(Wis 7:22B-8:1; Ps 119:89, 90, 91, 130, 135, 175; Lk 17:20-25)
We are quickly approaching mid November and looking ahead to the liturgical season of advent. Here in the United States, without fail, as soon as Halloween is over and the surplus candy and costumes are thrown into a discount bin, the shelves in our stores are filled up with Christmas things. There seems to be two camps of people this time of year; those who are counting down the days until Christmas, boasting of gift buying trips and reserving seats to pancake breakfasts with Santa, and those who are grumbling that it is much too early to start even thinking about Christmas. I will admit that I got stopped in the “Christmas” isle of the grocery store this week by a cute little snowman mug. I picked it up, and turning it over in my hands I briefly let myself daydream about a wood crackling in our fireplace and serving the kids hot cocoa in the cute little mugs. There is so much nostalgia and tradition during advent, it is understandable why so many of us love celebrating the nativity of our Lord. Today’s gospel reading from Luke got me thinking about anticipation, and how often we go around looking for things that will make us happy. How long does this happiness last? Are we pursuing the right things? Are we filling our lives up with things that will bring us temporary pleasure and in the end leave us feeling empty, or are we filling it with Jesus?
The Pharisees were anticipating the messiah and the coming of the kingdom of God. They had been waiting a long time for their king and savior, and they probably had all sorts of ideas about what he might look like. We sometimes do this too; we build up things in our mind and anticipate them so much that when the real thing comes along, it might not live up to our expectation, or worse yet, we might miss it completely. The Pharisees are expecting something big, powerful, obvious, and yet Jesus tells them that the kingdom of God is already among them. Imagine being told this by the messiah Himself and yet not realizing who is speaking! Jesus certainly doesn’t look like a strong, rich, king who can conquer all. And yet He is. The very Lord who will save us from sin and death is standing before them; a man who was born poor and humble, who preaches service to others and giving away wealth. This is not what we conjure up in our minds as what a powerful king looks and acts like. Even when we know better, how easily are we blinded by the kind of power that is money, prestige, belongings, physical strength, instead of true power which is self sacrifice, humility, and service. It is a good reminder to be looking for the right things in life; like how to help the poor in our communities, how to do little things with great kindness or maybe how to improve our prayer life. Truly, these are the things that will keep us close to God and in His friendship.
Jesus warns us not to run around in pursuit of the wrong things, for we might miss what is right in front of us. He is also talking about be ready for the day of judgment when it comes, and for this we need a type of vigilance that requires us to slow down and look at what is really important. It’s funny, over anticipation can lead to pit falls, and yet so can procrastination! So often the right way to live is finding balance, which means practicing the virtue of temperance. It takes wisdom to keep our lives in balance and God at the center. The kind of wisdom the author is talking about in the first reading today, is God himself. We will never be as wise as He, but we can turn to these beautiful scriptures for guidance and inspiration. I love the idea that we need wisdom to live a fruitful and virtuous life, and if wisdom is God, clearly it is God himself that we need! As we look ahead towards the busy season of advent, I pray that each of us purse the wisdom that comes from keeping our eyes on Jesus and living out the gospel in our lives. Let us fill our Christmas mugs with the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Let us practice the cardinal virtues of prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice. If we do these things humbling, and sincerely, we will never loose sight of God and we will always be ready for His kingdom come.
