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Meditation: Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

1st Sunday of Advent

“They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud.” (Luke 21:27)

Don’t you find it strange that today’s Gospel reading would focus on the end times and not Christmas? But as confusing as this may seem at first, it really is appropriate. There are a lot of similarities between Christmas and the Second Coming.

First, there is the obvious similarity that both events are marked by the coming of Jesus. It’s true that he came as a baby at Christmas, and at the Second Coming, he will come as a conquering king. But in both instances, it’s still Jesus, the all-holy Son of God, who is breaking into our finite, limited world.

Second, in both instances Jesus comes to bring the kingdom of God. At Christmas, he came to inaugurate that kingdom through his preaching, his miracles, his death, and his resurrection. At the Second Coming, he will bring to fulfillment what he began at Christmas. All sin and suffering will be wiped away, and we will enter into eternal life with all the angels and saints.

Finally, both Christmas and the Second Coming are times of excitement mixed with awe. At Christmas, we hear angels singing, see a magnificent star, and watch Herod tremble with fear. At the Second Coming, the heavens will open to reveal Jesus, shining like the sun, and all who are opposed to him will face his judgment. Both are times of great hope that call us to examine our own lives.

So as Advent begins, think about who Jesus is for you. This little baby in a manger is also the Suffering Servant who gave up his life to set you free from sin and death. He is the Lord of all creation who is coming back to bring his faithful people to heaven. May God open our eyes this season, so that we can see Jesus in a new way and be transformed by what we see!

“Jesus, I want to dedicate this season to seeing you more fully. Come, Lord, and make me ready to greet you when you come again!”

Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14; 1 Thessalonians 3:12–4:2

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

1. The first reading opens with these words of great promise and warning: “The days are coming, says the Lord, …” As you prepare your hearts to celebrate Christmas this year, what steps can you take to receive the Lord into your life in a deeper way?

2. In the Responsorial Psalm, we ask God to “make known” to us his “ways,” to “teach” us his “paths”, and to “guide” us in his “truth” (Psalm 25:4-5). In what ways does God teach and reveal his intentions to you? What additional steps can you take each day, and especially during Advent, to be more attentive to his promptings?

3. In the second reading, St. Paul says that loving one another is the key to “being blameless in holiness” at the “coming of our Lord Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13). Why is there such a strong relationship between love and being ready to receive Christ at his “coming”? What are some practical steps you can take to demonstrate more deeply Christ’s love, and your love, to your family and to others? In what way will this love in action help them to be more ready to receive Christ?

4. In the Gospel, we also hear words that speak of the signs that will arise at the end of the world, the final return of Christ. We are cautioned to be vigilant, so that day doesn’t catch us “by surprise like a trap” (Luke 21:34). Sin causes us not to be vigilant. What does being vigilant mean to you? What are some things you can do to root out areas of sin and temptation in your life?

5. The meditation begins by asking this question: “Don’t you find it strange that today’s Gospel reading would focus on the end times and not Christmas?” How would you describe the similarities between Christmas and the Second Coming?

6. Take some time now to pray that the Lord would use this Advent Season to prepare your heart to receive Him more deeply this Christmas, and when he comes again in glory. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.

The Word Among Us

THE TIME WHEN JESUS CHRIST COMES AGAIN

(A biblical refection on the FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT [Year C] – 2 December 2012)

Gospel Reading: Luke 21:25-28,34-36

First Reading: Jer 33:14-16; Psalms: Ps 25:4-5,8-10,14; Second Reading: 1Thess 3:12 – 4:2

The Scripture Text

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on 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. Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

“But 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 strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Lk 21:25-28,34-36 RSV)

Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. The very word “Advent” means coming. But there are two comings of Jesus Christ: His first coming, when He was born of Mary in Bethlehem, and His second, when He will come again in glory at the end of time. And so the Church divides Advent into two parts.

The first part which begins today and goes until December 16, emphasizes preparation for the second coming of Jesus Christ. The second part, from December 17 through Christmas eve, emphasizes preparation for the celebration of His birth.

Advent should be a joyful time, since expectation of a happy event is always a happy thing. Though the “Gloria” is not said in the Holy Mass, it is omitted not because we are sad or sorrowful, but only so that on Christmas our singing of this great song of the angels may in a certain sense be a new experience for us. Today we begin the joyful expectation of the final coming of Jesus Christ at the end of time.

There is, however, something of a problem here. The picture that many of us have of the final coming is, at best, short of joy. We have the idea that it will be a terrifying experience: a great, awesome cataclysm with the world engulfed in fire and the fearsome judge of all men calling us to account for the least wrong we have done. How can we be expected to want the end of the world, and to look forward to it? And yet the early Christians had an intense yearning for it. That is strange to our present outlook. If the early Christians looked forward to the end of the world, and we dread it, it seems obvious that our notion is different from theirs.

It is not surprising that we are troubled by the thought of the end of the world. In the Gospel we have just heard, St. Luke paints an awesome picture. Frankly, we are not quite sure what this picture means. The images in the Gospel are taken largely from the Old Testament, and they refer to a judgment by God. But God’s judgment destroys one thing only: sin, not goodness. And the world, the universe is good. That is the view the early Christians had. That there will be a change, even an upheaval, at the end of time seems clear, but not in the sense of the annihilation of the universe, but in the sense of the final fulfilment of all things in Jesus Christ. All sin, all evil will be removed from the universe by the coming of Jesus Christ.

Notice what Jesus says in the Gospel: “Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Lk 21:28). “Redemption” here refers not only to people, but to all of creation. Jesus saves us not by taking us out of the world and out of our own history, as if the world and all that men have done are evil. Rather His redemption purifies and perfects all created things. Complete redemption means that in Jesus Christ this universe will reach the purpose for which God created it, and in Jesus Christ all of human history will find its meaning and fulfilment. We do not know just how all this will happen any more than we know when it will happen.

There is much fear in our times that the whole world may just blow up through nuclear explosions. There is no guarantee that this will not occur. But we must not be afraid that God is going to lose control of His creation or that men through their foolish genius will upset God’s plans for the universe. Whatever may happen from the human angle, God will send His Son in glory again when He has decided that the time has come for the end of our present world. But that time will be a new beginning for all of creation, a time of perfection without sin.

And, what of ourselves? Naturally, we live in hope that we will be part of that perfection without sin. And we will be, if we live according to the words of today’s Gospel: “Take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life …… But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength …” (Lk 21:34,36). We will have confidence and joy if we try to live in accord with the prayer of St. Paul in today’s epistle: “May the Lord make you increase and bound in love to one another and to all men, …… so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus ……” (1Thess 3:12).

Today we begin a new Church year. During this year, we will celebrate all the saving events of the life of Jesus Christ. But today as we begin, we look to the end. We look to the completion of all the good that Jesus began by His life on this earth, a completion that will come only at the end of time.

Like the early Christians, we should have an intense yearning for the final coming of Jesus Christ. As we will pray in the Preface, we should “watch for the day, hoping that the salvation promised us will be ours when Christ our Lord will come again in His glory” (Preface of Advent I, the Sunday Missal [A New Edition], page 62).

Short Prayer: Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit to renew Your Church. May we grow in faithfulness and godliness as we enter into this time of expectation. Revive us all with Your great power. Amen.