In November of 2013, the monster typhoon Yolanda devastated the portion of Central Philippines. In the face of the rising casualties of the strongest typhoon ever recorded in history and the apparent initial lack of efficiency in responding to the needs of the
survivors, it was said that no amount of preparation could have forestalled
the magnitude of the impact of the supertyphoon. So that even if the supertyphoon was rightly
predicted to be one of the strongest in history and warnings had been alarmed, when
it actually landed, the people and the government just the same were ill-prepared
for its monstrosity. In the aftermath, rescue and relief operations struggled to
get through the wreckage causing great delay in responding to the emergency
needs of cities and towns directly hit. This meant more deaths and more
suffering.
Whether we bought such assessment or not, still the lesson was clear:
We cannot belittle the value of preparation.
Now that we had a taste of the wrath of a cataclysmic typhoon, we have
to learn how to prepare better.
Our gospel reading (Mt. 24:37-44), on this first Sunday of
Advent, has a clear single theme—preparation. “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will
come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night
when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be
broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not
expect, the Son of Man will come” (v. 42-44).
Advent is a season of preparation for the coming of our
Lord. We understand the coming of our
Lord in three ways: First, historically. Jesus came to us
at a specific point in history at Bethlehem about 2000 years ago. Second, majestically. The Lord, Alpha
and Omega, will come to judge the living and the dead in the Second Coming. And third, mystically. The Redeemer comes to us in grace. He speaks to us in
our consciences; he comes to us in the Eucharist and in the Word of God
proclaimed. He arrives in the person of the beggar, the needy, the suffering,
the oppressed, and the imprisoned.
Our advent preparations, then, may be expressed in three
distinct characteristics—that of a joyful commemoration of Christ’s incarnation,
that of a hopeful anticipation of the glory of the Lord, and that of a faithful
daily commitment to the Lord’s presence.
Joyful Commemoration.
Advent is preparation for Christmas. As
such, it leads us to look back to the time in history when the longing of the
people for the Messiah was finally answered. The Savior was born. Joy to the
world! The season of Advent commemorates that sense of longing and the joy of the
fulfillment of God’s promise. This
preparation is an act of remembering and of keeping alive such longing for the
Lord and such joy of having the Lord with us.
Therefore, despite our present hardships in life, the season of Advent
reminds us to give room for joy in our hearts as we keep alive our memories of
the Lord’s birth.
Hopeful Anticipation.
Advent is preparation not only for Christmas. As today’s gospel reminds us, we
need to “stay awake” and “be prepared” for the coming of the Son of Man. This
particularly alludes to the glorious Second coming of our Lord. This
preparation ought not to be out of fear but out of hope. The Day of the Lord is
God’s justice and God’s justice is the vindication of those who have been
faithful to his words. As hopeful anticipation, Advent reminds us that there is
sense in being faithful to God despite increasing lack of faith around us;
there is value in always choosing the good amid the predominance of sinful
situations we find ourselves in; there is a point in upholding the truth even
if I sacrifice my life in the process. These are all meaningful because we
trust in the majestic coming of the Lord; we anticipate his justice with hope.
Faithful Daily
Commitment. Advent invites us not
only to look back with joy and to look ahead with hope; it also allows us to
prepare for the Lord’s coming each day. I
believe that this is the key to authentic preparation: Our faithfulness to our
daily Christian commitments. When the gospel calls for vigilance in preparation
for the unknown hour of the Lord’s coming, in effect it calls for moral alertness
every single day of our lives. As for
St. Paul in the second reading (Rom 13:11-14), he has this to say: “It is
the hour now for you to awake from sleep… let us conduct ourselves properly as
in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in
rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for
the desires of the flesh.” Advent invites us to be faithful to Jesus each
day.
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