First Sunday of Advent, November 28, 2021

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Be prepared; Finding hope in the midst of waiting

Luke 21:25–28, 34–36

“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.

People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon 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.

But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”

“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. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth.

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.”

Music Meditations

Opening Prayer

Dear Lord, the expectations of what I ought to or should be, the expectations of what this Christmas season ought to or should be can distract me from an awareness that I and all humanity are held in the palm of your hand. Increase my trust in you and your word. In this time of waiting, let me use my time wisely to care for the planet and all who are on it. Help me to see that while I wait for you, you are already here through your Spirit.

Companions for the Journey

Adapted from “First Impressions,” a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

The liturgical year begins with the crashing of cymbals and the roar of kettle drums. With the new year we turn to a sequential reading of Luke’s gospel. But not the way one would read a book or a story—starting at the beginning and proceeding in an orderly manner to the end. As we get closer to Christmas we will go to the early chapters of Luke for the stories of the Visitation (4th Sunday in Advent) and then to the Nativity for the Christmas masses. On the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary time, the sequential readings begin in earnest as we proceed week by week through the gospel. Those who prefer order and a “proper” sequence in life will feel more satisfied—later on.

But not now; not at the beginning of Advent when the chaos described in today’s gospel (from chapter 21 in Luke) parallels the disruptions we feel today as we reflect on the world immediately within and around us—as well as the turmoil beyond our personal horizons in the wider world. No, Advent doesn’t begin with a lullaby story from Luke; it begins raucous and conflicted, the way life is for much of our world. Indeed, a closer reading of the Nativity stories will also reveal conflict and hints of the Christ child’s future passion and death right beneath the seeming-serene accounts of the birth, with its supporting cast of angels, shepherds and wise men. Don’t forget that evil Herod is also a part of the stories of the birth of the savior…

The gospel tells us today that the arrival of “the days” will not be easy. Much will happen before Christ can come again. Just prior to today’s passage Jesus told his disciples that they would have to give witness to his name (21:13). As a result, they will suffer persecution because of him (21:12-19) and then Jerusalem will be destroyed (21:20-24). After all this, “…then they will see the Son of Man coming…” And one can presume that after all he just told them, they will be very happy indeed to see him! We can draw some obvious conclusions from what Jesus is telling his disciples.

Having faith does not protect his followers from persecution; in fact, it is because of their faith that they will suffer. Disciples can take heart that we will be strengthened to bear witness in Christ’s name and that, after a period of trial and rejection, Jesus will return. Calamity marks the opening lines of today’s passage; but God’s salvation with Jesus’ return, is the dominant theme and conclusion. Even the faithful are not spared the trials, “For that day will assault everyone.” So, it is very important that the disciples stay alert, for the temptation is great to “go with the flow”—to blend into the dominant culture and adopt its values and habits of living. Jesus warns us not to fall asleep on the job. And what’s the job description for Christians? “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.” What will keep us awake and not overcome by anxiety?

Prayer.

Luke’s gospel has strong emphasis on the importance of prayer. There are temple scenes and times when Jesus bursts into spontaneous prayer. He also prays at important moments throughout the narrative (5:16; 3:21; 6:12, etc.) and he instructs his disciples on prayer (6:28; 10:2; 20:45-47, etc. ). Today’s passage, so filled with distressing signs and warnings of future frightening events, for everyone—including disciples—ends with a strong, typically Lucan reminder: “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength.”

Will the parts of the world that are corrupt, indulgent, lustful, aggressive and oppressive really pass away? Sounds like a wistful dream of someone who has lost contact with reality. Look around, can’t you see how entrenched the old ways are! Yes, they are, but even the implacable sun, moon and stars are going to show signs of the end of such dominance and of coming change. Powerful and firmly established powers will require an even more decisive power to uproot and cast them into the sea. And that’s exactly Jesus offers us. The encouragement he gives us to pray is not a pious tidbit attached to the end of his teaching. Prayer is essential if the disciples are to fulfill their call to vigilance against the surrounding seductive powers we encounter daily in overt and subtle ways: aggression, racism, political corruption, indifference to the blight of others, isolations from the community, greed and a host of other such forces.

The gospel’s apocalyptic language is very graphic. The upsetting events that are described are less predictions of how things will be, as much as metaphorical images to describe endings and beginnings. What is evil and persistently destructive to human beings will not last. God will see to that. There is going to be a great turnaround. God has promised and will also see to that!

