First Sunday of Advent, B
December 2, 2012
Introduction
Today is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the
Christmas Cycle and of the Liturgical Year. The theme of Advent is preparation for the ‘coming’ of Christ:
we prepare to celebrate his ‘first’ coming on Christmas by preparing for his
‘second’ coming as we say in the Mystery of Faith: “Christ has died; Christ has
risen; Christ shall come again!”
In the Gospel reading two Sundays ago, the Sunday before
Christ the King, we read in the Gospel of Mark the ‘signs’ of the coming of Christ that will happen on earth:
“And when you hear of wars and
rumors of wars, do not be troubled: for such things must happen; but this is
not yet the end. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom; and there shall be earthquakes in diverse places, and there shall be
famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.” (Mark 13:7-8)
Some of these signs shall be caused by people: “wars and
rumors of wars” and nation rising up against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom. But some of these signs are not man-made, like “earthquakes in diverse
places” and “famines”.
But in today’s Gospel reading, now from the Gospel of Luke,
we read of the signs of the coming of Christ that will happen in heaven:
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars;
and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the roaring of the sea
and the waves. Men's shall faint because of fear, and in expectation of the
calamities that shall come upon the earth, for
the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with
power and great glory.” (Luke 21:25-27)
When these things begin happen, Jesus said, “Look up and
lift up your heads; for your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28)
I. The Coming of
Christ: A Comfort
The coming of Christ is should bring comfort to the heart of
a Christian. After narrating all the signs of his coming, Jesus used the parable
of the fig tree:
“Behold the fig tree, and all the
trees: When they shoot forth, you see and know for yourselves that summer is
close at hand. So likewise, when you see these things come to pass, you know
that the kingdom
of God is close at hand.”
(Luke 21:29-31)
When St. Paul
wrote of the coming of Christ in the clouds to gather the believers in Christ,
“both the living and the dead” (Apostles’ Creed),
For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)
--then he writes, “Comfort
each other with these with these words” (v. 18). The coming of Christ is
not a message of doom; it is Good News!
II. The Coming of Christ: A Warning
The coming of Christ is not only a comfort, it is also a warning.
Because Jesus is coming, no matter what tribulations may come, we have comfort:
our troubles will come to an end. But at the same time, the coming of Jesus is
a warning. He said,
“Take heed to yourselves, lest at
any time your hearts be weighed down with gluttony and drunkenness, and with
cares of this life, and so that day would come upon you unawares. For as a
snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Keep
watch, therefore, and pray always, that you may be deemed worthy to escape all
these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
(Luke 21:34-36)
Some people live as if Christ is never coming, so their
lives are “weighed down with gluttony and drunkenness, and with cares of this
life”. That is why when Christ comes—no matter what signs may be—that day will
catch them “unaware”. Therefore, Jesus told us to “keep watch and pray always”
that we “may be deemed worthy… and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Conclusion
How are we preparing for the coming for Christ? How are we
preparing to celebrate Christmas? Are we looking forward to “gluttony and
drunkenness”? Are we “weighed down” by all of the things we want this
Christmas? Or, shall we heed the message of Advent? “Keep watch and pray”. Who
knows, Christ might come back this Christmas?
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Graphic courtesy of www.pray4zion.org.
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