By the Faithful Disciple
GROW AS A DISCIPLE
Are you one of those people who flips to the end of the book to find out what happens or maybe you roam the internet for spoilers of your favorite show? We have all been tempted to know what is going to happen before whatever it is unfolds, especially in tension-filled situations. Knowing the ending changes the way we experience the angst of the present moment, especially if it’s a great ending! Like today: even as we anticipate and know the comfort and joy of the Advent season, we certainly do not begin there with our Gospel reading from Luke. In it, Jesus describes the coming of the Son of Man: this time will include moments of dismay, tribulation, assault, fright, and death. Contemplating this time of justice can be fearsome, but it is also a source of joy, because Christ is coming! We know that through Christ we have been redeemed – and that, if we remain faithful to him, we have the hope of eternal life. As Luke tells us, we can stand with our heads held high because redemption is at hand. Our Advent does not start with comfort and joy, but it sure ends there. Knowing this ending helps us have confidence and hope in God.
GO EVANGELIZE
We are encouraged and challenged by the Word and our Advent traditions this first week to remember how it ends! In our first reading, the prophet Jeremiah relays consolation to the nation in crisis when God tells them the days are coming when the Lord will “fulfill the promise.” This will bring them much-hoped-for safety and security. In Luke’s Gospel, Christ’s coming will be with “power and great glory” and although it sounds somewhat frightening, it will usher in redemption. Those are some spoilers providing great confidence and hope. In addition to our readings, the lighting of our first candle this Advent season is a visual reminder of the culmination of our salvation story! The Light who has come into the world has and will dispel the darkness. We can stand erect and raise our heads together to glimpse this light of Advent and fill our hearts again with hope that God surely is the one who keeps his promises. That is the best spoiler of all.
SING:
O come, divine Messiah! The world in silence waits the day When hope shall sing its triumph and sadness flee away