1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR C)

1st Reading               Jeremiah 33: 14-16

Psalm                         25: 4-5ab. 8-9. 10 and 14 (R. 1)

R:// "To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul"

2nd Reading            1 Thessalonians 3: 12-4:2

Gospel                       Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

NEWNESS EVERYWHERE

Beloved, Happy New Liturgical Year! With the start of the first Sunday of Advent, we begin a new Liturgical year, YEAR C. Today is also the first day of the new month of December. The foremost realization is Newness. Advent, the new Liturgical season, is a hopeful anticipation of Christ. The immediate anticipation is the coming of Christ as Saviour. The further anticipation is the coming of Christ as Judge at the end of time. We shall also align our readings today with newness, thus, "God is about to recreate us and our conditions".

The first reading is from Jeremiah 33:14-16. We need to remember the mission of Jeremiah as "tearing down and building up". The text we are reading today is a consolation for a devastated people. This consolation will be in a bid to "build up", to offer hope, and to create again. The Babylonian army has devastated Jerusalem (c. 587 BC). Some of the Jews have been deported from their homeland. Others are occupied citizens in their own land. Jeremiah himself is in prison. Therefore, Jeremiah is fully immersed in the problem of his day and knows the kind of consolation he offers. 

Let us underscore three details from the first reading. The first detail is the mention of "DAY" three (3) times. We should quickly go back to Genesis 1 where we first encounter the Hebrew word, "yôm" (Day). Light and Darkness were created on the first day. Darkness was called Night and Light was called Day (Gen. 1: 3-5). The "Day" comes with the idea of newness, freshness, and clarity. This is a time of creation. In Jeremiah's usage of the word "Day", and knowing very well that things are not in their rightful places, he starts the consolation with a time when there will be a recreation of their devastated conditions into a fresh beginning. Everything will be restored to its rightful place. 

The second detail is the mention of the "House of Israel and House of Judah". The promise of newness, recreation, and restoration is set to be beneficial to the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. These two have been divided, each having their respective Kings and rulers. What Jeremiah envisions is unity, a united kingdom. There shall not be separations and divisions. The Coming of Christ that we anticipate in Advent will bring unity. That is what God created the world to be.

The third detail is that a "righteous branch for David" shall sprout (v. 15). These words are found in Jeremiah 23:5. The use of "branch" (tsemakh) brings on an agricultural language. The concept of a "branch" emerging from a tree or plant was a powerful symbol of life, renewal, and divine promise. The branch is a symbol that something new is about to happen. It indicates that the tree or plant will never die. It is alive. We also understand that the growth of a branch is characterized by a slow process. It is not as quick as we often want it to happen. Climatic conditions and personal efforts make it necessary for a branch to sprout from a tree or plant. Isaiah 11:1-5, a parallel to this text, envisions the Messiah. In that way, we are sure to see the coming of the Messiah as that "righteous branch". The rise of the Messiah will be gradual and not radical. He is sure to rise but we need to create the conditions necessary for it to rise in our individual hearts. That should be our work in Advent as we prepare for the coming of Christ. 

This branch has one duty: "He shall practice justice and righteousness" (v.15). In fact, he shall be called "The Lord our righteousness" (v. 16). Justice (mišpat) is that he shall uphold God's Law and defend the rights of all, especially the vulnerable. Righteousness (tsedaqah) is that he shall establish right relationships among people in the land.

The Gospel passage (Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36) tells us about what the end of time will be like. That is the second dimension of Advent, thus Christ's second coming as Judge. What becomes interesting is the mention of "Day" (Lk. 21: 34). The word there is "Hemera". That is the interval between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from and contrasted with the night. 

We can immediately adopt two attitudes and dispositions even as we await the coming of Christ as Saviour. Our preparation for Christ's coming as Judge ought to begin with the preparation for his coming as Saviour. The two dispositions are Prayer and Vigilance. In Advent, we are encouraged to absorb ourselves into prayer and vigilance. The Christian does not get absorbed in worldly events and does not escape from its finiteness, but yearns for the sudden coming of his Lord, who will judge the whole world. 

Pax et Bonum