1st Sunday of Advent year C

1st Sunday of Advent

The 1st Sunday of Advent is the beginning of a new liturgical year. Isn't it wonderful that we have a new beginning? Isn't it wonderful that we can start over, anew? No matter what had happened last year, we can now have a new beginning. The new liturgical year affords us that opportunity to start again, to begin anew. 

The new year allows us to return to the beginning of the life of Jesus. Advent is a time to prepare our hearts and to welcome Jesus once again into our lives. At Christmas, we will hear the story of Jesus' birth. Throughout the year, we reflect upon his words, his insights about the kingdom of heaven. We will see him heal people, allowing the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, the mute to speak, demons are exorcised, sinners are forgiven, the dead is raised. Then we will witness God's love through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. We will share in the victory of his resurrection. And we look forward with hope as we witness his ascension into heaven.

You may say to yourself, but we have already heard the story. We know the story by heart. We read the scriptures. We saw the movies: The Nativity, the Passion of the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, the Bible, etc. We have already done all these things. We're just repeating over and over again. There's nothing new. 

That's a temptation that must resist. To think that we have fully exhausted the wisdom, knowledge of the mysteries of the Gospel, the mystery of the Holy Trinity, God's wisdom and love. If we think that we fully understand everything about God the Trinity, that's a huge mistake.

The Gospel of Jesus can be liken to an ocean full of treasures. It is vast and wide with many hidden treasures! The more we search, the more spiritual treasures we discover. The more we search, the more we will discover about God. The more we search, the more we learn about ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses, our divine purpose.

Story:

The great Doctor of the Church St. Augustine of Hippo spent over 30 years working on his treatise De Trinitate [about the Holy Trinity], endeavoring to conceive an intelligible explanation for the mystery of the Trinity. 

He was walking by the seashore one day contemplating, trying to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity when he saw a small boy running back and forth from the water to a spot on the seashore. The boy was using a sea shell to carry the water from the ocean and place it into a small hole in the sand.

The Bishop of Hippo approached him and asked, “Young boy, what are doing?”

“I am trying to bring all the sea into this hole,” the boy replied with a sweet smile.

“But that is impossible, my dear child, the hole cannot contain all that water” said Augustine.

The boy paused in his work, stood up, looked into the eyes of the Saint, and replied, “It is no more impossible than what you are trying to do – comprehend the immensity of the mystery of the Holy Trinity with your small intelligence.”

The Saint was absorbed by such a keen response from that child, and turned his eyes from him for a short while. When he glanced down to ask him something else, the boy had vanished.

Some say that it was an Angel sent by God to teach Augustine a lesson on pride in learning. Others affirm it was the Christ-Child Himself who appeared to the Saint to remind him of the limits of human understanding before the great mysteries of our Faith.

As much as we think we know about God, there is so much more that we don't know. The new journey, beginning with Advent, allows us more time with Almighty God the Father, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 

In the Gospel today, Jesus said: 

"Be vigilant at all times."

With the wake of recent terrorists activities in France, it's important to be vigilant, to keep watch, to always keep our guard up. Our president calls us to be vigilant, especially in public places, and to speak up whenever we see something suspicious. He calls for greater security in airports, around borders, etc. 

The Holy Father, while doing his papal visit in Africa also spoke about the recent terrorists attacks, and how using God's name to justify violence is blasphemy. He said that a lack of education and poverty contribute towards the path of radicalism and extremism. So we must all do our part, to ensure good education among our youth, and to solve the problem of poverty through our works of mercy, charity and generosity.

Be vigilant, but not without hope. The prophet Jeremiah in our first reading today assures the people of God's promise. "I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days, Judah shall be safe, and Jerusalem shall dwell secure." Despite Jeremiah's many warnings about the temple destruction, hope is never lost. Be vigilant, but not without hope. 

Be vigilant at all times by conducting yourselves accordingly, is the message from St Paul today. Paul expected a lot from his fellow Christians, but he asks of them only what he expects of himself. As he once said: "Imitate me as I imitate Christ." It's a good teaching that before we expect anything of others, that we must first tread the path and lead by example.

God's word is not without its challenges, because its purpose is to save us. May the word of God breathe life into our soul, and from our iniquities, may it deliver us. Happy Advent, and may you be blessed throughout this new liturgical year.

God Bless you!