Readings & Reflections with Cardinal Tagle’s video: First Sunday of Advent A & Blessed Charles de Foucauld, December 1,2019

As I saw street light with advent lightings, it is now an advent season of hope. “Hope is not hope when its object is seen. We hope for what we do not see” (Rom 8:24). Hope looks to the future but always with an eye on the past.

The Gospel today calls us to look forward to the second coming of Christ, to wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior on that great day when he will right all wrongs, and he will establish everywhere and for all time his kingdom of justice, love and peace (Mt 24:37-44). “According to God’s promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pt 3:13).

As we look forward to the second coming of the Lord in glory, we look back to his first coming among us in his birth at Bethlehem. We acknowledge that “in times past God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through his Son” (Heb 1:1). God has sent his only begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ to be with us and to save us (Phil 2:5-11). How do I prepare myself to welcome Jesus at this season of advent? The answer is first: “Stay awake! You must be prepared” (Mt 24:42), not like the people in the days of Noah who were distracted by their eating and drinking to the imminent flood (Mt 24:38-39). Secondly, putting on the Lord Jesus Christ through faith. As Pope Benedict XVI puts it: “Faith is … a liberation of my I from its preoccupation with self, a liberation that sets me free to respond to the Father, to speak the Yes of love that sets me free to say Yes to being…. Faith is … a breaking out of the isolation that is the malady of my I. The act of faith is … a breaking open of the door of my subjectivity.”

Let our actions be guided by the following challenges: “God doesn’t ask that we be successful, only that we be faithful” (St. Teresa of Calcutta). And the more we appreciate Jesus’ gift of peace, the more we may be willing to do the hard work that peacemaking demands. Let us be faithful to obey the Lord Jesus’ teachings in His Church. The Church invites us to practice faithfully our prayers, receive the Eucharist every Sunday and following the example of the saints (CCC: 2720). How faithful am I in my practice of faith in preparation before His second coming? For more reflection on Advent resolutions click this link:  http://www.pagadiandiocese.org/2018/12/03/advent-the-forgotten-season-time-for-making-spiritual-resolutions/

AMDG+

Opening Prayer

“Lord, you have captured my heart for you. Make it strong in faith, steadfast in hope, and generous in love that I may seek to please you in all things and bring you glory.  Keep me ever watchful for the coming of your kingdom.” Amen.

Reading 1 IS 2:1-5 – The Lord will gather all nations into the eternal peace of the Kingdom of God.

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
the mountain of the LORD’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
one nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord!

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm PS 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my brothers and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Reading 2 ROM 13:11-14 – Our salvation is nearer.

Brothers and sisters:
You know the time;
it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.
For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed;
the night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light;
let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day,
not in orgies and drunkenness,
not in promiscuity and lust,
not in rivalry and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

The word of the Lord.

Alleluia CF. PS 85:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Show us Lord, your love;
and grant us your salvation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 24:37-44 – Stay awake, that you may be prepared!

Bishop Robert Barron’s Homily click below:

Getting the House in Order

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – In a dark hour

Dr. Scott Hahn’s reflection click below:

Jesus exaggerates in today’s Gospel when He claims not to know the day or the hour when He will come again.

He occasionally makes such overstatements to drive home a point we might otherwise miss (see Matthew 5:34; 23:9; Luke 14:26).

His point here is that the exact “hour” is not important. What is crucial is that we not postpone our repentance, that we be ready for Him—spiritually and morally—when He comes. For He will surely come, He tells us—like a thief in the night, like the flood in the time of Noah.

In today’s Epistle, Paul too compares the present age to a time of advancing darkness and night.

Though we sit in the darkness, overshadowed by death, we have seen arise the great light of our Lord who has come into our midst (see Matthew 4:16; John 1:9; 8:12). He is the true light, the life of the world. And His light continues to shine in His Church, the new Jerusalem promised by Isaiah in today’s First Reading.

In the Church, all nations stream to the God of Jacob, to worship and seek wisdom in the House of David. From the Church goes forth His word of instruction, the light of the Lord—that all might walk in His paths toward that eternal day when night will be no more (see Revelation 22:5).

By our Baptism we have been made children of the light and day (see Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5-7). It is time we start living like it—throwing off the fruitless works of darkness, the desires of the flesh, and walking by the light of His grace.

The hour is late as we begin a new Advent. Let us begin again in this Eucharist.

As we sing in today’s Psalm, let us go rejoicing to the House of the Lord. Let us give thanks to His name, keeping watch for His coming, knowing that our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. – Read the source: https://stpaulcenter.com/reflections/in-a-dark-hour-scott-hahn-reflects-on-the-first-sunday-in-advent 

Reflection 2 – Be ready for our Lord’s return

The coming of our Lord will be the day when the rewards and the punishment will be manifested to all. It is the time when our Lord Jesus returns to earth as King of Kings and Lord of all. This will be the time when all those who have been in heaven together with every believer considered in good standing with the Lord will be glorified. But this will also be the shameful and pitiful time for all those who did not make it to the narrow gate, for there will be wailing and grinding of teeth as one finds himself cast out.

Today’s gospel sets forth that we should always be ready for our Lord’s return. But the question that surfaces is how we ready ourselves for God’s return.  Discipline is the process of endurance which enables one to attain the character of our Lord Jesus. It is one difficult route everyone has to take if one hopes to behold our Lord face to face.

