Advent I

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT Homily Today’s First Reading ends like this: “Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay, you are the potter, and we are all the work of your hand”. These words humble us because they remind us that we are clay. However, they also elevate us because they tell us that God is the potter. Better still. God is our Father, which means we are his children. We have a divine dignity, though we carry this dignity in vessels of clay.

There was a father who had four children. When they were old enough to leave home, he gave each of them a treasure. The treasure was sealed in a simple earthenware jar. Though this surprised them, none of them objected. A treasure was still a treasure.

Justin, the oldest of the four, bore the treasure away with great joy. However, the joy soon wore off. He got tired of having to handle the jar as if it were a piece of rare china. He began to grumble against his father, saying that it was unfair, even cruel, of him to ask him to carry the treasure in such a perishable container.

And yet there were times when he could see reasons for this. Was his father not showing the greatest possible trust in him? If he had put the treasure in an unbreakable container that would not be showing much trust in him. Nevertheless, Justin grew tired and careless. The inevitable happened. He let the jar fall. It got badly cracked, so he put it aside. Ever afterwards, he held a grudge against his father.

Anne, the second oldest, went at once and had the jar encased in a metal container.

Then she proceeded to encrust the case with precious stones. Every penny she earned, and she earned a great amount, went into this. The jar glittered with diamonds and rubies.

She was very proud of it, and availed of every opportunity to show it off in public.

However, the result was that the container became her real treasure, and she forgot about the inner treasure.

Brendan, the third oldest, carried the treasure with care and love for a while. But then he began to have doubts about its value. “How can I be sure that I’m not being deceived?” he asked himself. “What if there is no treasure in the jar after all?”. Falling on hard times, he sold it for a pittance, but afterwards felt guilty for having done so.

Sarah, the youngest of the four, carried the treasure with the utmost care. She had no doubts about its value, so great was her trust in her father. Even though many misfortunes befell her, she never lost heart. She had one real anchor in her life. Not so much the treasure, as the love of her father, which the treasure symbolized.

Years went by. Then one day a message came saying that their father was dying and wished to see them. They figured that he wanted them to give an account of what they had done with the treasures he had given them. Justin and Brendan were apprehensive

about the encounter. Anne was looking forward to it. Sarah was overcome with sorrow at the prospect of her father’s death.

When the meeting took place the father enquired earnestly about the well-being of each of his children. Not as much as a word about the treasures! Finally Anne said: “Dad, aren’t you going to ask us about the treasures?”.

“I have already done so”, he replied.

“I don’t understand”, said she.

“Why, you are my treasures”, said he.

We are God’s children. He loves us with an unconditional love. This should be a solid place to which we return after every failure. We must let ourselves be loved, for nor what we have done, but just for being. We are not lumps of clay. We are God’s precious children. Happy those who do not doubt this. However, God has given us responsibility for our lives. The way to return his love is to use his great gift in a responsible way.

Three times in today’s Gospel passage Jesus tells his disciples to “stay awake”. The call to “stay awake” is meant for us too. It is a very appropriate call for the beginning of the new liturgical year. It’s an ideal opportunity to wake up to the grandeur of our divine dignity, and to try to live accordingly.

Lord Jesus, awaken my heart and mind to receive your word and to prepare for your coming again. Free me from complacency, from the grip of sin and worldliness, and from attachments to things which pass away. May I always be eager to receive your word and be ready to meet you when you came again. Amen.

Entrance Advent is a time of watchfulness. We are waiting for the final coming of Christ at the end of time. And we are also waiting for his coming to us at the time of our death. Since both times are hidden from us, we should maintain a state of watchfulness so that we are ready to meet the Lord at any moment.

Prayer of the Faithful In a world divided by greed and fear, let us ask God to come to our help and bring us back to him.

All-powerful God, you are the same yesterday, today, and forever; help us to have confidence in your unchanging love for us, so that we may have the strength to persevere in goodness. We ask this through Christ our Lord.