Watch! "The Times they are Changin"

 

Advent, the short-shrift liturgical season in which we await for the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus, announce the beginning of His public ministry and prepare for His coming for us when we pass and at the end of time, brings us hope and joy for the future.  This year, though we are still in the calendar year of 2020, it is especially important because we need something to get us out the morass of so many changes that have brought fear, confusion, sadness, depression and a way of life that challenges who we are as Catholic disciples of Jesus.

There is not a person I have met since March that has not been affected in some way, directly or indirectly, by the Covid-19 pandemic.  I personally know three people who tested positive and one who went into the hospital.  Both family and friends have either lost their jobs or been furloughed.  Our second oldest daughter moved with her family to Texas because she could no longer afford to live in California because all of them were without work.  One of our grandchildren is on a sports scholarship in her first year of college but cannot practice because the dorms are closed and all the classes are on line; as our most of the classes for our other eight grandchildren.

 

If this were not enough, we have been living with racial, political and lawlessness unrest that has brought out the worst in people, as opposed to looking for areas of compromise in which we can live in harmony and peace.  And, as disciples, we are seeing that the needy are suffering the most because without our help they have no way of keeping even with the changes, much less getting ahead of them.

 

St. Mark’s short, but poignant Gospel today is a parable from Jesus which ends with the word “Watch”!  And though it is about us being ready for Jesus when He comes for us in our passing and at end times, it is a sober and strong reminder that we need to be ready for our end no matter what else is happening in our life or the world in general.  It is time for us to change whatever is hampering us from being the followers of Jesus we promise to be by our Baptism.  We are called to make a difference in a world of chaos that has lost its way and is trying to survive.

 

To do this we must bring God the Father’s message of Faith, Hope and Love, which includes Patience, into our hearts, mind, strength and soul and become bold and outspoken as Jesus was in His public ministry.  Both the Prophet Isaiah and Psalm 80 tell us to be one with God in Faith, Hope and Love.  Isaiah writes: “Return for the sake of your servants,” while the Psalm 80 says: “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see Your face and we shall be saved.”  In our efforts to make change, we need to uplift people to seek good in everything rather than a quick fix that may or may not be long lasting.

 

In St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians he continues the same thought pattern when he writes: “…you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In other words, we have all that we need to be strong in our faith and to rely on the truth of Jesus’ promise that He suffered and died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead so we have eternal life when we pass.  This gives us the hope so we can be productive while we “watch” in St. Mark’s Gospel.

 

Advent is a time of fine-tuning our Christian attitude of hopeful, joyful watching.  It is our turn in history to carry out Jesus’ commandment to attend to the work that is ours to do; to grow the Kingdom of God until Jesus returns to judge us.  Let us take this time of Advent to look at how Jesus is calling us to be watchful and alert this Advent season.  The times are changing.  Let us be a part of this change by being positive because no matter what the change, God is with us in Faith, Hope and Love.

 

Reading 1: Isaiah 63:16-17, 19
Reading 2: First Corinthians 1:3-9
Gospel: Mark 13:33-37