“Dear friends in Jesus, not too long ago a home caught fire and burned down in Los Angeles killing six people. What made this accident exceptionally tragic was the fact that the homeowner had been planning for a month to install a smoke alarm, but kept putting it off and postponing it because she had been very busy with other stuff at the time. Her negligence and her procrastination cost her six of her beloved family and there was absolutely nothing she could do to turn back the clock. Dear friends in Jesus, there are so many things that we want to do and need to do in life, but we keep putting them off and postponing them. One reason why we do so is because we think we have time, but the fact is what we have is only this moment and the next moment is not guaranteed to us. Our life here on Earth is so precarious that tragedy can hit us where we are and that any moment we’ve got to keep this in mind and do whatever we’ve got to do before it is too late. The season of Advent is the God given time for us to look into some of the important things we have been putting off in life and take time to attend them so that we do not have to feel sorry like the lady in Los Angeles. To give an example of two, there are parents who want to be closer to their children, but the excedencies in life seem to get in the way. There are husbands and wives who both want and need to deepen their relationship, but keep postponing it until they are like two ships passing in the night. There are some of us who we have to quit a bad habit before long, but keep procrastinating. Some of us may want to get rid of our sins by making a good confession, but can not find time for it in our busy schedule. Advent is the time to take care of these important things so that we appear to the Lord as new and changed when He comes to visit us on the day of Christmas.
Today being the first weekend of Advent, the readings insist that we prepare ourselves for the second coming of Jesus. How do we prepare ourselves well for the second coming of Jesus? According to St. Paul in today’s second reading, we do so by abounding in love. Doing so, says St. Paul, ‘We present ourselves to God as blameless when he comes in glory.’ Yes dear friends, this is how we prepare for the second coming of Jesus by living a life of love.
Jesus himself makes it very clear to us that he will judge us based on love when He comes in His glory. Can we call ourselves people of love right now? If Jesus were to come today does He find loving us or does he find hatred and jealousy instead? There is a story of five people who froze to death around a campfire on a bitterly cold night. Each of them had a piece of wood which they could have contributed to the fire, but for various reasons justifiable and satisfactory only to themselves they kept their wood to themselves. A woman would not give her piece of wood because there was a man in the grove and she hated all men because of what one man did to her long ago. A homeless man would not give up his piece of wood because there was a rich man in the circle. The rich man refused to give up his wood because his contribution would warm someone who was shiftless and lazy. Another woman would not put in her piece of wood because there was someone who went to a rival denominational church. An African-American withheld his wood as a way of getting even with all white people for whatever he thought they had done to him and his race and so the fire died out. Yes, they all withheld their pieces of wood for reasons justifiable only to them. The story ended with a note, they did not die from the cold without, they died from the cold within.
Dear friends in Jesus, this is what happens to us if we are not people of love. We bring destruction upon ourselves on the day of the Lord. Love not only prepares us well for the second coming of Jesus, but also make our life here on Earth right now better by giving us self-worth. When we know we are loved we realize our worth and significance. Without it we feel unworthy and insignificant. Love makes us strong because when in love we know we are not alone. The realization that people we love stand by us, support us, and fight for us gives us strength. Love also eases our anxiety and fear because we know we face life together with people we love. According to Jesus in today’s Gospel we should always pray in preparation for His second coming. ‘Pray so that you have the strength to withstand the coming of the son of man.’ He tells us in the Gospel. This is what he himself did for the preparation for the big events of his life for example: He spent a lot of time praying before he began his ministry of preaching and healing. He did the same before his passion and death and this is how we prepare for his second coming by spending time in prayer. Prayer helps us prepare for the second coming because in prayer God directs our life in the way we should travel. St. John Paul II wanted to become an actor, but a night of prayer with God changed his life. God showed him a new direction in life when he prayed. Advent is the right time to cultivate the habit of prayer. Try to attend weekday Masses as often as you can. Pray the Rosary every day as a family. Read the Bible daily and reflect on it. Visit the Lord in the adoration chapel we have everyday. Pray for those in need. If we do this we will have strength to face the Lord on the day of His coming. We can stand erect and welcome Him whenever He comes and our prayer today is Lord Jesus, help us to attend to the important things we have been putting off. Help us abound in love and prayer so that we have strength to welcome you whenever you come. Amen.”