First Sunday of Advent

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (A)

1 December 2013

Matthew 24, 37 to 44

As it was in the days of Noah,  so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;  and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.  “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

ANGER AND HOPE

An unconquerable conviction sustains the followers of Jesus from the beginning: guided by God, human history is heading toward its final liberation.  The unbearable contradictions within the human condition, the horrors perpetrated in every age, are not going to destroy our hope.

   This world that sustains us is not the final one. One day the entire creation will give “signs” that its end has come to make way for a new, liberated life that none of us can either imagine or understand.

   The Gospels have preserved the memory of a reflection of Jesus on this end of the times. Paradoxically, his attention is not fixed on the “cosmic events” that may occur at that time. His main aim is to propose to his followers a way of living with awareness of that eventuality.

   The end of history is not chaos, the destruction of life, total death. Slowly, in the midst of light and darkness, following our deepest instincts, or ignoring the best there is in us, we make our way to the ultimate mystery of the reality we believers call “God”.

   We  must not allow fear or anxiety to cripple us. The “last day” is not a day of fury and vengeance, but of liberation. Luke summarizes the thinking of Jesus with these fine words: “Arise, lift up your heads, your liberation is at hand.” Only then will we realize how much God loves the world.

   We need to .revive our confidence, boost our morale, awaken our hope. One day the financial powers will collapse. The folly of the powerful leadership will end. The victims of so many wars, crimes, and genocides will know life. Our efforts to bring about a more humane world  will not be lost forever.

   Jesus is striving to stir up the consciences of his followers. “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation.” Don’t be stupid. Don’t get dragged down by frivolity and excesses. Keep your indignation at injustice alive. “Be always on the watch.” Do not let your guard down. Live with awareness and responsibility. Do not grow weary. Keep yourselves in readiness.

   How are we facing these times difficult for almost everyone, distressing for many, and cruel for those unable to help themselves? Are we awake? Are we asleep? It is up to Christian communities to promote the struggle against injustice and foster hope. And there is only one way: to be with those who are being left with nothing, sunk in despair, anger and humiliation.