November 27, 2022
1st Sunday of Advent A
Deb Keenan, our Pastoral Associate for Ministry, did some early shopping and ordered the gifts we hand out at Christmas: two books from Dynamic Catholic and popular author Matthew Kelly: “The Wisdom of the Saints, 365 Days of Inspiration” and “Holy Moments.” Matthew Kelly describes a Holy Moment as “a single moment in which you open yourself to God. You make yourself available to Him. You set aside personal preference and self-interest, and for one moment you do what you prayerfully believe God is calling you to do.” Matt Kelly goes on to explain a holy moment is not an isolated singular event but a series of holy moments injecting meaning into our lives. He describes these holy moments as “tiny collaborations with God that unleash pure and unmitigated joy into every corner of our being.” To me, his explanations of “holy moments” beautifully describes the Season of Advent. In the ancient world, the word “advent” was used to describe the “coming” or “arrival” of a great dignitary. Today, advent refers to the time we commemorate the threefold “advent of Christ” – the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the coming of the Son of Man in glory, and the coming or presence of Jesus in our hearts, in Sacred Scripture and in the Sacraments.
On this first Sunday of Advent, our Gospel readings shift from St. Luke to St. Matthew. Jesus tells his disciples to “stay awake” and “prepared for an hour you do not expect the Son of Man will come.” Jesus uses the expression “Son of man,” found in the oracles of the prophet Ezekiel and in Book of Daniel, in reference to himself, to disclose his identity and mission on earth and his coming in glory at the end time. Jesus is saying to his disciples, “Don’t be distracted and miss these decisive and precious moments to encounter God.”
We are caught up in the daily distractions and concerns of living, “eating and drinking, of marrying and giving in marriage,” as in the day of Noah and the Flood or we forget how precarious our lives can be like two men in the fields or two women grinding at the mill when one is taken and the other is left. We should never lull ourselves into complacency. Jesus is urging his disciples to be open to holy moments when we are given a greater a sense of belonging and humbly accept that we have a role to play in God’s plan.
Jesus uses a strange metaphor of a master of a house staying awake lest a thief breaks in! During Advent, Jesus comes to us as a holy thief, to break in, to break through our defenses, our busyness, and preoccupations, to catch our attention. The prophet Isaiah, First Reading, urges his fellow Jewish exiles in Babylon, to return to Jerusalem to the mountain of the Lord’s house that “God may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths… Let us walk in the light of the Lord.” St. Paul sends his Letter to the Romans to warn them that time is running out. “You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep… let us throw off works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Both Isaiah and St. Paul use the image of light. Advent is a Season of Light.
According to Matthew Kelly, Holy Moments come in all shapes and sizes. He gives these examples: Control your temper, even if you are fully justified in losing it. Pray before making a decision. Encourage someone, coach someone, praise someone, affirm someone. Be patient with that person who drives you crazy. Give whoever is in front of you your full attention. Begin each day with a short prayer of gratitude. Catch someone doing right and praise them. Overlook an offense against you. Go out of your way to make the new person feel welcome. Take your spouses car and fill it with gas. Take an interest in someone: ask him about the best part of his day; ask her about her dreams. Give someone a life changing book. Stand up for someone who is being bullied or belittled. Write a love letter. Clean up the mess even though you didn’t make it. Express you appreciation to someone who helps you. Pray for the people who are having the hardest day of their lives.
Advent is a Season of light. Advent is a season of Holy Moments.
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Our Lord Jesus Christ - King of the Universe
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2nd Sunday of Advent
