LITURGICAL YEAR C : ADVENT SEASON
First
Sunday of Advent (C) [Lk 21:25-28. 34-36]
28.11.2021
The
Coming of the Son of Man and Exhortation to Watch
- Theme in brief
Attitude
and preparedness to meet the Lord
- Focus Statement
In the midst of many tribulations of our times, we
are called to wait in joyful hope for the final coming of our Lord with constant
prayer and by guarding against our tendencies to get engrossed in worldly affairs
or cares of life.
- Explanation of
the text
In today’s
gospel Jesus speaks about the end of the world and his Second Coming in
apocalyptic language. It will be preceded
with signs in the sun, the moon and the stars, and distress among the nations
(21:25). There will be shaking of the cosmic forces
such as roaring of the sea and the waves (21:25-26). This type of imagery was a
common style used in Jewish literature to describe the chaos
and upheaval that might take place before
the ultimate triumph of God over evil
forces or before a new creation. The final and glorious manifestation
of the Lord is described in the image mentioned in the OT (Daniel 7:13-14): coming
of the Son of Man in a cloud with power and glory (21:27). Jesus’ return is
identified with the vision of the Son of Man seen by Daniel to whom was given
glory and kingship. The cosmic upheaval is like the birth pangs of a new life
with the Lord. Of course, these signs will cause fainting with fear among
God’s enemies or unbelievers, but not among his disciples or believers (21:26).
People may die of fright, but they should stand erect (= be ready and prepared)
and raise their heads with hope and eager expectation
to receive the redemption offered to them (21:28).
Further,
Jesus explains the proper conduct that his
disciples should exhibit to await his final coming (called ‘Parousia’). He
warns them against the possibility of getting “choked by the cares,
riches and pleasures of life” symbolized by the
‘thorns’ in the Parable of the Sower explained by him previously (Lk 8:14). He exhorts
them to be on their guard so as not to allow their hearts to be weighed down with
dissipation, drunkenness
and worries of this life (21:34). If not,
they could be caught off guard, as if being suddenly caught in a trap,
when the Son of Man will come unexpectedly (21:34-35). Excessive preoccupation
and engrossment with temporal matters may take
them unawares of the coming of the Lord. Hence,
he appeals to them to watch (be alert) and pray, echoing
the same appeal that will be made during his agony in the garden (Lk 22:46).
Constant prayer will give them necessary strength to escape
from disaster and stand before the Son of Man
for judgement without any fear (21:36).
- Application to life
Today we begin the new Liturgical Year with the season of
Advent. The meaning of Advent is “Coming.” The liturgical experts tell us
that in the season of Advent, the Church celebrates Christ’s coming in history, mystery and majesty – his coming into the
world in the past (history) as a human person (which is commemorated
at Christmas); his coming to us at present in the Word, in the sacraments
(in mystery) and in the guise of the needy; and his future coming in glory and
majesty at the end of time. By choosing this gospel text for the first Sunday
of Advent, today the Church wants us to focus our attention on the Second or
Final Coming of Christ at the end of time to judge and save us. Personally, for us
this “end of time” refers either to the end of our life on earth or the end of
the world, whichever comes first. Today the Church invites us to wait eagerly with readiness and preparedness to meet the Lord
whenever he comes.
The gospel alludes that the end of the world and the Second Coming
of Christ will be accompanied by frightening apocalyptic signs, which will
shake the powers of the heavens. Like these apocalyptic signs, in our times
also we are shaken by some shocking events taking place in our world. This world has horrible
history of wars, plagues, natural disasters and terrible acts of evil
perpetrated by human beings associated with it. Our
faith gets shaken
by these frightening events. In modern times, we wonder whether the rapid
spread of terrorism, especially the one perpetrated by the ISIS will lead to a
third world war; whether the fast deterioration of our eco systems will lead to
total collapse of Mother Earth’s resources resulting in wiping out human
existence on the earth; whether the present rise of religious fundamentalism
and intolerance will lead to people killing people like animals; etc.
In
the midst of these, Jesus tells us not to put our heads down in panic,
but to raise our heads in hope. At the end of all these tribulations
we are going to meet the Lord who will come with great power and glory to
complete our salvation. His coming brings for us the hope of total
liberation from all the tribulations of this life. When we feel sad
and downcast in the midst of present tribulations, it is a matter of tremendous
consolation to wait eagerly for the joyful and ‘blessed hope’ (cf. the liturgy) of
our total liberation. For firm believers all the cosmic events and turbulences in the
world imply that the days of their sufferings will come to an end, when the Lord will come to ‘wipe away every tear from our eyes’ (cf. the
liturgy). This ultimate liberation is like winning a ‘gold medal’ after a long
struggle. This hope gives us the strength to cope with the problems of this
life, and to live our lives with a greater commitment and accountability, like sportsmen
going through the rigours of daily exercise with the hope of winning the gold medal.
At the end of time when Christ manifests himself in full glory, for those who
are always actively watchful, it will be a joyful event and not a frightful
one. Their joy will reach its heights when he will fulfil all their hope.
