20211128 GREAT EXPECTATIONS
28 November, 2021, Sunday, 1st Week of Advent
First reading |
Jeremiah 33:14-16 © |
I will make a virtuous Branch grow for David
See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I am going to fulfil the promise I made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah:
‘In those days and at that time,
I will make a virtuous Branch grow for David,
who shall practise honesty and integrity in the land.
In those days Judah shall be saved
and Israel shall dwell in confidence.
And this is the name the city will be called:
The-Lord-our-integrity.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 24(25):4-5,8-9,10,14 © |
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
His ways are faithfulness and love
for those who keep his covenant and law.
The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere him;
to them he reveals his covenant.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Second reading |
1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2 © |
May you be blameless when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again
May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.
Finally, brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it. You have not forgotten the instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps84:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Luke 21:25-28,34-36 © |
That day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.
‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.’
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jer 33:14-16; Ps 25; 1 Th 3:12 – 4:2; Lk 21:25-28,34-36]
What are your expectations in life? Most of us have very basic expectations from life. We all desire comfort, security, health and pleasure because we are embodied spirits. We work for security in terms of pleasure, glory, wealth, power and career. But if our life is just about pleasure, fun, excitement, food and drink, we will live a futile life. Seeking for the things of this world in themselves would be incomplete.
We must be driven beyond the physical and material aspects of life. As embodied Spirits, we must seek the higher spiritual things of life. Indeed, we are called to dream of a world where there is peace, harmony, mutual love and support, trust and mutual respect of all regardless of race, language, religion and culture. We dream of a world where wealth is more equally distributed and humanity can live in peace and fellowship. We dream of a compassionate world, a gracious world that cares for the marginalized, the sick, the elderly, and those with special needs. We dream of a world when every country is prosperous and advanced, collaborating with each other to make greater progress through trade and sharing of technology. We dream of a world when humanity can live in peace with each other, and when they do not see each other as a threat but as partners in growth and development. We dream of a world where there is no need for armament and the billions of dollars spent on destructive weapons used for the poor and development of people instead.
How can this be fulfilled? We need a great king who can bring about all these. But no earthly king or superpower in the world can do that. Powerful nations use other countries, especially the weaker ones to serve their agenda. Countries live in fear and suspicion of others that are manipulative and self-serving. Often, national interests are seen in very narrow terms. It is about their peoples, not about the promotion of unity, progress, advancement, prosperity of all nations and the well-being of all humanity. Whilst it is understandable that each nation must put their nation’s interests before all others, it can exclude peoples of other nations as well. There is a lack of integrity and sincerity among world leaders in promoting the good of all. We have lots of empty promises and nice words but we lack concrete actions.
This is why we need a prince of peace who can rule the world with integrity and utter selflessness. The prophet said, “In those days and at that time, I will make a virtuous Branch grow for David, who shall practise honesty and integrity in the land. In those days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell in confidence. And this is the name the city will be called: The Lord-our-integrity.” Indeed, this is our hope when we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, when we proclaim Him as king of all, regardless of race, language and religion. He has come to reign in our lives, not by enslaving us or enriching Himself but by giving His life for our salvation and happiness. He has come to establish an eternal and universal kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace. The kingdom of our Lord, as He said, is not of this world but God’s reign in our hearts so that love, peace and justice would prevail. Jesus is not a threat to anyone. He comes to make us all kings by empowering us to be servants of each other. This is our great expectation. This is the hope of humanity. Until the Lord reigns in our hearts, Satan will seek to influence us to do evil, to be selfish, inward-looking, to see others as our enemies, seeking to destroy and to eliminate those whom we perceive to be serious competitors. We want to grab everything in the world for ourselves and our country. We cooperate with the world only when it serves our interests, not others.
Today, we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent. After giving a preview of the end of time, when Christ our King reigns over the whole of creation, the season of Advent gives us hope that this would be a reality. Advent means the arrival of a great person, of a king. Jesus, the King of Kings, has come to visit us and bring us the presence of God and His peace. The first part of Advent continues the theme of Christ’s coming at the end of time. The second part focuses on the first coming of Christ at Christmas. Both the first coming and second coming of Christ are intimately connected. Christmas celebrates the beginning of the realization of this hope of eternal peace and joy; whereas the Feast of Christ the King celebrates the culmination of the work of Jesus, the Prince of peace, where sin and death would be destroyed and there will be no more suffering, pain, division. “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.”
Hence, it was with great expectation and hope that the early Christians waited for the Parousia, not with fear but with great joy. With Christ’s coming, He would bring justice, peace and restoration. It would be a time when all sufferings come to an end and those who are faithful will be rewarded with eternal life in Christ. This, too, should be our attitude, whether it is with regard to the first coming of Christ at Christmas or at the end of time. When Christ is with us, when Christ lives in our hearts, there will always be joy, thanksgiving, peace, love and lasting security. This is why Christmas is celebrated with great joy. It is a season of peace and goodwill because Jesus the King of the world remains an infant king, harmless, innocent and loving towards humanity.
Fear of Christ’s coming, whether now or in the last day, is only for those who do evil and are selfish. They cannot let go of their wealth, power, and positions which they worked for all their life. They cannot let go of their attachments to pleasure and to being served, and being the centre of attention. They cannot let go of their fears, anger, resentment and vindictiveness. The fear is created by themselves. They are not open to love, forgiveness and compassion. They deprive themselves of sharing in the joy, love and life of Christ. (Gal 5:19-21)
Ironically, the poorer people are often more generous than the well-to-do. Someone shared with me how generous the poor are in her rural province back home. They share whatever they have with their neighbours. Whenever there is a funeral or a wedding, it is always a community affair, where all would pitch in to help prepare the food for the guests and join in for prayers. Those who cannot afford to contribute food would help to cook and to serve. They share groceries and spices for cooking. This reminded me of my childhood days, growing up in a kampong, when our houses were never locked in the day. We all shared whatever we had with our neighbours and cared for each other. When we do that, we would have welcomed Christ in our hearts existentially.
Hence, the Lord warns us that we can miss out on the kingdom life if we are not alert to the Lord’s coming every day in our lives because we are absorbed by our pursuit of the things of the world. “Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap.” So to overcome our fears and to wait for His coming, we must already live the kind of life that we are called to live. St Paul prayed, “May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.”
In this sense, Advent celebrates His first coming in view of the second coming. We are to find hope in His presence in His first coming 2000 years ago, and His existential coming in the Eucharist, sacraments, community and the poor today. Great joy comes to us today if we reach out in love and generosity. Jesus is coming to our hearts. Are we ready to welcome Him in others? Will you raise your expectations beyond what the world is seeking?
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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