ADVENTUS, THE GREAT COMING.

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December 1, 2024.
First Sunday of Advent – C.

Readings: Jer 33:14-16; Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14; 1 Thes3:12—4:2; Lk 21:25-28, 34-36.

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars… And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Lk 21:25.27

A Ghanaian proverb says: “When a man is coming toward you, you need not to say, "Come here."” A Spanish proverb adds: “Coming events cast their shadow before.”

The Lord came, the Lord comes always, and the Lord is coming. We enter today in a very significant time in the Christian life and the life of the Church, the Advent. The season of Advent focuses our attention on three comings of the Lord: His first coming, which took place two millennia ago; His continual coming in our everyday lives; and, lastly, His final and definitive coming in glory.

The word Advent, from the Latin, Adventus, means coming, a calling to hope. In this Advent Season, while considering one coming of Jesus, we live in his daily, personal, and continual coming, and we prepare for his glorious coming. Advent is truly a journey of the three coming. These three relate to one another. Jesus was born into our history - at a fixed point in the past. Jesus comes to us now, in a whole variety of ways, in our daily lives and experiences. Jesus promised that he would come again in glory, at the end of time. Advent is a journey in history (past). A journey in the contemporaneity (present). And lastly, a journey in the Parousia (future).

The word Adventus gets its deep meaning when we go to its roots: From adveniō (“arrive”) +‎ -tus (action), the Action of Arriving. It, therefore, means, something that has happened, something that is still happening, and something that will happen. So, the true Advent is not completed, but continuous and ongoing. In the Eucharistic celebration, when we say, "we proclaim the mystery of faith", that is exactly what we mean, Christ has come. Christ comes. And Christ will come again.

While entering this season of the three comings, the word of God, in this first Sunday of Advent invites us to watch and pray in anticipation of the Lord's coming for us. Are you on your guard? Are you watching and praying?

The Lord, in the first reading, promised that he will raise up for David a just shoot. While waiting for the fulfillment of this prophecy, the required attitude is that of the whole Advent, vigilance. To keep watch and pray for, the days are coming.

As people in waiting, we need to be strengthened. So, the prayer of Paul in his address to the Thessalonians: "May the Lord strengthen your hearts at the coming of our Lord Jesus." The coming of the Lord is something sure and great. For that, we not only need to be ready, but we also need to be holy. These are the attitudes of watchful people. To conduct ourselves in a way that pleases the Lord. To live blameless.

The Lord himself, in the Gospel, makes it clear to us: "Your redemption is at hand." And so, we should be ready, able to read all the signs of the time and every happening not only as a warning but also as a calling to watch.

The Lord says, “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." Don't we have all these already happening? The signs in the moon, the typhoons, the earthquakes, the floods, the wars, the social and political crises, so many are the signs. Therefore, we should watch and pray, and be ready. The Lord is coming.

The warning is here in this sentence: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy..." We are exhorted to be alert. This is why this Advent, a time of warning and encouragement. You are called to "Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent..." May these days and this season be an opportunity for us to live truly these threefold Advents, and relive the first coming of the Lord. Welcome him in his daily coming. And be ready for his glorious coming. May our first candle, the Hope for the Lord’s coming, light our paths, strengthen our hearts, and lead us to the great celebrations to come.

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