Watch Expectantly Today - Your Master Is Coming!
Introduction: May
you continue to prepare yourself for the Coming of the Lord Jesus!
Happy New Year!
On this First Sunday of Advent, we begin a new Church Year. Just as people take
time to reflect on an old year that is passing away and look forward to the
upcoming year on January 1, it is important for us to do the same as we end one
Church Year and begin another. We are reminded of beginnings and endings today.
We prepare to celebrate not only the beginning of Jesus’ life on earth in His
birth in Bethlehem, but we anxiously look forward to the end when He will come
again. May your time of preparation be sincere and filled with the joy of the
Lord Jesus.
Today is the first day of Advent, a word coming from the Latin adventus meaning “coming” or “arrival.” We focus on the Lord Jesus’ coming. While many people (including most Christians) are spending their days preparing to celebrate the First Coming of Jesus in His birth in Bethlehem, the readings call us to reflect on Jesus’ Second Coming – at the end of time or at least at the end of our personal time here on earth.
First Reading: Isaiah
63:16-17,64:1,3-8
O that you would tear the heavens open and come down
Commentary: Each
Advent Sunday begins with a reading from Isaiah, for Isaiah is the great
prophet of the Messiah. This reading is taken from the latest part of the Book
of Isaiah. After the return to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon the Jews were
passionately awaiting the coming of the Messiah. They were conscious that they
had sinned and deserved their punishment, but still longed for the liberation
from foreign interference that the Messiah would bring. After the coming of
Christ, we are in much the same position of waiting for the fulfilment of the
sovereignty or kingship of God. Jesus brought the pledge of this kingship through
his miracles of healing, his welcome to sinners, his teaching about the
Kingdom, and above all his Resurrection from the dead. We no longer have any
reason to fear death. We are conscious of our own failings, of our cooperation
with evil, and long for the strength and fidelity that whole-hearted membership
of God’s Kingdom would bring us. How do I need to change to become a fully
committed member of God’s Kingdom, to welcome the Messiah into my life?
Responsorial Psalm
80:2-3,15-16,18-19
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
The psalm continues this theme in a prayer asking GOD to once again turn the divine face toward the Chosen People and renew the covenant with them. The psalmist, praying for the people, invokes GOD to come to save the people. There is an expectation that GOD will finish the work that GOD began in establishing a bond with the Chosen People. The final phrase of today’s excerpt promises the people’s allegiance to GOD as GOD renews the covenant with the people.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians
1:3-9
We are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed
Commentary: This
reading from the opening of Paul’s first Letter to the Corinthians is full of
the excitement of the Spirit. The young community of Christians at Corinth was
full of the activity of the Holy Spirit, not just extraordinary things like
speaking in tongues, but healing and teaching, and guidance. Even being a good
member of a family (husband, wife, parent, child) is an activity guided by the
Spirit. All this was preparing for the final coming of Christ, for all
Christian activity, no matter how humdrum, is given life and vitality by the
Spirit of Christ. There was a freshness and enthusiasm which is sometimes
lacking in our Church today. Paul does not hesitate to tell them that they were
‘richly endowed with the Spirit’. So, of course, are we. But he is going to go
on and tell them that their squabbling is damaging their service of the Lord.
Let us ask at Christmas for a new infusion of the Spirit which will help us to
burst the bonds that keep us back from full service to the Lord.
Gospel: Mark 13:33-37
If he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep
Commentary: This
brief parable of the master returning unexpectedly is typical of Jesus’ vivid
way of speaking. The message is typical, too, for Jesus was constantly
stressing that there is no time to lose. In the gospel of Mark especially there
is a feeling of hurry: in chapter one alone there are 14 instances of
‘immediately’! When Jesus came in his earthly ministry he again and again challenged
his hearers to make up their minds NOW, to change their ways NOW. He challenges
us to do the same. We can hear the rattle of the returning Master’s key in the
lock. There is no time to hide the contrabands, to pull our uniforms straight
before greeting the Master at his entry. Even if we do not think that the
world’s end is imminent, even if death is not threatening, every moment counts,
and every decision is for or against Jesus. Saints are rumoured to have said
that, if they received the news that they were to die that night, they would
carry on doing what they were doing anyway.
Is this really
a Christian attitude? If we need to put things a bit more in order to prepare
for the Lord’s coming, is there any valid reason to delay? The four weeks of
Advent are a good time to clean things up for the Lord’s coming.
Reflection: What
do you do when someone you love very dearly and miss very much has been gone a
very long time but promises to return soon? Do you ignore their absence, or do
you anticipate their return and send them messages to let them know how much
you long to be with them again? Jesus' parable about the long-expected return
of the Master to his household brings this point home.
Parable of the watchful servants waiting for the
master's return
Wealthy landowners often left their estates in the hands of their trustworthy
servants and stewards. This gave them freedom to travel, trade, and expand
their business ventures. They expected loyalty and hard work from their
servants and rewarded them accordingly. Dutiful servants would eagerly
anticipate their master's return by keeping the house and estate in good order.
Jesus doesn't tell us in his parable whether the servants were ready to receive
the unexpected return of their master. Were these servants excited or anxious
about their master's return? The watchful servants, no doubt, looked forward to
the future because they knew their master would be pleased and would reward
them for their vigilance and hard work. Disaster and reprisal, however, awaited
those who were unprepared because of carelessness or laziness.
Watching with hopeful expectation and vigilance for
Christ's return
When we expect some very important event to happen, we often wait for it with
excited anticipation. The Lord Jesus expects us to watch in great anticipation
for the most important event of all - his return in glory at the end of this
present age! The Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of the Lord
when he shall judge between the nations and decide for many peoples (Isaiah
2:5).
