"Promise" - A Reflection for the First Sunday of Advent, Year C

If we call the Season of Christmas a joyful celebration, then, it is most appropriate to refer to Advent as a season of hopeful anticipation. What are we anticipating? Friends, we anticipate the fulfillment of a promise. And, today’s Scriptures readings, on the very first Sunday of Advent, the Church’s New Year, reflect just that – A promise.

Listen to the first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah,

The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah…I will raise up for David a just shoot ; he shall do what is right and just in the land.(Jer. 33-14-15)

We do find a similar promise in the Book of Isaiah where the prophet predicted, “A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse” (Is. 11:1) – A messianic promise.

This promise God made to the Israelites has indeed been fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ who was born of the house of David and whose public ministry was accomplished, “right and just in the land.”

With the first promise fulfilled, in the Gospel, our Lord made another promise. He promised that he would return once more,

And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen,stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.(Luke 21:27-28)

That is what this season is all about. While we are eager to celebration the birth of our Savior who deigned to take the form of a fragile child, born in utter poverty for our sake, we are looking forward to the return of our Lord in glory. It’s been a while since that promise was made, but, in hope, we are anticipating with certainty that Christ will fulfill his word.

Now, that’s his part, what about ours? What are we to do as we await his coming?

Christ himself warns us,

Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.

            Indeed, friends, we ought not to let ourselves become complacent or let the troubles of life make us lose sight of this wonderful hope on which this Season of Advent is calling us to focus. Most importantly, we ought not to let our hearts become drowsy.

            Perhaps this wonderful story from the Cherokees will serve well as an illustration:

            When the plants are trees were first made, the Great Mystery gave a gift to each species. But first he set up a contest to determine which gift would be most useful to whom.

            “I want you to stay awake and keep watch over the earth for seven nights,” he told them. The young trees and plants were so excited to be entrusted with such an important job that the first night they did not find it difficult to stay awake. However, the second night was not so easy, and just before dawn a few fell asleep. One the third night the trees and plants whispered among themselves in the wind, trying to keep from dropping off, but it was too much work for some of them. Even more fell asleep on the fourth night.

            By the time the seventh night came, the one tree and plants still awake were the cedar, the pine, the spruce, the fir, the holly and the laurel. “What wonderful endurance you have,” exclaimed the Great Mystery. “You shall be given the gift of remaining green forever. You will be the guardians of the forest. Even in the seeming dead of winter, your brothers and sisters creatures will find life protected in your branches.” Ever since then all the other trees and plants lose their leaves and sleep all winter while the evergreen stay awake.

So, there it is, our message for the beginning of this Liturgical Year: Jesus Christ has left us on this earth with a promise that he would return. But, we are not here without a purpose, not without a mission. Don’t just sit in the corner of the house and await the Lord. No, we ought not to be passive because as Cardinal Newman reminds us,

God has created me to do him some definite service.

He has committed some work to me.

Which he has not committed to another.

I have my mission….

I am a link in a chain,

A bond of connection between persons.

He has not created me for naught;

I shall do good – I shall do his work;

I shall be an angel of peace,

A preacher of truth in my own place.

Friends, go out there.

Make his name known and his love felt.

Be an angel of peace and a preacher of truth.

Let the people around you know that God indeed is Emmanuel; God indeed is always with us.

Happy New Year!