FIRST READING Jeremiah 33:14-16
The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: “The Lord our justice.”
SECOND READING 1 Thessalonians 3:12—4:2
Brothers and sisters: May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen. Finally, brothers and sisters, we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God—and as you are conducting yourselves—you do so even more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
GOSPEL Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
Jesus said to his disciples: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”
My sisters and brothers in Christ,
The days are coming! How often we have heard that the end of the world is coming and we must be ready! Many people thought that the world would end at the beginning of the new millennium, January 1, 2000. Others thought that it would end at the end of the Mayan calendar. If we go to the internet, we can find more dates for the end of the world.
When will Jesus return? The Gospel today gives us no particular date, but reminds us that we must be ready at all times. What does it mean to be ready? The second reading today gives us these words from Saint Paul: you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God. Saint Paul asks that we may increase and abound in love for one another and for all. To be ready for the coming of the Lord is to seek to love more.
The day is coming! We don’t know when. The Prophet Jeremiah in the first reading today is calling us to be aware of the promises of God. The Prophet is not trying to scare us, but to console us. God does what God has promised. For the Prophet Jeremiah, that promise includes raising up a just shoot for David, one who will do what is right and just in the land.
The day is coming! The day has come! Jesus appeared in our land, took on our flesh and died for us—and rose from the dead so that we might have life. We live today embracing that mystery and knowing that our personal lives will end and that our world will also end. The Prophet and Saint Paul and the Gospel today from Saint Luke are not trying to scare us. These inspired writings are seeking to draw us deeper into this mystery of faith that will bring us joy and delight in this life and life with Christ forever in the world to come.
Advent is about the coming of Jesus. Jesus comes into our world. Jesus comes into our personal lives. Jesus will come again at the end of our world. If we are not trying to love others because we have been loved, then we have not yet encountered the mystery of Jesus. We can encounter that mystery each day by trying to love others because we believe in Jesus. We can encounter that mystery each day in our Scriptures—but they must push us to love. We can encounter that mystery every day in the Mass and we can encounter that mystery every day in the mystery of the poor and downtrodden.
What does it take? A heart open to a mystery of God’s presence, a heart open to realize that there is more to life than just what we touch and feel. We want to hear Jesus as He speaks to our hearts and invites us to know the world from His vision and His love. Advent! Christ has already come in our world! May Christ be in our hearts! May we always be ready for Him to come again.
This whole Advent we can long for the Lord, long for His presence in our lives and long for him to transform us. This longing is expressed in how we live. Come, Lord Jesus! Help us love one another and all others.
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip