December 1, 2024

My brothers and sisters in Christ, this year our First Sunday of Advent is also December 1, and a time when the weather has turned colder after a hot summer. We have a NOW to celebrate as Advent begins, but we also look forward to the special joys of Christmas. Some of our neighbors in the shops around us are already anticipating the feast of Christmas with music and decorations, and even here in Church we can notice the first signs of festivities, but not too much, as we begin the Sunday Mass without the usual prayer of the Gloria.

We are also aware that the Scripture readings of today remind us that we need to prepare ourselves and that there is another coming of Christ, a Second Coming, whose time we do not know.

The first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah is a promise of salvation for the house of Israel that was in exile in Babylon. That time is not yet, but it is coming, the Prophet promises: “In those days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell in confidence.”

The Gospel reading also prophesizes a future when the Son of Man will come to liberate his people. All of humanity will come face to face with God’s power and glory. We are encouraged to prepare for this Coming, even though we do not know when it will be. By prayer and leading a good life, we will be ready for this encounter with God, whenever it is.

St. Paul’s message in the second reading is more specific: love one another and the whole human race. Confirm your hearts in holiness. Make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live.

Our lives are always lived in the here and now. We recall the past, even the past that we ourselves have not experienced but that others have told us about, such as the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, as a now that has already happened. And unlike the other animals who know only the here and now, we humans can even imagine a future now that is not yet in existence. We can imagine the special NOW that is coming at Christmas, and naturally we prepare for that.

In fact, the most important NOW will be the NOW that is not yet: the Second Coming of Christ, the Messiah, at the Advent which we profess in the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in Jesus Christ our Lord…who is seated at the right hand of God…and will come to judge the living and the dead.” Also, after the consecration at Mass, we profess as follows: “we proclaim your Death O Lord and profess your Resurrection until you Come Again.” Our NOW of today anticipates that unknown NOW, the moment when Christ the Messiah will come again.

December 1, 2024