Sunday Homilies by Fr. Rudolf V. D’ Souza

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 First Sunday of Advent
Today marks the First Sunday of cycle A of the Liturgical Year
December 2, 2007 Year : A
Is. 2:1-5; Rom. 13:11-4; Mt 24:37-44
You must be ready too

First Reading...
"The word that Isaiah son of Amos saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it.

Many peoples shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.'

For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nations, neither shall they learn war any more.

O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!" [Is. 2:1-5]

Second Reading...
"Brothers and sisters, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now that when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy." [Rom. 13:11-4]

Gospel Reading...
"Jesus spoke to his disciples: 'As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.

Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let the house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." [Mt. 24:37-44]

History:
The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate. Scripture reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.

In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live "between the times" and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates God’s in-breaking into history in the Incarnation, and anticipates a future consummation to that history for which "all creation is groaning awaiting its redemption," it also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself."

Advent is a time of warning, a time of preparation, a time of urgency. It is supposed to prepare for Christmas, but the Christmas of every day life as much if not more than the festival of December 25. While the apocalyptic rhetoric of today's Gospel might not be the exact words of Jesus and while in any case that rhetoric was not meant to be taken literally, the urgency of the message is surely his. We must not slip into the routine of ordinary life and miss the opportunity of life itself. Time and with it life slips through our fingers. Tomorrow never comes but ends up yesterday until there are few tomorrows left in our life and all too many yesterdays. It looked like forever and it was only a very short time, so little time. And so much waste, so many lost opportunities. Advent is a time of recalling opportunities lost in the past and taking steps to miss fewer opportunities in the days and weeks and years ahead, such as these may be. 

Helpful Story:
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. However, the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

"We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor." Therefore, the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in, when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The parents were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening, the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days, he ate every meal with the family. Moreover, for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth became soiled.

Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes observe, ears listen, and minds process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives.

The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child's future. Therefore, let's be wise builders and role models!

"You also must be ready!" [Mt. 24:44] Ready for what? For the coming of the Lord Jesus, for future events that will take place in your life.  As we are celebrating the first Sunday of Advent, we are waiting in hope, for the coming of the Lord in our hearts. The first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a time of prayer and fasting in preparation for the coming of the Lord, it is placed as the first Sunday of the Liturgical Calendar. Today marks the First Sunday of cycle A of the Liturgical Year.

Helpful Event:
I met a man, who was just frail, sad looking and with a shivering voice. He told me that he has been preparing for his death in a few days. Doctor had told him that he would not survive the present week. He was in our Church campus. I spent a lot of time being silently sitting with him. I could not get words, gestures to console him. He told me, “Father, it is difficult to accept death so near. But coming to Church campus and spending time here has been really consoling. I have seen so many people’s funeral here, I was present for their funeral mass celebration, and now it is my turn. Father, I am sure God will forgive me all my mistakes and sins”. I told him, “Yes, Our Father is Loving Father. He has already forgiven you.” The man got up, and slowly shook my hand, and asked for my blessing. He was just leaving the Church campus and a tear rolled down my eyes. The man died in two days, and I conducted his funeral. I saw in this man a great preparation to meet the Lord of Heaven and Earth. His advent began in our Church campus, and ended there. Blessed this man, I will not forget him easily.

Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation, of longing. There is a yearning for deliverance from the evils of the world, first expressed by Israelite slaves in Egypt as they cried out from their bitter oppression. It is the cry of those who have experienced the tyranny of injustice in a world under the curse of sin, and yet who have hope of deliverance by a God who has heard the cries of oppressed slaves and brought deliverance!

Today's First Reading from the Book of Isaiah [Is. 2:1-5] was a prophecy of the incarnation of the Lord God through Jesus Christ. Isaiah 2:2 states, "In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it."

Isaiah 2:3 says, "Many peoples shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

The mountain of God as a place of worship is mentioned in the Gospel of John where the Samaritan woman said to Jesus, "Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." [Jn 4:20] Why Jerusalem? Because it is the city that Jesus triumphantly entered to be crowned as King. [Mt. 21:1-11; Mk. 11:1-11; Lk 19:28-30; Jn 12:12-19] It is where Jesus, the Word of God, [Jn 1:15] spent His last days before He was crucified. It is where Jesus, until the day when He was taken up to Heaven, gave instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he Had chosen. [Acts 1:2] It is the city that Jesus ordered the apostles not to leave, but wait there for the promise of the Father. [Acts 1:4]

It is that hope, however faint at times, and that God, however distant He sometimes seems, which brings to the world the anticipation of a King who will rule with truth and justice and righteousness over His people and in His creation. It is that hope that once anticipated, and now anticipates anew, the reign of an Anointed One, a Messiah, who will bring peace and justice and righteousness to the world.

Keeping in mind the two events mentioned above, we need to focus our attention on preparation for the coming of the Lord in our life. At times we are so bogged down in our daily affairs that we seem to be lost completely in thing like work, family, business, relationships etc. We do not get time to sit and reflect and think about our health, spiritual maturity, our peace, joy, contentment etc. Hopefully we may get some time this Advent to introspect a bit and gain untold merits of grace from the Lord Jesus. Amen.

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