But on a personal basis, anyone who has suffered great loss through: the death of a loved one, a breakup in a close relationship: the loss of a job in middle age; a disabling accident or illness; the decline of advanced age; civic strife; violence in the neighborhood or town in which they live; a child’s life ruined by drugs, etc.—any of these people would, in the midst of their crisis, say that today’s exaggerated biblical imagery describing endings and upheavals, is right on target. That’s the way it feels—the powers of the once-secure heavens are shaken. Everything has changed, life’s foundations have been removed.

What’s left? Nothing we usually count on. Except Jesus’ assurance that on “that day” he comes to help us. “Stand erect and raise your heads,” because, as impossible as it seems, he offers us new life. During the duress, he advises prayer to keep our faith from collapsing. People say that at such crisis moments they are unable to pray. There are people in the congregation going through such terrors right now. We can invite them just to be with us and let us do the praying for them until a time when they find their footing more secure and have a breath of new life. Then they may have to return the favor and carry us for a while in their prayer, for at one time or another, each of us experiences the end of a world.

We are not dreamers with our heads in the clouds. We are realists who must persevere in our mission of service to the world, while not getting overwhelmed by the size of our task. It is hard to believe at times, but something new is coming. It is awful dark out there, but we can see a light up ahead and it is drawing closer. With that vision sustained by prayer today we can renew our commitment to stand in vigilant service to the Lord and to wait with eyes wide open for his return. The gospel today may have its scary aspects, but the focus isn’t on the cataclysmic. God is the center of this narrative. We have looked at the reassuring face of Christ and know that God is in control and will not let go of us until Jesus returns.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Be vigilant at all times

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • How do you deal with waiting?
    What frustrates you the most?
    What keeps you waiting?
  • What realities of life are humans often in denial about?
    What do we do as humans to try to sleepwalk through difficult times?
    What does that “sleepwalking” look like?
  • How aware are you of the passage of time?
  • Describe a time in your life when someone has helped you through a great difficulty.
    Describe a time in your life when hope has carried you through a great difficulty.
  • In our present times, what are some things that frighten you?
    What are some “signs of the times”?
  • What are some things in your life that weigh you down?
  • What are some ways we can practice redemption to prepare for our meeting Christ?
    What is the role of prayer for you?
  • When you look at the world situation where do you see signs of our need for God’s presence?
    When you think of these situations what is your emotional response?
  • Do you see, in our world today, some signs that the kingdom of God is at hand?
    Do you see any signs of God’s loving care in your own life?
    Do you really believe that “all will be well”?
  • Luke tells the community of Christians that they should stand erect and raise their heads at the coming of Jesus.
    Do we need to hear this? Why?
  • What do you most look forward to this Christmas? How do you expect to spend the day? What are you hoping for?
  • How do you regard talk about the second coming of Christ?
    Does it frighten you?
    Does it comfort you?
    Or do you just ignore it?
    Why?
  • Do you believe that Jesus is already here?
  • From Daniel Harrington, S.J:
    Have you faced situations that you dreaded deeply but have been a source of great blessings for you or others?
  • When end times come for you personally, what do you want to be remembered for?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican style/Asking Questions:

From “First Impressions”, a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

And what about us? We are still waiting. Does our faith also seem gullible and naive to our unbelieving world? To our neighbors and co-workers? To our families? If Jesus doesn’t come back soon how can we prove the validity of our faith to observers? While Jesus has not returned to draw the final curtain, still one proof that he is already with his church are the signs of his presence. Jesus may be a long time in coming, but he certainly is already present when his disciples mirror his extraordinary acts like: forgiving the offender; dedicating their lives to caring for the poor and infirmed; challenging world powers to pursue peace; sharing from limited resources; raising a good family under stressful conditions; speaking up to local and national governments for just legislation; struggling to get a health plan for the poor etc.

These are just some ways we can practice what Jesus tells us in today’s gospel, “Be vigilant at all times and pray…,” until he returns. That’s how people will know the already-presence of Christ in the world—by the powerful signs at work in us, his disciples. As he instructed us, we will practice vigilance till he returns and be on the watch for ways to put into action the faith we profess here in church today. How do we do this? What gets in the way? What might be a corrective for our distractions?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Praying with Fantasy:

Write your own end of the world scenario, employing imagery that reflects our scientific, military and technological advances. Be sure to include your own ideas about the signs in the heavens and earth. Then add yourself into the mix: where will you be and what will you be doing? Who is there with you? How do you react? Describe how Jesus will appear. How do you feel about seeing him? Do you feel redemption is at hand for you? Why or why not? Who do you think will “make the cut”? Finally, pray to God about the things you need to be mindful of in order to “be ready”.

