First Sunday of Advent

Matthew 24:37-44

Happy New Liturgical Year!  We are in the season of Advent and we thank God for offering us new beginnings, a time of reflection and preparation of our hearts so that our coming Lord may find a place to dwell.  The Lord has already come in history, he will come in glory at the end of time, but he always comes to us in mystery, especially in the Holy Eucharist, and surprising us by his presence along our journey of life and in the poor.  Advent is a time to adjust our antennas to receive the signals of God coming to us; to ready the way.  As a community of faith we will have a wonderful opportunity to do that at our penance service tomorrow Monday evening, where we can receive the sacrament of reconciliation.

Commenting on our first reading, Bishop Barron mentions how the Lord’s mountain in the coming days will be established as the highest mountain.  Advent is about putting first things first.  Is Jesus the highest mountain in our lives?   Are there other things competing and taking pride of place in our hearts?  Brothers and sisters, fellow-sinners, God gives us again, the opportunity to re-order our lives, so that all of our being, heart and mind is streaming towards the mountain of the Lord.  Time to seek first the kingdom of God.  There are three things the readings offer that I use the acronym IPF – instructions, a pathway, and fruits.

The call is to make Jesus the center of our lives once again, to do the hard work of letting go of our disordered affections, of preparing for his coming, by hearing his instructions.  We have to pray as St. Ignatius asks not to be deaf to his call.  St Paul mentions that sometimes we are asleep and so we miss his invitations, but this is the time to stay awake, and be alert for the coming of the Lord.  Our faith comes by hearing, by hearing the word of Christ.  We can elect to listen more attentively to the word of God, listen more attentively not to our superficial desires but to our deeper desires for union and love with God and neighbor.

Secondly, Isaiah mentions not just hearing his instructions but walking in his pathway.  It is not enough to hear the word of God and not act on it.  And this is the christian call, to live what we believe.  It is time to throw off the works of darkness and to walk in the light.  Paul speaks of the following paths of darkness to the Roman community.  Living in orgies, drunkenness, promiscuity, lust, rivalry and jealousy.  St. Augustine was a great example of this on his journey to conversion.  He said, Lord give me chastity, but not yet.  For years he struggled with not living in integrity, until he heard the following words from the second reading today, after a child’s voice called on him to take and read.  “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.”  The one that saves us from ourselves, from the battle of sin within, from the cruelty and injustice of humanity, is Jesus Christ our Lord.  Don’t be discouraged, come to the one whose love alone heals and transforms us.

Thirdly is what I call the fruit of putting God first by listening to his instructions and walking in his pathways.  “Swords are turned into plowshares, and spears to pruning hooks.”  The war both within and without, the desire to destroy and kill, will give way to plowing, sowing, building, looking for ways to grow, and pruning, so that we bear even more fruit for God’s glory.

Jesus is coming to us in the mystery of the Eucharist.  Where is your heart?  In all honesty let us confess that we have not loved him, we have deserted him, we have forgotten him.  But in his love, he never stops calling, he never stops waiting for us to return to him again with all our heart.  Show us Lord, your love; and grant us your salvation.  Help us to stay awake this advent season, and let all that is in us stream towards you, the source and fountain of love and life.