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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