Another way we could ready ourselves is by having true and authentic love in our hearts as seen from the love that prevailed in the hearts of the Thessalonians 1 (1 Thes 3:7-13). Just like them, our love should be able to embrace fellow believers and all men, including those who are not one with us and those who cannot seem to accept us as their equal in Christ. Such was the model we have in the people of Thessalonica and as such it should be the kind of love we should have in our hearts.

If we have the same Christian love in our hearts in this life, we will certainly be blameless in the next. This implies the need for us to train ourselves to love all men without any reservation. We have to be able to spend our lives for the interests of others. When we have love in our hearts, we fulfill God’s foremost command to love Him above all and our neighbor as ourselves. In time, we will be blameless in holiness before our Heavenly Father.

As believers we should be faithful and far-sighted servants who care for God’s people. We should avoid being considered nominal servants whose lives are not affected by the prospect of God’s return. Such servants are complacent and are not yet ready for God’s kingdom. They will be pitifully judged and be given their rightful portion with the hypocrites and the sinners.

Direction: Living a life of love and standing firm (endurance/discipline) for Him are two ways to prepare for the return of Jesus.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, fill us with your love, O Lord so that we may, at anytime, be able to share your love with everyone. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Reflection 3 – “I’m Too Busy!”

A young lady was showing to her friend the two dogs she just bought. “This Doberman is named Rolex and this Rottweiler is Seiko. Cute names, don’t you think?” Her friend responded, “That’s strange! They are brand names of watches. They can’t be used as names for dogs!”  “Well, that’s what they are, anyway. They are my watch dogs!”

We begin this Sunday the Season of Advent. Once again, we hear the words of warning from the Lord: Keep watch! “You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Keeping watch is not just a matter of having watchdogs in your house. Life is a journey. As in any journey, we need to have focus on the road we are taking and on the destination we are heading. In driving, we are always warned of the dangers of having no focus. Talking over the cell phone or doing other things while driving are the major causes of vehicular accidents. So also, as we travel the road of life, we take care not to get distracted. We have to focus on the road and towards our destination: eternal union with God. Otherwise, we will get lost – for eternity!

In the Gospel, Jesus mentioned about the great Flood during the time of Noah. He noted how, before the Flood, the people “were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark.” (Mt. 24:38)They were definitely doing nothing wrong. They were engaged in perfectly normal and necessary human activities in the world. The problem was that they were too busy to take serious attention to the warnings of Noah about the impending disaster. They were too busy to notice the obvious signs.

This present world is in great danger, very much similar to that in Noah’s time, not so much due to threats of terrorism and nuclear devastation, but more due to man’s excessive and obsessive preoccupation in worldly affairs. The Lord warns us of the danger of being too busy. It effectively distracts us from the more essential realities in life. We become totally absorbed in personal and selfish interests and concerns, unmindful of the others. It limits our vision only to this world and we lose sight of heaven and eternity. In other words, being too busy in worldly affairs can make us drowsy and fall asleep, thereby unprepared for the sudden coming of the Lord. Hence, Jesus is telling us to wake up. St. Paul reminds us of our limited time in this world. “The night is advanced; the day is at hand.” The moment has come to wake up and “conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy.”

But nowadays, these warnings may most likely fall on deaf ears. Not only are there many people too busy and unaware of its serious dangers, but they also don’t want to be disturbed in whatever they are doing. When invited to come to Church, or to attend a formation seminar or any kind of religious or spiritual activity, the first and most common reason for refusal is: “I’m busy.” For too many people, the eternal destination is of least value and farthest from their minds. They have all the time to watch ballgames and other shows on TV and to do many other things, but they rarely have time for God. So when problems come, even minor ones, we see them thrown into panic, not knowing what to do and where to go, like a lost child running scared in a public park filled with unfamiliar faces.

On a larger context, this sad situation is clearly manifested in the absence of peace in the world. We witness never-ending wars all around us. In the first reading, we hear about the prophet Isaiah’s vision of a beautiful and promising future: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”

This is what mankind longs for – the time when there will be true and lasting peace, and the implements of war converted into plows and other food production implements. But it remains just a dream, so far from reality. This is because many people nowadays do not anymore take God seriously. They anxiously try to solve the problem of peace on negotiation tables, through various diplomatic courses of action, peace treaties, and even through the barrel of the gun. But rarely do they give attention to what the Scriptures says, “If God does not build the house, in vain do the builders labor; if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil.” St. Gerard Majella rightly said: “Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?”

Hence, the prophet Isaiah invites us, “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways and we may walk in his paths.” If we want peace, let us fix our focus on God, first and foremost. We must learn to worship and adore Him and follow His instructions and commandments.

Undoubtedly, Christmas is the busiest season of the year. We are now in the Season of Advent, precisely to prepare for Christmas. But we prepare, not in view of the flurry of activities and busy schedule ahead, but to silence our hearts, calm our bodies and minds and relax our spirits so that we can focus, not on the things that we pass by, no matter how attractive and enticing they are, but on the road before us that leads to true happiness and eternal salvation. Let these words of St. Vincent Ferrer serve as our guiding principle: “Whatever you do, think not of yourself, but of God.” A life totally focused on God is the best way to be watchful and ready for the Lord’s coming (Source: Fr. Mike Lagrimas, St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Amsterdam St., Capitol Park Homes, Matandang Balara, Quezon City 1119).

