Preparing for Christ is not just for Advent

Published: December 05, 2009

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor

By Bishop Anthony B. Taylor

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor delivered the following homily on Nov. 29, the first Sunday in Advent.

Advent is a time of anticipation, but not a time of passive waiting. We do things to prepare for what is to come. Children do things. They make lists for Santa and dream about the gifts they hope to receive. Parents make arrangements for the coming holidays. They firm up plans for which of their adult children will make it in for Christmas and dream about seeing their grandchildren again.

Believers prepare themselves spiritually for the birth of our Savior and even non-believers in the business world look forward to Christmas -- they strategize how to profit financially from our celebrations.

Advent is a time of anticipation but not a time of passive waiting. We all do things to prepare for what is to come -- even those who dread the approaching holidays: financially challenged parents who dread disappointing children who dream of gifts they can't afford -- or worse, who go ahead and buy extravagant gifts and then dread facing bill collectors in January. Others dread facing Christmas alone this year, whether because of the death of loved ones or divorce or conflict within the family or adult children who can't get off work or because they don't have proper documents to go back and forth across national borders. For those who are facing a difficult Christmas, Advent can be a time of dread.

Both of these experiences -- eager anticipation and dread -- are true to what Advent is all about theologically. We eagerly anticipate the first coming of Jesus, our Savior born on Christmas Day. But that's only half of the story. Look closely at the readings of the first two Sundays of Advent. They're not about Christmas. They're about preparing for Jesus' second coming at the end of time, which we are told will be a time of dread for most of humankind -- and not much fun even for those who will be saved.

In our Gospel Jesus says people will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world -- that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth, including faithful Christians, who should pray to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man. For those who persevere, their share in Jesus' victory will eventually be glorious, but only after passing through a dreadful time of struggle, persecution, trial and temptation.

And what preparations does the Bible recommend to us who hope to survive the dreadful time of testing? In our second reading today St. Paul says we must always conduct ourselves in ways that are pleasing to God, loving one another and blameless in holiness. Live a holy life now and you'll be prepared when the time of testing comes. And in our Gospel Jesus himself says: 1) be vigilant at all times, not to become distracted from his ways by human pursuits, be they honorable -- the anxieties of daily life --or worse, dishonorable: carousing and drunkenness, and 2) pray for the strength to persevere. Live a holy life now and you'll be prepared when the time of testing comes.

Notice that our entire span of life on this earth is, theologically speaking, a time of Advent, a time of testing and preparation for what is to come, a time of anticipation but not a time of passive waiting. So don't let that day catch you by surprise like a trap. Be vigilant and live a holy life. Conduct yourselves in a way that is pleasing to God. And pray to escape the tribulations that are to come.