Advent I [B]: Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mk 13:33-37

 

Years ago, when 20th Century Fox advertised in the New York papers to fill a vacancy in its sales force, one applicant replied: "I am at present selling furniture at the address below. You may judge my ability as a salesman if you will stop in to see me at anytime, pretending that you are interested in buying furniture. When you come in, you can identify me by my red hair. And I should have no way of identifying you. Such salesmanship as I exhibit during your visit, therefore, will be no more than my usual workday approach and not a special effort to impress a prospective employer." From among more than 1500 applicants, this guy got the job. ////Jesus wants us to be ready like that man. We don’t know when He’s coming back, so we should be prepared all the time.

In this gospel Jesus illustrates the need for alertness and readiness by comparing the situation of his followers to that of a gate-keeper in a house when the owner was out of the country.  Since the gate-keeper did not know when the owner of the house would return, he must always be ready if he did not want the owner to find him asleep.  In the same way, there is no reason for Christ's followers to be fearful, provided we are ready every day for Jesus' return.   Thus, our whole life should be a preparation to meet the master. We base this constant watch not on fear but on hope in God’s promise of eternal life.

Using Christ’s parable, the Church reminds us of the alertness and preparation needed for the four-fold coming of Jesus into our lives, namely: at the celebration of His Incarnation during this Christmas season, in His active presence  in our daily lives, at the moment of our death, and in his final coming in glory at the end of the world.

Jesus said to his disciples, "No man knows  about that day and that hour. Be watchful, be wakeful and be praying, for you do not know when the time is."  These words of Jesus place a great demand on us, that we must so live that it does not matter when he comes. It gives a great task of   being ready to receive him at any moment. Natural calamities and man-made disasters creep into human life unannounced, at the most unexpected time. 

 

To have an Advent project of being alert and watchful in the spirit of today’s Gospel is recommended.  Every morning when we get up, let us pray, “Lord, show me someone today with whom I may share your love, mercy and forgiveness.”  Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, "Whatever you do in your family, for your children, for your husband, for your wife, you do for Jesus."  Every night when we go to bed, let us ask ourselves, “Where have I found Christ today?”  The answer will be God’s Advent gift to us that day. By being alert and watchful we will receive an extra gift:  Christ himself.  Let us remember the saying of St. Thomas Aquinas: "Without God, I can't.  Without me, He won't."  

 

The season of Advent also reminds us that of all foolish things, to forget God and to become immersed in earthly things is the most foolish. In the fast pacing world, we do not have time. Often we wish that the day had at least a few more hours, that we can complete all our tasks. But, unfortunately, it cannot happen. So, we compromise, and postpone certain things. Always, the things that are postponed and dismissed are the things that are relating to God, the family prayer, Holy Mass, a get together in the Parish and other services. Leaving aside our obligations to God, we chase after fleeting momentary things. They stand ahead of us, like a mirage, appearing to be near but never within our reach. Thus, life becomes a futile chase, which leaves behind only a handful of regrets. In this season, the church advises us to be like a wise man who sets his goals high, and makes use of all the earthly things as a means to reach his goal.

In India, the natives use a technique to catch monkeys. They hollow out one end of a coconut and they put peanuts in there. The monkey puts his hand in the coconut and when he makes a fist to grab the peanuts, he's trapped. It doesn't occur to him right away to just let go of the food to get his hands back. Often we behave in this way. We sacrifice important things just for getting some small and insignificant things. Advent reminds us to set priorities and free ourselves of insignificant things we spend most of our time on and free up time for God and His concerns. Advent is a moment for giving the Lord our undivided attention so he can guide us to a better life.

In this season of Advent let us dedicate some time for introspection, for strengthening the family bond through family prayer and for encountering the Savior by personal prayer.