Homily for 1st Sunday of Advent

Homily for the
1st Sunday of Advent

Nov. 28, 2021
Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36
Provincial House, New Rochelle, N.Y.

“Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21: 36).

Today’s gospel sounds like a text for the Exercise for a Happy Death.

The Last Judgment (Hans Memling)

In the last 2 weeks of Ordinary Time and on this 1st Sunday of Advent, the Church’s Scripture readings and prayers turn our eyes toward the end of history, to the 2d coming of Christ, and toward the final judgment on all human beings.

Today Jesus—speaking to his disciples and therefore also to us—advises us to remain constantly vigilant, always on the alert.  Living as his followers, we can’t let up our guard, just as an Army sentry must always stay awake.  You know that when you’re on a diet because you have to lose weight or control your blood sugar, you can ease up a tiny bit now and then and have a sweet dessert, for example.  But it’s not so with our adherence to Christ.  We have to stick to him—to fasting from sin.

While we don’t know when history will end and the universal judgment will take place, we do know that our personal history will end and our personal judgment will take place.  “Be vigilant at all times” means we have to live in God’s grace.  It’s part of the Good News that Jesus tells us, “Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (21:28).

He urges us to pray to have strength to escape tribulations.  The strength we need comes from God, the tribulations from this world.  Trials and pain and terrible events like violence, political oppression, natural disasters, and illness tempt many to despair and could affect us too.  These are tribulations.  May God deliver us!  We pray for that in the Our Father:  “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”; and in one of the prayers following the Our Father at Mass.

Even “the anxieties of daily life” (21:34) may endanger our relationship with Christ, e.g., if we become more concerned about schedules, meals, books, even our health, than about prayer and practicing the virtues of daily life.

Jesus speaks to the disciples about signs that the nations will find dismaying and perplexing (21:25).  There’s only one sign we disciples need concern ourselves with:  the sign of the cross.  It means our redemption is accomplished.