A story is told of the photographer taking a picture. He says to the woman, “Smile pretty for the camera.” A moment later, “OK, madam, you can resume your usual face.” Whether you and I will have a successful Advent these next four weeks will depend on the attitude or face we bring to it today. We must stay awake, as Jesus advises us in this Gospel, and on top of our game. If affirmative, this first week in a fresh Liturgical year might quite literally alter our lives.
We would all do well to make our own this season the prayer of the Jesuit poet Gerard Manly Hopkins: “O thou Lord of life, send my roots rain.”
Scholars trace the season of Advent back to the fifth century. It was placed in the Liturgical calendar of the Church so that we might purge out of ourselves all that is wrong. In a word, we have the opportunity to remake our own selves anew. And we have the luxury of four weeks to do the job in. Become then a twenty-eight day wonder.
When you look at yourself and your sometimes monumental flaws, do not become overawed. The Chinese advise us the way to move a mountain is by beginning to carry small stones. You would do well to bring a pail and a shovel to this Advent. And the Christ advises us in Matthew 17, 20, “If you have faith…, you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there!’, and it will move; nothing will prove impossible for you.”
This new season invites each of us to become all that we can be.
The quarry you hunt is yourself. The Greek philosopher Plato, who lived out his life several centuries before Christ, wrote, “The greatest victory in the world is the victory of self-conquest.” There is no one who will challenge that wisdom.
The most serious coronary disease in the world is not a blockage of the arteries but rather hardness of the heart. If you are not willing to recast yourself into a more attractive Christian this Advent, you do have a serious heart condition.
While God does not require you to be the best in the several weeks ahead, He surely wants you to try your best.
This day’s Gospel speaks of the “Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” When will He come? Many would-be prophets have given a day, month, and year to that question. As 1000 AD approached, a number of Christians in many countries were convinced that the Second Coming was about to occur. So, they settled all their affairs. Then they just settled back to wait for the Christ. It is reported that some even starved to death. A celebrated evangelist in 1950 promised that the end of the world would come on January 1st, 1957. It will not surprise you to learn that he stopped reminding his followers of that prediction on January 2nd, 1957.
Someone has suggested that every day should be considered a day of judgment. Live, said the prophet, as if Jesus died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back at any moment. We must labor in the now and here. The question of the Second Coming we must place on the back burner. The Teacher will plan His own arrival and set up His own schedule.
If you are looking for an Advent program, you might consider the following. These admonitions by an unknown author were sent by a friend. Perhaps she was telling me something. “Smile often. Pray. Tell those that you love that you do. Rediscover old friends. Make new ones. Hope. Grow. Give. Give in. Buy some flowers. Share them. Keep a promise. Laugh often. Reach out. Hug a child. Slow down. See a sunrise. Listen to rain. Trust life. Have faith. Enjoy. Make some mistakes. Learn from them. Explore the unknown. Celebrate your own life. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.”
Perhaps the same author has written the prayer we should recite daily this Advent. “Help us this day, O Lord, to serve thee devoutly and the world busily. May we do our work wisely, give help secretly, go to our meal with appetite and dine moderately. May we please our friends duly, go to bed merrily and sleep soundly. All of this for the joy of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”