Homily Advent 1B: We are not there yet; watching and waiting for the Lord

 Homily for Advent - 1st Sunday Year B 2020-21

Isaiah 63:16-17;64:1.3-8; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37

Introduction

Tailgating parties – a uniquely American tradition of preparing for the football game by celebrating, sometimes for hours before the actual game.

Well, we Catholics have some tailgating of our own.  Before the two main highlights 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.  But unlike sports tail-gating, Lent and Advent are sober, restrained, even penitential kinds of preparation.  And so what is Advent for us?

Scripture and Theology

Advent celebrates the two comings of Jesus: the first coming of Jesus at Christmas as well as his second coming.  That is why we begin Advent today, not by hearing about preparations for Christmas, but by hearing about the end-times.

In today's gospel passage, Jesus says: "Be watchful! Be alert! "You do not know when the time will come."  Like the people of Israel waited for the Messiah to come the first time, we Christians wait for him to come again.  That is why Jesus compares himself to a man travelling abroad, leaving “his servants in charge, each with his own work.”  That is exactly what Jesus did when he returned to the Father on Ascension Day.  He left his work in the hands of the Church.  He left a job for each of us to do, some as deacons, priests and bishops, others are mothers, fathers and single lay people, others still as religious men and women.  We must be found doing something useful, when Jesus returns, “whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.”

I learned something about waiting when I was growing up in Uganda.  When my parents separated, even though I was only eight, I often had to help look after my three siblings, when my mother went on errands or when she went to work.  Ad before you accuse my mother of child abuse, there is nothing wrong with teaching children responsibility at an early age.  Anyway, at first, like any self-respecting teenager, I chose not do what my mom asked me to do; rather, 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 get ready for her by destroying all evidence of my mischief.

Now this strategy this worked sometimes, except when she came home early.  And I soon realized that playing Russian roulette in this way required way too much energy 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 good, which is, that I spent my time watching and waiting with peace of mind.

Similarly, Advent is a mock exercise of the waiting that we must do throughout our lives.  We are given four weeks of Advent, not just to prepare for Christmas, but to hone our skills in preparing for the coming of the Lord on the Last Day.

Christian Life

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.  We are an impatient people always in a hurry.  We are like the children in the back seat of the car who keep shouting “Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?”

We are not there yet.  And yet many, even us Catholics, simply skip over Advent and move straight from Thanksgiving straight on to Christmas.  Our television, radio and stores are already in Christmas mode.  Even Catholics have Christmas parties during Advent.  Unlike children who ask "are we there yet?" we don't even ask, we simply declare, "we are already there."  Advent is the perfect solution to this impatience of ours, a season that is all about waiting without excitement, watching without drama.

That is not to say that Advent watching and waiting must be idle.  Like the servants in the gospel story, our waiting must actively do something for the Kingdom, not by anticipating Christmas things, but by doing Advent things, which helps us watch and wait for the Lord’s coming.

Consider the symbols of Advent, which remind us of the waiting that we must do.  These symbols are not as glamorous as the Christmas ones, but nobody ever said that waiting for the Lord is glamorous.

·        There is the Advent wreath, the empty manger and the Jesse tree, all pointing to the waiting and watching for the birth of the Lord.

·        We also have some customs for the feast of St. Nicholas on December 6, the feast of St. Lucy on December 13^th and of course the feasts of Our Lady on December 8 and on December 12.

·        Even at Mass, you will notice a few Advent things: the vestments are the penitential colour of purple, we don’t sing the Gloria, and the wreath has five candles which we keep lighting one by one until Christmas Day when we light the big white candle in the middle that represents the Lord’s birth.

And yet, as important as these external signs and symbols of Advent are, even more important is the preparation we make to our personal spiritual lives.

1.    Although Advent is not strictly speaking a penitential season like Lent, yet any waiting for the Lord must involve some conversion on our part.  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, we go to confession and therefore get clean as we wait for the Lord’s coming – for we are not there yet.

2.    Many parishes also hold parish missions and Advent days of prayer and study – we go to them, to be nourished by God’s Word to prepare us for his coming, for we are not there yet.

3.    And then of course we must not think about ourselves, but of others as well.  The corporal and spiritual works of mercy are always there to remind us of how to prepare ourselves for the Lord's coming, as we take care of the material and spiritual needs of our brothers and sisters.

Besides the Advent symbols and our spiritual preparations, we also have to make the practical Christmas.  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 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 these cannot be the extent of our Advent preparations for the coming of the Lord.

Conclusion

But the watching and waiting we do during Advent is only practice, dress-rehearsal.  Learning to prepare well for Christmas teaches us how to prepare for when the Lord will call us, and for when he will return.  That long term waiting is something we do all our lives, and not just during the Advent season.

On Christmas Day or Eve , ask yourself:  Have I tailgated, waited for Christmas with the enthusiasm of the child who keeps asking “are we there yet?” Have I also waited with the patience and hard work of the adult who knows that we are not there yet?  Let these four weeks help us to watch and wait faithfully and patiently, so that when the Lord returns at Christmas, we shall be found ready.  More importantly, when he comes on the Last Day, we shall be found ready.