In the Season of Advent which we open today, we traditionally consider the “Two Comings” of Christ:
+ in His Birth at Bethlehem
+ in His return at the End of the World.
However, in his writings about Advent, the late Pope Benedict XVI speaks of a “Third Coming” of Christ which takes place between those other two, in the perpetual present moment:
+ His Coming to us in the Holy Eucharist
+ His continuing Self-giving in the Sacraments
+ His ongoing Revelation in Sacred Scripture, as He speaks to every generation
+ His loving Presence in the world, through our works of mercy, justice & charity
Christ present in our past, our present, and our future is witnessed in the three voices who speak to us today:
+ Christ Our Lord
+ The Apostle Saint Paul
+ The Prophet Isaiah
There is a rather pronounced contrast between these three voices in today’s Readings:
+ a frantic urgency in the words of Christ
+ a quiet patience in the prayer of Isaiah
+ the down-to-earth teaching of Saint Paul
Looking first at the Gospel: In the verse immediately preceding today’s passage, Our Lord says of His Second Coming at the end of the world: “Of that day or hour no one knows, not the angels in heaven nor even the Son, but only the Father.” This does not suggest that Christ was totally ignorant as to when the time will come, but simply saying that it’s not good for us to know.
Why?
Saint Ephrem wrote of this: “He wished to hide this from us so that we might remain on our guard and be aware that the Lord’s return might happen in our own lifetime.”
So, the Lord closes this brief dissertation with the one-word command: “Watch!” In fact, He uses the word “watch” three times in the space of just one paragraph, adding a sense of urgency to His words.
When He says, further, “May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping…” the Lord warns against spiritual complacency, or even dormancy, because that “Third Coming” with its Grace inherent in the present moment could well pass us by, and we could end up ill-equipped to meet Him either at the end of time, or at the First Judgment at the moment of our death.
But the Lord doesn’t leave us in the dark as to how to maintain this watchfulness. As Saint Paul will point out to us in five thoughts, He writes:
+ Grace has been bestowed on us.
+ In Christ we have been enriched with the necessary discourse and knowledge.
+ We are not lacking in any spiritual gift.
+ The Lord will keep you firm.
+ God is faithful.
So, we see that the Lord does not give us a sink-or-swim approach to the spiritual life, but stacks things in favor of our success. It is for us, then, to make use of the “tools” available to us through the Church, in order to keep our faith alive, awake, and vibrant, which is what this Season of Advent is really about.
The tools we are offering as a parish are:
+ a Continuing Ed. Program for Adults on Mondays
+ a Prayer Book, which you will receive as you leave today…
+ our Reconciliation Service, in two weeks.
This brings us now to the quiet, personal and intimate prayer of the Prophet Isaiah, one of my favorite passages in the whole of Advent. In his prayer, he says things directly and honestly to God,
First, asking God: “Why do you let us wander from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?” As though our imperfections and complacency are somehow God’s fault… but actually bespeaking a wish for Grace to overcome these imperfections and complacency.
Then he prays: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down…” An Advent desire for closeness with God asking that the transcendent God of heaven would become imminent, close to us here on earth … and make our conversion and transformation much easier… and come sooner.
He goes on to pray: “Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways.” This means that we don’t want to be caught outside the State of Grace… not just “being busy” religiously, but living our Faith to the point where we don’t fear the Lord’s Coming.
After this, he prays: “Behold, you are angry and we are sinful.” This suggests that we shouldn’t live in denial of our sin, but hoping for (and not presuming upon) God’s mercy… and that His Judgment will not be harsh, which would encourage us to do something about the sin in our life.
And, finally, he prays: “Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are but clay, and you the potter.” This speaks of a willingness to allow the Lord to rework us, reform us, and remake us into the thing of beauty which was His original intent when He created us.
While the Gospel passage gives us the jolting message to be on the watch, this quiet-but-honest prayer gives us the reassurance that while we await the Lord’s return, the Lord never leaves us to our own devices. So, let’s use what this Season has to offer wisely and creatively so that our lives become a perpetual Advent seeking the Lord Who Comes while in an ongoing State of Grace.