First Sunday of Advent

Reading 1 Jer 33:14-16

The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot ; he shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: “The LORD our justice.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14

R. (1b) To you, O Lord, I lift my soul. Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior, and for you I wait all the day. R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul. Good and upright is the LORD; thus he shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice, and teaches the humble his way. R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul. All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees. The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him, and his covenant, for their instruction. R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.

Reading II 1 Thes 3:12-4:2

Brothers and sisters: May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.

Finally, brothers and sisters, we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God Cand as you are conducting yourselves you do so even more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

Gospel Lk 21:25-28, 34-36

Jesus said to his disciples: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 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.

“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. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. HOMILY

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, and false pride. The other is good - he is joy, peace, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, and compassion." "This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person too." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Grandpa, which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed, my son. Our lives are not determined by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life." There are many things I like to do in life--one of which is going to the movies. There is nothing like getting there early, paying for an over-priced tub of while drinking a diet cola to lessen my guilt for the extra butter which I requested for , and watching the previews before the actual movie begins. The excitement and anticipation of what’s to come in the near future brings me great joy and satisfaction as I temporarily forget the worries of my day. Likewise, today is the first Sunday of Advent—a time when we recall that God continues to dwell within and among us as we await his coming. In this time of waiting, the nights seem to last longer as the days become shorter as we realize there’s so much that is needed to be done and yet we do not have enough time to accomplish them. And in the midst of our busy life, perhaps filled with uninvited holiday stress, Jesus offers us a grim warning of the end times even as we await his birth. He warns us in today’s gospel reading, “For the day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” Certainly, these are not comforting season’s greetings. However, as the old Cherokee in the above story said, “Our lives are not determined by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.” We can either choose to interpret Jesus’ words literally and live in fear or we can choose to interpret them as a wake-up call in examining our conscience on being a better Christian. Instead of being spiritually paralyzed with what Christ will do and when he will do it, we can choose to live in the moment, increase and abound in love for one another, and conduct ourselves in a way that is pleasing to God as is written in today’s second reading. Similarly, we could choose to allow our imagination to run wild and focus on the potential chaos during the end of times or we can, in the words of the psalmists, “lift our souls to the Lord” and anticipate with joy knowing that the second coming of Christ is an event which is destined to comfort us because it will be the time of our total and definitive resurrection in Christ. In the topsy-turvy world in which we live in, it seems as if waiting is one of the most difficult things to do. It has a firm grip on us as it demands our attention and challenges our patience. Whether it’s being stuck in traffic trying to cross the Bay bridge, standing in line at the grocery store or the bank, or consuming with anxiety in anticipation of medical test results, waiting is burdensome and many of us would do anything to avoid or decrease it, including paying extra money. Why are we rushing? Why is waiting so difficult? Perhaps, it disrupts the flow of our lives, or forces us to be in a state of silence and solitude, or compels us to slow down and be introspective—things that we may not be used to or comfortable with. However, not all waiting is a waste of time. Advent is a time of waiting and preparing for the coming of Jesus. It is a season during which the Church invites us to decelerate from the hustle and bustle of life and renew our faith and reasons for being and remaining Christians. It is a time where we are

1 challenged to come together, to live, to love, and to respond with outrageous hope while discovering who we are and who we are called to be. Advent is also a beautiful reflection on times of waiting when we simply be in our unknowing as we wait to know it. It is an occasion of asking for what we need, trusting that, even as we wait, it is given. I believe that these times demand a naked vulnerability and a discipline of patience as we await insight and clarity. Someday, we will know more clearly what supports us in this time of walking into the mystery of the unknown. For now, we are called to surrender to the journey and trust that God speaks the answers in the wordless spaces of our heart through his divine compassion and love. The author Joseph Campbell, in the Power of Myth, tells a story that happened in Hawaii in a place called the Pali, where the winds come gushing through a great ridge of mountains. One winter day, two policemen were driving up the Pali road when they encountered a young man who was about to jump from the railing that keeps the cars from rolling over. The policeman on the passenger side of the car jumped out to grab the man but caught him just as he jumped, and he himself was being pulled over, when the second officer arrived just in time to pull the two of them back. Do you realize what had suddenly happened to that officer who had given himself to death with that depressed stranger? For a brief moment and yet what seems like an eternity, everything else in his life had dropped off—his duty as a husband, father, son, his duty as an officer, his duty to himself—all the wishes, hopes, and dreams for his lifetime had just disappeared. He was about to die. Later, a newspaper reporter asked him, “Why didn’t you let go? You could have been killed.” The officer calmly replied, “I couldn’t let go. If I had let that young man go, I couldn’t have live another day of my life.” The message of Advent is similar to the message of this story: finding strength within us and finding God through others in times of darkness, while recognizing that in some mysterious way, no matter who we are or how different we may be, we are all one. Like the depressed stranger, at times of loss and letting go, we can only ask to lean into God’s love and trust that the emptiness will make way for fullness. In our doubting and despair, often to our surprise, we remain in the constant company of a faithful God who never leaves or ceases to love us. Once we gain even a partial understanding of our role and calling in this world, like the policemen in the above story, everything takes on a new and hopeful aspect. And once we choose to claim the joy in the midst of personal pain, changes or of self-uncertainty, life becomes a celebration. Indeed, our lives are not determined by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. Finally, may our journey through Advent be marked with prayers, an openness to change, and a sense of community as we lift our souls and sing the advent song of hope: “O come, o come Emmanuel, and ransom us ‘captive Israel’ that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear. Rejoice, rejoice, O ‘Israel,’ to you shall come Emmanuel.” May God be with us today and always. Amen. Paul Vu, S.J.

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