Ready or not, here He comes!

Sunday, November 29, 2009
The Glorious Mysteries
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Hide and Go-Seek. It’s a game that was probably played by children even before Christ, and everyone knows how to play it. I was reminded of the game when I read the gospel for the First Sunday of Advent. You know the game—one kid starts counting to 100 (usually by “twos” lol) while the other kids find a place to hide. When the counting is over, the first kid yells “Ready or not, here I come!” Sounds kind of like, “Be vigilant at all times!” doesn’t it?

And who doesn’t know what a “do over” is? If I was playing a game, and the result wasn’t what I wanted, I would shout “Do over!” Of course, the winner never agreed, but everybody else was game.

How about when we used to be called into the living room for the rosary every night? I remember several occasions when, if Mom didn’t think we were saying it with enough reverence, or she thought we were just speeding through the prayers, she would say, “OK, we’ll just start over!” You can bet the second time around, was the last time around that night. And another good lesson in life.

Advent is a time for all of us to "start over." We may have missed many opportunities to grow closer to the Lord during the Church Year, which has just ended. As we went through the various events in the life of Christ, we had the chance to grow in appreciation for Jesus leaving the glory of heaven to come in poverty and cold to a stable in Bethlehem.

As the year progressed, did we appreciate enough how much He suffered, enduring the discomforts of life as an itinerant preacher, often ridiculed and misunderstood? How well did we ourselves get the message that, if we were to follow Him, we would be called to imitate His life of prayer, His life of love and service? Maybe we "nodded off" along the way, and missed opportunities to grow closer to the Lord. This First Sunday of Advent is a "wake-up call" to start all over.

All the prophecies of the Old Testament point in some way or another to Jesus in the New Testament. The first reading from Jeremiah tells us that, a long time ago, God had promised Israel that a "just shoot" would come from the line of King David to bring security and justice to the people. We today are the heirs of that promise.

In the second reading, St. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that our lives are all about waiting. And how do we wait? By being careful to love one another, to live lives "blameless in holiness" at the final coming of the Lord.

In the Gospel, it's the Lord Himself who warns us against careless carousing and drowsy hearts. He tells us not to let the distractions and anxieties of daily living catch us off guard. The punch line is "Be vigilant at all times!"

Aren't you glad that we have a chance to "start over" this Advent?