Date: Sunday, November 29, 2015
Advent is a season of expectancy as we ready to commemorate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. But as we joyfully prepare to celebrate his coming long ago, we are disturbed by the apocalyptic preaching of Jesus himself foretelling his coming as the Son of Man. “People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” We are admonished to be vigilant, to pray for strength to avoid the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man. Our judgment and redemption are at hand. The two figures of Advent – the baby of Bethlehem and the Son of Man – are the same person. The Babe in the crèche embodies our joy that God is always with us. The coming of the Son of Man reminds us of our responsibility to live the Gospel of Jesus with fidelity and constancy. “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.” During Advent we experience both joy and dismay at the coming of Jesus Christ. In God justice and mercy meet! Pope Francis, in his words and gestures, emphasizes the Mercy of God. Soon we will begin the Jubilee Year of God’s Mercy -- comforting for all of us in our weakness and sin. But Pope Francis also calls our attention to injustice and selfishness in the world, to the suffering of people caught up in civil war, of the plight of refugees and immigrants searching for a safe place to live, to wretched poverty that extinguishes human hope. What will we say to Jesus when he comes as the Son of Man? What will Jesus as the Son of Man say to us?