We turn on the TV and catch a Christmas commercial. People are having a “jolly holiday” putting up Christmas trees, listening to familiar holiday songs, and watching “snow fall” outside their cozy, fire-place heated living rooms. After the commercial reaches its thirty seconds limit, the news report returns showing us shocking videos of destroyed buildings in Lebanon, hungry refugees in Gaza, and Russian missiles destroying power grids in Ukraine, leaving people with no electric power to survive the winter months. Which is the true story about today’s world? Thanks to the miracles of modern media, we can quickly switch from viewing the realities of war to seeing visions of sugar plums dance in our heads.
What is going on in God’s mind right now? I wonder what’s being broadcasted on the “God channel?”
Today the Church presents us God’s “news show.” The gospel sounds more like what’s going on in war-torn countries than what’s happening in our Christmas commercials. The Church starts off with a reminder of the “end times” (Luke 21:25-36).
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘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 power of the heavens will be shaken.”
We are so used to seeing the familiar sun repeating its predictable journey across the sky of each day, the light of the moon moving slowly through its routine phases, and the stars holding their timeless positions in the night sky. When we go to the beach, sometimes we watch angry waves rise to heights of ten feet or more, but soon they settle back to let bathers continue their swims. What is Jesus talking about when he says the heavenly powers will be shaken? What will it look like when waves get totally out of hand, and nature is so upset that it literally frightens people to death? If the Church had TV screens instead of pulpits, we’d quickly switch channels to something more pleasant. Is God trying to spoil our Christmas or what?
Jesus is not exaggerating “for effect.” He gives us a real warning to be prepared for a time of upheaval in the world.
“But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. 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.”
What does Jesus mean by a “drowsy heart?” We’ve all experienced the aftereffects of over-celebrating and struggling with the anxieties of life. We know what it’s like to have a drowsy heart. How does Jesus suggest that we avoid this? How does a drowsy heart handle the sudden surprise that will spring on us like a trap?
“For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”
He is not talking about disasters confined to a limited group of people, like those in Ukraine. He says “everyone” will be assaulted. He gives the advice to be vigilant “at all times” and to pray for strength to escape the birth pangs of nature. What does being vigilant mean for us now? What is the strength that he is talking about? What kind of prayer is needed to make us stronger.
Jesus is coming again, but not as the sweet little baby of Bethlehem. Advent is a month of grace given us to prepare us for what’s to come. It is a time during which the Holy Spirit teaches us how to be vigilant and how to allow Jesus to build up spiritual strength within us.
It is ours to decide which “channel” we will listen to for the next four weeks.
