Grace of advent

Today, the first Sunday of Advent, we begin a new Church year, a year of grace, the calendar of Our Lord which is apart from any established calendar. The fiscal year begins in January and winds up in December. The Church year also called the liturgical year begins today, the new year of the Church.

Advent which means carries to us special graces to bring us closer to Christ. Here in the Philippines, we have a tendency to forget the real preparation for Christ’s coming. Worrying about the money we need to have a merry Christmas, looking for the best buys to prepare our gifts and Christmas wear, producing greeting cards to send to friends, lights, Christmas décor and food to stock up for the Christmas feast – all these are our top concerns.

What is the scenario we find in the Philippines this Advent of the year 2003? It is nothing new to us that the picture is grim. Industrial, scientific, technological development co-exist with economic marginalization. Our country struggles with a deficit of social development whose worst aspect is a situation of poverty. Large segments of society, such farmers without land, the small-scale landowners impoverished and crippled by debt, and the vast number of city workers, hapless victims of rapid changes in the structure of capital and employment conducive to exploitation. A crisis of leadership exists where primacy is given to personal gain and not to the common good. Politics, with the coming election, escalates its dirty play of power-grabbing, graft and corruption. Meanwhile, the great mass of Filipinos continues an unrest which threatens to erupt into a full-scale rebellion while crimes of no mean proportions are being perpetrated against children, young and old. The migration of Filipinos in foreign lands to seek lucrative jobs has brought on serious problems including loneliness, separation of families, loss of Filipino values handed down from the past and at times even loss of faith. It seems, no effective solutions can be found, humanly speaking.

Advent reminds us Christ has come and He will come again. Ours should be a continuous and vigilant waiting for His coming. The God of the covenant revealed Himself in history through His Son, Jesus Christ. In history the Church celebrates the mystery of salvation: the Incarnation, the Passion, the Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. In our journey towards His second coming, we have continually to renew this journey to Christ and the ‘not yet’ of His full revelation.

With the Psalmist let us pray without ceasing this Advent prayer: "Drop down dew, ye heavens from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One. The Lord will come and He will not delay. He will be the light in the darkness of the night and a revelation to all the nations. Lord, grant that we may understand Your ways. Reveal your salvation to all people."

First Sunday of Advent, Luke 21:25-28,34-36.