HOMILY FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C
Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi
As I welcome you to yet another beautiful year (C) in the Church’s calender, I also welcome on board the Evangelist of the Gospel according to Luke in whose light the mystery of our redemption will be unravelled to us through out the Sundays of this year. The Advent season marks the beginning of a new year in the Church as it reminds us of the coming of Christ in these three major and all-encompassing perspectives: 1. the coming of Christ in the flesh in Bethlehem 2. the coming of Christ in the hearts of believers 3. the coming at the end of time with power and great glory. And this is why it is called ‘advent’ which means coming as to annually remind us that Christ’s coming is not a fairytale; only that no one knows when. All we need do is to be on the watch at all times; however, not the type of watch the Thessalonians kept, in responsibility to our daily duties as human beings and as Christians. This is why the Advent season even though specifically observed during this time should be a constant reminder in the life of every person of the very promise God has made to His people. So, we are filled with expectation.
The First Reading (Jer. 33:14-16) makes vivid this promise of a virtuous branch grown for David who shall install honesty and integrity, salvation and peace. It was clear that when Jeremiah spoke of this virtuous branch, he was not predicting the birth of Christ. Rather, he was expressing a hope in that time of crisis. However and theologically, this was fulfilled in Christ, and today constantly rekindled in our hearts, as we await the final reign of the Christ in heaven and on earth. And is this not what the season of Advent is all about? Indeed, this message of Jeremiah is similar to what Christ talks about in the Gospel about the future. He wants us to prepare for that future by acting now. This is advent; the season of expectation and preparation for the coming of Christ.
In the Gospel (Luke 21: 25-28; 34-36) are contained two pericopes carefully knitted together in the Lectionary to lay bare the message of this Sunday. As the first aspect concerns the coming of the son of man (25-28), the second (34-36) concerns the exhortation to be on guard. The coming of the son of man will be preceded by some signs according to the very first sentence of the Gospel. This sign will be seen in the sun, the moon and the stars, and will be felt on earth because of the confusion among nations concerning the roaring of the sea and the waves. What this means is that the whole creation will be affected by the coming of Christ to the earth. The sun, the moon, the stars and the waters will demonstrate, welcome and be ready to serve the son of man, who is the Christ, God’s very own son. This signifies everything in creation will put up a very important and visible display to welcome her King who created them all. If this is what is suggested by this passage (which truly is), then Human beings must be ready too to put on their own display to welcome their creator who by making them elevated them to the apex of creation.
Surely, when the heavenly and earthly bodies start to demonstrate, humanity instead of joining in such a demonstration with her own displays will be frightened. And this will cause them great distress; because they have failed to see and understand the signs of the coming of the son of man. They may be filled with fear that the world is being destroyed where as the astronomical bodies are simply acting up to welcome their creator. And so, the feeling of distress is as a result of ignorance to recognize the creator and the signs that will precede his coming. Could this not be the reason why Jesus tried to dispel this ignorance from his disciples when he told them to brave up, to stand up and to raise their heads high, for at that moment, what awaits them is redemption and not destruction as others might think? That there will be distress and muddiness among nations can be understood in the picture that the leaders of the world might be meeting to figure out what is happening to the planetary bodies. Yet, they will not be able to interpret the signs, because all their minds tell them is doom. At this moment, people will be filled with terror, sensing that the end has come where as the message is that the salvation of the just is at hand. What a great encouragement for the believer; that he/she is shielded from this distress and confusion.
For the reasons of this great distress and confusion that the world would experience, Christ instructs the Christian to beware in watchfulness and prayer. This is a lesson to be focused and careful not to be deceived by the distractions of life: debauchery, drunkenness and the cares of life. Debauchery is a scandalous activity involving silly talks, frivolity and giddiness as a result of an extreme life of pleasure. Drunkenness dulls the mind, harms the body and impedes the mind against right judgement. The cares of life would mean a craving for more and more of the things of this life; desiring for more than one needs. These things are inimical to the alertness Jesus demands of us. To watch and pray always are great remedies for the Christian. These are signs of our belief and keep us vigilant to recognize the signs that will precede the coming of the Lord. They help to keep us active in faith and warm our hearts for God. By so doing, we are not taken by surprises. Therefore, we are reminded on this first Sunday of Advent to be watchful in constant prayer and examination of our lives, preparing ourselves for the coming of the Lord in love of one another(cf. Second Reading (1 Thess. 3:12-4:2) as we draw closer to the event that celebrates his coming in history. Happy new week; God bless you.
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