BE WATCHFUL!!!

HOMILY FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

The Advent season is a period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. The word ‘advent’ (‘ad venire’ in Latin which means to come to) means arrival or coming. It is a period we remind ourselves consistently about the second coming of Jesus Christ in glory at the end of time. There are ingredients that show preparedness on the part of anybody who is expecting to welcome a renowned visitor. One of those important ingredients is watchfulness. A driver once lost his job on account of the lack of this virtue of watchfulness. His boss had informed him about the arrival time of the flight he was about to board. The driver arrived the airport on time, but the flight did not land at the expected time, due to some weather conditions that made it hover around in the sky before it could land. When this was happening, the driver lost patience, and went back into the car, and off he slept.

After many minutes of his restful sleep, he woke up. He discovered the flight later on landed after few minutes into his sleep. His boss had annoyingly taken an airport cab home. He then knew that the case was finished. To remain there was redundant. To go home was to go and face his punishment. He lost his job, because he was not watchful. While others were on the look-out for their loved ones, he was inside the car that was not even his, sleeping. Similarly, such experience can happen to anyone of us. While some others are on the look-out for our Lord Jesus Christ, others may be inclined to be inside their cars (i.e, the world, lifestyles, comfort zones, sinful life, and indifferentism) that is not theirs and ought not to be even theirs. Such persons will be taken unawares at the arrival of the master.

A spectacular look at the Gospel (Mark13:33-37) of today leads us to a very powerful discovery.  Each of the verses has something to do with the word ‘watch.’

• ·       To be on guard! Be alert (v.33)
• ·       To keep watch (v.34)
• ·       To therefore keep watch (v.35)
• ·       Not to be caught sleeping (v.36)
• ·       What I say to you, I say to all: Watch (v.37)

To watch is keep awake, to stay alert, to be sleepless and vigilant. It includes being focused and attentive upon a particular thing, endeavour or goal. Paul advised the Thessalonians never to be asleep but to be alert and self-controlled (1 Th 5:6). He also admonished the Corinthians to be on their guard, standing firm in the faith and to be men of courage (1 Cor 16:13).

The injunction to be watchful and alert is not a call for fearful and hysterical expectation. It only means that we should recognize that we live in the shadow of eternity. Our scheduled daily work of faith must be completed, and never to be left out. By so doing, we can claim to so live in vigilance that it no longer matters to us the hour our Lord comes, since we are always ready. It implies being ready at all times. With this in focus, our lives become lives lived in consciousness of the Lord.

There are two major and practical reasons the Christians must constantly be on his/her guard: 1) No one knows the time of the return of the Lord. Had it been any knows the hour, we can live the way we want and then prepare when the hour draws near. The driver in our lead story slept off because he became ignorant of the arrival time. Therefore, every one of us must keep watch because of our ignorance of the hour (cf. Mk 13:32). 2) We all have some work we are assigned to do. In our lead story, that man was assigned the work of a driver. Today, you have your own work. What is that work/duty? Just do it well. This duty must be completed for the arrival of the Lord; otherwise the race becomes out of track.

Similarly, there can be two tragic things that can happen to a person who is watchful for the day of the Lord. 1) The person may get weird and tired. Monotony kills interest. The Christian may find very boring the repetition of his/her duty and may get to the point of neglect of duty. The person will now start to sleep on duty, and growing drowsier. He/she has at this point grown tired of waiting and has failed to wait long enough. 2) The person may delay, postpone of suspend his duty for some time. He/she may try to convince himself/herself that there is still time. If ever since, the Lord has not come, he/she can imagine, then now-from, the Lord may still not come. The feeling that a little sidetrack or rest here and there will not affect much will set in. The thinking that there is time to correct or finish the work follows. And hence, sinful life gradually forms itself into a habit.

That was the case for the Israelites during the time of the prophet Isaiah. The First Reading (Is. 63:16d-17; 64:1.3b-8) was a lamentation over the reckless life lived by the people. The people were living as if here was no God. And so, the anger of God rose against them. The prophet as the mediator was bent on intervening for the people to calm their anger. The consequence of sin is that it blocks our vision of God. Actually, God did not hide his face from the people. It was sin that blocked their vision of the immensity of God’s love. When we fail to be conscious of alertness, we slack into the oblivion of sin. In that sin, we become blind to see God. For this reason, Paul admonished the Thessalonians (1 Thes. 3:12-4:2) in the Second Reading to walk and please God in all things. Walking in God and pleasing him is an antidote to combat any form of spiritual slot. It is now time again to fight against the lives we have lived that contradict this command of Jesus to us today –to be watchful. Be ready. Watch and pray that you may not fall into temptation (Matt. 26:41). I wish you all a prosperous new liturgical year of the Church. God bless you.