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

We all have times in our lives when we have been waiting for something. Recall several of those times. Has the experience of waiting been different at different times in your life? Who or what has sustained you during these periods of waiting? Have you ever sensed God’s sustaining presence during these times? Using Psalm 25 as a guide, write a letter to God expressing your thanks for the presence of the Spirit in your life, or asking God to make you more aware of the way in which God sustains you during such times.

Psalm 25

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 In you, O my God, I have trusted; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.
3 Let none who hope in you be put to shame; but shamed are those who wantonly break faith.
4 O Lord, make me know your ways. Teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth, and teach me; for you are the God of my salvation. I have hoped in you all day long.
6 Remember your compassion, O Lord, and your merciful love, for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. In your merciful love remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord.
8 Good and upright is the LORD; he shows the way to sinners.
9 He guides the humble in right judgment; to the humble he teaches his way.
10 All the Lord’s paths are mercy and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and commands.
11 O Lord, for the sake of your name, forgive my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who is this that fears the Lord? He will show him the path to choose.
13 His soul shall live in happiness, and his descendants shall possess the land.
14 The Lordʼs secret is for those who fear him; to them he reveals his covenant.
15 My eyes are always on the Lord, for he rescues my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and poor.
17 Relieve the anguish of my heart, and set me free from my distress.
18 See my lowliness and suffering, and take away all my sins.
19 See how many are my foes; with a violent hatred they hate me.
20 Preserve my life and rescue me. Let me not be put to shame, for in you I trust.
21 May integrity and virtue protect me, for I have hoped in you, O Lord.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, from all its distress.

Poetic Reflection:

The final stanza of “Little Gidding” (part 4 of T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets”) is a wonderful theological and personal meditation on the meaning of our lives in God…a good reflection for Advent:

With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this Calling We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. Through the unknown, unremembered gate When the last of earth left to discover Is that which was the beginning; At the source of the longest river The voice of the hidden waterfall And the children in the apple-tree Not known, because not looked for But heard, half-heard, in the stillness Between two waves of the sea. Quick now, here, now, always – A condition of complete simplicity (Costing not less than everything) And all shall be well and All manner of things shall be well When the tongues of flame are in-folded Into the crowned knot of fire And the fire and the rose are one.

Poetic Reflection:

This excerpt from the Fifties Beat Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti is a lighthearted introduction to the central issue of Advent: Advent is a time of waiting. But what are we waiting for, and how are we waiting?

“I Am Waiting”

I am waiting for my case to come up
and I am waiting for a rebirth of wonder
and I am waiting for someone to really discover America
and wail
and I am waiting for the American Eagle
to really spread its wings and straighten up and fly right
and I am waiting for the Age of Anxiety to drop dead
and I am waiting for the war to be fought
which will make the world safe for anarchy
I am waiting for the Second Coming
and I am waiting for a religious revival to sweep thru the state of Arizona
and I am waiting for the Grapes of Wrath to be stored
and I am waiting for them to prove that God is really American
and I am seriously waiting for Billy Graham and Elvis Presley
to exchange roles seriously
and I am waiting to see God on television piped onto church altars
if only they can find the right channel to tune in on
and I am waiting for the Last Supper to be served again
with a strange new appetizer
and I am perpetually awaiting a rebirth of wonder

and I am waiting for the meek to be blessed
and inherit the earth without taxes
and I am waiting for forests and animals
to reclaim the earth as theirs
and I am anxiously waiting for the secret of eternal life to be discovered
by an obscure general practitioner and save me forever from certain death
and I am waiting for life to begin
and I am waiting for the storms of life to be over
and I am perpetually awaiting
a rebirth of wonder

Poetic Reflection:

This poem by Mary Oliver, from Thirst, captures one way in which we might prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. What about the speaker’s heart makes her “receptive to the Lord”?

“Making the House Ready for the Lord”

Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice—it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances—but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will
come, Lord: you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.

Closing Prayer

Lord, today’s gospel calls me to be present, be awake, be aware. Help me to be more awake to your presence in my life and of the need to stay focused on the things that really matter. Keep me from the distractions of buying and getting, from the craziness and frenzy that this season can bring. Help me to be aware of the isolation and loneliness of others, and help me to be present to those in true need through my care and generosity.