First Sunday of Advent

Year B

Mark 13:33-37

Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

Upon Reflection: Before Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan did a quirky movie together called Joe Verses the Volcano. Believe it or not, there are actually a lot of great lines and good messages in this awkward and sometimes stupid romantic comedy. Here is my favorite line from the movie:

“My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement.”

As thought provoking as that line is, it admittedly is just another case of Hollywood stealing a great line from Jesus, in particular, today’s Gospel. On this the First Sunday of Advent (the word Advent means, “beginning,” and rightfully so, since it is the beginning of the Church year), Jesus makes pretty much the same point as Joe Verses the Volcano about being awake. However, far too often in my opinion, we mistake Gospel passages like this one for threats (i.e. Jesus is saying, “You better not let me catch you sleeping or else it’s curtains for you!”) Mature Christianity knows that Jesus does not make threats, he makes calls. He summons.

Today, he is like an alarm clock, calling us to wake up and quit being so cynical and unimpressed with everything. You know what I am talking about, but just in case you don’t, here are some examples:

“How do you like the pizza?” “Eh, I’ve had better.”
“How was the party?” “Eh, I’ve been to better.”
“How was the sunset?” “Eh, I’ve seen better.”
“How was your flight?” “Eh, could have been better.”
“How was Fr. ____’s homily?” “Eh, I’ve heard better.”
“How was the resort?” “Eh, I’ve stayed in better.”
"How do you like that apple pie?" “Eh, I've tasted better."
"How is this week's Gospel reflection?" "Eh, I've read better."

How can we ever appreciate “the now” when we are constantly comparing “now” to “then?” To this attitude, Jesus is saying, “Wake up! See the goodness in what is present. Stop comparing it to the past.” Sadly, we are asleep very often.

Go a week without any food and I bet that pizza would taste amazing. Go a month in solitary confinement and I bet that party would have been amazing. Realize that the current sunset may be the last one you ever see, and I bet you'll be amazed. Allow yourself to understand that 100 years ago, human flight was impossible and I'll bet you will fly in a state of constant and total amazement.

As far as Advent is concerned, we as a people who are waiting for Jesus "to return in all His Glory" must be awake to the presence of God in the Now - in the everyday activities of our lives - where we live, work, study and play. As we look to the past and remember the incarnation of Jesus, we realize that there is an incomplete time (right now!), and our challenge as Christians is to bring the person of Jesus into whatever "cold stable" we find.