Is. 63:16B-19B; 64: 2-7; Ps. 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; 1 Cor. 1:3-9; Mk. 13:33-37
Be watchful! Be alert! We begin our first Sunday of Advent with this reminder from the Lord. We are watchful for his coming not just into the world but in our lives. Advent is a season of longing for the Lord, for something greater to come into our lives. It is the power of his love manifested in each and every way in which we turn and give him glory, in an answered prayer, in the beauty of his graces, and in the unity of souls. Also, be alert to the signs of our times, to the dangers of the deceiver and be ready to recognize the Lord’s coming and to the fulfillment of his promises.
The first reading asks the question “Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways?” It is the same sentiment we ask the Lord when we see so much evil in the world and wonder why the Lord permits this to be. It seems that the culture of death continues to grow, polls say that less people attend church, and people identify more as spiritual in their own thinking than religious in worship of God. We say things are getting worse than better in this world. In the spirit of Advent, it is a way of longing for the Lord to come and put an end to evil and sin. The patience of the Lord is for the conversion of sinners while there is still time.
The Lord longs for our love but true love is a free gift of oneself from our freedom. The Lord created us with the freedom of our will to give of ourselves in love. It is reflected in the sacramental life when we give of ourselves in marriage, when a man gives himself up to be a priest, when a woman chooses to enter religious life and when we bring a child to the waters of baptism to become a child of God. We not only give of ourselves in love but when we wander away in our own selfish desires it is the love that is missing in our lives that brings us back to God.
When a child wanders away from the values and upbringing that they were raised by, a parent soon realizes there comes a point where there is nothing they can say or do to change the mind of the child. They can only pray that they will return home to the values and practices of their faith in God. A parent waits patiently and prays to God and God waits patiently and sends his messengers calling the child to come back to the faith by their own free will. True love is a free gift from God that we can only give back to him in our freedom.
To be watchful and alert is to mindfully be taking care of the Lord’s work that he “might meet us doing right”. We are to mindfully allow God to mold us in his own image as clay in the potter’s hands. We pray to the Lord to “make us turn to you” because we recognize the weakness of our own flesh resistant in doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord. Yet the Lord relies on the freedom of our own will so we pray for transformation of our will by his Spirit that we may not be “lacking in any spiritual gift”. The Lord promises to reveal himself to us when we come to him searching, wanting, and in faith.
“Show us Lord, your love; and grant us your salvation.” Like a child, clings to his mother, we are to cling to the Lord. All too often we recognize that as a society we have become “soft”, no longer believing in sacrifice, frustrated without our conveniences, intolerant to others who don’t think like we do, and calling for “safe spaces” and entitlements. To sacrifice is not a value we desire. It does not appeal to the flesh and our will is weak even when we recognize the value of sacrifice. Work involves a sacrifice, raising children comes with sacrifice, and our faith reminds of the Lord’s sacrifice for us as we look to the crucifix. With sacrifice comes great reward. There is the expression, “where there is a will there is a way”. When the way involves sacrifice, we quit before we ever get going and fail to reach the mountain top.
This attitude has carried into our church whereby if the Mass time is not convenient, we don’t find a way to still go to church and we give ourselves a pass on Sunday. God does not give passes to miss Sunday Mass. Some complain the church is archaic and not progressive enough with the times while others that it is too liberal and needs to return to the “good old days”.
We want the church to adapt to our views and ways when we have to recognize the church is the bride of Christ guided by the hand of God working through the Spirit in all it’s priesthood. For every priest who is being obedient to his calling there are over 10,000 opinions who would want to change something within the church. The church stands on faith and the word of God and we must join in and participate in faith trusting in God. The Lord has left his servant in charge and his servant is the church. We can see the face of God in his church and through his church we shall be saved.
Be watchful! Be alert to the working of the spirit that we may not be lacking in any spiritual gift as the Lord reveals himself to us this day in his church, in the Eucharist, in his Word and through the faithful and the stranger. The Lord will show us his love when we cling to him as an infant to his mother and as a child holds onto the hand of his father.
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