Reflection 4 – God is a thief.

[The concept of “God the Thief” comes from William Willimon; Fr. Bausch has developed it on his own.]

“If the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

In his letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul warns, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” Twice in the Book of Revelation it is written, “I will come like a thief.” We pause at this rude biblical figure of speech. God as the Good Shepherd, as the mother hen who gathers her chicks, as the way, the truth, and the life: yes, we can grasp these images. But God as a thief? We hate thieves. If you have ever had your house broken into, you know the sense of violation. The safe, secure sanctuary you call home never feels quite so safe anymore. An intruder has had the gall to finger your most intimate possessions. Is that what God is like? God a thief in the night?

But there it is in Scripture, and we must come to terms with this image. So how is God like a thief? I would suggest that this is so in three ways. First, like any thief worth his salt, God will circumvent our elaborate security systems. He will break through our false illusions. And one of these illusions is that we and our possessions are immutable, that our house and our money and our clothes and our car will last forever.

Another illusion is that the conditions of harmony and peace lie entirely in the use (or non-use) of force, and not in the human heart. Yet another illusion is that we are the center of the universe. The greatest spiritual truth is that our lives are not our own–yet we act as if they are.

Some of us indulge ourselves and eat to excess, then spend thousands of dollars on diet aids, exercise equipment, and personal trainers. All the while, there are people in the Sudan and other Third World countries who are being starved into oblivion. We continually upgrade our stock portfolios and follow extravagant lifestyles, as if the market will never crash or our current way of living come to an end. We live comfortably in a peaceful nation in a largely prosperous time. Yet secure behind locked doors, linked by FAXes, pagers, and cellular phones, connected by e-mail, people have never felt more scared or alone.

We act as if our money and our possessions are our lifelines, but like all lifelines there are two ends. However tightly we may grasp one end of this lifeline, if the other end is not secure, we will falter. God, the thief, steals our sense of security by showing us that the other end of our materialistic lifeline is straw. The stock market falls, our health wanes, our good looks fade, or we drop as we shop. The one-dimensional items, which we have made into the linchpins of our lives, are snatched away; we feel violated at the theft.

But this theft, like all tragedies, should leave us pondering what really matters, like people whose homes and possessions are snatched away by the thievery of natural disasters. These people, stripped of all illusions, will often exclaim with newfound insight: “At least we are still alive; at least we still have one another.” God the thief steals our false sense of security so that we may anchor ourselves in the one thing necessary: love of God and love of neighbor.

Secondly, like all thieves, God comes unannounced. A friend of mine just returned from the funeral of her niece in Ohio. This niece, a delightful person, was twenty-four years old. She woke up one morning, dressed for work, sat down for a cup of coffee, and fell over dead from an aneurysm. Her peers, looking down at the coffin, at this life snatched away so early, are wondering: what really matters?

Thirdly–no surprise–God is out to steal. God is out to steal our hearts, to offer us real joy and lasting happiness. Not comfort, mind you, or a life free of hurt; but joy and inner peace that no one can take from you. A sense of the sacred in the world, a horror of violating the planet, the need to be your brother’s keeper, to lose your life in order to save it: this is the security God offers.

God as thief is a powerful image. To illustrate this concept in another way, I want to share a story about a little boy who, like God the thief, stole a teacher’s heart.

Teddy Stallard certainly qualified as “one of the least”: disinterested in school; musty, wrinkled clothes; hair never combed; one of those kids with a deadpan face; an expressionless, glassy, unfocused stare. When Miss Thompson spoke to Teddy, he always answered in monosyllables.

Now Miss Thompson was a teacher with ambitions to someday become a vice-principal, a principal, and even superintendent of schools. So she played her cards carefully. For example, even though Miss Thompson said out loud that she loved all in her class the same, deep down inside she wasn’t being completely truthful. She made an exception for Teddy Stallard.

Oh, she didn’t outwardly disdain him. She was too savvy for that; it wouldn’t look good on her evaluation. But, truth to tell, she didn’t like the boy.

Whenever she marked Teddy’s papers, she got a certain perverse pleasure out of putting Xs next to the wrong answers, and when she put the Fs at the top of the papers, she always did it with a flair. She should have known better; she had Teddy’s records and she knew more about him than she wanted to admit. The records read:

First grade: Teddy shows promise with his work and attitude, but poor home situation.

Second grade: Teddy could do better. Mother is seriously ill. He receives little help at home.

Third grade: Teddy is a good boy but too serious. He is a slow learner. His mother died this year.

Fourth grade: Teddy is very slow, but well-behaved. His father shows no interest.

Christmas came, and the boys and girls in Miss Thompson’s class brought her Christmas presents. They piled their presents on her desk and crowded around to watch her open them. Among the presents there was one from Teddy Stallard. She was surprised that he had brought her a gift, but he had. Teddy’s gift was wrapped in brown paper and was held together with Scotch tape. On the paper were written these simple words: “For Miss Thompson from Teddy.”

