A long time ago there lived a little boy whose parents had died. He was taken in by an aunt who raised him as her own child. Many years later, after the boy had grown and become successful in business, he received a letter from his aunt. She was terminally ill and from the tone of her letter, quite afraid of death. Thus, the man who had been raised and strongly influenced by this woman decided to write her a letter in response.
He began, "It is now 35 years since I, a little boy of six, was left quite alone in the world. You sent me word that you would give me a home and be mother to me. I have never forgotten the day when I made the long journey of ten miles to your home. I remember being disappointed that instead of coming yourself, you sent your servant, Caesar, to fetch me. I well remember my tears and anxiety as, perched atop your horse and clinging to Caesar, we rode off to your home. Night fell before we finished the journey and as it grew dark I became more afraid. ‘Do you think she will go to bed before we get there?' I asked Caesar nervously. ‘Oh, no,' Caesar replied, ‘she will certainly be up to stay with you. When we get through these woods you will see her light shining in the window.'
"We made it to the clearing and there was the light as he promised. I remember that you were waiting in the doorway. You put your arms around me and lifted me, a tired and frightened little boy, and gently took me from the horse and safely placed me on the ground. You had a fire burning and a hot supper was waiting for me on the stove. After supper you took me to my new room. You listened to my prayers and then you waited until I fell asleep.
"You probably know why I am retelling these events to you now. Very soon, God is going to send for you and take you to a new home. I am trying to tell you that you need not worry nor be afraid of the summons or of the strange journey or the dark messenger of death. God can be trusted to do as much for you as you did for me so many years ago. You can wait and not fear, for at the end of the road you will find love and welcome awaiting you, and you will be safe in God's care. I will watch and pray for you until you are out of my sight. I shall also wait for the day when I will make the same journey and find you waiting for me to greet me at the end of the road."1
This powerful story illustrates Advent, the season we enter today, and its important theme of waiting. During this first liturgical season of the year we wait for the coming of the Lord in two ways: His Second Coming, or Parousia, when the world will be claimed by Christ, and his coming in history at Christmas. Today we are told that we must be ready, but there is nothing to fear as we await God's arrival at the end of time.
In the gospel, Jesus makes it very clear that we must not be complacent, but rather, must be ever vigilant. Mark's eschatological discourse paints a powerful scene, worthy of a Cecile B. DeMille Hollywood film. The sun will be darkened, the moon will no longer give light, and the stars will fall from the skies. Even the powers of heaven will shake. Then the Son of Man will come in great majesty and glory. He will send his angels to collect his chosen, the elect, from the four winds and the ends of the earth to claim the world as his own. Jesus tells his followers that signs will accompany these wondrous events. As we witness the signs of the changing seasons, so we must be watchful for the signs of Christ's coming. Therefore, he cautions his disciples to be constantly on watch, for the master of the house, symbolic for Christ himself, will return when one least expects. It may be at dawn, dusk, or midnight, so be awake and do not let the Lord catch you asleep or ill prepared. As Jesus says, only the Father knows the day and the hour. Heaven and earth will pass away, but Jesus' words and thus the events he predicts, will never pass away.
When we hear of the end times — the sun darkened, the moon without light, and stars falling from the heavens — we, quite naturally, tend to be fearful. The true Christian, however, cannot be fearful, but must wait in hope. This is the event for which we have lived our lives. This is the day of our salvation and our ticket back home to God. However, even though we need not fear, we must be ready and vigilant.
Generally we do a very fine job of preparing for what we know, events that we expect at some future date that can be precisely determined. We make our plans and prepare for family events such as birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and the like. We are also quite adept, despite the hectic pace, at preparing for major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. We make extensive plans for our next vacation or three-day weekend. Most people spend a considerable amount of time getting their finances and personal investments in order so there will be adequate funds for retirement.
What about our future eternal life with God? Do we realize our need to prepare ourselves and the responsibility we have to the world to ready society for the eventual return of Christ? I suppose this is not a topic many contemplate daily, but maybe we should spend more quantity and quality time preparing for the coming of the Lord, not at Christmas, but at the end of time. God calls us to prepare for the future, not only on this earth, but more importantly our eternal life with God. This latter journey may not begin for fifty years or more, but it may come tomorrow.
