ZE08112610 - 2008-11-26
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-24378?l=english
Rehearsal of the Great History of Memories

Biblical Reflection for 1st Sunday of Advent

By Father Thomas Rosica, CSB

TORONTO, NOV. 26, 2008 (Zenit.org).- This weekend the Church enters into the liturgical season of Advent. Christians proclaim that the Messiah has indeed come and that God's reign is "at hand."

Advent does not change God. Advent deepens our longing and anticipation that God will do what prophets and the anointed have promised. We pray that God will yield to our need to see and feel the promise of salvation here and now.

During this time of longing and waiting for the Lord, we are invited to pray and to ponder the Word of God, but most of all, to become a reflection of the light of Christ, indeed of Christ himself. But we all know how difficult it is to mirror the light of Christ, especially when we have become disillusioned with life, accustomed to the shadowy existence of the world, or grown content with mediocrity and emptiness. Advent reminds us that we must be ready to meet the Lord at any and every moment of life. Just like a security alarm wakes up a homeowner, Advent wakes up Christians who are in danger of sleeping through their lives.

For what or for whom are we waiting in life? What virtues or gifts are we praying to receive this year? Do we long for healing and reconciliation in broken relationships? What meaning and understanding do we desire to have in the midst of our own darkness, sadness, and mystery? How are we living out our baptismal promises? What qualities of Jesus are we seeking in our own lives this Advent? Many times, the things, qualities, gifts, or people we await give us great insights into who we really are. Tell me whom you are waiting for and I will tell you who you are!

Advent is a time for opening eyes, focusing views, paying attention, keeping perspective on God's presence in the world and in our own lives.

In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah on the first Sunday of Advent, the Almighty One breathes hope back into the heart and soul of Israel and shapes Israel and events anew just as a potter shapes his pottery.

In the second Scripture reading, writing to his beloved community at Corinth, Paul looked forward to the "Day of the Lord" when the Lord Jesus will be revealed to rescue those whom He has called. And in Gospel for the first Sunday of Advent this year, Mark's depiction of the doorkeeper watching out for the Lord whenever he "suddenly" appears is an image of what we are expected to be doing all year long but especially during the season of Advent.

Our own baptism is a share in the royal, messianic mission of Jesus. Anyone who shares this mission also shares royal responsibilities, in particular, care for the afflicted and the hurting. Advent is a wonderful opportunity to "activate" our baptismal promises and commitment.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger once wrote: "The purpose of the Church's year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart's memory so that it can discern the star of hope. It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us, memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope."

This Advent, allow me to suggest that you mend a quarrel. Build peace. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a love letter. Share some treasure. Give a kind answer even though you would like to respond harshly. Encourage a young person to believe in him/herself. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Find the time. Make time. Forego a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation. Listen more. Apologize if you were wrong. Be kind even if you weren't wrong!

Try to understand. Flout envy. Examine the demands you make on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate. Be kind, be gentle. Laugh a little. Laugh a little more. Deserve confidence. Take up arms against malice. Decry complacency. Express gratitude. Go to Church. Stay in Church a little while longer than usual. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak it once again. Speak it even more loudly. Speak it quietly. Rejoice, for the Lord is near!

[The readings for this Sunday are Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37.]

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Basilian Father Thomas Rosica is the chief executive officer of the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and Television Network in Canada. He can be reached at: rosica@saltandlighttv.org.

The common theme of today’s readings is that vigilant service prepares us for the coming of Christ as our savior during Christmas and as our judge and Lord at the end of the world. The reason why the liturgical year ends and begins with the same theme is clear: if we have already embraced Jesus in his first coming, we will have no fear of his second coming. Advent is the season of special preparation and expectation for the coming of Christ. It encourages us to examine our lives, to reflect on our need for God to enter our lives and to earnestly prepare for and eagerly await the coming of Christ in the celebration of the Incarnation, in Christ’s continual coming in our daily living and in the final coming of our Lord in judgment and the renewal of the Father’s creation. Using apocalyptic images, the gospel urges the elect to be alert for the return of Christ because no one except the Father knows the day or the hour of the Lord’s return. Jesus summarizes the complexities of Christian living to two imperatives: "Take heed!" (Be on guard) and "Watch!" (Be alert, stay awake, and don’t grow careless). It's a lifestyle of productive service uninfluenced by a supervisor's presence or seeming absence.

The background of the parable: Absentee land owners and wayfaring masters were a common thing in Jesus' time. It was common for the owners of large properties to live elsewhere, leaving servants in charge of caring for and carrying on business as if the owners were still present. This kind of situation would be a test for the servants left in charge. Would they be faithful or would they wait until they heard the master was about to return and they quickly got things in order? The trouble was that often they didn’t know when the landowner would return. The absence of the master was a test. .

The need of Christian alertness: Jesus illustrates the need for alertness and readiness by comparing the situation of his followers to that of a gatekeeper in a house whose owner is out of the country. Since the gatekeeper does not know when the owner of the house will return, "in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning," he must always be ready if he does not want the owner to find him asleep. In the same way, there is no reason for Christ's followers to be fearful, provided we are ready every day for Jesus' return. If we are awake and ready, the coming of the Son of Man is an event to be greeted with joy. Thus our whole life should be a preparation to meet the master.

The work to be completed: Like the parents who trust their teenagers to look after the house while they are away or like the teacher who leaves the classroom giving her students plenty of work to do, Jesus trusts us to carry out his work until he returns. There is the work of witnessing to Jesus in our daily lives. There is work to be done in our families, our schools, churches and community. There is work to do caring for those who are hurting and have needs. There is work to do guiding and leading others, pointing people to the comforting message of the Gospel. There is the work of living "lives holy and dedicated to God, "doing our best to be pure and faultless in God's sight and to be at peace with him"

Be a responsible servant: This passage reminds us also that we should not be so foolish to forget God and become immersed in worldly matters. Using Christ’s parable, the Church reminds us of the alertness and preparation needed for the four fold coming of Jesus into our lives, namely: at the celebration of His incarnation during this Christmas season, His active presence in our daily lives and at the moment of our death, and his final coming in glory at the end of the world.

Messages: 1) An Advent project to be alert and watchful in the spirit of today’s gospel. Every morning when you get up, pray, “Lord, show me someone today with whom I may share your love, mercy and forgiveness.” Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, "Whatever you do in your family, for your children, for your husband, for your wife, you do for Jesus." Every night when you go to bed, ask yourself, “Where have I found Christ today?” The answer will be God’s Advent gift for you that day. By being alert and watchful you will receive an extra gift: Christ himself. Let us remember the saying of St. Thomas Aquinas: "Without God, I can't. Without me, he won't."

2) Be wakeful and watchful: We are so future oriented that we frequently forget the present entirely. We spend too much time trying to protect ourselves against future misfortunes. We save for a rainy day, to get married, to buy a home, to send the children to college, and to retire in comfort and to protect ourselves against future misfortunes. But we need to be more spiritually wakeful and prepare for our eternal life because we may die any day and that is the end of the world for us. Let this advent season be the time of such a preparation.

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