When she opened Teddy’s present, out fell a gaudy, rhinestone bracelet with half the stones missing, and a bottle of cheap perfume. The other boys and girls began to giggle and smirk over Teddy’s gifts, but Miss Thompson at least had enough sense to silence them by immediately putting on the bracelet and putting some of the perfume on her wrist. Holding her wrist up for the other children to smell, she said, “Doesn’t it smell lovely?” And the children, taking their cues from the teacher, readily agreed with “oohs” and “aahs.”

At the end of the day, when school was over and the other children had left, Teddy lingered behind. He slowly came over to her desk and said softly, “Miss Thompson…Miss Thompson, you smell just like my mother…and her bracelet looks real pretty on you, too. I’m glad you liked my presents.” When Teddy left, Miss Thompson got down on her knees and asked God to forgive her.

The next day when the children came to school, they were welcomed by a new teacher. Miss Thompson had become a different person. She was no longer just a teacher; she had become an agent of God. She was now a person committed to loving her children and doing things for them that would live on after her. She helped all the children but especially the slow ones, and especially Teddy Stallard. By the end of that school year Teddy showed dramatic improvement. He had caught up with most of the students and was even ahead of some.

She didn’t hear from Teddy for a long time. Then one day, she received a note that read:

Dear Miss Thompson,

I wanted you to be the first to know: I will be graduating second in my class.

Love, Teddy Stallard.

Four years later, another note came:

Dear Miss Thompson,

They just told me I will be graduating first in my class. I wanted you to be the first to know. The university has not been easy, but I liked it.

Love, Teddy Stallard.

And four years later:

Dear Miss Thompson,

As of today, I am Theodore Stallard, M.D. How about that? I wanted you to be the first to know I am getting married next month, the 27th to be exact. I want you to come and sit where my mother would sit if she were alive. You are the only family I have now: Dad died last year.

Love, Teddy Stallard.

Miss Thompson went to that wedding and sat where Teddy’s mother would have sat. She deserved to sit there; she had done something for Teddy that he could never forget.

Let me tell you this: Miss Thompson, who is still a much-beloved teacher, went to that wedding and sat where Teddy’s mother would have sat. She thought to herself, “This is better than being a superintendent.” Her blind ambition and drive for success had been snatched away. Her subtle dishonesty and disdain were stolen by a child she disliked. Her superficial dreams were violated by charity. You know what? Miss Thompson was a victim of God the thief. (Source: Fr. William J. Bausch. The Word in and out of Season. Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 2001, pp. 10-14).

Reflection 5 – Now is the time

        It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. No one likes to be awakened. We enjoy our slumber and resent being thrust into the new environment of consciousness. Fr. Bernard Lonergan used the term “drifters” on occasion to liken those who take no account of their choice to ones who simply meander through life like sleepwalkers. They say it is dangerous to try to awaken a sleepwalker. In contrast, Jesus knew how dangerous it was to leave us in our drifting, slumbering state of sin and so he took a chance to awaken us. Such an action cost him his life, as it has cost countless martyrs after him. His movement to awaken our sin-induced numbness and its consequences are urgent. He compares his coming in the flesh to a thief breaking into someone’s home. It is better that Christ break into the slumber of our sin than to have death catch us in that same sin. If death catches us in mortal sin it is too late to awaken; death itself has defined us. But if we allow Christ to stir the conscience, however painful an awakening it is, then soon life itself will stream into the mind and what we mistook for life (sin) will now be seen for what it is, death and darkness. If we were all to be placed in a completely darkened room for many weeks we would at first resent the rescuers who broke through the doors and windows bring sunlight to our eyes. “Close the doors,” we would shout, “Board the windows again, the light is too bright.” And so we resist the rescuing “thief” who breaks into our darkness in order to give us healing and love. We have grown used to darkness, to the self alone. We have come to mistake such an existence as life to the full. In fact it is a dangerous life, a life at once real in its consequences (damnation) and yet set against truth.

Such a life is the birthplace of hell. We are instead to let the Spirit rouse our consciences and to lift our heads from gazing only upon the self and the flesh. As Isaiah teaches, “Come let us walk in the light of the Lord.” And Jesus himself instructs us to “throw off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light.” As Advent begins we can make a firm resolution to ask the Spirit to make us aware of the places we hide from the light of God’s love. These places are our favorite sins, sins so familiar to us that we run to them for false consolation. We run there with such ease that we no longer even feel them, see them, smell them as sins. We have grown at home in them. There is nothing shocking or new in our sins, and so when Christ breaks into our dilapidated but familiar homes with grace, we label him the intruder, the thief. Christ is the one who wants to take from us, and make us unhappy. This is the old satanic trick – to get us to think Christ is the enemy of our happiness. Even though we do not like to be awoken from sleep, let us beg Christ to do this to us this Advent. Come, Lord, and make a great deal of racket. Awaken us! Do not leave us to the lies in which we now live, do not let death find us first. You find us first, Lord – hurry and come, Lord Jesus. Maranatha! (Source: Deacon James keating, Ph.D., “Homilies for Sunday Liturgies and Feasts,” Homiletic & Pastoral Review, Vo. CXI, No. 1. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, October 2010, pp. 37-38; Suggested Reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church #672; 1036;2697-2724).

Reflection 6 – The Lord is coming.

