Stay Awake in the Spirit

Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Homily for First Sunday of Advent, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Sisters and brothers, today, we begin the season of Advent. Advent is the beginning of the Church’s liturgical Calendar. The word “Advent” means “arrival” or “coming.” It indicates the arrival or the coming of the Lord and reminds us that Jesus Christ, our Brother in our humanity, and our God in his divinity is coming. Today’s Gospel highlights the Parousia, that is,  the second coming of Christ, an end-time event when God will manifest ultimate salvific power. Although the season of Advent is about preparation—getting prepared to celebrate the birth of Christ, but it is also for his second coming as well. Advent has two arrows— one points to Christ’s first arrival, and the other points to his second coming. One points to the past which is connected to the future when Christ will come again. As we prepare to celebrate his first coming, which has happened already, we are being reminded not to forget his ongoing and imminent coming. So, in a nutshell, Advent connects the past and the future together, and reminds us never to forget any. As we already know, his first coming was mostly hidden, but at his second, all eyes will behold him as he comes. At his first coming, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger; however at his second coming, he will be clothed with inaccessible light. In his first coming, he endured mockery and eventually ended up on the cross, but at his second coming, he will come in glory accompanied by legions of angels. At his first coming, he was judged unjustly by wicked people, but at his second, he will judge justly the deeds of all. During his judgment, he was largely silent; but at his second, he will speak up and say to some, “…whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me,” (Matt. 25:40) and to others, “…what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me” (Matt. 45). His first coming was to declare God’s profound love for humanity: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (Jn. 3.:16). His second coming will be about separating the sheep from the goats, rewarding those who accepted God’s love and rebuking those who didn’t. It will be the time to clear the threshing floor, gather the wheat into his barn, and to burn the chaff with unquenchable fire (Matt. 3:12). 

The Parousia (second coming) of the Son of Man is certain, although when it will happen is unknown. It is due to its unknowability that Jesus charged his disciples back then and now to not be carried away by the affairs of this world. It is because we do not know when it will happen that we are counseled to always be prepared and be vigilant. To drive home his message, Jesus compared his second coming to the visit of a thief. We all know that thieves do not usually send a notice of visit to their targets. After preparing for the raid, they simply invade their target and cart-away whatever is valuable to them. But if the owner of the house is aware of their visit, he surely would prepare to match them strength for strength. He would not sit idly by and watch them invade his house and take away his treasures. In the same manner, the Lord’s Second Coming will happen at an hour we do not expect. But unlike the thief, Jesus is not coming to steal any material treasures, he’s coming to take his own to their  true home. Like the thief, he will come unannounced, and only those who are awake in faith, hope and charity will go with him. That’s why today’s Gospel and the entire season of Advent invite us to stay awake, to pay attention, to be present to the ways in which God is coming into our life and the ways we come to God. We are being encouraged to wake up from the sleep of the soul. The sleep of the soul is the neglect of God and God’s matters. The sleep of the soul is the neglect of one’s state of life; it is the neglect of virtues. It is the neglect of religious and spiritual duties like coming to Church on Sunday and being church outside the Church. Some people come to church always, but always leave the church unchanged. As we begin the season of Advent, let’s pray and strive to stay awake in what really matters to God and our neighbor.