Redemption

Gospel: Lk 21:25-28, 34-36
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120124.cfm

Happy first Sunday of Advent! We are on a journey to the coming of our Lord, the fulfillment of our hope for redemption. He will be born into a world surrounded by anxiety and uncertainty. His message will be received by some, but most will pass it by. His legacy will greatly outlive his time in ministry. People will do some of the most amazing things in history in his name and some of the most heinous. While his message is simple, those of us that consider ourselves followers will struggle with it throughout the ages; each of us picking up on the truth it brings while also using it for our own ends. We’ll see the faults of others and overlook the ones in ourselves. He will have predicted and warned us about all of this, and yet, he still comes to us in our shortcomings. He comes not to condemn, but to love and guide. He comes not as a ruler but as a baby in a stable.

Today's gospel is where we start this Advent journey. It’s easy to read such gospels as apocalyptic. We can read it and think that things are going to get bad, and our job is to passively persevere through it until God actively brings us salvation from our suffering.

We can always find signs that things are getting bad or even worse. At times, they will be. At times, it will seem like it is just happening to you and at other times it will seem like it is happening to all of us. At times, we’ll make a habit of experiencing the woes that it will be all that we see. It’s at these times that we must remind ourselves that redemption is at hand, because redemption is always at hand.

This redemption is not outside of us, but is participatory and active. We must go beyond remaining resilient, but must always remain ready to fill the call. We must keep ourselves prepared to act, to welcome God’s redemption within us and to share that redemption with others. It’s for this reason that Jesus says, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy  from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap… be vigilant at all times.”

We may not know when or how we’ll be called, but we can make sure that we are prepared by keeping our minds, our hearts, and our bodies in a state to answer the call. We must push ourselves beyond our anxieties and fear and seek help when needed so we can be there for others in their times of need.

“However, the poor shall not be deprived of the comfort that God sent them while we can avoid it.”
Catherine McAuley, Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy

Be the redemption you seek. Amen.