Do you know what it feels like when you expect a friend to come whom you haven’t seen for some time, and he or she delays? Or when you get excited because you are anticipating some important or life-changing event to take place, and you wake up in the morning with that thought on your mind? The Lord Jesus expects us to watch in great anticipation for the most important event of all — his return in glory at the end of time! The prophets foretold the coming of the Lord when he shall judge between the nations and decide for many peoples (Isaiah 2:5). The Advent season reminds us that we are living in the end times. The end times begins with the first coming of Christ (his Incarnation which we celebrate at Christmas) and culminates in his final return on the Day of Judgment. Jesus spoke of his return in glory at the end of time as a for certain fact.  Jesus’ audience understood the title, Son of Man, as referring to the Messianic prophecy of the Annointed King who comes to establish an everlasting kingdom over the earth (see Daniel 7:13). While the second coming is for certain, the time is unknown. The Lord’s judgment comes swiftly and often unexpectedly.  Jesus warns his listeners to not be caught off guard when that day arrives. It will surely come in God’s good time! Do you earnestly pray for God’s kingdom to come — here and now!

What does Jesus mean when he says that one will be taken and another left? Having the right friends, even those who are very close to God, will not guarantee our entry into heaven.  We can live and work with godly Christians, but no matter how close they may be to God, they cannot win a place for us in heaven. God offers each of us a personal invitation to accept his kingdom or to reject it.  There is really no middle ground.  We are either for God or against him, for his kingdom of righteousness or against it.  The choice is ours.  And God’s grace is available to those who are willing to believe in God and obey his word.

God knows our struggles and challenges well, and he gives grace and help wherever we need it.  But there is one excuse that God will not accept from us — that is trying to pass off personal responsibility for our lives and for our decisions to someone else.  God’s judges each of us individually according to how we have responded to his gracious invitation to live for his kingdom.  No one can discharge his or her duty by proxy or association.  The good news is that God is merciful and he gives grace to turn away from sin and the help we need to follow his way of holiness.  God’s judgment is good news for those who are ready to meet the Lord when he returns in his glory. He gives us fresh hope each day so we can keep our eyes on eternal reward waiting for us.  What is that reward we long for? It is God himself, the source of all beauty, truth and goodness, and the fullness of love and life that never ends.

In every age God issues his warning as a sign of mercy to those who will heed it.  The people in Noah’s time ignored the Lord’s warning of judgment. They missed the boat, literally! Whose boat are you taking — the world’s boat to false success and fleeting happiness or God’s boat to unending peace and fellowship with him in heaven? Those whose hope is firmly anchored in heaven will not be disappointed when God’s judgment comes. They rejoice even now that they will see the Lord in his glory! Is your hope firmly placed in God and in his kingdom of righteousness and peace?

Jesus concludes his warning with a parable about a robbery that could have been stopped. If you knew that a thief wanted to steal your inheritance, wouldn’t you guard it with your life?  How foolish to leave our treasure unguarded where the thief can easily steal. God promises each of us an inheritance and reward which he calls a “treasure beyond measure” (see the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price in Matthew 13:44-46). What is this treasure of immeasurable value?  It is the Lord himself who  is our treasure, and the kingdom he offers us is a kingdom of true and lasting peace, joy, and righteousness. The Lord offers us a personal relationship with him as his sons and daughters and the promise of eternal life as well. This invaluable and eternal treasure is more secure and it lasts longer than any earthly treasure could possibly last.  But it’s possible that we can lose our treasure and inheritance if we allow sin or Satan to rob us of faith and hope in God.  Do you keep your sight on the heavenly treasure which awaits you?

“Lord Jesus Christ, you are my hope and salvation.  Help me to never lose sight of the goal of heaven and give me fresh joy and zeal to live each day for your kingdom.”

Reflection 7 – Watch and be ready – the day of the Lord’s coming draws near

Why did Jesus compare “the coming of the Son of Man” with the “days of Noah” (Matthew 24:37)? Scripture describes both events as a day of judgment and the separation of the just from the unjust. It is a time when the Lord of heaven and earth gathers to himself those who are his own. Separation is an inevitable consequence of the fundamental choices people have made – whether for God or against God. The fundamental choices we make can either lead us towards God and his will for us or they can lead us in a direction that is opposed to God or contrary to his wisdom and plan for our lives and well-being.

The days of Noah 
The Book of Genesis describes why God chose to separate Noah and his family who were faithful to God from those who had utterly rejected God and corrupted the earth with violence and evil:

“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5), “with corruption and violence spreading everywhere” (Genesis 6:11-12).

Why did so many perish when the day of judgment came? They were caught completely unaware and unprepared for the disaster that swept them away. The Lord Jesus warned his disciples and he issues the same warning to us today – be alert and be prepared to meet the Lord today and every day – and when he comes again to judge the living and the dead.

The ark of refuge
Just as God provided a safe haven and place of refuge for Noah and his family in the ark which spared them from destruction (Genesis 7), the Lord provides for us today a place of refuge in the ark of his people – the body of Christ – who listen to his word and obey his voice. God made a covenant of peace with Noah and his descendants (Genesis 9:8-17). Noah’s ark was a prophetic sign and beacon of hope which prefigured the new covenant of everlasting peace which the Lord Jesus would accomplish through his atoning death on the cross, resurrection, and outpouring of the Holy Spirit on his disciples.

