As this year comes to a close, we reaffirm our belief in all that Jesus has already accomplished in us, and we see in that a promise and a reason to hope for so much more. It is a hope for a deepening of our own faith and love, for the power to overcome evil in ourselves and in our world, for the healing of hatred and the banishment of war, for peace and justice.
This is what Paul tells the Romans in today’s second reading. He says, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” When we put on the Lord Jesus Christ we make time for that which is most important. In doing that we find energy for everything else.
And this is what Advent should mean for us. It is a time of expectation. It is a time for us to be filled with new hope, new courage. It is a time for us to be reassured that the darkness that overshadows the present moment, whether from sin, sickness, poverty, sorrow, weakness or failure will be dissipated and driven away by the Sun of Justice, the Word-Made-Flesh.
But Advent expectation is not simply a strategy. It is a way of life. If we enter into this kind of waiting, it changes us. It changes the way that we look at our present and at our future. It leads us to believe that, however our life unfolds, God is a part of that unfolding. However we move towards the good things we are waiting for, God is involved in bringing those good things about. What we are waiting for is God’s own Advent, God’s own coming into our lives. That’s why Paul today says in the second reading that we are closer to our salvation than when we first believed. God is on the move. God is coming. That is why Matthew says today in the gospel that we need to be awake. We need to be ready, because we do not know how and when our God will arrive.
But for now, we long for readiness. We pray in hope for a house in order, for a conscience cleansed, for quiet prayerful expectation in the midst of all of the pre-Christmas activity, for gifts that will express the unconditional love of Jesus and for the simple pleasure of being with those we love.
This, then, is the challenge of Advent - to stay alert and be hopeful, to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Staying alert helps us keep in touch with our faith in God's love and alert to God's intervention in our daily lives. Being hopeful helps us grow spiritually. "Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ" makes us aware of the pain of others when we begin to notice what grieves them.
"Putting on the Lord Jess Christ" will always open our eyes to the Already-Arrived and Still-Coming of Christ.
