The theme this first week of Advent is watchfulness.
The very idea of “watchfulness” seems kind of exhausting, or perhaps even anxiety-filled. But it doesn’t have to be, as you’ll see. First, let’s examine what it means and why we refocus on this theme every Advent season.
Q: What does the word “Advent” mean?
A: Advent: coming into place, view, or being; arrival. Latin adventus “arrival, approach,” from ad- “toward” + ven- (venīre “to come”)
Advent in Christianity refers to two related events:
1) The First Coming of Christ into the world 2000 years ago; Advent representing the 4 weeks (Sundays) before Christmas; and
2) The Parousia (pair-oo-see-ah): the Second Coming of Christ; the time when Jesus Christ will return to judge humanity at the end of the world.
Q: We just finished Year 1 (“A”) of the Liturgical Reading Cycle, which was Matthew. We now begin Year “B”. What Gospel is read in Year B?
A: Mark
First Reading: Book of Isaiah
Isaiah is the first of the 4 major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel (as someone pointed out, you can remember this by the acronym JEDI!). Isaiah was famous for his Messianic prophecies. He lived in Judah during the fall of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria in 721 BC. He appears to have been instrumental in Judah not falling to Assyria at the same time.
Q: The Book of Isaiah is divided into 3 sections which represent 3 different biblical eras. What were the three sections of Isaiah called?
A: First Isaiah, Second Isaiah, and Third Isaiah.
See Prophet Chart
Today reading is from Third Isaiah. Notice how Isaiah is calling for the Lord’s to help like he did in the days of Moses and the Exodus, and to come down personally! This of course points to God answering the call by doing just that.
ISAIAH 63:11-12,16b,17b,19b; 64:2-7
Then they remembered the days of old, of Moses, his servant: Where is the one who brought up out of the sea the shepherd of his flock?
Where is the one who placed in their midst his holy spirit, Who guided Moses by the hand, with his glorious arm?
Where is the one who divided the waters before them, winning for himself an everlasting renown? The spirit of the LORD guided them!
Thus you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name; You, LORD, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever. Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with mountains quaking before you, while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for, such as they had not heard of from of old.
Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful; all of us have become like unclean people, all our good deeds are like polluted rags; we have all withered like leaves, and our guilt carries us away like the wind.
There is none who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to cling to you; for you have hidden your face from us and have delivered us up to our guilt.
Yet, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.
Q: What messianic language continued to develop from Isaiah's comparison to Moses and the Exodus?
A: The Messiah was prophesied to be a “new Moses” who would usher in a “New Exodus.”
Q: What would be the difference between the Old Exodus and New Exodus?
A: The Old Exodus would prefigure (or foreshadow) the New.
Old Exodus – from physical slavery to a physical freedom/promised land.
New Exodus – from spiritual slavery (to sin) to spiritual freedom and eternal life itself.
Context of Gospel
The New Year in the Church does not begin with the birth of Christ/Christmas, as might be expected. Perhaps it would if the life of Jesus Christ was the sum total of Christianity. But it isn’t.
Q: Why isn’t the life of Christ the sum total of Christianity?
A: Because the whole purpose of Jesus coming here was to save humans from a bad ending. He had to undo the Fall of Man and create a bridge for humans back to the Trinity. He did this, which enabled the Holy Spirit to come to us personally, starting with the Pentecost event.
But God did not take away our free will, so the story is not over.
The time between Christ’s First and Second Coming is the Messianic Era (or the era of the Holy Spirit). It is the time for humans to decide whether or not to take God up on his offer to follow him. If so, Jesus not only showed us the way and traveled it first, he is the way – he is the bridge.
Many people don’t like that our first parents got it wrong (resulting in the Fall of Man) and that it’s not fair to us. Although that logic is flawed, it is a moot point. Jesus Christ has reversed the Fall, which amounts to turning back the clock so that now everyone has the same choice that our first parents made. No more blaming them. Now it’s our turn.
So the life of Jesus Christ wasn’t the end but the beginning. We are not living the New Exodus. The end is his Second Coming. So, as we start our new year, it makes complete sense to take a good look at the finish line so we remain focused on why we are here and where we are going. Without this, life is temporary and meaningless, dry bones in a graveyard.
Mark 13:32-37
"But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father. Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge,
each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming,
whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'"
Q: When Jesus says, “But of that day or hour, no one knows…” what is he referring to?
A: His Return (Second Coming, 2nd Advent, Parousia).
