Be Attentive - Be Awake - Be Alert
November 30, 2008
Gospel: Mk 13:33-37
We think of Advent as the season of preparation for the coming of Jesus at Christmas - but Christmas has come and gone about 2,000 times. By this time, we should have a good idea how to prepare.
Unfortunately, many still do not get it. They think Christmas is about getting to the mall in the middle of the night so they can be first in the store when the doors open at 5:00 AM. When thousands of like-minded people gather, their Christmas cheer can turn to frustration - and the result can be a mob that tramples a poor store employee to death.
But today’s readings are not about preparing for Christmas- they are about preparing for Christ’s second coming – at the end of time. The first Christians believed that the second coming was imminent and they had to maintain their spiritual and moral fervor until he returned. The four gospels were written within a hundred years of Jesus’ death, and a recurring theme is the necessity of always being ready.
Most people know the difference between right and wrong and how we should live. We do our best - but one of our many weaknesses as human beings is a lack of staying power. Just think of all the New Year’s resolutions, diets, exercise plans and promises to pray more. We may stay on track for a while, but the enthusiasm eventually cools and flickers out – and all we are left with is that weird limbo-like place called “good intentions.”
St. Paul also thought the second coming was near. In his letter to the community in Corinth, he expressed his gratitude for their faith and spiritual gifts – but still had to pray that God would keep them “firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Many years have passed since then, and Jesus has still not made that second appearance. Fervor and commitment cool, and people slide into moral and spiritual laxity. “There is plenty of time.” “Maybe he isn’t coming.” “Maybe he already came and we didn’t know it.” “Maybe the whole idea is nonsense.” But the warning in today’s gospel is clear: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.”
So, how do we remain alert and awake twenty centuries after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus – and is it important that we do so? As much as we may like to deny it, our time on earth is short and fragile. All of our grand plans and magnificent achievements can vanish in one, catastrophic moment. If we are not around for the second coming, it only means that our personal “second coming” came first.
The warning of today’s gospel should not drive us to depression - but rather to a passion for the gift of each new day – and gratitude for the gift of life and for the people who enrich our lives. Gratitude for our family, friends and loved ones - even for those we may never have met yet who somehow touch our lives.
Being alert also means sitting in silence and listening for the still, inner voice of God. God has probably been trying to get through to many of us for quite some time, but we have been too busy babbling to notice. Sometimes we have to shut up and let God get in a word or two.
We have to appreciate that the hour that we spend as a community with Him is the most important hour we will spend this week. Nothing – not even quality time with your family – is more important than quality time with God. When your relationship with God is on track – every other relationship is enhanced. When we appreciate that God is the most important factor of our lives – we wait and watch for Jesus’ return with cheerful anticipation.
I am reminded of the story of the Pope working at his desk, when one of his aides bursts into the room. “Holy Father, there is man coming up the stairs and he looks just like Jesus. What should we do?” The Pope calmly answered, “Look busy!”
We should be busy doing what God wants us to do – loving God and our neighbor – but part of that busyness includes being attentive – to God and to one another. We must not fix our eyes on some distant horizon waiting for Jesus to re-appear. We must stay focused on the world around us - the world we live in – and help make it the world that God wants it to be.
Today is the only day that is guaranteed to us. Yesterday is gone – and tomorrow is not assured. The only thing we can be sure of is this moment.
Jesus is present in this moment – and in every moment of our lives. He has called you to this moment. He may have called you because he has something special he wants to say to you – or just because he just wants to be with you. Be sure that you take a moment to open your heart to receive whatever word God may have for you.
Be attentive – be awake – be alert – especially to those times when you allow God into your life – for that is the only time we are truly alive.
The Advent!
November 30, 2008
Once, I was preaching for the first Sunday of the advent. It was a mass for the children of the place, and the focus was helping them understand the meaning of Christmas. I explained to them the meaning of the word “Advent”; that it comes from the Latin word, advenire, which means to come to. And so I asked them, “Now, can anyone of you tell me ‘who is the one that is going to come’”. The majority of them lifted their hands. I pointed to one among them and she answered “Santa Claus!”.
Advent is a time of grace given to us by the Church to prepare our hearts for Jesus’ coming. We are the ones who wait for the second coming of the Lord. And each time we celebrate Christmas we come closer and closer to that day and the advent becomes an occasion to intensify that preparation. Let us not miss the real meaning and grace of Advent. Let us choose to use Advent as a time to deepen our relationship with God, to prepare our hearts for meeting God when we are called from this life, and to prepare our hearts for our celebration of Christmas.
The greatest danger that we Christians can face is to lose sight of the real meaning of Advent. We complain that the world outside keeps Jesus away from Christmas, but what about us? We just consider it as a spending season. From thanksgiving till December 24th we are busy doing Christmas shopping. It is always nice to see the sudden transformation that is coming into all of us during this season; we become more generous, energetic, and everyone appears to be happy giving and receiving gifts. But let us not miss the most important gift we can give to Jesus: our well-lived lives. But often time we miss the real Gift. There is only one gift at Christmas, and that gift is Jesus. That is why Jesus tells us.
Jesus is the reason for Christmas; let us not forget the reason for the season. To help us keep Jesus as the reason for the Christmas the Church gives us four weeks during Advent to prepare our hearts for Jesus. So our Gospel today asks us to prepare for Jesus’ Second Coming and since we do not know when that will be we could really see our Gospel today asking us to be ready to be called from this life whenever that will be. Jesus is asking us to be aware of the many attractions and temptations in life that are pulling us away from the real meaning of life, which is Jesus himself. So instead of spending time in debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, Jesus’ advice is,
“Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.
St. Paul also had advice on how to use our time: “We urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants…”
So those words from Jesus and Paul lead us to ask ourselves, “How do we spend our time?” We need to “stay awake, praying at all times…” and to “make more and more progress in the kind of life that we are meant to live: the life that God wants…”
Let this Advent be a different one for you. Plan something that you can do as a family during this advent season. May be attending some weekday masses, preparing an advent wreath, saying family Rosary all through out the Advent, getting ready with confessions, or trying to know more about the first coming of Jesus which will help us to get ready for the second one.
May God bless us.
Kaamulan Costumes Return!
November 22, 2008
Please bring in your kaamulan costumes and props tomorrow, November 23, 2008, during Regina’s practice. There will also be an evaluation by Tita Batchie afterwards. Please pass the word along. Thank you.