Today is the last day of the liturgical year. Tomorrow we will move from anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ to anticipation of the first coming! [We will also go from Cycle C for Sunday scriptures to Cycle A, and from Year I to Year II for daily scriptures!] Purple vestments, Advent wreaths, and endless singing of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.." are part of the jolt, too! Keeping focused on all of this can be a challenge, especially since the great season of Advent also occurs during the "shopping season" for Christmas. We are asked to shift gears from the King of the Universe to a newborn child in a manger in a small town in Palestine. Although the passage from the Gospel According to Luke is a warning about lifestyle in anticipation of the end of time, it could be easily applied to the challenges of the Advent season. "Carousing, drunkenness and anxieties" are features of the cultural scene during "the holidays." The "tribulations" of the season require one to be in good shape to stand before the newborn Christ!
For some, the joy that should be a part of Advent anticipation will be tempered by loss of various kinds - death of a loved one or illness or loss of job. Pastors know the depression among members of the flock that can creep into the whole process. In short, the warnings in today's final gospel passage on being prepared for the Second Coming apply easily to the first coming. AMEN