The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/112915.cfm
This
First Sunday of Advent once again reminds us of the two Christmas seasons we
are yearly confronted with: one with Christ and the other without him.
If
the point of Christmas is simply an annual time of year when we feel good about
each other, when we promote peace and good will between peoples, when we gather
with family and friends to exchange gifts in beautiful wrappings, then we have
only half the story. Why would we suddenly do this? What motivates us to this
sudden change of mood?
While
we decorate trees, houses, send cards either via the internet or in old
fashioned “snail mail” and collect food and money to give to those less
advantaged than ourselves is all good but without Christ, what’s the
point? Why now? What is it about late December, the world
over that makes this a feel good season? Why not do the same in July, February,
or September? Christmas without Christ
can be placed anywhere at any time. We should be so generous and charitable all
the time yet our secular society suddenly wakes up to the real humanitarian
benefits of generosity, charity, and kindness.
But is that all Christmas is for us?
Again, it is only half the story.
The
motivation for all this goodness must and can only be a person – Christ Jesus
himself. While non-Christians do celebrate Christmas as a festival of good will
and perhaps increased financial benefit we Christians must be different. If our celebration is not centered on Jesus,
then we have lost touch with our faith.
The lights, tinsel, trees, and gift giving are all wonderful but Advent
provides us that time of preparation to center ourselves on the person of Jesus
the real and only reason why we mark December 25th each year as the
second greatest feast of our Christian faith – the Resurrection (Easter) being
the greatest.
In
this Sunday’s Gospel from Luke we hear an image that I think may sum up what we
can do during Advent to prepare and center ourselves. Jesus tells us: “Stand erect and raise your heads for your redemption is near at hand.” (Lk
21: 28).
Now
picture that for a moment. It is a
posture of vulnerability. Stand up
straight with your arms beside your body then raise you head as if looking up
to the sky - you’re defenseless and vulnerable.
If someone was to attack you in that posture you would be harmed since
your attention is focused on something, or perhaps, someone else. It is spoken in the context of Christ’s
second coming. Pay attention and be ready
to receive him when he comes.
Advent,
although an annual liturgical year with its own particular color of violet, its
readings from the prophets of Jeremiah and Isaiah and figures of the Gospel
story of John the Baptist and Mary, is essentially an attitude of the heart; a
kind of posture we take before God: open, vulnerable, receptive and prepared to
receive. More presents? No, to receive Christ
Jesus himself who came once 2,000 years ago and who will come again at some future time. In the meantime, we stand open and
receptive to receive him every day as we live now in between those two great
events in human history the second of which we be the end of all. In particular during these weeks of Advent,
the Church invites us into a season of preparation to focus our attention on
who is the center of Christmas.
If
in all the stuff that distracts us during this month of December we lose sight
of why we celebrate Christmas, then we our annual "feel good season" is nothing more
than an excuse for a party with no real reason behind it other than maybe it’s
good once a year to be nice to each other. Think about that for a moment.
So,
let us adopt the attitude and the posture before God to “stand erect and raise
your heads” in this season of grace. Our
celebration of the Eucharist reminds us that although Christ has left our
physical sight he remains present to us under the signs of bread and wine to be
our food to strengthen us on our daily journey.
He remains very much present to us in the faith we share, in the
kindness and compassion we show to one another, in the scriptures we read and
the time we pray, and during Mass in the person of the priest who acts
sacramentally in his person.
There is nothing wrong with feeling good at this time of year but what makes this time any different from another in that regard? Rather, who makes this time different and what difference does he make for me?
There is nothing wrong with feeling good at this time of year but what makes this time any different from another in that regard? Rather, who makes this time different and what difference does he make for me?
Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,
the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ
with righteous needs at his coming,
so that, gathered at his right hand,
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.
(Collect of Sunday)
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