SUNDAY, FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT
Jer 33: 14-16 1 Thes 3: 12–4:2 Lk 21: 25-28, 34-36
PREPARATION FOR THE LORD’S COMING
We celebrate today the first Sunday of Advent, with which we begin the new liturgical year. The word ‘advent’ is derived from the Latin word adventus which means ‘arrival’ or ‘coming’. The season of Advent is a special time that introduces the coming of the Lord, both His first coming in history and the second coming at the end of time. The ‘coming of the Lord’ (adventus) also draws our attention to His daily coming in the Word of God, in the celebration of the sacraments, and in other ways. The liturgy of today invites us to prepare for the ‘coming of the Lord’. How shall we do so?
- By living in faith:
Scripture proclaims to us God’s promises to humanity and testifies to their fulfilment in history. In the book of Genesis, God promised the destruction of the evil forces that corrupted the beauty of God’s most precious creation – Adam and Eve – through sin (Gen 3:15). God’s promise was fulfilled in the sacrificial death on the cross of His only Son, Jesus Christ (Jn 3:16). We need to have faith in the fulfilment of the promise in Jesus to have eternal life (Jn 3:15).
The prophets of the Old Testament announced God’s promises to the Israelites that they may believe in them and live. Prophet Jeremiah in today’s first reading reiterates the promises made by God to the Israelites. He speaks of a ‘righteous branch’ that will sprout from David’s descendants. The promised Messiah will be just and right; and will be called ‘the Lord our righteous saviour. Jeremiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in Christ. We need to believe in what is revealed by God in the Holy Scriptures. We need to listen to what is spoken by Him and live in faith. (Rom 10:17) Living in faith is a way to prepare ourselves for the ‘coming of the Lord’.
- By living in love:
The God of the Bible is a God of love. He has created everything out of love. When human beings committed sin and went away from Him, He did not stop loving them; many and varied are the ways by which He tried to bring them back, finally sending His own Son into the world. St. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians in today’s second reading, invites us to let God’s love be manifested in and through us. In other words, we are called to become instruments of God’s love. Our love should increase in our hearts and overflow into the lives of others. Only the God of love can strengthen our hearts and keep us sinless until the second coming of our Lord Jesus. When we love one another, we please God. Living in love is a way to prepare ourselves for the ‘coming of the Lord’.
- By living in hope:
The Word of God exhorts all God’s children to live in hope at all times. The Old Testament presents so many instances in the lives of the patriarchs, the prophets, the people of Israel, and others as well, of God’s Word and presence transforming their despair into hope. In the New Testament, the presence of Jesus instilled hope in the hearts of all those who encountered Him; even the great sinners found hope and new life in Christ.
In the day’s Gospel, the Lord invites us to live in hope. He promises us that He will come again in glory. Jesus prepares us for the Day of Judgement by giving us a glimpse of the extraordinary things that will happen in nature and among the people in the world at that time. When these things happen, He will come in a cloud with power and great glory. That will be the moment of our redemption, and we who live in hope will lift up our heads to experience our redemption. Therefore, we should be vigilant now, remain holy without sin, be prepared, and expect with hope the Lord’s coming. We must be watchful and be praying, for we do not know when the Son of Man will come in glory. Living in hope is a way to prepare ourselves for the ‘coming of the Lord’.
Advent is a time of grace, during which we watch and pray for the Lord’s glorious coming, for which we prepare ourselves by a life of faith, hope, and love.
Response: To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. (Ps 25: 4-5, 8-10, 14)
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