Be Vigilant at All Times and Pray, The Lay Institute of Divine Mercy, California, USA. 

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“Be vigilant at all times and pray….”    Luke 21:36.

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You know of course that our Christian scriptures were originally written in Greek, not Latin. So today, as we welcome the first Sunday of Advent, note that the word advent comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming”. This Latin word is a translation of the original Greek word “parousia”, παρουσία, which more often than not in the New Testament means the second coming of the Lord at the end of time. Perhaps this should be the word used in today’s gospel as it is so focussed on that specific moment when Jesus will return in all his glory. But it certainly trains our sights on the whole intent of Advent – the arrival of the Lord. We would normally mean this as a preparation for Christmas Day, but today’s readings remind us that there is a much greater meaning here. We should never forget that we are all on a much greater journey, one which will conclude with each of us standing before the Lord of Light, either when we are called from this life, or on the Last Day, should we be witness to that. 

So there are, it seems, three possible arrivals in mind here. First, of course, is the 25th December (or January 7 for our Orthodox and some of our Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters), the commemoration of the arrival of Jesus in our midst, poor, laying in a food trough for animals and visited by the shepherds, the poorest of the poor in that society. It is hard to imagine a more challenging start to anyone’s life! Then there is the certainty of each of us being called to judgment when we leave this world. We should be prepared for that moment. As today’s gospel 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”. Good advice for the Christmas season. Although this refers to the Second Coming, it can easily be applied to the last moments each one of us has on earth: are we ready, even if at Christmastide? But we should not forget that the reading’s intent is to remind us of the promise of the end of time, the parousia, the return of the Lord in majesty and power, to judge us all. Well, I know which one of those I am most comfortable with! The presents are being readied, the decorations are about to be put up, the special foods purchased, and on and on. As the song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” 

But these days everyone complains that the whole season is commercialized beyond imagination. Consider, for example, the humble Advent calendar on sale in many places. Some are “luxury” editions, with expensive gifts behind every day-gate. And that is just in anticipation of the day! Can’t help thinking that a donation to a favorite charity would be money better spent. Shouldn’t that be an automatic part of the season for all of us? I do remember that, as a child, Advent seemed endless, a long, long time waiting for Christmas to come. Perhaps there’s a lesson there too. It gives us time to prepare what’s in our mind and heart and set up the decorations to welcome the Lord into our very soul, the innermost me – you – us. The baby Lord should find there something better than a shabby dwelling in a cattle shelter, adequate to the need, but not suitable for the arrival of the King of the Universe, as last Sunday’s celebration says. Something beyond spring cleaning is called for here. So be it – let the preparation begin!

Christmas enacted in St. Patrick’s Church, North Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.

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