LONGING FOR HIM TO BE WITH US

First Reading: Is 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7
Second Reading: 1 Cor 1:3-9
Gospel: Mk 13:33-37

The life of a Christian is living with Christ because He lived with us – Emmanuel – in space and time. Today we are beginning a new liturgical year. Our life with the Lord begins once again from the beginning. Whenever we begin something, we need a proper preparation to kick start that in a right manner. For this new liturgical year too we need an adequate preparation. This is exactly why the first part of the liturgical year is dedicated as moments of preparation for something which we call as to be with the Lord. Advent is time of waiting for the arrival of someone who is very important. The season of advent helps us to have some time for the preparation so that we may receive the Lord with Holiness to journey with Him in the entire liturgical year.

In this season, we are called to get into the spirit of the people of Israel who waited for the Messiah with deep longing. In our first reading, taken from the third part of the book of Isaiah, we have a beautiful prayer of the people who have returned from the Babylonian exile. Through this prayer the entire community of Israel invoke the presence of the Lord in their midst once again as He was before with their ancestors. The prayer begins with calling God as FATHER (Is 63:16). They all ask God why He had let them to be exiled. Now, looking at the debris and the rubbles of the Promised Land they turn to the Lord with the mourning heart and seek His presence once again in the Promised Land. They plead the Lord to come down from heaven and be with them because He had once chosen them as His heritage. Although they acknowledge that it was the sins of their ancestors which withdrew the presence of the Lord from their midst, now they seek to have His presence once again so that they may not fall once more. For they say; Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful; all of us have become like unclean people, all our good deeds are like polluted rags; we have all withered like leaves (Is 64:5-6). Without the Lord they can’t restore the Promised Land. They need His presence to walk in justice and ensure goodness. This is the spirit of advent that we all should have. We need to long for the presence of God so that our lives may be at right.

The Corinthians were unruly people whose conversion to Christianity is indeed a work of the Holy Spirit. In the second reading St. Pauls lauds them for their growth in matters of faith and morals. They are filled with all richness of godliness. They lack no spiritual gifts as they wait for the coming of the Lord. In the meantime they need the Lord to strengthen them so that they remain holy until the end (1 Cor 1:8). Just as the people of Israel sought the presence of the Lord in the post exilic period, the believers in Corinth seek the presence of the Lord in the post ascension period. In this way, both the readings resound the refrain of advent: Maranatha, O Lord, Come!.

The gospel passage of today is taken from the gospel of Mark where Jesus speaks about His second coming. He insists on being ‘awake’ and ‘alert’. The man leaves the home after placing workers at different workplaces. He commands the doorkeeper to keep watch (Mk 13:34). To be awake means to be diligent in doing once duty. To be alert means to be ready to give the account at any time. This kind of watchfulness is expected of us. We are entrusted with different jobs in the Kingdom of God to fulfil until we meet the Lord. The timeline is long, meanwhile we get fed-up of doing our work and get into lackadaisical mood. To overcome, this sleepiness we need the presence of the Lord. He can revitalize the drowning spirit. The responsorial psalm seeks the face of God to one’s aid (Ps 80:2) so that there is life (Ps 80:18).

As we are beginning this holy season of advent, we may get into the spirit of Israelites who longed for the presence of God amidst them. We light the candle of Hope to keep our sprit alive until we meet the Lord. May the song of this season – O Lord, come – resound in our ears constantly. Be awake and alert, the Lord is coming! He is coming to be with us – Emmanuel.   

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