November 30, 2008 First Sunday of Advent Is. 63:16-17; 64:1, 3-9; 1 Cor. 1:3-9; Mk. 13:33-37 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   Readings: http://www.catholicdoors.com/homilies/2008/081130.htm   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________     Jesus calls us to action in Advent. As we will see in the coming weeks, this action is one of repentance and mission, not simply waiting around for things to unravel. The images in today's Gospel of going on a journey and making arrangements for others to be in charge are good ones for Advent. There is a personal journey we are called to take, a spiritual cleanup, a throwing out of things that get in our way of having a relationship with Jesus right now. And there is a need to be collaborative about this. We can't just take off on the trip: we have to include others in our plans.   Each of us has a heart that longs for things to be better. We want peace, even though much of the world clamours for war. We want justice, even though many tell us to take advantage of every opportunity to get more, though often it means others will have less. Instead Advent calls us to an abundant life that is more spiritual and less material. It invites us to put our faith and trust in God's mercy and divine intervention. It compels us to have a heart for truth, mercy, and justice, and to find ways and time to work for those things because they are the things God cares most about.   The church is not a diversion or a pastime. It is a vivid sign of God's having entered the world to redeem it. Advent is a good time for us to live like people who are being redeemed. It is a good time to develop new relationships with people outside our walls. Advent is a time for a new beginning, a time to examine our structures and see what helps us to move out in mission and what keeps us from it. While the norm is often to adopt a family for Christmas, what about adopting that family forever? Meeting basic needs is an essential Christian enterprise, but developing relationships is the ultimate one.   Emmanuel means "God with us" in a relationship that will totally transform us. There are others seeking this transformation but they don't know where the door is. We need to show them.   Advent is not merely a season of preparedness, but a time to let go of everything that stands in our way of receiving God's gift to us, the gift of Jesus. A lot of tidying up can occur when we reach out to others, perhaps meeting Jesus there for the first time.      | Next: Second Sunday of Advent >>   Go Back to SERMONS (Year B)