First Reading – Isaiah 63:16-17; 64:1.3-8;
Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 1:3-9;
Gospel – Mark 13:33-37
Today we begin the season of Advent. Advent means waiting or coming and we
wait for the coming of someone we love. During this season we focus on waiting
for the Lord, waiting for the coming of Jesus. We have the three fold waiting. We
know that Jesus has already come in history and we remember that during the
week before Christmas our waiting changes to waiting for our celebration of the
birth of Jesus. We also wait for his final coming at the end times when he will take
all to himself. We also experience his daily coming into our life through the
Eucharist, word of God and also in the various persons and events of life. Waiting
is something very important in the life of the human person. Anytime we wait we
do so because we expect something to happen or someone to come. In our daily
routine of life we wait for something to take place, maybe we wait for a friend, for
a bus or train, and there is the eagerness within us that makes us look forward to
something new that will take place. During Advent we look forward to Jesus who
will come in a total gesture of love: God becomes man. The Gospel of Mark
invites all to a spiritual vigilance. He tells us all to be ever alert so that the
coming of the Son does not find us unprepared for no one knows the day or hour
of his coming.
The first Sunday of Advent invites us to be ready to receive the Lord who is going
to come. This is the time of waiting and we await the one who is certain to come
to us. We must be ever alert and ready so that the coming of the Son does not
find us unprepared. Advent is a season for us to renew our hope because of the
coming of Christ. As we reflect upon the period of waiting for the first coming of
Jesus at Bethlehem, and as we begin to prepare for his coming now at Christmas,
we await his final coming into our lives.
The season of Advent begins with a sombre warning from Jesus to his disciples, to
be watchful and to be alert. Today’s Gospel is speaking on the level of the future
and present comings of Jesus. The key word placed before us is ‘readiness’. He
calls on his disciples to be on their guard and to stay awake, because they never
know when the time will come. Here Jesus gives a parable about a man travelling
abroad. He does two things: he gives various responsibilities to his servants to be
carried out while he is away; and he warns the doorkeeper to be vigilant. Jesus
tells each one of us to stay awake, because no one knows when the master of the
house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow, dawn. If he comes unexpectedly,
he must not find his chosen ones asleep and not at all prepared. Therefore he
asks all to stay awake and alert.
Jesus in the Gospel speaks of the here and now. He calls his disciples to focus on
the immediate events that will take place in the near future. He gives the example
of the faithful and trustworthy servants who behave loyally during the absence of
his master. They have their responsibilities and they know what they are
supposed to do. If they are faithful, they will carry out all those tasks given to
them whether the master is present or not. When the master does eventually
return, the faithful servants will be in good stead because they have done what
they were supposed to do. They have done their task with diligence and loyalty.
Today’s readings touch upon a number of spiritual issues. They reveal to us that
God is faithful, His Word being unchanging. They teach us the end result of
righteousness. They tell us that although we presently dwell in our present sinful
physical bodies that seek to oppose what is spiritual, we can still be blameless
before God on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. These are all very powerful
statements that deserve to be reviewed so that they may be understood. The
Gospel Reading reminds us that while Heaven and earth shall pass away, the
Words of the Lord shall not pass away. Every promise that He has made shall be
fulfilled. Thus Jesus gives us the warning: Watch. Do not be caught unawares. On
his part this is an eminently positive admonition and the guiding step. The
Christian who listens to the words of Jesus lives in permanent expectation of his
coming and will welcome him as the long-awaited Master arrives from his
journey. Secondly, to be on watch is to be aware each day, through prayer and
reflection that the ‘today’ of salvation is here and now