First Sunday of Advent Year B
Isaiah 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
1 Corinthians 1:3-9:
Mark 13:33-37
Today we begin the season of Advent and the beginning of a new liturgical year. The new liturgical year beginning today December 3, 2023, and ending on Saturday, November 30, 2024, is “the Year of Grace.” It is so called because the Holy Father wants us to reflect on God’s grace and mercy and to renew our commitment to living a life of faith.
Advent is a time of hope, of waiting and anticipation, a time to prepare our hearts and minds for the arrival of the savior. The readings for the first Sunday of Advent year B call us to be awake and vigilant, to be prepared for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. From the moment of the first fall, when Adam and Eve sinned, exiling humanity from the presence of God and bringing death upon mankind, and God held out to Adam the promise of a redeemer; the hopes of mankind have been directed toward God’s salvation. Man’s deep sense of sin and his powerlessness to raise himself up are mingled with this yearning for salvation. While sin multiplied and the people of God went into exile, the prophets continued to nourish this hope. While the condition the people found themselves in was one of hopelessness, Isaiah in the first reading boldly offers one of the most eloquent expressions of God’s tender feelings towards his people. He says, “You are our Father” and with this moving prayer, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” he wants to hasten the coming of the salvation of the Lord. He is convinced that the Lord’s fatherly heart will be sensitive towards everything his people suffer, even though they brought it on themselves. He beseeches God for help and even asks for a spectacular miracle. This passage from Isaiah invites us to recognize that like Israel we have sinned and turned away from God and so must ask for forgiveness and mercy. It reminds us of the need for repentance and reconciliation with God.
In Christ Jesus, the heavens were opened, and mankind received his savior. But at Advent, the Church continues to repeat and make her own, the prayer of Isaiah, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” At his first coming, Christ fulfilled man’s hope of salvation through his passion, death and resurrection. But this mystery has to be constantly renewed until we are perfectly united in fellowship with our Lord. This work of salvation is nourished through the sacraments, the word of God, a life of prayer and active witness to the Gospel. Therefore, we cannot stop desiring and welcoming him in ways that are ever more intimate, profound and transforming.
In the Second reading, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians and indeed all of us for the grace of God that we have received in Christ Jesus because in him we have been enriched in every way. But we must not become complacent as we await his second coming. This time of waiting must be filled with vigilant expectancy, accompanied by good works so that God himself will make us firm and irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Each one must not be lazy but be like the diligent servant who does not go to sleep during his master’s absence but attends to the duties entrusted to him. Paul tells us that God is faithful. And so, our faithfulness will not derive from our spiritual strength but in union with God who by His persevering love leads us to salvation.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to his disciples about the importance of being watchful and ready for his second coming. Just as the master of the house does not reveal when he will return, we do not know the hour or day Christ is coming again. Therefore, we must live each day in anticipation of his return. We must be like diligent servants who are ready to open the door when the master returns.
As we begin the season of Advent, let us make our own the longing of the Psalmist for God’s presence and salvation and pray earnestly that He may turn to us, let us see His face and we shall be saved. This is an invitation to convert more fully to God who is always turned toward us and recognize our utter dependence on him for salvation.
Happy Sunday,
Fr Chidi Onwuka m.ss.cc.