Jesus tells a short parable in which a man travels abroad and leaves his servants in charge.
Q: Why did Jesus use this particular example for his parable?
Neither do we know the time of our own death and particular judgment.
This Gospel reading reminds us of the US Coast Guard motto: Semper Paratus, “Always Prepared.” This should be the Christian motto as well.
Q: Who are those caught sleeping when the master returns?
A: Those who are not doing the work the master gave them.
Q: What is the work the master gave them? How are we supposed to be “always prepared”?
A: Notice how Jesus refers to “placing servants in charge, each with his work.” The way we stay prepared is by faithful to God in the lives we have – in our own families, our jobs, and our communities. By doing our professional work honestly and with excellence; by fulfilling our duties to our families with care and love; by speaking about Christ to those who will listen; by communicating with God on a daily basis; by living a life of modesty and moderation; by taking time to help and serve others whenever the opportunity presents itself – and even when it doesn’t.
If we are busy with these things, we can anticipate the coming of Christ with joy, not foreboding. Watching is not looking up at the sky or over one’s shoulder. Watching is doing.
Q: What about if I am falling short?
No matter how short we fall, or how far we have to go, we are to remember the last line of Isaiah: “Yet, O LORD, you are our father.” That’s the best news of all. God will not allow any of our shortcomings to separate us from Him on the last day as long as we keep him in our lives.
Q: What is “the Connection” between the Jesus coming the First Time and Jesus coming the Second Time?
A: The Eucharist. Jesus is the bread of life. Just as he incarnated himself as a human, he incarnated himself into the bread and wine at the Last Supper. He is personally is helping us transform ourselves.
Prayer II
Q: Does a wandering mind cancel out the value of prayer?
We finished last week saying that simply the intention to pray is the beginning of prayer. I found this stunning quote from Thomas Aquinas:
“It is not necessary that prayer should be attentive throughout; because the force of the original intention with which one sets about praying renders the whole prayer meritorious.” - Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae
This is not to say that less attentive prayer is better than attentive prayer, but it is to say that just because your mind may wander is no reason to despair, or stop. It still counts, whereas no prayer does not count. Every time you say, “Lord…” it is an act of free will and faith that opens the door so God can enter. This is what Jesus meant by saying, “knock and the door will be opened.” (Matt 7:7)
Q: If God loves us just the way we are, why do we need to pray?
Whoever said that “God loves us just the way we are” is not a Christian. If we are just fine the way we are, why do we need God? If we are fine the way we are, why did Christ come here? If we are fine the way we are, clearly nobody needs to be saved. Because if we are fine the way we are, then selfishness and sin aren’t a problem. Nor does anyone need to improve. Just the 100 billion self-help books and 10 million therapists in the world should tell us that we are not fine, and that everyone knows they need to improve. That we are “fine the way we are” is an illogical, silly statement that sounds kind of brilliant which probably means the Devil concocted it.
The true statement is that God loves us no matter our condition and He will welcome anyone no matter how bad or loathsome they have been. Jesus showed this day after day. But did Jesus stop there? No, sir; that was just their beginning. To the prostitute and the tax collector and social outcasts he said, “Your sins are forgiven,” but then, “go and sin no more.” Yes, God is willing to forgive constantly, like a loving parent does with their kids. But neither God nor any good parent would give their approval for anyone to do whatever mean or selfish things they want.
When we say that everyone can always improve, we’re not just talking about our earthly skills. We are talking about God’s definition of love: loving your fellow man, humility, kindness, serving others especially those who are in need. We do this in relationship and partnership with God because He will teach us along the way, which is how we grow in wisdom and love. In this process, we grow closer and closer to who we were meant to me, both here and eternally.
God is spiritual so there are no pictures that will do this analogy justice; but think for a moment of God as an intelligent spiritual energy force from which all creation came. That force is all powerful, all knowing, all present, and, for those beings who were given a spiritual natures like God’s, all Goodness and all Love.
We have both a physical nature and spiritual nature. Our spiritual nature gives us the connection to this perfect Good and Love. Our job is to learn about them from God and implement them into our physical lives.
Through continual trial, error, and prayer/communication with God, we get better; and, as we get better, we move closer to God. Now, there is an infinite distance between us and God, so we will never reach/become God, but the closer we get the more we can experience the joy of God’s presence. (Mona Lisa story.)
So, to say that God loves us the way we are is to suggest that God does not care if we move any closer to Him. Nonsense.
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