Celebrating 100 years
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Cycle B
B191: As they say, today's Gospel (Mk 13:33-37) sounds like the "same old same old"! It warns us to be watchful, because of what is going to happen in the 'future.' Is Advent and its talk of the 'future' the only thing that counts?
The catch phrase, "same old same old" translates to most of us as 'the same old thing." Or as the philosopher Yogi Berra says, "it's deja vu all over again." We hear the same thing repeated over and over and over. With Advent, however, do we really understand what the urgency about "being ready" is all about? Has the repeated message lost its sense of urgency?
I have a friend who says you will appreciate Advent more if you compare it with a Baby. New parents spend a long time preparing to receive this baby! The baby is a symbol of hope, just as Advent is a symbol of hope. Having a baby carries some risk, just like there are real risks in going on a meaningful Advent journey as we leave the old behind and take on the new. Having a baby is an experience of great joy, just as Advent also promises us the joy of new life!
It is an experience of the celebration of the past, as we joyfully remember the Incarnation, that first coming of the promised Savior 2000 years ago. It is an experience of the celebration of the future, as we anticipate the return of the Savior, as he promised. But it is also a celebration of the present, of the coming of the Savior into our daily lives, as we receive the grace of every single day: Christ born again in our hearts. We need to open our eyes to the ways in which God's promised kingdom is coming to life this very day. The "urgency" of the message comes from the value of the promised gift that we stand to gain or lose, based on our preparation: eternal life!
Know Your Catechism! The coming of Christ in the future is not just about gifts and babies and joy; it is about God's justice and judgment (CCC #1040) and our need to prepare for his coming (CCC #522-524, especially 524). No one knows when this will be (CCC #673-4), but that does not eliminate our responsibility to live fully our life of Faith and Hope in that promise, and our need to repent.
The work of Your hands
Pygmalion, the sculptor, is one of the most famous characters in the myths of ancient Greece. Because be could not find any woman that measured up to his ideal of womanhood, he decided not to marry. Instead, he undertook to carve a statue of a woman that fulfilled his dreams.
The statue that he carved was outstandingly beautiful. He treated it as if it were real, dressing it in the loveliest clothing, decorating it with jewelry of gold and precious stones. Next time he visited the temple of Venus, the goddess of love, he timidly prayed that she give him a wife "like my statue." Venus took note of the prayer. When Pygmalion returned home and kissed his beautiful statue, it came to life. Taking the name Galatea, she accepted Pygmalion's hand in marriage. Fact is even more wonderful than fiction. God the creator is the divine sculptor. He shaped each one of us, and then fell in love with those whom he had made
"...O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay and you are the potter; we are all the work of Your hands." (Isaiah 64:7. Today's first reading).
-Father Robert F. McNamara
Q. 347: We have been waiting a long time for Messiah to come a second time. How can we maintain ‘vigilance’ for so long?
Today’s gospel (Mk 13:33-37) finds Jesus urging his disciples to “Be constantly on the watch! Stay awake!” The master is going to be physically absent for a long time, and he wants every single one of his servants to be faithful to the task he has assigned to each of them. No one knows when the master will return, so the advice to them, in effect, is to live each day as if the master will return any moment.
We have all heard stories about elderly parents or grandparents, sitting by their window, patiently watching and waiting and hoping for a visit from a family member or friend. Perhaps you have experienced those lonesome times yourself, and the joy that fills your heart when a loved one appears. On the other hand, perhaps you have been one who was lax and neglected to make visits when you were able. I am reminded of something I believe Mark Twain is supposed to have said: “As we get older, we are not so much concerned about the things we did, as we are about the things we neglected to do.” Have we been faithful?
There is a sense of great peace on the part of those who have been faithful in following the absent master’s wishes, even when they are mistreated or neglected. Peace and joy come when you diligently maintain a ‘vigilant heart’ against the temptations of the world. This can only occur if one engages in prayer. Jesus himself vanquished the tempter in his lifetime through prayer, and he asks us to do the same.
KNOW YOUR CATECHISM! Temptation is an attraction to act contrary to the will of God (CCC Glossary), and even Jesus was confronted with such attractions (CCC #538). Only the vigilance of a prayerful heart will enable us to overcome temptations and be ready when the Master returns (CCC #2849). In Advent we need to renew our efforts to pray as we renew our burning desire for his second coming (CCC #524).
