Show us Lord, your Love and Grant us Salvation

1st Sunday in Advent: November 27, 2022

Readings: Isaiah 2:1–5; Psalm 122:1–9; Romans 13:11–14; Matthew 24:37–44

To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click here: https://youtu.be/j1CGZ_fzqFQ

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and we begin a new liturgical year. Just like nature has its own seasons so too our liturgy incorporates various liturgical seasons to suit our spiritual and inner needs. This dynamic is very essential to take us away from the daily routines, and daily humdrum of life. Changes, differences, and plurality give us new life indeed. Unum et pluribus, "unity in plurality" is an often-heard phrase in our multicultural and diverse society and the Church. 

1. Called to be awakened people

Advent is a season that puts us right into that experience of the Christmas scene; the scene of a little baby in the manger, mother Mary and Joseph caring for this God’s Son in a special but uncosy way. The angels singing holy, holy, holy, and alleluia; shepherds in the countryside grazing their sheep coming down to see this baby are all part of this awesome Season. The Season of Advent, in others words adventus in Latin means coming, arrival, is, indeed, a time of preparation. 

The Season of Advent is also a time of joy and happiness in these days when darkness shuts our doors rather earlier than before. In Advent, we sing Maranatha come, O Lord. It is a season to recall the salvation, which Jesus Christ brings to us by becoming one of us; a season, which tells the story of God. Jesus which means Emmanuel, God is with us and does not remain at the level of prophecy but becomes a reality. He comes to us to prepare us spiritually and morally for a life of glory and eternity.

2. God partakes in human history

The story of God becomes our story. And we celebrate this event which gives us meaning and salvation to our life here on earth. It is so fascinating to experience that event in our life through this liturgy that we celebrate, and the prayers that we utter in the mornings and in the evenings. Our daily experiences of love, hope, and faithfulness, become the experiences of God. The classical novelist Feodor Dostoevsky beautifully said, "to love someone means to see him as God intended him." The incarnation is the term that we use in order to describe God becoming human in order that we become like Him who created us in His own image and likeness. 

Indeed, Christmas is God’s love story with humanity; it is a story of God’s love for His humanity which is bestowed on such a wonderful world. God has given us to this humanity – you and me – to reason and to believe, to govern and to fulfill God’s plan of bringing the creation into fulfillment by partaking in the recreating this world. What a wonderful God that we have! We can sing with Psalm 25:

 To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;

teach me your paths,

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my savior,

and for you I wait all the day. 

With hope, we make this above prayer. Often it is not easy to hold onto hope, especially in a world full of change with encircling misery caused by human greed and malice, pride and jealousy. The Russo-Ukrainian war is the best example.  It seems to us that as though we are lurching from one crisis to the next. Yet we are called to live differently, to show our readiness to welcome Christ in different situations and persons. 

3. Preparation, a first step toward receiving

Our Christian feasts like Christmas and Easter overwhelmingly give time to prepare and celebrate. If Christmas has four weeks then Easter has 40 days of the Lenten Season. We can pick up an idea here. Why does Church give us such a long duration of preparation? Moreover, in today’s fast forward, iTouch, quick gratifying world this has a lot of sense and meaning. When we plan for a party we do take time to prepare then if we are going receive someone who is salvation then we need absolutely a lot more time to prepare. 

Jesus himself talks about preparation. He participated in the Jewish feast of Passover – the commemoration of the Israelites' safe passage from the slavery of Egyptians. Jesus also makes use of parables and stories where he recounts that when the Lord of the house comes the servant of the house must keep awake and alert. He asks his close disciples Peter, James, and John not to fall asleep but pray with him and be ready with him in Getsemani. 

4. Holding something dear to us in Advent

We need time. We need preparation. We need time for preparation. John the Baptist would call out the Israelites to prepare the way of the Lord, to straighten the valleys, and pathways. Prophet Isaiah says, "God shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks" (Isaiah 2:4). In other words, as today's Psalm says, “let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1). God has plans for our salvation. 

 God is coming down to dwell with us. The sense of preparation is meaningful and it tells us that we cannot be lazy, cold, and tired. Therefore this season of Advent gives a sense of joy. Unless and until we prepare for this feast of Christmas first and foremost spiritually, we might not be able to have that joy on the 24th night. Each one has to think about it: how can we prepare for this feast? We may perhaps look into value systems, the kind of ethics we live, priorities, and principles that we adhere to. We may direct our energies and talents to such an endeavor. 

5. God awakens something powerful within us

Our life here on earth is like a pilgrim which has to face the realities of life with courage and boldness. We need to have a goal in life that directs us always ever closer to God, to Him who is our creator, redeemer, who gives us strength in moments of darkness, frailty, and in moments of shallowness, and pain. It is He, who gives us the encouragement to stand firm against the disorders and tribulations, trials and temptations which lead to order and serenity. We cannot remain in dark but we must ignite light to dispel all that is invisible.

When the world outside of us is repeatedly banged by injustice, intolerance, war, strife, famine, drought, corruption, nepotism, malice, conflicts, division, jealousy and wickedness yet in the depth of our hearts God awakens within us the thirst for justice and integrity, fairness and right, truth and peace, joy and happiness.  He is the true light, the life of the world. His light continues to shine in His Church. Therefore Jesus asks us to receive his invitation to be attentive to our distractions, disorders, and false identities. Thus we may be alert to the ways of the Son of God who brings back our own sense of integrity and honesty. May this be our prayer today, as we enter into this journey of Advent.

Questions for Reflection:

1. How am I planning my days in this Season of Advent?
2. What is God calling me to do during this Advent?
3. What are those grey and dark areas of my life which need some kind of cleansing?
4. Can I think of few good and practical resolutions that I would like to take up to motivate myself to come closer to God in this Season of Advent?

Prayer:

    Loving God, I am so aware of my imperfections and flaws, the grey and dark areas of my life. I always postpone things, which could be done already. When I quieten myself I sense your holy presence. You come to meet me where I am right now. 

    Help me Lord, to experience the joy and peace of your love and grace. So that I may always be ready, awakened and alert to receive you and respond to your invitation. May this Season of Advent bring others and me so much joy and peace. 

O Wisdom

Lord and Ruler

Root of Jesse

Key of David

Rising Son

King of the Nations

Emmanuel Come, Lord Jesus.  Amen. 

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

25 November 2022