An Unexpected Knock at the Door
Pastor’s Column
1st Sunday of Advent
November 28, 2010
So too you must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect the Son of Man will come.
Matthew 24:44
Very few of us appreciate being caught off-guard by the sudden arrival of an unexpected houseguest, especially if we are unprepared! Yet interestingly, this is exactly what Jesus is promising to do – to knock on the door and catch us by surprise. The key to this lies in understanding that this is all a part of our life test.
Jesus gives us a lifetime in which to exercise our free will, making decisions that are either for or against God; upbuilding our neighbor or tearing him down. All of this, as well as our free will, comes to an end at death when we will have to live with the consequences of our choices and our ultimate choice for or against God. This Advent let us resolve to make good choices.
Advent is such a paradox! In the next 4 weeks, most Americans will be celebrating Christmas in advance in a frenzy of buying, baking, decorating, card-writing and partying that is supposed to be fun, or at least to make Christmas Day fun, but actually leaves many relieved when Dec 26 comes. This is because too many of us are taking our cue from advertisers instead of the church. There is so much to prepare materially before the big day comes – but this is essentially a spiritual season. Am I preparing my heart to receive Christ? Is He really part of my Advent plan?
Advent is meant to be a kind of mini-Lent, but more joyous. Christmas is meant to begin on Dec 25 and continue for at least the next week, not end when people of the world at large usually think it does. Perhaps we can reclaim a bit of the Advent season this year, which invites us to wait a bit.
One great way to do this is to plan to attend our penance service on Dec 16 (or one of the other 3 in the area). We clean our homes before entertaining guests, yet often neglect to clean the home within us so that Jesus will want to stay there!
Another way to prepare is to really read the little Advent booklet we offer you as a gift, one page a day. You never know when one little insight will change your life.
Plan to include the needy in your shopping plans. If your resources are limited, it could amount to a can for the food drive or, if possible, a present for a needy child from the giving tree, a child you will never meet. This is the best kind of gift!
Make up your mind that this Advent you will practice one of the virtues that Jesus loves so much, like patience when you are frantic, humility when things aren’t going according to plan, poverty in the sense of spending less on useless things, or silence by stopping by the Adoration Chapel. Christ may indeed arrive unexpectedly but we need not be unprepared.
Father Gary
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