For Sunday, November 29, 2020
1st Sunday of Advent

 
Isaiah 63:16B-17, 19B; 64:2-7
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:33-37

As we close one liturgical year and begin another, many of us are physically, emotionally, and spiritually tired. 2020 has been quite a year. While our liturgical year may have come to an end, our calendar year still has some time left before the numbers change again. It has been a year of upheaval, surprise, change, turmoil, anxiety, fear, confusion, disappointment, disillusionment, and detachment. We have been forced to “die” to so many things these past several months: expectations, routines, celebrations, institutions, and most importantly, treasured relationships. We have been asked to leave the familiarity and security of the past we hold dear and embark upon a journey into the unknown.

Surrounded by so much uncertainty and doubt, it is hard to have hope and stay alert and focused. We need to recharge our batteries. People of faith may find themselves murmuring a poignant question, “why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways?” Wandering is exactly what we are doing. We are like the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years, wondering where they will eventually find peace and a place to permanently call home. We ultimately want God to restore peace in our time, as if the fullness of peace was ever ours to enjoy in the first place. But we can hope. We know one thing for certain by now. This mess we are in is not something we can fix on our own. None of our problems ever are. It takes us a while to realize that, and some really struggle learning that lesson.

When we are tired, it is hard to do even the simple tasks, tend to daily business, interact in the community, nurture relationships, and pray. When out in public, one can almost hear a constant hum of anxiety. It’s always there. People are scared. Yet, this new brightly shining liturgical year bids us to stand erect, stay awake and watch! What are we waiting for? The current pandemic, political struggles, and Church concerns all find us waiting for solutions to problems, resolutions to conflicts, vaccines for disease, and leadership that can truly be effective and trusted. Even though all of these are worthy pursuits and necessary, they are all worldly. Real hope is found somewhere else.

Do we believe that God is faithful, and that God will keep us firm to the end? Sometimes, we live life as if we are somehow going to fall apart if things don’t go a certain way. We don’t like times of disarray and turmoil. Knowing what we had, the discomfort and unsettledness of where we are and the uncertainty and unknowns of where we will end, make being present to the moments of life and finding joy a difficult enterprise. We need real hope. These days it can be challenging even to pray. We may ask, are we being led through some kind of “dark night of the soul” or wonder if God has just moved on to someone else. Knowing that the latter is most likely not true, we can find themselves living with a spiritual and even emotional malaise.

Keep it simple these days. Remember what Jesus told his disciples when they asked him how to pray. Go to your room, close the door, speak to your Father (Dad) in private, and use the words found in the Lord’s Prayer. Often, when life is derailed and we are experiencing loss, discomfort or confusion, a simple “Ave” or time spent with a brief, humble prayer is all we can do. It’s a loving gesture that connects us with our source. It allows us to remember that God is the potter and we the clay. Even when nothing makes any sense, God still has our back. Moments of prayer, regardless of how deep or profound, allow us to see God’s creative and restorative will at work. The often-difficult journey to God’s Kingdom, paved with the virtues of faith, hope, and love is steadfast and eternal. The Divine Light that burns within every soul cannot be extinguished.

So, what is the real hope to which we are called? Hope is nothing other than having faith that by Love’s power we will be led to discover something that will make sense. Real hope rests in the certainty that we are hard-wired for union with God and that God’s Will is ultimately the creative, sustaining force behind all that we do. Walking with this hopeful certainty is the only way we can see light in those dark moments when what we really may want to do is give up and walk away. It is this joyful hope, rooted in God’s promise that allows us to be vigilant, watchful, and awake. It gives us reason to stay the course, even when we may want to just close our eyes and get some sleep.

We have many examples of people throughout history who stand as witnesses to this wisdom. Even when brought to their lowest point and facing despair, they always found their way back to hope and followed the impulse to love. After all, didn’t St. Paul tell us that in the end there are three things that last, faith, hope, and love? They are three intimate companions on the journey, a trinity of virtues that need each other in order to most perfectly radiate the joy that flows from God’s tender loving face. They are the gifts, given to us who believe, that help us stay strong, simple, and focused when everything else seems lost and spiraling out of control. It is true that we do not know the time when Christ will come again. It’s not for us to know.

The journey still requires patient and joyful watching, all while keeping a vigilant, alert eye and heart on what is right and true. Generation to generation God’s power remains constant. It was this very power that brought Israel out of the land of Egypt, inspired prophets to speak challenging words of truth, raised Jesus from dead, and sent the Gospel message to a weary world. Do we think that we are any less important than the countless others who have gone before us? Now is the time for patient endurance and joyful hope. A weary world is still waiting to receive its Savior and rejoice.

