A Time for Hope and Preparation
A new year begins again. This one doesn’t follow our typical calendar of 356 days. This one is set to begin on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The season celebrated during this brief time is known as Advent – a word meaning “arrival.”
The First Sunday of Advent looks forward with hope to the coming of Christ. This year, we also enter into the final weeks of preparation for the Jubilee year which will begin with the opening of a special door of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Holy Door, in Rome on December 24. This door is sealed at all times outside of Jubilees.
The them of this Jubilee is “Pilgrims of Hope.” The readings for this day support the theme of hope on the way.
The Prophet Jeremiah lived in the times just before and during the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. He attributed the military defeat by the armies of Babylon to unfaithfulness to the Covenant, particularly on the part of the ruling royal family. He predicted the conquest and lived to see it happen. Yet he never stopped sharing the messages of hope he received from the Lord. He spoke the warnings and the frightening messages, but he also spoke the hopeful ones.
“The days are coming…” “I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah…” “I will raise up for David a just shoot…” “Judah shall be safe…” Jerusalem will be called “The Lord our justice.”
Terrible things may happen. Nations will be conquered. Peoples will be displaced. But the Lord is still present. The Lord will take care of the people of the Covenant. A new leader will come, raised up by the Lord and doing “what is right and just in the land.” It is a time for hope in the Lord’s word. (Jer 33:14-16)
As a child and man of the Covenant, Jesus was immersed in these traditions of national independence and prosperity, transitions in which the nation moved away from the Covenant’s guidance, and resulting ultimate conquest by another nation. Each time the cycle played out, eventually the Lord was seen to intervene and bring the nation back to prosperity and safety.
As his life neared its end, Jesus spoke of what would happen at some time after his death. He was not naïve about the risks he was taking by being in Jerusalem and preaching the message he had come to deliver. He knew it would not likely end well for him. He spoke prophetically about what would happen at the end of time, when the Son of Man returned to Earth in triumph. The description of the “signs in the sun, the moon, and stars, and on earth” sound like things many of us have seen in our lifetimes, but the sense of the words is that they will happen on a much larger scale. “People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world…”
Yet Jesus does not tell his followers to be afraid when fearsome things begin to happen. They/We must not allow ourselves to be pulled into fear or anxiety or indifference to what is happening in the world around us. Jesus says, “Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” The changes coming will be challenging. There will be hard things that must be faced and addressed. But “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations… and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Lk 3:12-42)
As the followers of Jesus went out into the world to share the word of what they had seen and experienced, communities grew in many cities. St. Paul and others wrote to the people in these cities, encouraging them in their faith, continuing to teach them and deal with the problems that arise in human communities. He wrote to the Thessalonians to encourage them to strengthen their hearts in preparation for meeting God. He and other early Christians expected Jesus’ return to be very soon after the Resurrection. That proved not to be the case, but the advice remains firm for us today as well. We are all to behave in ways pleasing to God and follow the instructions we have received, with the help of the Lord Jesus. (1 Thes 3:12-4:2)
As we move through these next few weeks toward Christmas and toward the official beginning of the Jubilee Year, we are called to continue our faithful following of the Lord’s teaching on justice and loving service.
This is a time of transition in the United States. Transitions are happening in other nations as well. The requirement to live in love, service, and justice for all does not end. It is not based on who wins elections. It is not negotiable.
We must continue to help those in need. We must continue to support those who come to our nation from afar, seeking opportunities and safety from violence and persecution. We must offer a smile and friendship to those among us whose bodies don’t necessarily outwardly meet our expectations of who they are. We must protect children and families, giving help and support so they can have the chance to get through hard times and back on their feet. We must care for the sick and those who are unable to care for themselves any longer. We must reach out to support others around the world who are living in difficult conditions and need a helping hand. We are called to live the Beatitudes and be Pilgrims of Hope on the journey through life.
We are all in this life together. We have different gifts, different opportunities, different wounds and challenges, but we are all in this together. We must help each other, not get in the way of and push aside those who are different than we are.
Pilgrims of Hope. Are we ready for Christmas? Probably not yet. Are we ready for the Jubilee? Maybe not yet. Are we excitedly preparing? I sure hope so. It’s a special blessing to live in this time. Jubilees don’t happen often. Let’s take advantage of this one to live and work in hope.
Readings for the First Sunday of Advent – Cycle C
