The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the First Sunday of Advent, resonate with our God-given sense of need and anticipation for the Light of Christ to accompany us on our journey.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is a Prayer for the Return of God’s Favor.
* [63:7–64:11] This lament of the exilic community recalls God’s protection, and especially the memories of the exodus (vv. 7–14), before begging the Lord to come once more to their aid (63:15–64:3), as they confess their sins (64:4–11). The prayer is marked by God’s “holy spirit” (63:10–11, 14) and fatherhood (63:8, 9, 16; 64:7). (Isaiah, CHAPTER 63 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 80 is a prayer for Israel’s Restoration.
* [Psalm 80] A community lament in time of military defeat. Using the familiar image of Israel as a vineyard, the people complain that God has broken down the wall protecting the once splendid vine brought from Egypt (Ps 80:9–14). They pray that God will again turn to them and use the Davidic king to lead them to victory (Ps 80:15–19). (Psalms, PSALM 80, n.d.)
The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians is a thanksgiving for the Spiritual Gifts of Christ.
* [1:1–9] Paul follows the conventional form for the opening of a Hellenistic letter (cf. Rom 1:1–7), but expands the opening with details carefully chosen to remind the readers of their situation and to suggest some of the issues the letter will discuss.
* [1:1] Called…by the will of God: Paul’s mission and the church’s existence are grounded in God’s initiative. God’s call, grace, and fidelity are central ideas in this introduction, emphasized by repetition and wordplays in the Greek.
* [1:6] The testimony: this defines the purpose of Paul’s mission (see also 1 Cor 15:15 and the note on 1 Cor 2:1). The forms of his testimony include oral preaching and instruction, his letters, and the life he leads as an apostle. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus implores us to Keep Awake.
* [13:3–37] Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of the temple (Mk 13:2) provoked questions that the four named disciples put to him in private regarding the time and the sign when all these things are about to come to an end (Mk 13:3–4). The response to their questions was Jesus’ eschatological discourse prior to his imminent death. It contained instruction and consolation exhorting the disciples and the church to faith and obedience through the trials that would confront them (Mk 13:5–13). The sign is the presence of the desolating abomination (Mk 13:14; see Dn 9:27), i.e., of the Roman power profaning the temple. Flight from Jerusalem is urged rather than defense of the city through misguided messianic hope (Mk 13:14–23). Intervention will occur only after destruction (Mk 13:24–27), which will happen before the end of the first Christian generation (Mk 13:28–31). No one but the Father knows the precise time, or that of the parousia (Mk 13:32); hence the necessity of constant vigilance (Mk 13:33–37). Luke sets the parousia at a later date, after “the time of the Gentiles” (Lk 21:24). See also notes on Mt 24:1–25:46. (Mark, CHAPTER 13, n.d.)
Nicky Santos, S.J., thinks this season also invites us to be attentive to the constant comings of Jesus in our lives and in our world.
As I prayed over the gospel reading for today from Mark, I, like the disciples, was reminded to be watchful and alert to God’s presence in my life. The disciples were likened to servants whom the master had put in charge of his house, each servant entrusted with his own work. What does it mean for me to oversee God’s house together with my brothers and sisters? What is the work that God has entrusted me with? As I grapple with these questions, the reading consoles me that God does not abandon me but instead, as the Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore notes in his poem Gitanjali, “he comes, comes, ever comes…..every day and every night he comes, comes, ever comes.” As we enter this season of Advent, may we experience this constant coming of the Lord in our life, as we strive to take care of his house and do the work entrusted to us. (Santos, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “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 find 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) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 13:33-37 comments that Jesus comes to us every day. He isn’t passive; he doesn’t wait for us to climb some mountain to find him. He is the initiator. He actively pursues us and seeks us out. That’s why he became a man; that’s why he promised to be with us always (Matthew 28:20). And that’s why he seeks to come into our lives this Advent.
Jesus comes to remind us to pause in our busy lives. He comes to inspire us to pray or read his word. He reminds us that he is with us, even when we feel alone. He stirs our conscience so that we want to turn away from sin and toward his mercy. He comes to us in a friend or stranger in need of kindness. Jesus is constantly seeking ways to come to us. And the more alert we are to his coming now, the more ready we will be when he comes again.
So be alert! The Lord who loves you is walking beside you. Will you notice him?
“Jesus, help me to be aware of the ways that you come to me this Advent.” (Meditation on Mark 13:33-37, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes the double message of the Advent texts today to prepare for Christmas and the end of the world. In Trito-Isaiah, written after the Babylonian exile, the Israelites realize they cannot do it alone as they are the clay and God is the potter. Friar Jude reminds us that the Gospel chapter from Mark is apocalyptic. We don’t know when. We need to be ready, not out of fear, but a desire for integrity to be what we say we are.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, teaches that awe, wonder, and amazement are foundational spiritual experiences.
I think people who live their lives open to awe and wonder have a much greater chance of meeting the Holy than someone who just goes to church but doesn’t live in an open way. We almost domesticate the Holy by making it so commonplace. That’s what I fear happens with the way we ritualize worship. I see people come to church day after day unprepared for anything new or different. Even if something new or different happens, they fit it into their old boxes. Their stance seems to be, “I will not be awestruck.” I don’t think we get very far with that kind of resistance to the new, the Real, and the amazing. That’s probably why God allows most of our great relationships to begin with a kind of infatuation with another person—and I don’t just mean sexual infatuation, but a deep admiration or appreciation. It allows us to take our place as a student and learner. If we never do that, nothing new is going to happen. [1] (Rohr, 2023)
As we begin a time of preparation to celebrate the Incarnation, God Among Us, we implore the Spirit to heighten our awareness of the truth, beauty, and goodness with which we are gifted.
References
Isaiah, CHAPTER 63 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 3, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/63
Mark, CHAPTER 13. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 3, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/13?33
Meditation on Mark 13:33-37. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 3, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/12/03/841175/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 3, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/1?3
Psalms, PSALM 80. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 3, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/80?2
Rohr, R. (2023, December 3). Willing to Be Amazed — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 3, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/willing-to-be-amazed/
Santos, N. (2023, December 3). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 3, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/120323.html
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Watch Expectantly Today - Your Master Is Coming! Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 3, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=dec3
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