by Fr. Jose “Joesum” Sumampong, Jr.
November 28, 2021
1st SUNDAY IN ADVENT (C)
Jeremiah 33:14-16 / I Thessalonians 3:12-14:2
Psalm 25: 4-5, 8-10, 14 / Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
WATCH AND PRAY
Word: We begin today a new liturgical year. After St. Mark, St. Luke is now revealing to us the mystery of Jesus.
Already from this very first Sunday, we are launched “forward”. The season of Advent is the time for “the coming” of Christ. He came to Bethlehem on Christmas day. He comes in each event and in each sacrament. He will come at the end of time.
There are moments when we do miss noticing his coming. We do not feel his presence. Why?
Let us re-create the Gospel narrative. There is a terrible storm, full of thunder, lightning and blowing wind raging throughout the earth. In a short while the sun appears and the sky turns momentarily bright. Then finally the clouds close in again, dark and menacing in the distance.
Imagine your furor at the raging storm. Anticipate the gloom that may soon come. Envision the distinct images for each of the three celestial signs: signs in the sun, the moon and the stars. Shift quickly to the earth and visualize the chaos as described by Jesus himself. Exploit the ability of the words “roaring of the sea” and “waves”.
Continue playing with your imagination until you reach at the words “…the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Lk 21:26). Now notice the terror and the urgency at the description of the awesome reality of the second coming.
Jesus suddenly shifts from painting the cosmic scene to an exhortation of how to respond to these events. We listen to his voice with tone of authority, placing very special emphasis on the commands “stand erect” and “raise your heads”.
Jesus leaves us with an intentionally cloudy sky. His imagery is bold and earthly. He is also frank and practical as he mentions “… from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life” (Lk 21:34). Later on he offers hope. Gently his advise is: “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” (Lk 21:36). This is not only an advise. Above all it is a prayer.
o0o
Order: We must not allow ourselves to be taken unawares, like the beast over which the net falls. We must remain awake, always watchful, always attentive.
Our ignorance of the day of this “coming” should not encourage us to settle down to a lazy passivity, but should make us persons who stand at all times. In this gospel, Jesus teaches us that every day is the day of his coming.
From this viewpoint, prayer, far from being escapism or laziness, becomes a kind of “watchfulness”. Everyday, one should ask oneself: “Do I see dawn coming? Do I see Christ coming?”
o0o
Realities: 1. “It occurred some years ago. A Hollywood actor suddenly became ill. When his personal physician checked him, the doctor informed the actor bluntly: ‘Your situation is desperate. We’ve got to operate within 36 hours if we’re to have any chance to save you.’
“Later the actor said in effect, ‘I learned more about myself in those 36 hours than I had in the previous 36 years of my life. And what I discovered gave me a joy that I’d never experienced before in my life. I discovered that I wasn’t afraid of death. I had made it a habit to pray to Jesus every day of my life. And now when he was minutes away from coming, I experienced the fruit of my praying. It was then that I discovered that Jesus and I were not strangers. We were close friend ― thanks to those daily conversations.’” (Mark Link, S.J., Illustrated Sunday Homilies, 1989, p.2)
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2. This story gives us a concrete example of what Jesus has in mind when he says about being “watchful” for the coming of the Lord:
A New York City newspaper carried the story of a group of young people travelling by bus on a holiday trip to Florida. Not long after leaving, they noticed a dark-skinned, middle-aged man, poorly dressed, and looking quite worried as he sat slouched in his seat, head down.
When the bus pulled in at a roadside fast food stop, everyone got out except Vingo, as the young people had named him. The youngsters were curious about him: where had he come from? Where was he going? Finally, one of the girls sat next to him and said, “We’re going to Florida, would you like some of my Coke?” He took a few swallows and said, “Thank you.” After a while he told his story.
He had been in a New York prison for four years. “While I was away, I wrote to my wife and told her I’d be away for a long time. And if she couldn’t take it, she should just forget about me. I told her not to bother writing; and she never did.” Then he added, “She’s a wonderful woman, really good, really something.” . .. ”
“And now you’re going home not knowing what to expect. Is that it? the girl asked. “Yes,” he replied, “you see, last week when my parole came through, I wrote to her again. I told her I would be coming on this bus. You will see when we come into Jacksonville where we live, that there’s a big oak tree. I told her that if she’d take me back, she could tie a yellow ribbon on the tree and I’d get off the bus and come home. If she didn’t want me, forget it. No ribbon and I’d keep going.”
The girl told the others and soon they were all involved, looking at pictures of Vingo’s wife and children and all getting more anxious and nervous as they approached Jaclcsonville.
There was a hushed mood in the bus. Vingo’s face tightened. Then suddenly all of the young people were up out of their seats, screaming and shouting, crying and dancing, all except Vingo. He just sat there stunned, looking at the oak tree. It was covered with yellow ribbons, twenty or thirty of them. The oak tree had been turned into one big welcome banner. As the young people shouted, Vingo rose from his seat, made his way to the front of the bus, smiled back at his young friends through a flood of tears, and got off. .
Remember this story the next time you hear someone playing or singing the song, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree.” (Jack McArdle, TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ‘ROUND THE OLD OAK TREE)
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3. Some monks who had an overly spiritualized approach to prayer, went to see Abba Lucius. The abba asked them, “What is your manual work?”
They said, “We do not touch manual work, but as the apostle says, we pray without ceasing.”
Abba asked them if they did not eat, and they replied that they did. “So,” he said to them, “when you are eating, who prays for you?”
Again he asked if they did not sleep, and they replied that they did. And he said to them, “When you are asleep, who prays for you?” They could not find any answer to give him.
Abba said to them, “Forgive me, but you do not act as you speak. I will show you how, while doing my manual work, I pray without interruption. I sit down with God, soaking my reeds and plaiting my ropes, and I say, ‘God, have mercy on me, according to your great goodness and according to the multitude of your mercies, save me from my sins. ‘”
Then Abba Lucius asked them If this were not prayer, and they replied that it was. Then he said to them, “So when I have spent the whole day working and praying, making thirteen pieces of money more or less, I put two pieces of money outside the door, and I pay for my food with the rest of the money. The one who takes the two pieces of money prays for me when I am eating and when I am sleeping. In that way by the grace of God, I fulfill the precept to pray without ceasing.” (Brian Cavanaugh, GOOD SPIRITUAL BOOKKEEPING)
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4. In the gallery in St Paul’s Cathedral in London the sound of anything said in this circular area bounces back from the hard smooth stone walls. If you put your ear close to the wall, you can hear what is even whispered on the other side of the hall, many metres away.
Some years ago a poor shoemaker whispered to his young lady that he could not marry her because he could not afford to buy any leather for his work, and his business was ruined. The poor girl wept quietly as she listened to this sad news.
A gentleman on the other side of the gallery, more than 60 meters away, heard the story and the shoemaker’s whispered prayer, and he decided to do something about it.
The gentleman followed the shoemaker out of St. Paul’s, and after finding out where he lived, had some leather sent to his shoe shop. Imagine how delighted the young man was! He made good use of the gift, and his business prospered and he was able to marry the girl of his heart.
It was not until a few years later that he learned the name of his unknown friend. It was Prime Minister William Gladstone of Great Britain. (Tony Castle, PRAYERS ANSWERED)
o0o
Direction : “O Great Spirit, Whose voice I hear in the winds, and whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me! I am small and weak. I need your strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. I seek strength, not to be greater than anyone, but to fight my greatest enemy ― myself. Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes. So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame. Amen.” (Unknown Author)