By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, C.S.Sp.
(Jer.33:14:16, Ps.24, 1Thess. 3:12-4:2 & Lk 21:25-28,34-36)
A New Liturgical year begins today with the First Sunday of Advent. Advent means ‘Coming’. It is the Season of waiting in hope for the coming of the promised Messiah which found fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. This promise made long ago to the House of Israel and Judah in our first reading (Jer. 33:14), kept the Jews waiting for its fulfillment. They were indeed the first set of people to observe the Advent period when they waited for the coming of the promised Messiah. They remained steadfast in their preparation to welcome the Messiah knowing that God always fulfills his promises. However, given the image of the Messiah that developed in the course of their history, it was difficult for them to recognize in Jesus the Messiah they have been waiting for. As John attests, ‘Jesus came to his own but his own people did not accept him but to all those who did receive him and who believed in his name, he gave the power to become children of God” (Jn 1:11-12).
Christians borrowed this tradition as a means of reawakening the consciousness of the need for preparation to welcome Jesus who will come again in power to judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1). The Church places this special period of preparation at the beginning of the Liturgical year when we are getting ready to celebrate Christmas. It gives us the opportunity to reflect on the reason behind the birth of Jesus, his teaching and salvific death and resurrection as well as calls us to prepare for his second coming in glory.
Many ancient prophets had foretold that the Lord’s day would really be a terrible day. “Behold the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger to make the earth a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it” (Isaiah 13:9-13; Joel 2:1-2; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:14-18). It will be a day of judgment for some and a day of jubilation for others depending on where a person stands in his or her relationship with God and humanity. The virtuous will raise their heads in glory while the vicious will tremble in fear. It will be a day of joy and sadness, a day of commendation and condemnation, a day of reward and punishment. Whatever one sows, one will reap.
Jesus noted that there will be great signs in the heavens that will cause the heavenly bodies as well as the earth to tremble. “People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and great glory” (Luke 21:26-27). And he added, “But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (Luke 21:28). We can observe two sets of people from the above citations: namely, those to die of fear and those strengthened by faith. Just as men will be dying of fear, many will be joyful in faith. Fear and faith are opposites, predominant one determines one’s fate. More importantly, a predominance of fear in this regard is an indication of something unbecoming about the person because, as John puts it, “For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love (1 John 4:18).
Jesus warns his followers not to end up in fear and destruction because his coming should be a joyful liberation from all that oppresses them rather than being a source of worry and fear for the wrong they might have done. Consequently, he call on them to always stay awake. They must not get carried away by neither the pleasure of life nor by the anxieties of daily life. Whatever happens, they must remain focused on the most important business of human existence – to seek first the kingdom of God in all things (Matthew 6:33). Jesus is aware of the lure of pleasures to which humans are exposed, but also of the difficulties and troubles of daily life which can preoccupy a person to such an extend that the person loses focus on what really matters in life, even to lose focus on God. At the beginning of his ministry, after fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus underwent three major temptations (Luke 4:1-12). He was tempted with turning stone into bread when he was hungry. So he knows that hunger and hardship can influence a person’s attitude. He was equally tempted with riches that has driven many to worship the Devil. Finally, he was tempted with the lure of power, showmanship and fame. But being awake to the demands of his mission and having prepared himself with prayer and fasting, Jesus overcame the tempter with words of the scripture.
As we get closer to the celebration of Christmas, we prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus. People do this preparation in different ways. Paul preached the second coming of Jesus to the Thessalonians, and some of them stopped working and waiting in idleness for Jesus to come and take them to heaven. Paul had to correct that impression in his second letter to them. Some prepare by decorating their homes, getting new cloths, fireworks and planning for house parties. Whichever way we want to prepare for Christmas, the most important thing is to remember that it is about Jesus’ coming, not just a birthday party. And Jesus has told us how to prepare for his coming – we must stay awake and not be carried away by pleasures of life or the anxieties of daily life. His coming must not catch us unaware or unprepared. It is very easy for one to get caught up in the affairs of this world and so remains spiritually indifferent and passive.
Taking a look at the event taking place in the world presently, there is so much to occupy everyone. The world has been fighting the outbreak of Corona for the past two years. When one thinks that we are getting over the situation, the arrival of a new variant is announced. This is certainly a source of worry as it affects virtually everything we do. Yet, Jesus is reminding us that such anxiety should not shut our eyes out of the bigger picture. God is still the ruler of the universe. He was there during all the pandemics in history, the wars, the earthquakes and other terrible things that have happened, and he brought them to an end. Rather than become afraid and worry, therefore, it is for us to trust in him and call upon him in faith while we do the best we can in the struggle to curtail the situation. Fear can sometimes be destructive, but faith leads to positive actions that yield the needed fruits.
It is mostly when we are awake and in the state of spiritual alertness, that we can easily overcome the devil’s intrigue, make good and positive choices and decisions in life and engage ourselves in some beneficial activities. Taking a cue from Jesus (cf. Luke 4:1-12) we could see that being spiritually awake is enhanced by intense and regular prayer life frees us from anxieties and fears over what is happening in the world, sharpens our ability to make right judgements and strengthens our will to do things right. It equally moves us to take steps to render helping hands to those in need, stand up for those unfairly treated, forgive and reconcile with friends, family and others around us. So, stay awake for the Lord is coming in glory to redeem his people. Amen.
