HOMILY: First Sunday of Advent (A)
Matthew 24:37-44
27 November 2022
Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA
Did you ever wonder what we would have done differently if we had known the global pandemic was going to happen? Many of us thought when the lockdown was declared that everything would be over by two weeks. We were surprised that the days dragged on and weeks turned into months and years. We started to become worried of how we would work and earn our keep. The hospitals did not have enough facilities for the number of people pouring through their emergency rooms! If we probably have made the necessary preparations, things would have turned out very differently for us.
Today’s readings for the First Sunday of Advent speaks of what awaits a pilgrim people, a people called to go on pilgrimage to God. The First Reading invites us to approach the mountain of the Lord, the place where God dwells in a special way among His people. It says, “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain… that He may instruct us in His ways, and we may walk in His paths.” (Isaiah 2:3) The people are instructed to approach God and to walk in His ways toward the vision of a future of peace and harmony among the peoples. The Israelites or the Jews have indeed prepared for the coming of the Messiah, the one whom they hoped would free them from their oppressors. At the Messiah’s coming, they could finally live in peace.
The second reading and the gospel passage from Matthew invite us to wake up, that is to open our eyes not only to the purpose of our lives in the here and now but also to the very end of the world. In the gospel, Jesus warns that every disciple should be ready at all times for the fulfilment of this vision in the Parousia, (the Second Coming of the Son of Man). He gives us two (2) concrete examples of the consequence of not being prepared — those who perished in the great flood of Noah’s days, and the homeowner who gets robbed by a thief in the night. What would the people have done differently if they had known that for forty (40) days the rain would pour continuously and flood the earth? If we knew that our house would be broken into, we would probably made sure the locks are all working and we would have asked for protection from the police and local authorities. What would have been our preparation if we knew that the pandemic lasted for three years? For the final coming of God’s Kingdom, St. Paul invites all of those who believe in Christ to be ready to act accordingly in the present. Let us. “Let us then throw off the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12)
With life so difficult these days, we can easily get caught up in our daily troubles that we can lose sight of the greater vision beyond our immediate concerns. Working hard. Everything is almost back to normal. It is traffic everywhere once more. We work overtime to the point of not having enough time with family. We surely work for our future, for our children’s future… but why do we continue to neglect our future with God? What necessary and conscious preparations are we making for that future? Jesus tells us that when the time comes, many people will be caught unaware. Many exactly like most of us will be doing very ordinary things and we will just be shocked at His return. People will be so engrossed in doing their immediate concerns without giving any thought to the ultimate purpose and end of their life. I am not saying it is wrong to work hard. In fact, we need to work harder because life has been very difficult lately. There is no question that we need to work, to earn our living, to take care of our families… but we must also prepare for the final call. We must prepare for the most important appointment of our life!
One of my former parishioners recently passed away. She was in her nineties. Anyone who knew her cannot deny that she was truly prepared to meet the Lord. She raised her children to be God-fearing and devoted Catholic Christians. In fact, they are all very active in the charismatic community. They served the church to the best of their capacities. They were also known to be very generous. When they grew older, they would always say that they were ready to meet the Lord. When the husband became sick and eventually died, it took many years before she herself died. During those years, she would often ask why the Lord had not taken her yet because she had always been ready. Now, all the people who have known and loved them believe that she is now happy with the Father and her beloved husband. That is how things are we would really have no way of knowing when our time is up, we only need to be prepared at all times.
Recently declared a Doctor of the Church, St. Irenaeus (Latin Church Father, 2nd century) instructed that we have to think of living our Christian life as a pilgrimage. We are on a pilgrimage with the goal of growing in our relationship with God. More so, we need to be focused so that each and every one of our words, of our actions would lead to the goal… would take us to our ultimate destination. (One foot in front of the other…) To live as a Christian thereby means that we should be working on our relationship with God at all times. No one time or day is more special for this task than another.
During the past week we have heard about scary events associated with the end times. As Christians, we need not be afraid or worried about the signs of the Second Coming of Christ. If we are faithful and true; if we are determined, if we have set our eyes and our hearts on God’s path, why then should we be troubled, why should we be afraid? This Advent, we pray that we would take all the means to make ready for that most important day to come… when it comes.
Sunday Gospel Reflections 