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| First Sunday of Advent |
| November 30, 2003 |
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| Gospel Reading
according to Mark 21:34-36 |
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"Beware
that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and
drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch
you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the
earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the
strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before
the Son of Man." |
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| Today
is the first Sunday in Advent. It is a day, which marks the beginning of the Church's
liturgical year. Like all beginnings, it offers us an opportunity to get a fresh start.
It's a time when we can reflect on the year past and ask the hard question: Am I satisfied
with my life as a whole. Am I satisfied with my spiritual life? And, if we are not
satisfied, these four weeks of Advent are an ideal time to readjust - make a resolution or
get in touch with this often-neglected side of ourselves. |
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| We
are given this time of evaluation and preparation because we are approaching this very
special time of a year when we tell one another: the Son of God was born on earth. We
commemorate a moment in history that changed everything in this world. From the birth of
Jesus, from that moment on - every bit of God's creation, every leaf, every branch, every
bird in the sky, every star every planet, every human being would have a new purpose in
life, new dignity. And for that outpour of God's love for his creation we are grateful and
we want to celebrate it. |
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| Unfortunately,
that miraculous moment took place about two thousand years ago and not only don't we
remember it but we have to impose on ourselves a kind of discipline to help us realize the
significance of that act of God. See, words, ideas, and testimonies have lost a lot of
meaning in the course of history. We can throw in phrases like salvation or redemption but
they don't touch our hearts all that much and they do not evoke a proper reaction in our
minds because we do not have the immediate experience of not being saved, not being
redeemed. We have a hard time relating to the idea of Christ being born and then
resurrected because we do not know what it's like not to have a future with God. |
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| I
think we can all admit that the birth of Jesus, the Christmas season is for the most part
about shopping, presents, family gatherings. And all those things are good. Not doubt. We
do get into the mood of celebrating but perhaps we forget, what, in fact we are
celebrating. And that's why we devised this system, this structure of Advent. It is to
give us the right focus. And the focus is: the change and transformation of our hearts as
we give thanks to God for coming into this world and into our lives as we prepare for our
new live in God's Kingdom. |
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| Change
is very important part of our existence. In fact change marks the rhythm of our growth and
our life. Fancy words, but just take a good look around and you will notice that every
living create goes through stages of change. Every tree has it's beginning in a tiny
little seed that with time grows bigger and stronger until it's ready to produce it's own
seeds that will give beginning to new life. As scientists tell us even the stars go
through stages in which they are born, give light to the universe and as they die they
produce new stars, new cosmic objects. So, the trees and the stars change, however, they
cannot change their hearts, but we can. |
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humans not only do we change physically but we change spiritually. The Advent season is
about a change and transformation of our spirit. How do we know that it's time our
spiritual life needs a tune-up? It's easy: if your prayer sounds the same as it did last
year, it's a good indication that probably you got stuck in your spiritual development for
a moment. And this is the perfect time to take action and look at the way you spend time
with God and the way you see God's presence in your life, in your family, your friends,
colleagues, in your workplace, and in strangers. As you do some cleaning around the house
in preparation for Christmas - why don't you look at you prayer life in preparation for
Christ's coming, maybe it has become dusty a little bit. |
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| As
you go shopping for presents in preparation for Christmas - why don't you take a closer
look at your faith, your believes and convictions in preparation for Christ's coming,
maybe they need to be refreshed and updated. |
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| As
you start writing cards and letters with greetings in preparation for Christmas, why don't
you reach for the Holy Scripture in preparation for Christ's coming, maybe it's been
sitting there forgotten for a while. |
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| The
Advent season gives us this opportunity of renewal. I think people sometimes confuse the
time of Advent with the time of Lent. Advent is a season to prepare for Christmas when
Christ's first coming to us is remembered; and it's a season when that remembrance directs
the mind and heart to await Christ's Second Coming at the end of time. Advent is
therefore, a period for devout and joyful expectation. |
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| Advent
is not a gloomy time of sorrow and repentance. It's a time of joy and anticipation. It's
like that time when we know something beautiful is going to happen, and we know it's going
to happened, and we await with our pounding hearts for that to happen. |
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| Let
us show Jesus that we know what we are waiting for. Let us show one another that we are
indeed lucky to have someone like Jesus to be present in our lives. Finally, let us treat
ourselves to this wonderful celebration of God coming to his people. |
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| Advent homily by
Fr. Mark Kalwak, SVD |
| Light
your Christmas
Prayer Candle |
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| Mission
Mass League |
Mission Rosary |
Prayer
eCandles |
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| ©2002 Society of
the Divine Word, USA Western Province - All Rights Reserved |
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