Jesus came to fulfill all the promises of God, including the covenant of peace which God made with Noah. Jesus’ first coming was a rescue mission to set us free from sin and condemnation and to give us new life in his Holy Spirit. Jesus died for our sins, rose to everlasting life, and is now seated in glory at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He now reigns over the heavens and the earth as the exalted Lord of creation. The Lord Jesus promised that he would return again in glory to complete the work of redemption which he began at his first coming.

Our merciful Savior is also our Judge and Vindicator
God fulfills all his promises to us in Jesus, our merciful Savior, who will come again as our Judge and Vindicator. Jesus told his disciples that the Father has given him all authority to execute judgments on the earth “because he is the Son of man” (John 5:27). The “Son of man” is a Messianic title for God’s anointed one who will overthrow God’s enemies and establish an everlasting kingdom of righteousness and peace. The “Son of man” is described in the Book of Daniel as the one who is given supreme authority to judge and execute justice on the earth (Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus came the first time to lay down his life as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world. He promises to return again at the “end of the age” to complete the work of restoration and final judgment. While we do not know the time of his return, we will not mistake it when it happens. It will be apparent to all, both to the followers of the Lord Jesus and to every inhabitant on the earth as well.

One is taken away and the other is left
How are we to live our lives now in light of Jesus’ promise to return again as our Lord and Judge on the final day of judgment? Jesus gives two striking images to illustrate the urgency of the need to not be caught off guard and unprepared when we are suddenly summoned to appear before the Lord on the day of judgment (Matthew 24:40-41). The first image Jesus used is a description of two men working together in the field – very likely close family members or close co-workers. One is suddenly taken away and the other is left. The image of two women who are working closely together repeats the theme of the sudden rupture and separation

Hilary of Poitiers (315-367) an early church father, Scripture scholar and writer, explains the meaning of this short parable.

“Christ shows that a judgment is coming, since between two people in a field, one is taken up and one left behind. Between two grinding at the mill, one is chosen and one rejected. Between two lying in bed, one departs and one remains. This teaching means that the separation of the faithful from the unfaithful will consist in one being accepted and the other abandoned. For, like the prophet says, when the wrath of God rises, the saints will be hidden in God’s chambers but the faithless will be left exposed to celestial fire. The two in the field therefore represent the faithful and the unfaithful, both of whom will be surprised by the day of the Lord in the midst of the world, in the course of their life’s work. They will be separated, one taken and the other left. It will be the same for the two grinding at the mill, which represents the work of the law. For only some of the Jews, like Elijah, believed through the apostles that they must be justified by faith. One group will be taken up through the faith that produces good works, and the other group will be abandoned in the fruitless works of the law, grinding in vain at a mill that will never produce heavenly food. (commentary ON MATTHEW 26.5)

What is striking about Jesus’ parable is the sudden and unexpected turn of events – a summons to appear before the Judge to hear his verdict on the day of reckoning when he acts to separate the just from the unjust.  All who had faith in Jesus Christ receive the just reward of everlasting joy and friendship in his kingdom of righteousness and peace.

The thief in the night
Jesus’ second story of the thief in the night (Matthew 24:43-44) brings home the necessity for constant watchfulness and being on guard to avert the danger of plunder and destruction, especially under the cover of darkness and secrecy! While no thief would announce his intention in advance, nor the time when he would strike, lack of vigilance would nonetheless invite disaster for those who do not keep a watchful eye and guard against the thief who would try to break in and steal. Satan tries to rob us of our faith in Jesus Christ and the treasure of the kingdom which Christ has won for us.

Advent people – watching with expectant faith and yearning for Christ’s coming
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the Day when the Lord would judge between the nations and establish peace over the earth. In that day the righteous – all peoples who believed in him and who listened to his teaching and instruction – would come to his holy mountain and house to worship him and dwell with him in everlasting peace (Isaiah 2:3-5). The Advent season reminds us that we are living in the time between the first coming and second coming of the Lord Jesus.

The Lord Jesus calls us to be alert and watchful for his coming. He comes to us each and every day and he knocks on the door of our heart and home. Do you listen for his voice and welcome him into your life? Let his word in the Scriptures and the work of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you draw you to a deeper faith, hope, and yearning for his kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. Those who wait upon the Lord today and listen to his word will not be disappointed. The Lord will come and bring you to his banquet table to feast with him.

“Lord Jesus, you have captured my heart for you. Make me strong in faith, steadfast in hope, and generous in love that I may seek to please you in all things and bring you glory and praise. Keep me ever watchful for the coming of your kingdom today and every day of my life.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/dec1.htm

Reflection 8 – Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.

At this time of year time seems to have a different perspective. Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas seem to come a long a lot faster. As a child it seemed as if Christmas would never come. Advent of course was a good start at moving closer to Christmas. However, those four weeks seemed like an eternity. In an attempt to move things along we thought lighting all the Advent candles at ounce would make it go faster. We thought opening all those little doors on the Advent calendar would push Christmas that much closer. Who would do such silly things…

On this first Sunday of Advent, the Church invites us to reflect on the mystery of time, eternity, and the end of time. We are told to be watchful. About being ready for Christ’s triumphant coming out of eternity into the world of time. His coming in the light of glory will come when we least expect it. He refers to Noah, they did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. The colorful language and imagery of His coming in glory seem frightful to us. But Jesus also warns us to be prepared for the Son of Man to come. We prepare ourselves first through prayer and the sacraments. We enter eternity through the doors of our everyday parish. This is what Christmas is about: God draws near, God becomes one of us and we are invited to meet the Mighty in the mundane.

