Homily Advent 1C: Learning patient waiting through Advent

Homily for Advent - 1st Sunday Year C 2018-2019 

Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28,34-36

Introduction 

When you come from another country like me, some American customs are just different, like playing football with your hands; others are strange like drinking ice-tea; and others still are completely new, like tailgating parties.  You see, in Uganda, we eat and get silly drunk only after we have won the game, not hours before the game, like you do with tailgating here in the US. 

Fortunately, this image of tailgating is useful for my homily today.  You see we Catholics have some tailgating of our own.  Before the two main points of our Church Calendar, that is Christmas and Easter, we put on a tailgate party of sorts.  The Season of Lent is the Catholic way of tailgating for Easter, while the Season of Advent, which we begin today, is the Catholic way of tailgating for Christmas.  So, what does Advent tail-gating look like? 

Scripture and Theology 

Advent prepares us, is a kind of tailgating for the two comings of Jesus: the first coming of Jesus at Christmas and his second coming at the end of time.  In fact, today's readings speak to both comings. 

In the first reading, the Lord promised through the Prophet Jeremiah that "The days are coming . . . when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah."  And what was that promise?  "I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land."  As we know, that shoot of David, that descendant of David would be Jesus Christ. 

For the next four weeks, we are going to be hearing about how the people of Israel prepared for the coming of Jesus. We shall hear how the prophets gave hope to the people of Israel that the Messiah would come and restore their Kingdom.  We shall hear how John the Baptist prepared the people proximately for the coming of Jesus.  The reason we rehash the experience of Israel is so that we can learn some lessons as we also do our own preparation for the Second coming of the Messiah. 

It is this Second coming that our gospel today spoke of in rather ominous terms.  We heard Jesus say: “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."  Jesus used these heavenly images because in that world people based their lives on the position of the sun, moon and stars; and so any changes in these celestial bodies and in nature would mark a serious upheaval, a sign that something really dramatic and terrible was about to happen.  These signs would therefore prefigure the coming of the Son, who they would see "coming in a cloud with power and great glory."  And then Jesus advised that "when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand."  In other words, as we wait for the Second Coming, we must be prepared. 

I learned something about waiting from when I was about ten.  Being the oldest child, my mother often left me to look after my three younger siblings, when she went on errands or when she went to work.  And before you accuse my mother of child abuse, hold your horses; for us children taking care of siblings was simply a lesson in responsibility.  Anyway, at first, like any self-respecting teenager, I chose not do what my mom asked me to do.  As they say, when the cat is away the mice will play.  I played the whole day, bossed my siblings around and each day invented new ways to be naughty. I would then try to guess when mom might be returning and destroy all evidence of my mischief before she got back. 

Now this strategy this worked sometimes, but sometimes it did not.  And I soon realized that playing Russian roulette in this way required way too much energy, too much planning and was way too stressful.  I realized that it was much easier simply to do my chores and do the right thing always.  That way, I did not have to worry if mom came back earlier than usual.  And so, besides the kudos she gave me for finding everything in order, I received another reward for being prepared, which is, that I spent my time watching and waiting with peace of mind. 

Advent is therefore a mock exercise of the waiting that we must do throughout our lives for the Second coming.  And Jesus warns us that our waiting must not be unfaithful.  He says: “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."  In other words, both our Advent tail-gating for Christmas, and the tailgating we do throughout the year for when he will come again, must be sober, diligent, and focused on God.  That is why he goes on to say: "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.” 

And so we are given four weeks of Advent, of being vigilant and praying, not just to prepare for Christmas, but in doing so to hone our skills in preparing for the final coming of the Lord on the Last Day.  And he surely will come, whether in our lifetime or after.  And if he comes back after we are dead, then before we die we must ready, since after death there is no more opportunity to prepare ourselves. 

Christian Life 

My friends, that is why we have to take advantage of the season of Advent and milk it for what it has to offer our spiritual lives.  I know that Advent, with its focus on waiting, is not as dramatic as Christmas or Easter.  And of course none of us likes to wait.  We don't like waiting at the doctor’s office or at the DMV office; we don’t like waiting in traffic or in line at the Black Friday sales; we don't like waiting to get on to a plane and to get off the plane. 

Perhaps exactly because we are an impatient people, always in a hurry, we need to celebrate the season of Advent and learn a little about patient waiting, especially waiting for the coming of the Lord.  We cannot give in to the world and move from Thanksgiving straight on to Christmas, running over Advent.  If anything, we can ask like children "are we there yet?" We should not with the world simply declare that "we are already there."  If we need a reason for the season of Advent, the reason is to learn a little about waiting without excitement, without drama, but with spiritual fruit. 

What kind of waiting and preparing must we then do during Advent? 

First, we have all the practical preparations to consider.  Where am I having Christmas dinner this year, grandma’s or the in-laws?  What about that Christmas shopping list – where can I find that latest gadget or religious book for my nieces and nephews and I might add, for my favourite priest?  And the decorations – they are not going to get put up by themselves, are they?   Yes, we need to do all these things – but this can't be the extent of our preparations for the coming of the Lord, both at Christmas and when he comes again. 

We must also prepare our spiritual lives.  We don't do this just in the liturgy at Church, but also in our personal lives.  Although Advent is not strictly speaking a penitential season like Lent, yet any waiting for the Lord must involve some conversion on our part, as shown by the colour purple we are wearing during Advent.  We do this best when we examine our souls to check the health of our relationship with God, with one another and with our very selves.  And if there is something terribly amiss, mortal sin, we go to confession and therefore get spiritually clean as we wait for the Lord’s coming – for we are not there yet. 

Conclusion 

Finally, I would like to propose to you, that on Christmas Eve or Christmas day, perhaps as you prepare to go to Mass you look back on the Season of Advent and ask yourself: 

• Have I tailgated for Christmas with the enthusiasm of the child who keeps asking “are we there yet?” 
• Have I also tailgated with the patience and hope of the adult Christian who knows that we are not yet there and must wait and watch faithfully and dutifully, soberly and patiently? 
• Has my observance of Advent made me a more patient person? 
• Has my observance of Advent made me a more hopeful person? 
• If the Lord were to return today, would he find me ready to receive him?