The first Sunday of advent year B

The first Sunday of advent year B

First Reading: Isaiah 63: 16-17, 64:1, 3-8;

 Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Gospel: Mark: 13:33-37

Today is the first Sunday of advent and the beginning of a new liturgical year. The first Sunday of advent always falls on the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew (November 30) and the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Jesus is the reason for the season of advent and so the Church gives us four weeks to prepare our hearts for Jesus.

The first Sunday of advent is always a summon to be vigilant, to stay awake. The word advent comes from the Latin “adventus” which means “coming.” So, who is coming? And why do we have to be vigilant? Because the Lord is coming at an hour we do not expect. There is nothing more pleasant than a surprise when everything is as it should be, and there is nothing more embarrassing than when everything is not as it should be.

When we are expecting a visitor, we prepare. Our preparation is in proportion to the dignity or value we have for the visitor. The way we will prepare when a next door neighbor is visiting will not be the same as with when my boss in the office is coming. The way we will prepare when a common priest is coming will not be the same as when the Archbishop is coming or when the Governor is coming. The person we are waiting for is the greatest, Our Lord and God, the all Holy, the King of kings. How much more must we prepare for His coming. He deserves the best preparation we can.

So, how do we prepare for Jesus at Christmas? By going to Confession.

It has to begin with a thorough examination of conscience. Find out those things that draw you back and away from God. Jesus is coming and we have to get ready to meet Him. Our whole existence is actually a constant preparation to see God who draws ever closer. Shortly before the Christmas of 1980, Pope St. John Paul II was in a Church in Rome, with over 2000 children. He began his catechesis with this dialogue: Children, how are you preparing for Christmas? They shouted, by praying. The Pope said, very good, but also by going to Confession. You must go to confession so that you can go to Communion later. Will you do that? With an even louder voice, they responded, we will. The Pope said, you ought to. Lowering his voice, he whispered, the Pope will also go to Confession so as to receive the child Jesus worthily.

Advent reminds us that Jesus came two thousand years ago. Every time we recite the creed, we reaffirm our faith that “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” Advent also reminds us that He’ll come again at the end, at a time we do not expect. That is why the Gospel today tells us to stay awake.

The attitude of expectation is one which the Church wants to encourage in us her children permanently. This is because our model of preparation for Christmas should become our model of preparation for the second coming of Christ.  And so, very importantly, the liturgy today reminds us that He will come again today. Yes, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. The key word St. Paul uses in the second reading today is “to reveal,” that is, to unveil what is already there, to make a presence that is invisible visible. In the Gospel today the key word is ‘stay awake.’ The Greek word which St. Mark uses, ‘gregoreite’ actually means ‘don’t fall asleep’ and is used to say, “be attentive,” “be alert.” In other words, be aware of the present moment of the here and now. In 1997, Eckhart Tolle, published his “The Power of Now,” a guide to Spiritual Enlightenment which became a New York best seller. The book tells us that life is a series of present moments. All pain is a result of resistance to the things we cannot change. He challenges us to appreciate that Christ is present to us every moment and that the present moment is all that we have and we have to make the “NOW” the primary focus of our lives. The book is about being attentive to all that the present moment is saying to you here and now.

Jesus is in our midst. He is to be found in our daily work, in the playground, in our homes and places of work, in those around us especially the needy. Are you resisting your “NOW?” Advent calls us to be attentive to God’s presence in the present moment. It summons us not only to be awake and ready but to respond to the Lord’s call to discipleship every day.

Happy Sunday

Fr Chidi Onwuka msscc