Word to the Wise
Saturday, November 27, 2021 - Saturday in the 34th Week in Ordinary Time
[Dan 7:15-27 and Luke 21:34-36]"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man." [Luke]
Today is the last day of the liturgical year. Tomorrow brings the First Sunday of Advent! Today speaks of preparation for the end of time and the second coming of Christ. Tomorrow begins a season of preparation for the first coming of Christ! Strangely enough, the same gospel passage appears on both days from the Gospel of Luke, speaking of the end times! One almost wonders if the celebration of Christmas can catch us by surprise (especially since Christmas-sy stuff starts appearing in Walmart and other places almost on top of the Halloween pumpkins!
It may be that we will have to see the repetition of the passage from the Gospel According to Luke as a way of transitioning us in reverse order from the end of time back to the beginning of this same gospel. John the Baptist will appear next and finally the story of Jesus' birth on Christmas Day. The weekdays of Advent will feature various passages from Isaiah and other prophets that Christian tradition has considered as foretelling the event of Jesus' birth.
One can hope that "the anxieties of daily life" will allow all this scriptural preparation to create a "holy anxiety" in preparation for the great event of the Incarnation. But we all know how hectic "the holidays" can be. It takes an intentional effort, reinforced by such traditions as the Advent Wreath or the Jesse Tree, to bring home the spiritual significance of the season. The current COVID pandemic enters into all events. Can Advent and Christmas have at least the same impact? AMEN