Sunday 3 December 2017, 1st Sunday of
Advent
● Isaiah 63:16b-17 ● Psalm 80 ●
1 Corinthians 1:3-9 ●●
●● + Mark 13:33-37 ●● Title: “Advent: Timing”
[__01_] Synchronicity and Synchronicity of Advent.
About two weeks ago, in mid-November,
a Japanese commuter train was taking its usual journey/route in metropolitan
Tokyo. Leaving a railway station, the train departed 20 seconds early.
Management on the Tsukuba
Express line between Tokyo and the city of Tsukuba say they "sincerely
apologise for the inconvenience" caused.
In a statement, the
company said the train had been scheduled to leave at 9:44:40 local time but
left at 9:44:20.
[__02_] The
train arrived and departed 20 seconds early because the “The crew did not sufficiently check the departure time and performed
the departure operation.”
Casey Baseel reports for Sora News 24, some people in Japan
synchronize their phones or watches to the time shown in train stations, so
they'll be sure to make their train.
[__03__] Advent. It is a new season and a
synchronicity.
To what and to whom do we set our
clocks, calendars, and our actions?
Advent. We are waiting for the arrival
of Jesus Christ in our lives. We are at the beginning of a new church –
liturgical – year and we are called to set our clock, our calendar to his
arrival, to his schedule rather than our own.
[*** PAUSE ***]
[__04_] This first Sunday of Advent, we read about
the servants of the house.
The servants are left in charge of the
house, while the owner goes on a long journey faraway.
Symbolically, we are then reading that
the HOUSE is the church, not only our church of Our Lady of Lourdes but the
entire Christian family …and, in fact, the entire world.
[__05__] One
way to read this parable is to focus on this future arrival of the owner who
symbolized Jesus, this future return that they parable refers to.
This is our Savior’s Second Coming.
That
is, Jesus will, ultimately, arrive at the local train station and walk up to
the house,
In the parable, the servants are
called to take care of the house for a pretty long and unspecified interval of
time. But, are they – are we – only waiting for his 2nd coming at
the end of time or at the end of our lives?
If so, the danger is that we might
become indifferent or ineffective or uncharitable because we do not know the
day or hour of his return.
We lose synchroncity
[__06__] Advent, the season, reminds us that Jesus
is not only coming at the end of time. And, Jesus did not only arrive in
Bethlehem.
But he also arrives, comes to us, all
the time.
He is present to us in our
consciences.
[__07__] Isn’t it true that many of our acts of
LOVE and CHARITY are not only call us to SACRIFICE but also to SYNCHRONIZE with
another person? - and to synchronize
with the person of Jesus Christ.
We read in the Gospel that, at times,
the disciples are just a bit out of step, a few steps behind … or a few steps
ahead.
A small sacrifice that we can make for
another person – a co-worker, friend, a child – is simply our punctuality, our
timing.
And, in act of conversion or
repentance or forgiveness, is not the Lord not only asking us what we will do
..but also when?
The train is leaving the station.
Similarly, when I become aware of my
own fault – my own sinfulness, am I willing to change and to admit what I have
done, confession of my sin.
The train is leaving the station.
Do we set our clocks, our calendars to
his arrival?
[__08__] He is coming not 20 seconds earlier or 20
seconds later than we expected, but right now. [__fin__]
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