The Advent season reminds us that we are living in the end times. The end times
begin with the first coming of Christ (when the Word of God became flesh
and dwelt among us - John 1:14) and it culminates in Christ's second
coming on the Day of Judgment and vindication for his people. Jesus spoke of
his return in glory at the close of the ages as an indisputable fact and
predetermined act that he will perform as the Judge and Ruler of all peoples,
nations, and individuals who ever lived on the earth.
"May your kingdom come!"
While the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is certain, the
time of his appearance is not yet disclosed. The Lord’s Day of visitation and
judgment will come swiftly and unexpectedly. Jesus warns his listeners to not
be caught off guard when that day arrives. It will surely come in God's good
time! The Lord invites us to pray for the coming of his kingdom into our
present lives and future as well. Jesus taught his disciples to pray -
"may your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven" (Matthew 6:10). Do you earnestly pray for the coming of God's
kingdom - both now and at the end of the world?
The Lord will reward those who wait for him
The prophet Isaiah tells us that God will surely reward those who
wait for his visitation: "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the
ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for
him" (Isaiah 64:4). Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, has entrusted us
with his gifts and graces (his abundant favors and blessings). He expects us to
make good use of the gifts and resources he gives us for his glory and for the
benefit of helping and blessing others as well. He does not want us to use the
present time we have here on earth in idleness or wasted living. He has work
for us to do - loving, honoring, and serving him and loving, honoring, and
serving our families, neighbors, and communities as well.
How do we watch and wait for the Lord's coming?
How does the Lord want us to be watchful and vigilant for his return? The kind
of watching the Lord has in mind is not a passive "wait and see what
happens" approach to life. The Lord urges us to be vigilant and to actively
pray that his "kingdom may come" and his "will be done on earth
as it is in heaven". We are not only to watch for Christ but to
watch with Christ. The Lord wants us to have our hearts and minds
fixed on him and his word. He wants us to be ready for his action and work of
grace in our lives and in our world. Those who "wait" for the Lord
will not be disappointed. He will surely come with his grace and saving help.
Do you watch for the Lord's action in your life with expectant faith and with
joyful hope?
The season of Advent is a time for rousing our minds and hearts for the Lord's
coming. As his servants, we watch for his will - continually seeking him. We
watch for his word and his power - that he may act now to save and to deliver.
And we watch for his visitation - he will surely come again! Servants of the
Lord rouse yourselves! Be vigilant, be alert, be "watchmen" for the
Lord pointing the way for his coming.
Lord Jesus, awaken my heart and mind to receive your word and to prepare for your coming again. Free me from complacency, from the grip of sin and worldliness, and from attachments to things that pass away. May I always be eager to receive your word and be ready to meet you when you come again.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Christ's
second and final coming, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Who are
the 'all' to whom he says this if not his elect and his beloved, the members of
his body which is the church (Colossians 1:18,24)? Therefore, he said this not
only to those who then heard him speaking but also to those who came after them
and before us, as well as to us and to those who will come after us until his
final coming. Is that day going to encounter only those currently living, or is
anyone likely to say that these words are also addressed to the dead when he
says: 'Watch, lest he comes suddenly and finds you asleep' (Mark 13:35-36)?
Why, then, does he say to all what concerns only those who will then be living?
For that day will come to every single one, when the day comes for him to leave
this life, such as it is, to be judged on the last day (John 12:48). For this
reason, every Christian ought to watch lest the coming of the Lord finds him
unprepared. But the last day will find unprepared anyone whom this day will
find unprepared (Matthew 25:1-13). This at least was certainly clear to the
apostles. Even if the Lord did not come in their times, while they were still
living here in the flesh, yet who would doubt that they watched most carefully
and observed what he said to all, lest coming suddenly he might find them
unprepared?" (excerpt from LETTER 199, TO HESYCHIUS 3)
AN ADVENTAGEOUS ADVENTURE
“No ear has
ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but You doing such deeds for those who
wait for Him.” —Isaiah 64:3
We should take
Advent as seriously as a new mother takes her pregnancy. The Christmas season
is not merely a memory, celebration, or blessing, but a new, extremely
important encounter with the incarnate Jesus. St. Charles Borromeo taught:
“This holy season [Advent] teaches us that Christ’s coming was not only for the
benefit of His contemporaries; His power has still to be communicated to us”
(from Office of Readings, Monday of the first week of Advent). Christmas will
be an exceptional grace or an opportunity sadly missed.
Therefore, our
Advent preparation for Christmas is very important for God’s kingdom, the
Church, the world, the future, our families, and ourselves. “Our hearts should
be as much prepared for this coming of Christ (Christmas) as if He were still
to come into this world” (St. Charles Borromeo). Moreover, if we are not
prepared for Christ’s unique Christmas coming this year, we are not prepared
for His coming at the end of the world.
Consequently, “be
constantly on the watch! Stay awake! You do not know when the appointed time
will come” (Mk 13:33). “Wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (1 Cor 1:7). Make this the best Advent ever, preparing for
Christ’s greatest Christmas coming of your life.
Prayer: Father,
make this Advent more than we can ever ask for or imagine (see Eph 3:20). “Would that You might meet us doing right,
that we were mindful of You in our ways!” —Is 64:4. “Praise the Lord, O my soul; I will praise the
Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live” (Ps 146:1-2).
The personal action for today: When I think of the Lord Jesus as my Go’el –
“Redeemer” – Who has paid the great price for my freedom and salvation – what
thoughts come to mind? How prepared am I to celebrate the Lord Jesus’ coming at
the end of time (my time and/or the world’s time)? What can I do during Advent
to be more Adventurous? What will I do so that people will know that I am ready
for the Lord Jesus’ coming?