First Sunday of Advent
My dear parishioners,
God is Good!!! All the time!!! And all the time!!! God is Good!!!
The people of Israel make an impassioned appeal to God in this reading. The prophet worked hard to get them to this point in their spiritual lives. For many years they resisted all his efforts. Now at last, they are ready to set aside their own pursuits so that they can commit themselves to God’s purpose.
Today’s Gospel comes from Mark 13 which is sometimes called the “Little Apocalypse.” Its literary form is apocalyptic which seeks to uncover the mysteries of the future. The content points to the “last things” which include death, resurrection, judgment, and afterlife. This kind of biblical material is employed generally by communities that are suffering or about to undergo some form of crisis. It is meant to be hopeful in that it points to a future when the suffering will be replaced by victory and triumph. Such was the situation in Mark’s community.
Watch. The strong admonition to watch and be alert runs throughout this Gospel passage from beginning to end. Jesus has been talking about the coming of the end- time when even the great temple of Jerusalem will be destroyed. In the midst of this turmoil and tribulation, the Son of Man will come with great power and glory (see Dan 7:14). There is absolutely no doubt on the part of Jesus that all of this will take place. However, all of this is part of God’s mysterious plan of salvation and no one knows when it will happen. Even Jesus appears not to know.
Exhortation to vigilance. Jesus exemplifies the need to be watchful and alert by telling a parable of a man traveling. The man places his servants in charge of everything before he leaves. The gatekeeper is ordered to keep watch for the man’s return which might be at anytime. The implications are that if the man returns and finds the servants and the gatekeeper sleeping or in some other ways unprepared, it will not go well for them. So it is with the coming of the Lord.
Confidence in the face of uncertainty. The tension in all of this is that following the example of Jesus, the disciples are to be confident that this final time will actually arrive. What remains unknown is the time frame when all this is supposed to happen. Jesus is aware that some will claim to know the signs pointing to the time of this final tribulation but he warns against believing them. Nevertheless, this does not leave people helpless as it might seem. The best approach to preparing for the coming of the end-time is to always be ready, always be alert, and always remain watchful. This way, no one can ever be caught off guard nor do people have to live in constant anxiety. The challenge is to be convinced of this.
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org.©2016. All rights reserved.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius