1st Sunday Advent C - Homily 6

Homily 6 - 2021 

Today’s Gospel passage can sound, at least on first hearing, somewhat contradictory. But is it? Jesus was talking about the end times [whenever they are, whatever they are!]. Quoting from a passage in the Book of Daniel, he spoke of “the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory”. What would that be like?

On the one hand, he seemed to speak threateningly: of “nations on earth in agony”, “bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves”, people “dying of fear”. But then, on the other hand, he insisted, “your liberation is near at hand”, so “stand erect, hold your heads high” and “stand with confidence before the Son of Man”.

With some effort, we can see, however, that there is no contradiction. As far as the natural happenings are concerned, that is pretty much “business as usual” and always has been. As we sit here right now, safe and sound, there are no doubt at the same time some places on earth where there are fires, and somewhere else where there are floods; some places where there is drought and famine, others where there is a glut of foodstuffs. Right now. That is the way that our world is.

Jesus’ point seems to have been, however, that what ultimately matters is not just what is happening to people around them, but how they interpret it, and how they respond to it all.

Here faith comes in. Jesus invited his hearers to cultivate and sharpen their inner attention to what is happening beneath the surface, as it were, as history unfolds. He saw that as nothing less than his own risen presence and action, unseen and unsuspected, in our world across history— which he referred to as “the Son of Man coming with power” [the “glory” bit is irrelevant].

Are we frightened of his power? Last week we celebrated the feast of the “Christ the King”. Jesus made quite clear that his kind of regal power was vastly different from usual human expectations of power. Jesus’ power is the power of loving, of caring, or respecting — everyone, anyone — extended even to enemies. Genuine love is a creative power, an expression of God’s creative power. It is the kind of power that enables people to change positively, to grow.

It is no secret. Mature friends [even if genuine friends are scarce] love each other that way; husbands and wives so often do. That kind of power [and it is all around us] sets people free. It empowers them to respond constructively to whatever is happening in the world, and to become [and to feel] more alive in the process.

Are you frightened of Christ? I’m not. We have been friends as long as I can remember. With Jesus a key player in our lives, we can spontaneously “stand erect”, “stand with confidence”, and “hold our heads high”.

In these up-setting Covid days, it could be well worth our while to let today’s Gospel quietly run around in our heads and hearts.