Scripture Reading Reflection
by Fr. Andrew Kelly
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT – NOVEMBER 30, 2014
Advent Season is about God becoming manifest in believers’ lives. In Sunday’s Advent Gospel (Mark 13:33-37) Jesus advises the community about the needed Advent discipline: “Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come … And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’”
In Christian life God became manifest in Jesus Christ’s birth; and will again when Jesus Christ returns in the fullness of glory. But in between and vitally connected is the Advent of the present moment that believers need to be alert about and stay awake for.
Mark claims believers “…do not know when the time will come.” That is not necessarily true. If believers are alert and awake every time a poor, hungry, thirsty, homeless, stranger/migrant, sick and imprisoned person knocks on the door, this is an Advent moment of God being manifest.
If the community is asleep at the switch and not paying attention, it will miss out on the Advent of every day. Not only that, but the community will manifest total ignorance and lack of understanding of the meaning of Christ being born and Christ coming again. Hopefully the community will be spared such an Advent curse.
(Father Andrew Kelly is a retired priest of the Diocese of Davenport.)
