Friday, November 25, 2016

Sunday Gospel Reflection, November 27, 2016: So it will be at the coming of the Son of Man...

Can we carry on as usual when Jesus is about to enter our lives? 

   If Jesus walked into your home and woke you from a deep sleep, do you suppose life would suddenly be different?  And are you prepared for that?  In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tries to convince his disciples always to look to the future, to be awake and aware of all of the ways in which upcoming changes in their day-to-day existence are about to radically transform how they understand themselves, their lives, their very identity.  Therefore, stay awake, he tells them, for you do not know on which day your Lord will come… and when he does, look out!

   Advent invites us to contemplate not only the imminent Incarnation of Jesus at Christmas, but also the age to come, a new age that also promises radical change and transformation.  As Paul tells the Roman community, the night is advanced, the day is at hand; to be properly prepared, we must put on Christ.  We who have come to faith now know who Christ is, and what he came to reveal; we can therefore no longer dwell in darkness of a past age, but must, by baptism, enter into new age with our eyes open.  Like the people in Isaiah’s time, we must pay attention to the Word of God, for from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Remaining open to radical transformation, we will be able to walk in the light of the Lord, awake, aware, prepared for Jesus’ coming, joy-filled at the imminent possibility of standing in the presence of the Lord, inviting all with the words of Psalm 122: Let us go rejoicing…

   For life with Christ is radically different, transformative; once we have let him enter in, we can no longer carry on as usual.  The new age to come offers us a new encounter with God, an invitation to be open, and to enter into relationship more fully than ever before; Advent is an opportunity to ponder this mystery.  How will it be for you at the coming of the Son of Man?

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture Class.
Image source:  Wordle

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