First Sunday of Advent
Luke 21, 25-28, 34-36
“Isis beheads Christians!”, “Chaos in Paris”, “Bush fires engulfs houses”! Whenever we hear these headlines, it brings chills down our spines, and with it we could be forgiven for thinking that the end of the world as we know it is coming.
In the gospel for today, Jesus sends a chilling message to his disciples about his Second Coming. His description about the Second Coming is quite detailed and quite frightening to his listeners during his time and it would be the same for us today.
During the time of Christ, there were so many rumours of upheavals that were happening. We have to understand that Palestine was under the Roman Empire and this fact was greatly resented by the Jews. They believed they should have independence and be free from any foreign occupation. The Romans though were very quick to quell even the smallest sign of rebellion. Historians said that there was a rebellion and the Romans crucified hundreds of rebels. It was said that they were so many that they ran out of wood and the Romans resorted to crucifying people at the walls of Jerusalem. The Jews pinned their hopes on the belief that one day a Messiah would come and bring the Roman occupation to an end. And with this, plenty of men who were pretending to be the Messiah started appearing and some even started a sort of rebellion to challenge the Roman Empire and ended up being killed or crucified together with their band of followers. That is why in the gospel for today, Jesus is pointing out signs from the heavens as a prelude to his Second Coming and the beginning of his reign as we know it.
We now begin the season of Advent and the beginning of the liturgical year. We should realise though that the season of Advent is divided into two. The first part is the call for repentance and the anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ. The second part focuses on the important events that will lead us to the First Coming of Christ during that first Christmas Day, when Christ was born into this world.
Jesus today in the gospel is reminding us to be ready on that day. Sadly, for many of us because we love our lives on earth a little bit too much, we find that instead of joy and watchful anticipation for the Second Coming of Christ, we focus too much on the terrible things that happen in this world. We have so much fear when we hear of wars and conflicts around the world. And while we do have a valid reason to be fearful and sad with what is happening in the world, sometimes we do forget what is truly important and that is to be ready to stand up and receive our redemption when we face Jesus at the end of time or most probably at the end of our lives. It is an event that we are supposed to look forward to with great joy and anticipation.
As to when, where and how it will happen, it is something that we cannot say. There were many who tried to predict when it would happen but it ended up with failure; well at least they had their “fifteen minutes of fame” and a few documentaries here and there. However, what is more important is to be ready when it happens. We wouldn’t want to miss out on an event that is so important and what we have been looking forward to for the longest time. As the gospels said, it will catch us like a trap. What we should do is to continue to live our lives as normal but with anticipation that we should be ready when that day comes.
The season of Advent is a joyful season of preparation and anticipation. It is a season where we are given this opportunity to look at what we have done for the past year and how we could do better next time. It is also a perfect time to be reconciled with God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A time where we express our sorrow and receive with joy the forgiveness of our sins. It is also a time to be reconciled with people that we have somehow displeased in the past. A time to bury the hatchet and start all over again. We should be grateful that Advent is giving us all these opportunities so that when the time comes that we are to face Jesus, we can hold our heads high and receive our long-awaited redemption that Jesus is giving to us as our Christmas gift.