This is why Advent is the time to be with Mary, the Church, our new Mother who grants us a new life in her Son Jesus:

CCC §411: The Christian tradition sees in this passage an announcement of the “New Adam” who, because he “became obedient unto death, even death on a cross”, makes amends superabundantly for the disobedience, of Adam. Furthermore many Fathers and Doctors of the Church have seen the woman announced in the Protoevangelium as Mary, the mother of Christ, the “new Eve”. Mary benefited first of all and uniquely from Christ’s victory over sin: she was preserved from all stain of original sin and by a special grace of God committed no sin of any kind during her whole earthly life.

In her perfect humanity, Mary is able to offer the Son of God the prefallen condition in which the human family was created and which is again ours in Christ. So, in one way the First Sunday of Advent is a time which bridges the awesomeness of the return of the Great King and the maternal and intimate nature of the weeks before Christmas.

So, even though the coming of Christ seems fearful at first with these images of celestial changes and utter confusion. These apocalyptic prophecies of great terror and destruction, of cosmic events in nature also inspire us to greater faithfulness. Our faith tells us that Christ has triumphed over all darkness, sin, and evil that we see in our world today. He has already won the battle. But we called to prepare our hearts by striving to be holy. In our preparing for Christ we begin to have a share in His great light of glory already here on earth. We prepare by stockpiling not things of this world but God’s grace in our hearts. We prepare by growing in union with Christ Jesus. We prepare by forming our hearts in devotion in private prayer, devotion to Our Blessed Mother, by taking time to be alone with Our Lord in Blessed Sacrament, and most of all by participating in the Holy Eucharist.

Our renewed preparation to follow Christ might start with a sense of obligation or fear. But as we grow closer to him we begin to follow him out of love. Our fear is purified by love. We are faithful to the gospel out of a real desire to be closer to him. We prepare ourselves in time for the coming of Christ.

In Advent we are called to have a broadened perspective. This broadened perspective is not of a political or ideological sense. It’s one of looking past the anxieties and troubles of this world and focusing on the world to come. When we focus on Christ we begin to live in love of the gospel. We are transformed. Our new way of living becomes contagious. In the way we live by God’s grace we have an effect on the world around us. Others begin to know Christ by the way we live and move and have our being. We prepare for Christ coming in our hearts in our spiritual life and we also then moved by the Spirit prepare also through acts of charity. We are called to in this time to practice works of charity in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and loving our neighbor in doing so we share the love of Christ. Love in the real sense, of desiring what is best for the other. The love Christ showed by dying on the Cross-and the love he shows by coming to us in the Sacrament of the Altar. When we live in his grace we become sharers in the reconstruction of creation as a whole. By our spiritual preparation, our broadened perspective has an effect on the whole world.

In this holy season we wait for Jesus to come into our hearts spiritually at Christmas. We also prepare our hearts to meet Him in His glory and in eternity. Christ calls us to be vigilant because, we do not know the day or hour when the Son of Man will come in glory. Let us take advantage of our time in this Advent. We most likely will not become saints over these quick four weeks. But we can renew our holy intentions of moving closer to Christ. In this time of watchfulness may we lose all fear and deepen our union with him­— he who came into the world as a little child to bring salvation. Let us pray in the holy Eucharist to grow closer to him, to know him, to serve him in love, and to wait for him in hopeful expectation. Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus! – By Fr. Aidan McDermott, OSB – Source: http://www.hprweb.com/2016/11/homilies-for-november-2016/

Reflection 9 – We must prepare our souls now

When something is urgent, we act without delay. When the fire department receives a call, they send out trucks within seconds. When someone having a heart attack enters an emergency room, the doctors begin treating the patient immediately. When a priest gets a call in the middle of the night informing him that someone is close to death, he jumps out of bed and dashes to the person’s bedside to administer the Sacraments. A slow response in an urgent situation can have devastating consequences. If a first responder delays action, it could mean the loss of life. If a priest delays action, it could mean the death of a person without the grace and consolation of the Church’s Sacraments. Moreover, a rapid response to a critical situation is only possible when we are properly prepared. Without basic preparation, the firefighter, doctor, or priest, would be ill-equipped or even completely useless when the desperate call comes.

There is an urgency that characterizes the entirety of Jesus’s preaching. Jesus begins his active ministry by saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mt 4:17). Today, on this first Sunday of Advent, the urgency of Jesus’s message intensifies. Jesus says, “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come” (Mt 24:42).

Why this urgency on the First Sunday of Advent? During this great season of preparation, the Church places before us the two comings of Christ. In the days immediately preceding Christmas, the Church focuses her attention on the Mystery of Christ’s coming in the flesh. However, for the first two weeks of Advent, the Church asks us to meditate deeply on Jesus’s second glorious coming at the end of time. Contemplating the Lord’s second coming helps us to understand why Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem in the first place. The Word became flesh in the fullness of time to draw all things to Himself, bringing salvation to a world sick with sin. Though we were not all present in Bethlehem two millennia ago, men and women from all times and places will see Him face to face when he comes again at the end of time.

