Watchful Waiting 1st Sunday of Advent – a 2019 (Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44)
When we think of Advent, what comes to mind is Christmas. It is no surprise than that, as we begin this season, towns in different places are already dressed in Christmas “attire” and Christmas shopping is in full operation. We need to be careful not to allow ourselves to be hijacked by commercial attitudes that short circuit Advent and Christmas. The Church gives us this time of waiting which, if lived fully, will help us appreciate better the profound mystery of Christmas. It is important that through Advent we progress step by step toward the great day of the Lord’s coming. It might seem strange that today’s readings make no illusion to Christmas. Indeed, if the readings mention nothing about the birth of Jesus, so to what kind of watchful waiting are we invited? The season of Advent draws our attention to the need to watch and prepare for the coming of the Lord, but with two poles of emphasis. The first part of Advent has an overtone of the Second Coming of Christ with a language of the end of time. And the second part, with the approach of Christmas, the focus is on the Incarnation. Both parts, nevertheless, are traversed by the same message of watchful waiting. What are the signs of our preparation? External preparations are important but not enough. For some people the menu for Christmas dinner is already fixed and that day will be completely new from the toes to the head. Besides, some homes are already flashing with special decorations. We shouldn’t hesitate to mark Christmas as a special event. However, we don’t end at external decorations. That’s why the word of God draws our attention to look inward where we also need a retouch. Watchful waiting is communal, familial and personal. Christian communities in different places are using multiple ways of organizing this season for a more interior and deeper meaning. You have seasonal charity initiatives to support those who might otherwise go without and special moments of communal and family prayer. These moments can also be done on an individual level. Here the prophet Isaiah can be a source of inspiration to us. In the First Reading, he speaks of the promise of a time of peace. Yet, his time, the 8th century before Jesus Christ, was an epoch of trouble. First, the northern kingdom of Israel will fall into the hands of enemies and later the kingdom of Judah will be crushed by the Babylonians. With the ravages of war, people dream of nothing but a time of peace. Isaiah expresses this yearning through powerful symbols: “they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.” When will this promise be fulfilled? Isn’t it just wishful thinking? Indeed, as we read this promise, there are people working day and night, even on Sunday, acting against this promise. They are perfecting weapons for killing human beings. We may be disappointed by such a state of affairs; however, it is not a reason to despair. The fulfillment of the promise announced is very much in the hands of each individual person and not the governments. The troubles we see in the world do not begin with the missiles on the military base of some country but with the personal, domestic attitudes of each person. It is there that we should start transforming the instruments of war into instruments of peace. The ways are many. Wouldn’t it be possible to change my manner of speaking that leaves others feeling wounded? I need to be more respectful towards them. What about that look I cast on someone that makes them feel like a nonentity? Couldn’t I try to look at them more humanly, with love and respect? What about gesture I deliberately do to irritate others? Wouldn’t Advent be an opportune period to transform them into gestures of friendship and peace? In short, such missiles in my personal stock, often pointed at others, are the source of wars in my family or community. They are the ones I should transform if I want a more human and peaceful world. It means that the transformation must begin with me. We are in the hectic world which is providing us with all the facilities that accelerate our loss of the capacity to wait with patience. Since we don’t want to waste time cooking a meal in the kitchen, so we pick up a prepared meal from the supermarket. Because we have no time to waste sitting down with family or friends and enjoying the meal and the communion, the bite is packed in such a way we can eat while hurrying through the streets. Now, with digital gadgets, our will is done with just the press of a button. When I press the button two time, or even three times, and have no response, it is just unbearable. Advent shows us the capacity to wait. It includes living this season fully without rushing into Christmas prematurely. This season comes to test our ability to wait, waiting in joy and hope. Yes, we need patience because the promised peaceful world will not be fulfilled at the press of a button. It’s rather through the gradual transformation of our own attitudes and behavior. There is no shortcut. It is something we can only accomplish, with God’s grace, and through patience and mutual support of one another. I want to leave you with the last words of the First Reading that I find inspiring: “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” But what does it mean to be in the light? Here is a story from an unknown author.
A master speaks to his disciples, how can you tell when the night is over, and the day is on? One disciple replies, when you see an animal in the distance, and you can tell if it is a sheep or a goat. Another says, when you can see a tree in the distance, and know what type of fruit tree it is. But neither response pleases the master. The he says: “You know you are in the light and no longer in the darkness when you can look at the face of a human being and see there your brother or sister. If you cannot do this – no matter what time it is – you are still in the darkness.”
As we start this Advent season, let us keep this Advent prayer: “Lord, you invite me to wake from the sleep of my old self and put aside the darkness of hatred and disrespect for others. May this Advent, with the help of your grace, be the turning of a new page in my life. Yes, Lord, find me in watchful waiting when you return.“