Jesus teaches us to watch
and wait
for him
always. First of all, watchfulness is an awareness of the heart. It leads
us to focus our energies and attention to the presence of the Master even
when we feel his absence. When we are alert and watchful we
can recognize (in faith) his hidden presence even in ordinary
activities, in the humdrum of life and even in our trials and tribulations. He
is the Lord of surprises because he comes suddenly and unexpectedly. If not vigilant, we
could be caught like animals suddenly get caught in a trap without being aware
of it. A vigilant faith gives us the energy to persevere in times of trials and
tribulations of the present. The quality and intensity of our waiting depends
on the intensity of our desire to meet the Lord. We should enter
into Advent with a profound desire for a Saviour because we still need
to be saved from satanic or evil forces in us and outside us that oppose God’s
Kingdom. Of course, in order to recognize him we need eyes of faith. A
committed disciple is the one who is in a permanent expectation of his/her Master.
The factor which makes us
deviate from the purpose of our life and leads us to disaster is our tendency
to be weighed down with dissipation,
drunkenness and worries of this life. ‘Dissipation’ means indulging in extravagant,
intemperate, or dissolute pleasures. It also means using or losing one’s energy and resources without doing any useful work or for useless
purposes. Instead of making the most of God-given resources, energies and gifts,
a dissipated person squanders time, money, relationships and
ultimate purpose of life. Drunkenness, though usually associated with alcohol
and drugs, also can be applied to the intoxication resulting from the worship of power,
position, money, sex and one’s own ego. Drunkenness reduces our inhibitions
towards wrongdoings and makes our judgments very dull. It reduces our mental and physical powers. It
makes us believe in a false security. Is it possible to be watchful when we are
drunk? Allowing our worries to become our masters basically goes against our faith in
God and in his providence. Unbridled worries kill the spirit within us. When
worries begin to control us, they consume our energy so much that we may get
a high blood pressure – that too for accomplishing nothing. Worries paralyze
us in such a way that it becomes difficult for us to respond appropriately to
any danger approaching.
When we become engrossed in
these worldly affairs and cares of life, we find ourselves unprepared to
welcome the Lord when he comes. Far from constant vigil and readiness to meet him by leading
a life worthy of our call, we tend to be preoccupied in day-to-day business and worldly
concerns. When we put all our trust in material things, we don’t know where to
go when a sudden accident, serious illness, economic recession, tsunami,
cyclone (hurricane/ typhoon), earthquake, inflation, terrorist attack, etc.,
bangs at our door. This problem of evil swallows up all our securities
in material things. Then we feel life is meaningless! Today’s
gospel message motivates us to question the meaning, purpose and significance
of our life. It warns us not to consider eating and drinking, work and business
as the only purpose
of life. Looking at our life from the perspective of our faith, we
understand that we are put here on earth by God with a purpose. For persons of
faith, life becomes meaningful only when they do what God wants
them to do with their lives. Experts tell us that “the purpose of life is to
live a life of purpose”. Our purpose is concerned with the values which we
uphold so strongly that we want them realized in our life.
Besides watchfulness and hope,
another factor which gives us the strength to prepare ourselves to meet the
Lord, is prayer.
To be watchful and alert also implies becoming aware of what is happening
to us each day. Though prayer and spiritual reflections have a number
of objectives, one of them is awareness. Prayer makes us conscious (aware),
alert and watchful
so that we do not deviate from the aim of our life, or from God’s will. It makes
us aware of not only God’s presence but also of our own weaknesses and inadequacies. It
also makes us aware of what God wants to reveal to us through various events
in our and others’ lives as well as through various events taking place in our
world. Every minute of our lives has an eternal significance. Prayer becomes a strong fortress that guards us against dissipation,
drunkenness and anxiety – the very things the Lord warns us to be on our guard.
Further, today’s gospel tells us prayer gives us the strength
to escape disaster and to stand before the Lord without fear at the end of
time. Without this prayerful awareness, and the supporting strength of prayer,
the Lord may come and the Lord may go, or Christmas may come and Christmas may
go, but it will not make any difference for us. It will come and pass by us
without affecting us in any way. Prayer, Word of God and faithful reception of
sacraments are the most powerful means available for us to be vigilant and alert.
The time of Advent is a time to use these means more ardently.
- Response to
God's Word
How seriously do we
prepare to meet the Lord as he comes to us in history, mystery and majesty? How
strong is our hope in God’s promises? Does this hope give us the strength to
face the problems of this life, and to live our lives with a greater commitment
and accountability, like sportsmen going through the rigours of daily exercise
with the hope of winning the gold medal? Are we alert and watchful or carefree?
How many times others have to remind us about our duties, responsibilities, bad
habits, need for prayer, hard work, etc.? Do we do what we are supposed to do
out of force and fear of disapproval by others or out of responsibility towards
a task for which we are accountable? How ardently do we use the three powerful means
available for us to be vigilant and alert, namely prayer, Word of God and devout
reception of sacraments? Because of our failure to be vigilant, do we get more attuned
to the devil’s refrain: “No hurry; don’t worry?”
- A prayer
Come, Lord Jesus, come. Deliver us from all anxieties, fears and
allurement of this life’s cares and pleasures. Come and fulfil our heart’s
desire as we wait in joyful and blessed hope of your coming at the end of time.
May we be found ready and prepared to meet you with the lamps of faith brightly
burning in our hearts. For the Kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now
and forever. Amen.
