God’s Holy Ones
Let me paraphrase the gospel passage for the First Sunday of Advent: This world has ominous sings in the sun, the moon and the stars. There are many nations in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the elements. People are dying of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world.
Our world is indeed crisscrossed by heart-wrenching tragedies, by devastating calamities, by deadly, age-long feuds, barbaric, unspeakable acts of violence, deep divisions and prolonged wars. There might even be signs indicating that the hope of a promising, better future could be dwindling fast. Too many people, and too often, are giving up the fight for goodness, for reconciliation, for cooperation, for unity of intent—for love.
Thankfully, today, on the first Sunday of the new liturgical year, the Church recalls for us also the following words of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, the Son of Man. “When these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads.” (Luke 21:28)
Before the troubles of our world and of our hearts, all worldly options are either inadequate or wrong, save for the one suggested by the Lord Jesus. Facing them, some people, almost automatically, fall back into cynicism; others feel justified to remain disengaged, on the sideline; still others become paralyzed by the sheer size of what confronts them and the herculean task of trying to deal effectively with the evils before them.
There are, of course, those who rationalize their aloofness; those who are quick to blame anyone else but themselves; those who, driven by naive ideology, refuse to face the urgency imposed by the situation at hand; and those who find fault with any proposed solution but do not offer any viable alternative.
Well, our Church is very clear about what she wants us to do: heeding her Master’s command, she urges us to raise our heads and stand secure before the Son of Man. She reminds us that, as promised, the Lord our God has raised up for David a just shoot (Jeremiah 33:15), so that she, the New Jerusalem, can stand secure because the Lord never fails to keep his promises.
What is more, there is a constant element present in Jesus’ teachings, especially in the most demanding ones: he never downplays the difficulties, the struggle, the pain that are part and parcel of viable solutions. He is never squeamish or vague about the price, including the shedding of blood that his disciples must be ready to pay, just as he paid himself. To his passion corresponds their passion, to his cross, theirs, but also to his glory and triumph will correspond their glory and triumph, for sure.
As we each face the inevitable “end” of our personal world (death) and the gradual termination of the much larger world of sorrow and strife around us and far away, we shall remember that:
There is never a time in which forgiving will be easy.
There is never a time in which bearing witness to the truth will not require courage and risk.
There is never a time in which we could place ourselves first and still claim to be dedicated to the loving service of those in need.
There is never a time in which we could truly attend to the wants of others while despising them and resenting their demands.
There is never a time in which sacrificial self-giving will not require a very high personal cost.
There is never a time in which we could profess to be disciples of Christ and refuse to carry our cross.
There is never a time in which a grain of wheat can bear much fruit without falling to the ground and dying.
Hence, we have gathered in our church once again to proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
The 2nd reading (1 Thessalonians 3:12- 4:2) is more specific on this matter. That is, we proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes with all his holy ones. In other words: we are, even “physically,” united to our God by eating his flesh and drinking his blood in Holy Communion, so that we may perform the daunting task of removing all hatred from our corner of the world, until love triumphs in our lives and all over the world.
What Paul recommended the Thessalonians to do, then, is what we ought to do ourselves every day with renewed enthusiasm and resolve.
The holy ones that are part of the Lord Jesus, are so because, while living on this earth, they refused to give in to their innate tendency to be self-centered and distant from others. They chose instead to spend their lives conquering any frightening evil by the loving service of others.
For us, who are ourselves holy ones through God’s grace, there is but one acceptable option to redress the wrongs and soothe the pain of our world, and that option is the option of loving self-giving. Hence, today and always, filled with courage, we pray for each other, borrowing Paul’s words to the Thessalonians: May the Lord make us increase and abound in love for one another and for all. May He strengthen our hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen
