“Arrived” or “Arrival”: Preparation is the Essence of Advent
Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44
“Arrived” and “arrival,” two moments in human conception of time – past and future – are the ways today’s gospel talks to us about God: the days of Noah (past) and what will happen on the last day (future). But the lesson is neither in the future nor in the past – the lesson is now, it is contained in this statement of our gospel: “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42). It is about what you and I are doing right now, not what we did in the past and what we shall do in the future: “now” is the essence of Advent!
Today’s gospel’s saga about the days (“As it was in the days of Noah”) of Noah relates a past event to us, but a reality that ARRIVED for the people of Noah’s time. It recounts how people were warned by Noah about the ARRIVAL (Adventus) of a flood, about the need to get into the Ark, and how they never listened, which was followed by the devastating consequences of the flood! That was a PAST event and time. The FUTURE is that human beings are stubborn, they always succeed in reproducing past disastrous events, despite all warnings. Yet, the human person always has a choice; at least, God provides choices for human beings, without forcing them on which choices to make. God makes his election campaign about the importance of time and preparation or use of time through today’s gospel: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37). Your preparation shows your choice!
“Adventus – arrival” of Jesus Christ is the liturgical season we begin today. Jesus comes to visit us. Like every visitor, he would appreciate it to feel that he is expected, that some cleaning, cooking, decorating, etc. are done in anticipation of his arrival. In fact, just as Jesus prepares to arrive, we need to prepare to receive him. It is this language of preparation that is essential in the Advent season. To complement the gospel reading’s emphasis on “now” or the imperative “stay awake,” our first and second readings have suggestions for us on how to “stay awake”. Our first reading teaches us how to prepare for the coming/arrival of the Lord, when it says: “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths” (Isaiah 2:3). According to our first reading, we need to make a journey to meet the Lord in his residence in Jerusalem. On arrival at God’s residence, we need to learn the Lord’s rules and regulations on how to live our lives – the commandments of God.
Living in accordance with the commandments of the Lord is actually what makes the Messianic age of peace, unity and love to dwell among us. Our first reading calls it walking in the light, otherwise, we are walking in darkness: “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5). Our second reading continues with the same theme of light, when it says: “the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). Jesus only arrives in places where the commandments of God are kept. Like the virginity and purity of the womb and heart of Mary.
The journey to Jerusalem to God’s temple (first reading) is the journey of purification of the temples of the Lord that the human persons are. In the words of our second reading, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14). Like the Incarnation of Christ – Jesus’ taking flesh as a human being – at Christmas, the “arrived” or “arrival” of Christ is determined by the degree of our “putting on Christ,” in the words of our second reading. In fact, our gospel’s story of Noah does not tell about the past alone, the Ark built by Noah and the animals that congregated in it. Your heart and mine are the arks in question, the virtues God commands us to practice are the animals to be inside us, and the flood is the world outside our hearts and Jesus is the door to our hearts. As long as Noah kept the door into the Ark shut, no water got through to the Ark, and all that was outside the Ark perished, while all that was within the Ark survived.
This Advent, we need to take seriously our roles towards the realization of the prophecy of Isaiah in our first Reading: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again” (Isaiah 2:4). Every year, we read from this prophecy of Isaiah – how wars will come to an end, how universal concord will be established by the Messiah; yet, our human unity experiences multiple fractures every single day, not to talk of new weapons of war that are being invented and manufactured daily. Who is the liar? Did the Messiah, Jesus-Christ, fail in his mission of bringing peace or are we to wait for another Messiah as John-the-Baptist asked Jesus or join the Jews who are still waiting for the Messiah? The answer to these questions depend on you and me, because we can STOP THE WAR inside of us before it reaches outside!
When YOU and I sit and examine the contents of our heart, the grudges we bear against the people we think have wronged us or the people we don’t like and consider them sinners/evil doers or our dreams that we think God and human beings are frustrating from materializing, we want to do something unpleasant. Our heart is the first place that wars are conceived of before being hatched outside. We join the politics of overthrow of good people, work for a factory that manufactures lies, promote conspiracy theories, forward hateful videos to our contacts, etc. But we refuse the company of holy people, finding it difficult to spend time with God in Church, fail to dedicate some hours volunteering in hospitals, prisons and retirement homes to help those in need; the poor people around us do not make it to our contact list, the rich who will give us money are those we reach out to, those who can give us political posts, reward our kindness and loyalty to them; behold the wars that rage within my heart and yours; imagine what follows when we execute those thoughts! How can we find peace and how can the Messiah come?
Virtue is like an addition, we don’t remember how it begins, up until it controls us. Thankfully, putting on Christ, as suggested by our second reading, starts with the very little kindness we show to others, until it becomes visible to others by making us virtuous persons. Why not try some little kindness daily, and the Savior will be at your doorsteps at Christmas: what a Christmas it would be!
Assignment for the Week:
Plan a positive surprise for someone this week.