This Sunday we come to a new liturgical year,
the year of St. Luke’s Gospel, Year C in the calendar, and with it comes
Advent. In Year A, the key words for the
first Sunday of Advent was “Stay awake,” and in Year B “Be watchful,” but in Year C we could discern the key words to be “There will be signs.” These signs point to one thing, the Son of
Man, Jesus Christ and His coming.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“There will be signs in the sun, the
moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in
dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea
and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming
upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will
be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of
Man
coming in a cloud with power and
great glory.
But when these signs begin to
happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
“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.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are
imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man.”
~Lk 21:25-28, 34-36
I’m going to have
three videos for you today to fully grasp Advent and the importance of signs in
today’s Gospel reading. First, Dr. Brant
Pitre explains Advent.
So consider as Dr.
Pitre explains an Advent penitential exercise.
Dr. Scott Hahn has a free Advent series that you
can sign up for, and his introductory video further expands on Dr. Pitre’s
explanation of Advent, and certainly worthy of watching.
So Christ’s coming is actually threefold. This coming is not just at Christmas, nor just at the end of times, but every day with being in His presence. You can sign up for Dr. Hahn’s the free course here.
Finally to understand
what the “signs” signify, Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. from the Encyclopedia Catholic
Theology explains it.
If you didn’t quite
catch it, Fr. Cajetan said, “So in the context of ominous signs, our Lord calls
us to heed Himself, from ominous signs to the salvific reality and identity of
Jesus, the Son of Man…” That is quite an
observation. The signs are important but
ultimately the reality of Jesus is the more important thing.
Sunday Meditation: "Pray that
you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand
before the Son of Man.”
The Piano Guys have a great rendition on Piano and Cello of “O Come O Come Emanuel.”
Have blessed Advent.
