1st Sunday of Advent (C) / The Coming of the Son of Man

      Same is true with the story of the Israelites, from generations to generations the Israelites were being defeated in wars, slaved in Egypt and exiled to Babylon. They were waiting for the coming of their beloved Savoir who will defend them from their enemies.

As Jeremiah spoke in the first reading, Jerusalem was under siege by Babylon and would soon fall. Jeremiah had been a prophet of doom up to this point, but when hope seemed lost, he became a prophet of hope. Jeremiah reminded the people that God had made a promise to His people, and God keeps His promises. The nation was described as the “tree of Jesse,” Jesses being the father of David. From the tree that was being felled by Babylon, a shoot would grow that would restore Israel.

The first letter to the Thessalonians in the Second reading encourages us to live as we have been taught. We must be blameless before the Lord when He comes. We are doing well, but we must do even better!

Luke tried to give them words that would help to keep them faithful. He reminded them of Jesus’ promise to return will be fulfilled. It was a promise they believed would be fulfilled in their lifetime but were now beginning to doubt. Luke first presents Jesus’ prophecy to show that some of it was fulfilled by the destruction of the Temple (70 AD). He then says that since part of the prophecy was fulfilled, we must believe that all of it will be fulfilled. Significantly, what Luke leaves out is a time line. Luke urges us to be vigilant for we do not know when Jesus will return. In the meantime, we are to pray for faithfulness and strength as we wait.

It is like a woman waiting joyfully and patiently for the return of her lover.

Like an excited lover Christ responded to this waiting of his people. He came down to the world and born of a woman and gave himself up to the cross, to express how much he loves his people. If we wait again patiently, we will surely see Him again in his Second Coming.

Advent is also period of waiting for the truth to unveil itself. The people of Israel had been waiting for the true Messiah, there had been a number of “false messiahs” who came before Jesus and the people were already tired of being fooled. So they waited eagerly for the coming of the real Messiah. Their waiting was not in vain; the Messiah was born of the Virgin and dwelt among us. He is fullness of the revelation of God. He is the Emmanuel, God with us.

(1) In preparing for wedding, I encourage the couples to find more time to know each better and to unfold each other’s secret. The Greeks have the word, “Alethia” meaning: If we know how to wait, the truth will surely come out, in its own way - at its own time. (2) Some couples are easily carried away by emotions when something wrong happens in their relationship. Although it is always good to sit down and talk but there are also moments that we have to take time to let emotions calm down a little bit, then wait, wait patiently when everybody is ready to talk (applies also when relating with the youth). Then you will find out that the people nowadays only find a right time to unfold the whole truth. Waiting builds a better relationship.

Finally, I believe that Advent is the fulfillment of the promise of a lover. The people of Israel was waiting for hundreds of years starting from Abraham , then to Moses, then to the prophets, waiting for Yahweh to fulfill his promise to send the Savior. God had already fulfilled his promised more than 2,000 years ago in Nativity. It is for us now to fulfill our own.
(1) Oftentimes, I say to those married couples who feel cold to each other that they should not forget what they said before the altar of the Lord.  Fulfilling those promises prove how much they really love each other. (2) Same is true with those parents who promised during the Sacrament of Baptism that they will give their children a good catholic education.  By sending them in CCD classes they are fulfilling such promises.

Indeed, beyond all our fears and doubts, I still believe that: waiting has a value of its own. It will give us enough time to think and to have enough space to make proper decisions in life. When the right things are done in the right moments, we will surely realize at the end that: All good things come, to the one who waits!