_{Holy Spirit Catholic Church}

_{Homilies
Archive}

 _{1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (C) 2009
 November 28, 2009}  

A few years ago when I was living and studying at the seminary in Boston, I read a Boston Globe front-page news story about a house that burned down, killing five people. What made the story especially tragic was that the home owner had been planning for two weeks to install a smoke alarm. He told the Boston Globe reporter that it was something that he kept putting off because he was too busy with other things. Now five of his loved ones are dead, and there's nothing he or anyone else can do to bring them back to life.

That tragic story hits close to home with all of us. There are so many things that we want to do, but we keep putting them off for one reason or another.

There are mothers who want to get to know their daughters better, but keep putting it off for some reason or another. There are fathers who want to get to know their sons better, but keep putting it off for some reason or another. There are husbands and wives who want to deepen their relationship, but keep putting it off for some reason or another.

There's a human tendency in all of us to put things off. But a closer look shows that maybe that's not the whole story. A closer look shows that perhaps our problem isn't that of putting things off. Rather, it's a problem of missing opportunities!

During those two weeks when the home owner was planning to install a smoke alarm, I'm sure he could have found time to do it. He simply missed opportunities! The same is true of us. Our days are full of missed opportunities to do things we want to do or ought to do!

Jesus has something to say about all of this in today's gospel. Talking about his return at the end of the world, he says of that all-important moment: "Beware! Don't let that day catch you by surprise like a trap. Be vigilant at all times and pray . . . " In other words, be ready for that all-important moment!

Jesus is warning us about getting so involved with the ordinary things of life that we forget about the more important things of life. Jesus is warning us about getting so involved in this life that we forget about the next life. And I ask you, which life is more important: the few years we spend in this world, or the eternity of years that we will spend in the world to come?

Be on guard! Watch! Pray! These are three important instructions. That's why Advent is such an important season in our liturgical year. The word Advent means "coming." The word underscores Advent's purpose. It's to make ready for the coming of Jesus. And the coming we're to make ready for is not just the liturgical reliving of Jesus' first coming 2,000 years ago. It's also the liturgical reliving of his second coming at the end of time.

The season of Advent is like the ancient Roman god, Janus, for whom the month of January is named. He is depicted in art as having two faces. One face looks backward into the past; the other looks forward into the future.

The season of Advent is like that. It looks backward into the past to the first coming of Jesus. It also looks forward into the future to his second coming. And so today we stand at the midpoint between these two great moments in the history of the world.

Our job in Advent, therefore, is twofold. First, it is to relive Israel's anticipation of the coming of the Messiah into history. It's to prepare for the celebration of Christmas, when we relive the incredible mystery by which the Son of God took flesh and lived among us. We rejoice in the birth of Jesus Christ! And we rejoice in our own spiritual rebirth that he made possible by his physical birth.

Second, our job in Advent is to anticipate Jesus' final coming at the end of time. It's to prepare for that incredible moment when Jesus returns in power and majesty to take us with him into the eternal glory of his Father's heavenly kingdom.

Blessed will you be if you can say, when Jesus comes, "Welcome, Lord. After all these years of watching and making ready, it's good to see you face-to-face." And blessed will you be if Jesus can say to you in return, "Welcome, dearest friend. After all these years of watching you prepare, it's indeed good to meet you face-to-face."

This is the purpose of Advent. It's to make ourselves ready. It's to remind ourselves not to become so busy with the affairs of this world that we miss the opportunities God gives us to be ready for the next world.

Today we start the beautiful, blessed, holy season of Advent. Our secular, materialistic society tells us to ignore it; that Christmas is already here! Spend all your money on Christmas presents, after all it helps the economy. Festively decorate your homes. Put up the tree now and take it down the day after Christmas. Play Christmas carols. Santa is waiting on you at the mall. All of this totally ignores Advent!

I'm sure many of you know the popular Christmas carol The Twelve Days of Christmas. How many of you remember that the 12 days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day and go 12 days after Christmas to the Feast of the Epiphany. Do you and your family want to celebrate a commercial Christmas or a Christian Christmas?

I challenge you to keep Christ in Christmas this year by observing Advent in your homes and especially in your hearts. Put an Advent wreath on your dining room table, light the candles each week, pray the beautiful readings and prayers the next four weeks. Truly prepare for our Savior's coming! We have a wonderful Advent book for each family to take home after Mass today. Wonderful in two ways: the content and the price . . . free! Please use it !

Begin this new liturgical year as God and His Church intends, not as Wal-Mart and J.C. Penny's intends! Don't miss the opportunity of celebrating a most blessed and holy Advent!

We should be comfortable with the knowledge that time has a beginning and an end, just as do our lives. Time might end, our bodies may die, but our joy is that with the end of time there will be God. We are busy preparing for the coming holidays. We must also prepare for Christ!