Anamchara

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT HOMILY--11/27/11--BE READY FOR THE KING WHO COMES

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT–11/27/11

    by Msgr. Eric R. Barr, STL

READINGS: IS 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2b-7; I COR 1:3-9; MK 13:33-37

I. Be On Your Guard!

A. The Scriptures give us a similar message of watchfulness and preparation. In fact, the message is very clear: God is coming! Prepare your hearts! Why should we be on our guard? Why should we prepare?

1. Because Christ is returning. We have Advent each year not just to prepare to remember Christ being born in a stable, but to prepare for his return–he is coming back. That reaches a special place in our hearts during this year of turmoil and distress.

2. Because we are fools if we think we have enough time. We have become complacent. We’re not bad, just mistaken. We really think we have enough time to get rid of our sins and bad habits and prepare ourselves to meet Christ, but Jesus says today, if we think we have enough time we’re sadly mistaken. We don’t know when Christ is going to come to each of us. Jesus says, "What are you waiting for? Now is the time to reform your lives."

3. Because like it or not, none of us is ready. Can you honestly say you are as perfected as you should be? Can anyone here say, "Yeah, I’m ready to meet Christ."? Probably not. We do not pray enough; we are not sorry enough; we do not love enough. That’s the human condition.

 B. And yet, like the Gospel says, we are called to clean our house and prepare for the Master’s return. So when are we going to do it? Every year, we hear the same stories. Every year, John the Baptist tells us that Christ is coming. But like the people of Israel, we have grown too used to our lives–too comfortable–and we don’t see the danger we are in. There is no room in God’s kingdom for those who do not listen to his word. There is no room in God’s kingdom for those who are not prepared. This should not cause fear in our lives, but rather, longing. Each of us should want to say, "I want to be a part of the Kingdom, Come Lord Christ, I am ready!"

II. Practical Preparation

A. How do we make that longing into something practical? How do we really watch for the Lord? St. Paul says in our second reading that watchfulness is best achieved by being blameless. Practically speaking, the Christian lives this message by welcoming Christ into his/her heart at the Eucharist and trying to conform one’s life to Christ’s teaching. That’s how sin is put at bay and our hearts prepared for the coming of the Lord.

B. You can see there are two parts to this watching and waiting. First, we realize that Christ already comes into our lives in special way in the Eucharist. We really do receive him; we really do welcome him. As wonderful as this sacramental, very real presence is, it is nothing compared to the glory of Christ that awaits his faithful at the end of time, when we shall see him as he is, the radiant Son of God. The Eucharist should create a longing in our hearts for the full experience of God that belongs to his faithful ones when they enter eternity. It’s kind of a paradox really. As we receive Christ at Communion we ought to say, "Thanks Lord for letting me receive you, truly, really and powerfully in this Sacrament; I long for the day when I can see you face to face." We receive him, but we want him even more. Like a person who must see his beloved in passing and yearns for more time to be together, so we treasure the fleeting moments of Christ’s True Presence which we receive on this earth while looking forward to a time when we will never be parted from him. The second part of our watchfulness deals with action. If he has touched us in the Sacrament, then we must ready the place around us for his more permanent arrival. We’ve got to get ready to welcome him forever and we do that by trying to live his message through works of charity and love, trying to live a blameless life. We can’t do that without his help–that’s why frequent reception of Communion is important. But if we receive without practicing our faith, then we betray the One who loves us and we show that our longing for him is false.

C.  Advent means being on the lookout for the Lord and being willing to change. I hope you can see in these concrete actions ways of coming to welcome Christ right now. We start doing this, and we will be ready when he comes to gather us to eternity at the end of our lives or the end of the world. In your hearts pray with me now as we say,

 

Thank you Lord Jesus Christ,

For the benefits you have given me,

For all the pains and insults you have born for me,

O most merciful friend, brother and redeemer,

May I know you more clearly,

Love you more dearly,

Follow you more nearly,

Day by day.

St. Richard of Chichester

 

A CELTIC ADVENT 2011--A LITTLE IRISH SPIRITUALITY TO PREPARE FOR THE KING WHO COMES

In Advent, we await the Return of Christ the King.  This theme is very prevalent in Celtic Spirituality.  Sean O'Duin, in his book Where Three Streams Meet: Celtic Spirituality, writes this:

Undoubtedly, one of the most powerful of all symbols of the glorious return of the Saviour at the end of time to gather his people into the sunny landscape of heaven was the Etimasia--the empty throne pictured in the mosaics of Rome and Ravenna in which the elect wait for the Saviour to come and occupy the throne.  A similar theme of the Return of the Hero occurs in some folktales from Ireland and elsewhere.

In Ireland we have a number of tales relating to local champions who are not dead but live on in an enchanted sleep waiting for the day of destiny.  When the day of destiny arrives they will wake up from their enchanted sleep for the final deliverance of their people from all that oppressess them...In Wales, there is the great King Arthur of the Arthurian legends.  His grave is still pointed out in the ruins fo the medieval Benedictine Abbey of Glastonbury.  Glastonbury in Somerset is one of the most famous religious sites of the British Isles revered both by pagans and Christians.  There is a Christian legend that Our Lord spent the hidden years of his life in Glastonbury accompanied by Joseph of Arimathea who was involved in the tin mines in Cornwall.

In Celtic terms, Glastonbury is on two levels--it is a geographical site and it is a supernatural dwelling place of the Celtic Pantheon, the Tuatha De Danann.  As such it is the Isle of Avalon.  And it was to this site that three queens veiled in black carried the body of arthur in a boat after his last battle.  And in the earlthy Glastonbury a grave opened of itself to receive his body.  The archbishop came and said the prayers of the dead over the grave.  And the enchantress Morgan Ia Fee explained to the archbishop that it was only the dense matter of his body that was buried there and that his spirit lived on in the Isle of Avalon, and 'King Arthur,' she said, 'will return one day when the world shall have need of him.'  And a tombstone appeared miraculously above the grave and on it was written:  'Hic Jacet Arthurus Rex, quondam rex et futurus', 'Here lies Arthur the King.  He was once a king and he will be king again."

The New Roman Missal: And now it is here!

Take a deep breath, because the biggest change in the Catholic Mass is happening this First Sunday of Advent.  The new translation from Latin will bring with it much different wording.  While you experience that remember what the new liturgy is meant to do and why we needed a new translation.

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First of all, the Mass was getting more horizontal and less vertical. Sounds confusing, but it is easy to explain. There was too much "we", "me", "my" and "I" and not enough transcendence, not enough recognition of the God we worship. There needed to be more praise of God and a realization that we are his creation.

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Secondly, the angels and the saints had been shunted off to the side. The Letter to the Hebrews talks about us being "surrounded by an invisible cloud of witnesses." That means that when we celebrate Mass, it is not just us who are present. The angels, the saints, all God’s Church living and dead are present at this great Eucharistic celebration. We needed to remember that Mass is where heaven and earth meet and God is present.

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Thirdly, a strange idea had arisen that we are not a sinful people in need of God’s redemption. The Mass needs to reflect the humility that people should have, knowing they are sinners in need of a gracious God. This is not a return to the bad type of "Catholic guilt". It is simply a realization that God is God and we are in need of his mercy. Receiving Christ in the Eucharist puts us in touch with the saving act of his death and resurrection.

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Lastly, we needed to refocus on the importance of Christ the High Priest. Pope Benedict tells us that the Mass is Christ’s Mass not the individual priest’s. It is Christ acting through a particular priest that allows us to be one with Jesus at the Liturgy. A particular priest’s personality should not make or break the beauty or effectiveness of any Mass.