Catechism Links[1]
CCC 668-677, 769: the final tribulation and Christ’s return in glory
CCC 451, 671, 1130, 1403, 2817: “Come, Lord Jesus!”
CCC 439, 496, 559, 2616: Jesus is the Son of David
CCC 207, 210-214, 270, 1062-1063: God is faithful and merciful
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| “Holy Family with the Infant St John The Baptist” by Francesco de Mura, 1760s |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Jeremiah 33:14-16
Commentary on Jer 33:14-16
Jeremiah predicts the continuation of the dynasty of King David (“I will raise up for David a just shoot”) in fulfillment of the prophecy made to Nathan in 2 Samuel 7:11-16. To contemporaries of the period, this would have announced the restoration of Judah and Jerusalem. This selection is the second time the Prophet has predicted the coming of the Messiah; the first being in Jeremiah 23:5-6. This prediction, fulfilled in Jesus, is one reason so much stress is laid on Jesus’ genealogy.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
R. (1b) To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Commentary on Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
In this hymn of thanksgiving, we hear the petition we have all made many times. In paraphrase, it is “God tell me what you want me to do. Tell me how to follow you.” It goes on to say how blessed are those who have found that path. This selection gives a clear sense of the Lord’s path announced by angelic messengers, prophets and the very Law of Moses; the culmination and completion of God’s covenants in the tradition of the Hebrews.
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Reading II: 1 Thessalonians 3:12—4:2
Commentary on 1 Thes 3:12—4:2
St. Paul speaks to the Thessalonians about encouraging their already fervent love for one another and the Lord. This selection (4:1ff) begins the Apostle’s exhortation on holiness and chastity. He has warned them earlier that they will be facing resistance, and that it is now necessary to strengthen themselves for what is to come.
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Gospel: Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
Commentary on Lk 21:25-28, 34-36
Jesus finds it necessary to remind his disciples not to become complacent in their practice of the faith. It is one of his sternest warnings that the end will come without notice and judgment will be immediate. The final verses of this same Gospel reading concluded the Liturgical Year; having been used the previous day (Saturday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time) and is repeated to begin the Advent season. This duel use emphasizes that we celebrate not only the coming of Christ in his nativity but look forward to his second coming in Glory.
"It is clear from this short section that Luke (different from 1 Thessalonians) eliminated the idea of an immediate Parousia. Sudden trials will strike everyone, and so there is need of continual vigilance. Everyone, however, will eventually take part in the Parousia. How a person lives now, determines how he will 'stand before the Son of Man.'" [5] Jesus reminds his disciples not to become complacent in their practice of the faith. It is one of his sternest warnings that the end will come without notice and judgment will be immediate.
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Homily:
I know there are many folks in our community who actually enjoy shopping. Personally I do not. In fact, I have a ritual at this time of year. I get up at 2:00 AM the weekend before Christmas (this year that will probably be December 23rd). I will go to Meijer’s, a local big box store, which is open all night and spend a maximum of an hour scurrying up and down nearly empty aisles and return home before 5:00. I have never seen the attractions for mobbing a store for that “great deal.” Because of that I had a fleeting thought this year as I watched what has come to be known as “Black Friday Creep.” That’s the affliction many retailers have as they try to attract those die-hard shoppers to their stores earlier to gain a larger share of their shopping budget.
Perhaps this year, as we kick off the Jubilee of Mercy, the start of which is in just a few days, we can make a real change in our community. If we provide a significant example through our words and actions, perhaps many we meet may be reminded what this season means.
The Advent season is intended to be analogous to a child’s gleeful anticipation on Christmas Eve. From a spiritual perspective, our Advent Season is intended to rekindle our anticipation for Christ’s ultimate victory, coming in glory robed in light by reminding us of his enigmatic first coming for our salvation.
I have marveled before that for all of our reflection and prayer, for all of our questioning and study, we find that in the millennia since Christ walked the earth as man; others graciously endowed with the gift of faith, have reflected more deeply and expressed more clearly the ideals the Lord saw fit to impart. In this case I offer the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church who served us until his death in 386 AD as an example:
We do not preach only one coming of Christ, but a second as well, much more glorious than the first. The first coming was marked by patience; the second will bring the crown of a divine kingdom.
In general, what relates to our Lord Jesus Christ has two aspects. There is a birth from God before the ages, and a birth from a virgin at the fullness of time. There is a hidden coming, like that of rain on fleece, and a coming before all eyes, still in the future.
At the first coming, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. At his second coming, he will be clothed in light as in a garment. In the first coming he endured the cross, despising the shame; in the second coming he will be in glory, escorted by an army of angels.
We look then beyond the first coming and await the second. At the first coming we said: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. At the second we shall say it again; we shall go out with the angels to meet the Lord and cry out in adoration: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. (From the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem)
St. Cyril reminds us, as does the Gospel from St. Luke that the Kingdom of God has not yet been fulfilled. While we most commonly use this Advent season to anticipate the triumph of the manger, we need also to be vigilant in our faith as the Lord’s second coming needs to find us diligent in our faith.
What then will our Advent celebration look like this year? Will there be enough thought and prayer over the Lord’s arrivals to offset the secular flavor that has taken over the public notion of this season? Will we be able to remain focused on the sense of impending liberation from the bonds of sin in order to avoid the sins this secular season seems to bring out in many – greed, avarice, gluttony, and indifference?
This season, perhaps more than any in modern history will be the “Holiday Season”, not the Christmas season and Advent will be seen as an anachronism. The MAJORITY of our fellow citizens prefer that we not emphasize the “reason for the season” as the old saying goes. They prefer that it be a time of fun and good cheer; a time for excesses of all sorts, not the least of which is spending on meaningless gifts for the sake of spending.
How are we to avoid being sucked into this sense of self-service? Well, first we remind ourselves daily of what we look forward to. There are some excellent aids developed especially for this and they have traditionally been available to anyone who wants one. This year we are also given a special prayer to start us off from none other than St. Paul. He writes to the Thessalonians a prayer that could have been directed at each of us:
Brothers and sisters:
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love
for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.
At the heart of this prayer is the one key command that will keep us focused on what is important: “Love one another.” It was the Lord’s commandment to us and the one he exemplified as he came to the humble manger, born of our Blessed Mother. If we can keep the memory of that command alive, and how it came to us, we will triumph over all attempts to pervert the season of joyous anticipation into something it was never intended to be.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[3] The picture is “Holy Family with the Infant St John The Baptist” by Francesco de Mura, 1760s
[5] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 44:149, pp. 155
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