Jesus, the One who says, “surely I am coming soon” (Rev 22:20), warns that if we do not prepare our hearts for the coming of the Son of Man, we risk the same fate as those who were “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” (Mt 24:38) up until the day when the flood waters came and covered the earth. God warned Noah about the coming flood and told him what he needed to do to protect his life and the lives of his family members. Since Noah was attentive to God’s warning and obeyed the directions given to him, he and his family were saved, while all else perished. Those who make the proper preparations have the guarantee of the Lord’s protection, just as Noah and his family were preserved from harm in the ark.

Although God only warned Noah the righteous man about the flood, God’s Son Jesus came to announce the message of salvation to more than just one man and his family. Jesus’s powerful warning, “stay awake!” (Mt 24:42) is issued to the disciples and to all nations. As St. Augustine notes, “[Jesus] said “watch,” not only to those who heard Him speak at the time, but to those who came after them, and to us, and to all who shall be after us, until his second coming” (Augustine, Epistle 199, 3). He issues this warning — this urgent message — because He does not want to see anyone left behind. None of us who have heard the Word of God proclaimed can claim ignorance. The Lord has advised us, “you also must be prepared for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Mt 24:44). Though we do not know the hour, we know that the Lord’s coming is imminent, and whether or not He comes again in the span of our lifetime, we will all be present at his second coming because, as we profess in the creed, “He will come again to judge the living and the dead” (Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed).

God gave Noah details about how the ark should be built. Jesus — Himself the Way and the Narrow Gate leading to salvation — has built for us a new ark, the Church. When we take refuge in this new ark, we are assured of safe passage to the shores of heaven. In this ark, the Lord Himself remains at the helm, teaching us through the Sacred Scriptures, and healing and nourishing us through the Sacraments.

The friends of the Lord, the saints, have a keen understanding of the urgency with which Jesus speaks. St. Paul reminds the Romans (and us) of Jesus’s urgent message. St. Paul says, “You know the time; it is the hour for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand” (Rom 13:11–12). The saints, always keeping the imminent coming of Christ in mind, persevere in a twofold way; they “throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light,” as St. Paul encourages. For St. Paul, to “put on the armor of light” (Rom 13:12) means to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 13:14) for Christ Himself is the Light of the World. In order to have the strength to “throw off the works of darkness” (Rom 13:12), we must be bathed in the Light that dispels all darkness, Christ our Light. The Prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before, knew this as well and so urged his listeners: “let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Is 2:5).

No doubt, it is difficult for us to maintain a constant awareness of the Lord’s coming since we are always worried and anxious about the things of the world — our families, our friends, and our work. So, on this First Sunday of Advent we beg God the Father to help us to internalize the urgency of Jesus’s words. We ask the Father to grant us “the resolve to run forth to meet . . . Christ with righteous deeds at his coming” (Collect, First Sunday of Advent), and “to teach us . . . to love the things of heaven and to hold fast to what endures…even now, as we walk amid passing things” (Prayer after Communion, First Sunday of Advent). Just as a first responder must be prepared at all times for a life-or-death situation, we must prepare our souls now, because we do not want to be caught off guard when the urgent call comes — when Christ comes. – Read the source: https://www.hprweb.com/2019/11/homilies-for-december-2019/

Reflection 10 – Christ’s 3 Visits: Our guest is here and is coming

Today in the Church we begin a new liturgical year, that is, a new journey of faith for the people of God. And as always, we begin with Advent.

The passage of the Gospel [for today] introduces us to one of the most representative themes of the time of Advent: the Lord’s visit to humanity. The first visit was made with the Incarnation, the birth of Jesus in the stable of Bethlehem. The second visit is in the present: the Lord visits us continually every day, he journeys at our side and is a consoling presence. And at the end will be the last visit, which we profess each time we recite the Creed, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” The Lord today speaks to us of this last of his visits, the one that will happen at the end of time, and he tells us where our journey will end.

The Word of God highlights the contrast between the normal development of things and daily routines, and the sudden arrival of the Lord. Jesus says, “In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away” (vs 38-39).

It always makes an impact on us when we think of the hours that precede a great calamity: everyone is calm, doing their normal normal things, without realizing that their lives are about to be changed.

The Gospel doesn’t want to make us afraid, but rather to open our horizons to the final, greater dimension, which relativizes everyday things and at the same time, makes them valuable and decisive. A relationship with the God who comes to visit us gives a distinct light, a weight, a symbolic value, to everything.

From this perspective also comes an invitation to sobriety, to not be dominated by the things of this world, by material realities, but instead to govern them.

If on the contrary we allow ourselves to be conditioned and dominated by those things, we cannot perceive that there is something much more important: our final encounter with the Lord who comes for us. In that moment, as the Gospel says, “Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left” (v. 40). It is an invitation to vigilance, because as we don’t know when He will come, we must be always ready to depart.

In this time of Advent, we are called to widen the horizons of our heart, to allow ourselves to be surprised by life, which presents us each day with its novelties. To do this, we must learn to not depend on our securities, on our closed way of thinking, because the Lord comes at an hour that we are not expecting. He comes to introduce us into a dimension that is greater and more beautiful.

Our Lady, the Virgin of Advent, helps us to not consider ourselves the owners of our lives, to not resist when the Lord comes to change our lives, but to be ready to allow ourselves to be visited by Him, this delightful and awaited guest, even though He will dismantle our plans (Source: Pope Francis at https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-being-ready-for-the-lords-visit/)

Reflection 11 – The hope that comes from heaven