Readings: Jeremiah 33:14-16, Ps. 25:4-5,8-9,10,14, 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2, Luke 21:25-28,34-36
“Take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare… But watch at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:34-36)
Dear friends in Christ, Christmas is just around the corner again. Indeed, many do not celebrate Christmas. There are even some Christians who are against the celebration of Christmas; there are those who argue about the origin of the feast, the date of the celebration, the kind of activities which tend to be associated with Christmas, the fact that Jesus Christ did not mandate us to celebrate his birth, the fact that evil-minded people tend to take advantage of our happiness during this season and so on.
Nevertheless, whether anyone likes it, Christmas this year will not be cancelled. We will celebrate it, but to make the most of our celebration, we must prepare very well. If you want this Christmas to be your best, start your preparations now. This is the whole essence of these four weeks before December 25th. The truth is that some have already started mundane preparations, such as year-long contributions to meetings and associations, buying cows and bags of rice, rearing chickens, goats, and rabbits, shopping for new clothes and shoes, repainting their houses, and hanging all sorts of decorations and lights.
These are mundane preparations that may help us enjoy Christmas. Still, without spiritual preparation, focusing our thoughts on Christ, reminding ourselves of the second coming of Christ, repainting our hearts and ridding ourselves of sin, we are just wasting our time and money. To help us get the most out of Christmas, the church offers us a season of deep spiritual preparation called Advent.
1. What is Advent?
The word Advent means “coming.” Who and what is coming? Our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we celebrate two types of “coming” at Advent: the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh (commemorating the Virgin birth of our Christ) and the second coming of Christ at the end of time. During the season of Advent, we think of the events leading up to the birth of Christ, but we also remind ourselves that Christ will come again and that this whole world will soon end. This is why today’s readings are laden with end-time (apocalyptic) imagery.
2. What are we Supposed to do During Advent?
Jesus answers this question in our Gospel passage today: “Take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare; for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. But watch at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:34-36)
The purple vestment we wear during Advent speaks volumes in that it reminds us of the season of Lent. Considering what Jesus says in today’s Gospel passage, we cannot but conclude that Advent is just like Lent – it is a time of:
a. Spiritual Vigilance against temptations, persecutions and attacks from the evil ones. Of course, this requires going for confession and being on guard lest you fall into temptation.
b. Abstinence from drunkenness (over-indulging the flesh; gluttony, immorality, etc.) Take a look at the Advent candles. What do they say to you? This is a time to let your light shine, not to disgrace Christ in the name of celebrating his birthday.
c. Prayerfulness. Advent is a time to pray more than ever before. If it is true that the evil ones tend to take advantage of this period of festivities to wreak havoc on people’s lives and property, then the best defence we have is PRAYER. Pray against road accidents, insecurity, kidnapping, armed robbery, inflation, etc. If anything at all makes you worry this period, pray about it. Devote more time to prayer.
3. What is the Ultimate Aim of Advent?
In the words of Jeremiah in today’s first reading, the essence of Advent is righteousness. Jeremiah says: “Behold the days are coming… at that time, I will cause a righteous Branch to spring from David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness… And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 33:14-16)
To fully get Jeremiah’s message in our first reading, it will help to read the whole of Jeremiah chapter 33. In verses 7, 8, and 9, God speaks through Jeremiah: “I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me and forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth.”
This city shall be to me a name of joy! Do you know a kind of joy comes when we can conquer our flesh? This is the joy God wants us to have, so we must battle sin and pursue righteousness more than ever before during this Advent period. If we observe our Advent properly, our joy on Christmas day would not simply be about the fact that Jesus was born; our joy would be that we have conquered certain bad habits and sinful behaviours.
St. Paul crowns everything up with a very powerful prayer in today’s second reading, a prayer that we are going to pray for ourselves now and throughout this Advent season: “May the Lord make (…me…) increase and abound in love to one another and all men… so that He may establish (…my heart…) unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13).
Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, at your second coming, whenever it may be, may you meet our hearts in a state of purity and holiness. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (1st Sunday of Advent Liturgical Colour: Violet. Bible Study: Jeremiah 33:14-16, Ps. 25:4-5,8-9,10,14, 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2, Luke 21:25-28,34-36).
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu