December 2, 2012 – First Sunday of Advent
Jer 33:14-16; Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14; 1 Thes 3:12-4:2; Lk 21:25-28, 34-36
Today we begin our celebration of the Advent Season — four weeks during which we focus in a particular way on Jesus’ coming. These four weeks, we are called to ready ourselves to celebrate the Christmas miracle when the word became flesh and dwelt among us, as John so eloquently puts it. God became man for the sake of our salvation, and as we journey through the Advent Season, we ought to spend time in prayer, reflecting on the enormity of this miracle — what it means for us individually and for all of humanity as a whole.
Indeed, it is hard for us to truly wrap our heads around the reality of the incarnation. Jesus Christ became man and, at the same time, He is God — fully man and fully God. His humanity is real. It is not just a mask. He, the God of all creation, humbled Himself to take on our nature simply because He loves us so much that He wanted to redeem us, to free us from sin.
Reflecting on this reality in a focused manner over the next four weeks ought to call us not only to be awed by the Lord and His goodness, His unconditional love and care for us, it should call us to be grateful to Him in the depths of our being. Truly appreciating the wonder of the incarnation calls forth gratefulness from within our hearts, for Christ is “our justice” (first reading) — He is the Savior for whom those in the first reading waited.
What’s more, Advent also calls us to ready ourselves for Christ’s second coming. He will come on a day, in an hour that no one knows, and we must prepare. “For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (gospel).
In today’s gospel, Luke warns us, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that the day catch you off guard like a trap.” In other words, we are called to conduct our lives in holiness, offering ourselves in gratitude to God as His faithful servants always ready to greet Him when He comes again.
During Advent, let us all take some time to reconsider how we are living our lives. Are we living for the Lord, truly giving Him our best in gratitude for what He has done for us? Are we offering Him the first fruits of our many gifts and putting Him first in our lives? Are we ready to greet Him when He comes again, or is there more we can do?
Paul challenges us: “We earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God and as you are conducting yourselves you do so even more” (second reading).
Let us challenge ourselves to take a step in faith, recognizing the many things God has done, not the least of which is becoming man in order to suffer and die for us, and offer more of ourselves back to God. He deserves our everything, and now is the time to give ourselves completely to Him!
