Rearranging Our Lives Around The New Fixed Star

First Sunday of Advent, Year C

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

St. Bridget Catholic Church, Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, November 28, 2021

In liturgical sense, today is New Year’s Day. With the first Sunday of Advent, we begin the liturgical year of 2022. As you already know, New Year’s day is always a good time for resolutions, for taking stock, and starting over again. In today’s Gospel (Luke 21:25-36), Jesus is in full apocalyptic mode and spirit. He is speaking about the end of the world: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay… people will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world…” Scaring stuff, right? From the very beginning of the Church, people interpret this kind of text as actual description of the ending of the world. In her eschatology, the Church does indeed believe that in his second coming, Jesus will usher out old state of affairs and usher in the new world. However, as N.T. Wright maintains, if this text only mean the actual end of the world, then it will only be relevant for the generation that will experience the actual end of the world. But the Church insists that this text and other apocalyptic texts in the Scripture clearly speak to every generation, not just the one that will experience the actual end of the world.  

So, how do we read this? In ancient times, the sun, the moon, and the stars were the fixed points that helped people to navigate their lives either on land or sea. Before we had good roads, signs and GPS etc. people were guided by these fixed points of the sun, moon, stars, planets. Metaphorically speaking, the falling of these fixed point to the ground indicates that the old established way of life is yielding to something new. For some of us, the acquisition of wealth, or the procurement of power, or the accumulation of honor or luxurious living might be our navigational constant, something that lead and guide our lives round-the-clock. By those fixed points we tend to order our lives. What keeps us focused would be these values. So, if someone asks, “What kind of person are you?” The answer that might be given is “I am a businessman” or “I am a politician” or “I am a man who treasures his friendship.” Any of these could be our fixed point. For others, their fixed points might be family, country, personal honor etc. If such people are asked, “What kind of person are you?” The answer may be, “I am a family man,” “I am a patriot,” “I am a honorable man.” Is it bad to say, businessman, politician, family man, a patriot? Not at all! Is it a bad thing to aspire for any of those? Not at all! But here is the point, when Jesus comes into your life, everything has to change, and all these previously fixed points have to become fluid. What does that mean? When Jesus comes into your life, he is the star, the sun, the moon and all the planets. He’s the fixed point. He is that by which we stir our lives. That means following him, pleasing him, and doing what he wants is finally all that matters. Everything else previously mentioned, although they are good things in themselves, have to find their place in relation to him. They have to fall to the ground allowing Christ’s light to shine. If money or wealth is your fixed point, what does Jesus say? Go, sell all you have and come follow me. If prestige, honor, worldly success are your fixed stars, what does Jesus say? He who humbles himself will be exalted. If popularity is your fixed star— that by which you navigate your life, what does Jesus say? Blessed are you when men hate and despise you because of the Son of Man. If worldly glory is your fixed star, Jesus says, take up your cross and follow in my footsteps. If your family is your sun and moon, your fixed star, what does Jesus say? Unless you love me more than your mother, father, more than your very life, you are not worthy of me. If religion itself and its institutions are your fixed stars, what does Jesus say? I tell you no one stone of this temple will be left standing upon another. Saul who later became Paul dedicated his life to the preservation of traditions of Israel and the Torah. But once Jesus came, he said, I now consider all these things rubbish. The moment Jesus came into Paul’s life, Paul’s fixed stars fell to the ground. 

As I said before, none of the things I mentioned earlier is bad. They are good. Religion, institutions of religion, family, running a business, striving for success etc are all good in themselves. None of them is morally objectionable. Yet, all of them must revolve around something more permanent. If you have worldly success, give it to Christ. Give your family to Christ. Give your fame, if you have it, to him. Jesus is the Fixed Star. So, to prepare for the coming of Christ, to prepare for the invasion of Christ which will upset  the whole of our lives, we have to ready ourselves for a kind of apocalypse, a revolution. This is why today’s Gospel passage which is about the end of the world is relevant to us and to every generation. Our world has to be upended when Jesus comes in. I know it is no fun to be turned upside down. It is a painful and wrenching business to rearrange one’s system of values, behavior, and mindset. But that’s the challenge of Advent. At the end of today’s Gospel passage, Jesus says, “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” Our watchword for Advent is to pray. Pray so as to be able to withstand the upset that will come into your life as you rearrange things around Jesus and to stand before the Son of Man. Jesus is the Sun, the Moon and the Planet. He is the Fixed Star, and the Light. Throughout this Advent, let’s get ourselves ready to stand before him.