Homily: 1st Sunday in Advent, YR A
“Be Prepared for The Advent of Christ”
Nov. 28, 2004
by Fr. William Holtzinger

Today the Church is reminding us to be alert and prepared for the Second Coming of Christ. As such, we hear in the Scriptures this same message. While even Jesus himself doesn’t know the time of his own return, we are being encouraged to always be prepared as if it was today.

On Friday, my sister told me of a recent experience that reminded me of the need to always be alert. She explained that her husband wanted to create a turkey soup from the leftovers from their Thanksgiving dinner. So he put the remaining turkey in a pot of water and let it cook overnight. Very early that next morning my sister was stirred awake to the smell of smoke. It terrified her and so she leaped out of bed and ran into the kitchen. There she found that her husband’s turkey soup had burned so bad that it caused serious smoke damage throughout the house.

Now that it is winter, the mornings and evenings are darker than in the summer. As such, I have found it more difficult to get out of bed. It takes me more energy and will power to get out of bed. Again, the Scriptures remind us not to be sleepy in our spiritual lives. Though the Second Coming of Christ has not yet happened, we are not to become lazy about the fact that it will definitely happen.

So, how might we prepare for Christmas this Advent? Maybe you might consider turning down the stress level and decrease the constant distractions that prevent you from the important things in your life. Maybe make more effort to pray for the end of war in our world. Recall the first reading about turning swords into plowshares? The war in Iraq is an easy target for those prayers. But, maybe we should include the wars in our own lives. I mean those which manifest themselves as anger, hatred, revenge for those whom we should love... I’m referring to your family members as well as friends. Another way to prepare for Advent is to make an effort to go to confession. In just under two weeks, we will offer two Penance Services for the entire parish. If those evenings don’t work, we always offer confession from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm every Saturday.

I imagine that you have different traditions in your own families. And so I invite you to think about the ways you prepare in your own families? What are your traditions? I invite you to raise your hand so that we can all hear your ideas. (take time to listen to various ideas)

Finally, this Advent creates an opportunity for us to live out our mission as a parish to be welcoming. Are there people you know who haven’t been to church in a long time? Do you know someone who has been hurt by the Church? Why not make an effort to talk with them and invite them to come back at Christmastime? Did you notice our banner in front of our Church? “Come home for Christmas” When you invite that person, invite them to go with you. That is a wonderful way to prepare yourself as well as others for the Second Coming.