FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT

Isaiah 63:16-19; 64:2-7,
Ps. 79,
I Cor 1:3-9,
Gospel Mark 13:33-37

“When you do not know what to do- wait” (Anon)

In the calendar of the church, this is how this Sunday is announced: ‘The first Sunday of preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ’
Advent means ‘coming of the Lord’. The four weeks of advent mean a time of preparation- it is a time of holy desire, longing and expectation.
Go to the shops in Nairobi or the city around you; take a glance over newspapers. In one way or the other they are preparing men and women in for Christmas.

Whatever their faith shall we believers do less than non-believers?

How is the Church preparing for her children?

i) She places us before the first coming of Christ. Here we can see and experience the spiritual desire and longing for certain noble souls. She also introduces us into the method by which God once prepared men for the redeemer. This is why; we have passages from the OT. The prophet Isaiah is remarkable at this time. He shows us the progressive revelation of God to man. The gradual and progressive revelation correspond an ever increasing longing for man [woman] for the Redeemer. This is expressed in the prayer typical to this period: “drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just; let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour”

ii) Advent is a time for repentance- it is time of spiritual renewal, a time of conversion. As John preached penance and conversion to the Jews, we too should heartily repent in the way we do things, being late for Mass, being petty or some things, and simply being there for your husband or wife, being there for your ecclesial community and being sincere to yourself and asking for assistance from a brother or sister. Think of political party members who work hard to get in more members. They insist on fidelity to the party ideals; this is why dissidents are expelled from it, etc.

iii) Advent is a moment to pause and recite the prayer of our Father “Thy kingdom come”. The kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace. This should be our deep yearning in each of us in every year. Engage yourself in this season of Advent to read a spiritual book for two hours every day, meditating for 15Min, taking a walk through the gardens, plant a tree, visit the terminally ill in the hospital, don’t wait to be told. Be an example to your family by coming back early at home, talking less in the community, love football less, and of course for the lovers of Latin American soap opera simply be yourself and be loveable anyway.

If you place a frog in a pot of hot water, it will jump right out. But if you put in a pot of cold water that is slowly brought to the boil, the frog will just sit there. Its nervous system is so primitive, it needs a sudden jolt to realise that it is in danger.

It is a moment to wake up, dust ourselves from the past unbecoming habits and allow Jesus enter into our lives once more

“It’s good to hope, it’s the waiting that spoils it”. (Yiddish proverb)