Sunday 1st
December 2019. Read Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122, Romans 13:11-14 and Matthew 24:37-44)_
It is sad to note that many do not understand the essence of Christmas. Even
amongst Christians, the whole idea of Christmas is a time for holiday; a time
to catch fun, a time for excessive drinking, immorality, reckless driving,
shooting knock-outs and so on. Very often Christ is completely missing from our
Christmas celebration and we end up becoming spiritually worse than ever.
Perhaps, this has been your situation for these past years, God is especially
appealing to you to make this year’s Christmas different. Forget about trying
to catch fun and try to catch Jesus like Zacchaeus did. Make efforts to touch
Jesus like the woman with the issue of blood not minding the crowd who were
simply thronging around Jesus in the name of following him. As Jesus took flesh
in Mary’s womb, the season of Advent provides an opportunity for us to make
Christ take flesh once again in our own lives. To achieve this, our readings
today provide some guidelines:
*1. It is Time to Cast Away the Works of Darkness.*
In our first reading today, we hear the Prophet Isaiah admonishing us:
“O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” St. Paul takes
off from there in our second reading saying: “You know what hour it is, how it
is full time now for you to wake from sleep… the night is far gone, let us cast
off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light.” St. Paul explains:
No more drunkenness, no more licentiousness (anything goes), no more
quarrelling, no more jealousy, no more provision for the flesh etc.
It is a serious contradiction that in the name of celebrating Jesus the
light of the world, we Christians now engage in works of darkness. You do not
celebrate Jesus by committing sin, you only crucify Him. Do not be surprised
when you hear people preaching against Christmas, saying it is wrong to
celebrate it. Why would anyone condemn the celebration of Christmas? It is
because the level of sinfulness in our society increases during this period.
*2. It is Time To Forgive, Reconcile and Make Peace.*
Amongst the items St. Paul mentions as a work of darkness is quarrelling.
This is not a time for quarrelling and fighting. As the Prophet Isaiah says: “they
shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks,
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war
anymore.” As a new liturgical year begins today and the calendar year gradually
comes to an end, there is just no better time to reconcile and mend fences. Have
you been keeping malice with someone? How do you expect Christ to be born into
a bitter heart? How do you hope to celebrate Christmas in unforgiveness?
In Christmas, we celebrate the love of God towards a people who were so
unworthy of that love. It was while we were still sinners that God sent His Son
Jesus to die for us (Romans 5:8). Christmas is a time to show love to those
completely unworthy of your love. It is not a time to fight wars or to revenge
on wrongs done in the past. Christmas is a time to make peace because Jesus
whom we are celebrating is the Prince of Peace.
*3. It is Time to Watch and Pray (Spiritual Alertness).*
In our Gospel passage, Jesus says: “Watch, for you do not know on what
day your Lord is coming.” Being watchful is a figure of speech that means: to
be alert in the spirit; alert to temptations, alert to spiritual laziness. The
Psalmist prays: “Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of
my lips. Do not turn my heart to any evil.” (Psalm 141:3-4). The book of
Proverbs 4:23 hits the nail on the head when it says: “Guard your heart with
all vigilance, for out of it proceeds the wellsprings of life.” Being watchful
is guarding your heart so that no evil thought can enter and dwell there.
As St. Peter tells us “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring
lion, your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in your faith.” (1st Peter 5:8-9). The key to being alert
is prayerfulness. Advent is a time to increase and deepen our prayer lives. The
more time we allocate to God daily, the more spiritually alert we become. A
heart that does not create time for God is like an abandoned building which
becomes a home for grasses and other creatures. To watch is to pray. How else
will Christ be born again in our hearts if we do not pray?
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, make my heart a ready temple for you this
Christmas. Amen.
Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
God bless you. (First Sunday of Advent. Year A. Bible
Study: Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122, Romans 13:11-14 and Matthew 24:37-44).
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