning, for the coming of the Lord is drawing near.

Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot and Doctor of the Church, teaches that the season of Advent is a sacrament of the presence of God in his world. On this First Sunday of Advent, let us reflect on the threefold coming of the Lord as written by the prophet Jeremiah, Saint Paul and Luke.  

Jesus comes in history.  His first coming was in the flesh. We celebrate that Jesus was born in our world and time. He is the cornerstone of all world history. Outside of Him, nothing has, will, or ever will happen. In fact, the calendar we use is actually centered around this event of God becoming man. The thousands of years before his birth is called B.C. or Before Christ. And now the soon to be 2022 years after is A.D. or Anno Domini, which means “the year of the Lord”. History tells us that this boy is born in the little town of Bethlehem. An angel appeared to a young virgin named Mary, and to a carpenter named Joseph, saying that the Mary would conceive and give birth to a boy, and they are to name him Jesus which means ‘The Lord Saves’. Did you know that, from the beginning Jesus’s mission to save us was announced? In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah waits and hopes for an ideal descendant of David who will bring security, peace, and justice to the Hebrew people. When the prophet Jeremiah wrote this passage, he was living in a desperate, chaotic world. The Babylonians had waged war on Jerusalem and, after many months of fighting, finally captured, burned, and destroyed the city. Despite this disheartening situation, Jeremiah proclaims to his fellow Jews that God will fulfill His promise that He “will raise up for David a just shoot, he will do what is right and just in the land” (Jer 33:15). Jeremiah assures the ancient Hebrew people and us that God will fulfill His promise, and we should not fear despite the moral degradation and frightening events all around us. Jeremiah saw that the answer to the chaos of his time would be the promised Messiah. This is a real story worthy of belief, unless you are one of those evidence-resistant, history-revising human species whose made up truth is only based on TikTok and Youtube. 

Jesus also comes in mystery. The Greek word for Sacrament is μυστήριον (mystērion), which we get the word ‘mystery’ from. The middle coming is where we find ourselves in this age of the Church and takes place in a great variety of ways. The Lord comes to us when we study and grow in his Word (κήρυγμα, kḗrygma); he comes to us when we frequent the sacraments (λειτουργία, leitourgía), especially in the most Holy Eucharist; and he comes into our life when we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, and bury the dead (διακονία, diakonía). In the second reading from his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul tells us how we should “conduct” ourselves as we await Jesus’ second coming when he says: “…abound in love for one another and for all”. Paul and the early Christians initially thought that Jesus second coming would occur in the near future, and as they eagerly awaited Jesus’ second coming, many became careless in their duties. No matter when Jesus comes, Paul wants the Thessalonians to be found “blameless and holy” on that day. Paul’s prayer for increased love is a reminder that such love and holiness will remain far from perfect until Christ returns. The season of Advent is a time of waiting and provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the reason for waiting. Advent can be a time of transformation as we await the arrival of Jesus. It is a time of new beginnings, a time to look into our hearts and ponder if we are truly preparing for the coming of our God. How is Christ coming to you today? Are you prepared to welcome him?

Then at the end of time, Jesus will come in glory. In the Creed we pray, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.” He will return of for his bride, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. His return is one day closer today than it was yesterday. Of course, no one knows when Jesus will return but one thing is for certain: He is coming. In today’s gospel, Jesus describes the signs and events that will herald His coming in glory and cautions us to be repentant, to be strong in our faith, and to remain ever vigilant in our waiting. As scary as the images of the end time may seem, there is no reason for fear. Jesus is right there beside us. Jesus says, “When these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” <enrique.ofs>