The Light of Hope
Don’t the words ‘Behold the days come, saith the Lord…’ light up our faces and warm our hearts? Then we know it is the season of Advent!
What joy to be once again in Advent! It is the most beautiful time of the year. And what joy to be greeted with those words. The cause of that joy stems from Our Lord’s promise to transform our lives, making them holy and fit for Heaven.
In the First Reading (Jer 33: 14-16), the Lord promises to ‘make the bud of justice to spring forth unto David.’ Judah was in need of someone who would rule with ‘judgement and justice’, ensuring that the city lived securely and the country was saved.
The House of David ruled for generations. No doubt it had its share of ups and downs, but it all paved the way for the coming of the Messiah. In His infinite goodness, God sent us His Only Son. The promise made to David was realized in Jesus, but alas, He was rejected by His own. Jesus is now coming yet again. How prepared are we to welcome Him?
The best part of our preparation is to confirm our hearts ‘without blame, in holiness, before God and our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all his saints,’ as St Paul says in the Second Reading (Thes 3: 12 – 4: 2). The Messiah desires no silver or gold, no frills, and for sure no lip-service. He wants us to grow in the life of the spirit, or say, the theological virtues of hope, faith and charity. This for sincerity and constancy.
St Luke too, in the Gospel (Lk 21: 25-28, 34-36), recommends watchfulness. ‘There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves… When these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand,’ says the Evangelist, quoting Jesus. But are we going to interpret them, understand them, accept them as God wants us to? Or are we going to superimpose them with our own ‘scientific’ ideas?
The Evangelist warns against ‘surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life.’ Woe to them who are caught in such a state, for the day will come upon us ‘as a snare’. Of course, alone we can do nothing, so we must prayerfully rely on God, asking that we may be ‘accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man.’
On this first Sunday of Advent, let us remember that That is where He would like to be born and have us proclaim Him. He brings us hope. This is symbolized by the Prophecy Candle, which takes us back to the Old Testament, especially Isaiah’s prophecies filled with hope of the coming of Jesus. The candle is purple, the primary colour of Advent, symbolizing royalty.
So will it be this year and at the end of times! After all, every Advent is only a foreshadowing of the time when the Son of Man will come in glory. Let us realize this truth, lest our wait go in vain. Hence, let us do all it takes to make Advent meaningful by illuminating our lives with the light of hope and spreading the joy of Jesus.
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