30/11/2008 – 1st. Sunday of Advent - Year B

1st. Reading Is 63,16-17.19; 64,1-7 Psalm 79 2^nd. Reading 1Cor 1,3-9 Gospel Mk 13,33-37

“I believe the Church...apostolic”. With this forth adjective, “apostolic”, we express another characteristic of the Church. She is founded “on the apostles” (Eph. 2,20). The origin is the witness that the apostles gave of Jesus Christ himself, who willed that his apostles be guides and teachers of his future disciples. They, the apostles, all mentioned by their proper name in the Gospels, are those to whom Jesus said: “who listens to you, listens to me”, and “who despises you, despises me”. They have received divine authority from Jesus, and in return, they passed it on through the laying on of hands, that is, with through the Sacrament of Order, to those who were to take their place, their successors. Thus, from one generation to another, the authority of Jesus remains and will remain present on earth and in the Church to open for the faithful the way of salvation and closes the doors to those who want to deceive the faithful. We believe that the Church is apostolic because all the teachings are the same of the apostles. Their words and their love for Jesus Christ have been passed on faithfully through the centuries. This can be seen in the confrontation that the Church has always done, and continue to do, with the word of the Prophets and that of some of the same apostles or their disciples that left us with the written Gospels and Letters. The Church is apostolic, and therefore lives with passion the command that Jesus gave: “As the Father has sent me, even I send you” (Jn 20,21) and “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16,15).

She is also missionary: that is, she wants to bring the love of the Father to all peoples and in all places of the world that are waiting for it. All man made religions cultivate those desires that only Jesus can fully satisfy! We are secured in the Church, because she is apostolic, because she enjoys the authority that the apostles received from Jesus himself. We want to remain in, faithful to Jesus and obedient to the indication of the pastors that he gave us and to whom he trusted us!

The prophet Isaiah echoes the prayer of all the people of Israel: “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down”! It is a strange prayer: can God come down on earth? Can he come and touch our humanity so sadly corrupted with lies, works of darkness, sin? If God won’t be able to listen to this prayer, it would remain all the same the deep desire of every person. If God could come down to us, our lives would start to hope, to see a new light. If God does not come, says the prophet, it is not because he does not want to be near us, but so that we can understand that without him we cannot do anything. Thus we are obliged to turn to him, affirm ourselves as sons and daughters and change our lives by doing justice, and prepare ourselves to the fulfillment of our desire.

Even Jesus, in today’s Gospel, exhorts us to be watchful fixing our eyes always on the Lord, day and night. If we stop looking at him, we risk to easily falling into sin, selfishness, pride, ruling over others, slaves to what pleases even if it hurts the brethren. Jesus shows us how our attitude should always be: that of waiting for the Master who is returning back after a long time. A watchful servant sees that he is ready for his master’s return, to be acknowledging as faithful, sure to receive the reward of his faithfulness.

St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, praises them for the watchful spirit “for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ”. This watchful spirit is like a prayer that the Lord himself recompenses by affirming the faith and the richness of his charismas. In a community that waits upon the Lord there are all the spiritual gifts, particularly “all discourse and all knowledge”, that help to give witness to Jesus. The charisma of “all discourse” is the capacity to express the loving mysteries of God in a way that those who listen come to understand. The charisma of “all knowledge” is the gift of understanding and sees the love of the Father in all his plans, in the life of Jesus and his apostles, in their teachings and also in the sacramental signs as they are ministered by the Church for the sanctification of humanity, saving it from the power of the devil. These spiritual gifts, called charisma, are for those who live their perseverance in Jesus.

At the beginning of the new liturgical year by the Advent Season, we would exercise our spiritual attitude of waiting upon the Lord. He comes: those who wait for him with love will come to know his arrival, and are ready to welcome him and enjoys his presence those who serve only him! All our discourse and all our knowledge are to be used to give witness to his love, to his goodness and mercy. The prayer of “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down” becomes a truth: God opens the heavens and becomes one of us that we can see him, listen to him and love him. All our life changes and we would have words to proclaim the good news to all who are broken in life! Even they will rise up when they come to know Jesus!