Homily for November 28, 2004
Liturgical Year A - Cycle I
1st Sunday of Advent

Reading
Is 2: 1-5
This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.In days to come, the mountain of the LORD's houseshall be established as the highest mountainand raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say:"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths." For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!

Reading
Rom 13: 11 - 14
Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

Gospel Reading
Mt 24: 37- 44
Jesus said to his disciples: "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.  Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

Happy New Year!  Welcome to a new liturgical year, as indicated by the new Heritage Missals.   I am not sure that I am looking forward to another year - liturgical or calendar.  That’s because they seem to zoom by me in a matter of a few months, along with another birthday. That makes me keenly aware of the basic message of today’s gospel, “Stay awake and be prepared.”

A famous playwright, who was also in his eighties, was asked about his outlook on life.  He said that in general, it was like a rather good play.  However, he added that he thought the last act was poorly written.  Mark Twain may have figured out a reason for feeling that way.  Twain claimed that as an old man, he had known a great many troubles and most of them never happened.  And to that, I say, “Amen!”

Today, Jesus reminds us, “You do not know the day, and therefore you must be prepared, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”  Perhaps as He spoke quietly with His friends towards the end of His life, He remembered His beginning.  He probably recalled how unprepared the human race had been to receive Him, when He entered this world as a human being.  It is true that the chosen people had plenty of warnings.  For centuries, prophets like Isaiah in today’s first reading, had promised that a messiah, a savior, would come.  Over the years, many mistook the message or forgot it all together.  They were busy about other things – getting through each day, going to work, having fun, studying for exams, getting married, having children, going to doctors – sounds familiar, even today.  After a while, the only savior that made any sense to them was someone who could make their daily life easier.
 
Three years ago, we faced the most challenging time for our nation, and our world.  The date September 11 became a watchword for horror, fear, and terrorism.  War, which we profess to abhor, became a reality.  We definitely were not prepared for September 11.  Three years later, we find ourselves not wanting to live in constant fear, yet wondering if terror, destruction, and death are around the corner from us.  However, these scriptures give us words of hope.  Isaiah the prophet reminds us that “the day is coming when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain, toward which all nations shall sing.  God Himself has judged between the nations, and they have beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.”  When Jesus first came into this world, the world was not ready for Him.  Many ignored Him for thirty years, used Him three more, and then killed Him in three days.  They did not see the Coming of the Lord, nor did they mourn His passing, because they were not alert to His presence.  And so it will be for each of us, if we merely toil around on our merry-go-round life and ignore today’s message of, “Stay awake and be prepared.”

In order to be people of justice and peace, in order to beat our swords into plowshares, in order to respect the life and dignity of every human person, and be prepared for all the contingencies of life, we must put on the Lord Jesus Christ, as Paul indicated in the second reading.  By our baptism and sacraments, we do put on Christ, but we must also do it in the world where we live.  People who look at us should be able to recognize us as disciples of Jesus.  They may be with us or against us, one of us or our enemy, but they should be able to see the image and likeness of God which Jesus stamps on us at our baptism.  Our words and actions should show that we are prepared, that we are His disciples, and that we desire to do justice and peace.  If we have put on the Lord Jesus Christ, we need not live in constant fear.  We may be afraid to die; we may be afraid to fail but it should not paralyze us.  We should instead, live our lives in such a way that when the Lord comes to each of us at the end of our lives, or all of us at the end of time, we are ready to look upon His face and see there His forgiveness and His love.

Amen.