Fr. Mark Suslenko

Instruction for Prayer
Jesus says in Matthew’s Gospel: “Whenever you pray, go to your room, close your door, and pray to your Father in private.” Now, do what Jesus asks and find a quiet place to be alone. Open your mind and heart to spending some time resting in God’s presence. Try to be as present to these few moments as you can, bringing all that you are and everything that is happening in your life to this sacred space. Trust that God knows what you need. Don’t worry about what to say or how to say it. Be present with love in search of Love. Desire that God’s will and your will become one.

After a few moments, slowly pray as Jesus taught:

PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Offer a brief Thanksgiving to God
for simply Being who God is and
for making you into the person
you are. Rest with this affectionate
gratitude for a while.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Come, Lord Jesus! Come!

Reflexion en Español

Isaias 63:16B-17, 19B; 64:2-7
1 Corintios 1:3-9
Marco 13:33-37

Al cerrar un año litúrgico y comenzar otro, muchos de nosotros estamos cansados física, emocional y espiritualmente. El 2020 ha sido un gran año. Si bien nuestro año litúrgico puede haber llegado a su fin, nuestro calendario del año aún tiene algo de tiempo antes de que los números cambien nuevamente. Ha sido un año de agitación, sorpresa, cambio, ansiedad, miedo, confusión, decepción, desilusión y desapego. Nos hemos visto obligados a “morir” por tantas cosas en los últimos meses: expectativas, rutinas, celebraciones, instituciones y, lo más importante, relaciones preciadas. Se nos ha pedido que dejemos la familiaridad y la seguridad del pasado que apreciamos y nos embarquemos en un viaje hacia lo desconocido.

Rodeado de tanta incertidumbre y duda, es difícil tener esperanza y mantenerse alerta y concentrado. Necesitamos recargar nuestras baterías. Las personas de fe pueden encontrarse murmurando una pregunta conmovedora: “¿Por qué nos dejas desviarnos, oh Señor, de tus caminos?” Deambular es exactamente lo que estamos haciendo. Somos como los israelitas vagando por el desierto durante 40 años, preguntándose dónde encontrarán finalmente la paz y un lugar al que llamar hogar permanentemente. En última instancia, queremos que Dios restaure la paz en nuestro tiempo, como si la plenitud de la paz fuera nuestra para disfrutarla en primer lugar. Pero podemos tener esperanza. Ya sabemos una cosa con certeza. Este lío en el que nos encontramos no es algo que podamos arreglar por nuestra cuenta. Ninguno de nuestros problemas lo es. Nos toma un tiempo darnos cuenta de eso, y algunos realmente luchan para aprender esa lección.

Cuando estamos cansados, es difícil hacer las tareas más sencillas, ocuparnos de los asuntos cotidianos, interactuar en la comunidad, fomentar las relaciones y orar. Cuando está en público, casi se puede escuchar un constante zumbido de ansiedad. Siempre está ahí. La gente tiene miedo. Sin embargo, este nuevo año litúrgico resplandeciente nos invita a permanecer erguidos, ¡permanecer despiertos y mirar! ¿Qué estamos esperando? La pandemia actual, las luchas políticas y las preocupaciones de la Iglesia nos encuentran esperando soluciones a los problemas, resoluciones a los conflictos, vacunas para las enfermedades y un liderazgo que realmente pueda ser efectivo y confiable. Aunque todas estas son actividades dignas y necesarias, todas son mundanas. La verdadera esperanza se encuentra en otro lugar.

¿Creemos que Dios es fiel y que Dios nos mantendrá firmes hasta el final? A veces, vivimos la vida como si de alguna manera fuéramos a desmoronarnos si las cosas no salen de cierta manera. No nos gustan los tiempos de confusión y confusión. Saber lo que teníamos, el malestar y el desasosiego del lugar donde estamos y la incertidumbre y desconocimiento de dónde terminaremos, hacen que estar presente en los momentos de la vida y encontrar la alegría sea una empresa difícil. Necesitamos verdadera esperanza. En estos días puede ser un desafío incluso orar. Podemos preguntarnos, ¿estamos siendo guiados a través de algún tipo de "noche oscura del alma" o preguntarnos si Dios acaba de pasar a otra persona? Sabiendo que lo último probablemente no sea cierto, podemos vivir con un malestar espiritual e incluso emocional.