Imagine picking up the Sunday paper, opening it, and reading in giant letters, Jesus Christ Will Return on December 25! What would we do? How would we react to this astonishing information? I think there would be two basic reactions. Some of us, out of fear, would change our lives immediately. The Lord is coming and we are not ready. We might start going to church more often, probably every day. Prayer would become a much higher priority in life. We would pray not only in the morning and evening, but many times each day. We would seek reconciliation, with a member of our family, neighbor, coworker, and certainly with God. Others might have a very different response. Some of us might do nothing differently. Some in a defeatist attitude might say, "There is nothing I can do at this late hour. God has already decided my fate. I might as well continue what I have been doing all along." There are still others who might not change a thing they are doing, but not in a defeatist mode. Some of us hopefully would say, "Isn't this the event for which the world has been waiting? Isn't this the reason that I was born?" Possession of such an attitude would allow us to continue doing what we have always been doing, confident that our preparations have been sound.
While one must be vigilant and properly prepared, there should be nothing to fear. God is the judge, but as Christians, living in the light and hope of Christ's message of reconciliation, peace, and love, we can be confident that the Lord stands ready to welcome us. The question we must ask is: Have we faithfully led the life the Lord has given us? We must evaluate our lives, take the often times perilous inward journey of self-discovery, and ask the hard questions. What we find may surprise us, but we can and must change as may be necessary.
We only need to fear if we procrastinate in our relationship with God. We cannot wait but must act today. Many remember the popular song by Harry Chapin, "Cat's In The Cradle." In the lyrics, each time a man's son asks, "When're you coming home, Dad?" the response received is, "I don't know, but we'll get together then." As this story repeats the boy gains his father's attitude until in the end when the father asks his adult son, "When're you coming home, son?" the answer received is, "I don't know. But we'll get together then." The father's procrastination leads to the loss of his son. A famous and anonymous poem describes the challenge we face:
He was going to be all that he wanted to — Tomorrow
None would be kinder or braver than he — Tomorrow
A friend who was troubled and weary, he knew
Who'd be glad of a lift, and who needed it too,
On him he would call and see what he could do — Tomorrow
Each morning he stacked up the letters he'd write — Tomorrow
And the thought of the folks he would fill with delight — Tomorrow
But hadn't one minute to stop on his way,
"More time I will give to others," he'd say — Tomorrow
The greatest of disciples this man would have been — Tomorrow
The world would have hailed him if he had seen — Tomorrow
But, in fact, he passed on, and he faded from view,
And all that he left here when living was through,
Was a mountain of things he intended to do — Tomorrow!
We must not wait until something happens, such as a bout with ill health, an accident, or economic misfortune, to "make right" our relationship with God. We need to get going now!
Jesus' warning in the gospel to be aware of the signs of the times challenges us to open our eyes and ears to our contemporary world. We would be blind to not realize that secularization dominates our society; we cannot avoid this reality. We should reap the benefits of our first-world North American society, but living in the world does not mean we must be of the world. We must be the sign of the times of which Jesus speaks. One of the more prominent signs of today's world preaches an anti-Christian message. We, the contemporary disciples of Jesus, must be, therefore, a sign of a different Christ-centered message. We must be a sign for the vigilance that is needed and the preparedness we must undertake. These must be the signs we give to the world, not the fear that paralyzes and leads to inaction. We need not carry a sign that warns, "The End Is Near." We can do much more and be more positive through the example we set. A popular Christian hymn from sometime back provides the goal, "They'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love." A popular tale demonstrates the proper Christian vocation of example:
One day a young missionary spotted a woodcutter hard at work in the forest. "What a perfect opportunity," thought the missionary, when he learned that the woodcutter had never heard of the Lord, "for me to make a convert for Jesus." All day the man chopped wood, carried it to his wagon, and then walked back to chop another load. After a good long time, the missionary, who had been telling the woodcutter about the life and message of Jesus said, "Well, are you ready now to accept and believe in Jesus Christ?" "I don't know," replied the woodcutter. "All day long you spoke to me of this man Jesus who helps us with our burdens and assists us with our daily tasks, but you have never even lifted a finger to help me with mine."
Advent begins with our need to patiently and without fear or consternation wait for the coming of the Lord at the end of time. At this time of year the busy lives we lead only become more filled with things to do, people to see, and activities that fill our schedules. We become "stressed out" and worried about many things. Our busyness often keeps us from concentrating on things that are much more fundamental in our lives, most especially our relationship with God. We fear waiting for we do not like the unknown. However, the story of the man writing to his aunt and today's scripture readings tell us that we need to develop the ability to wait patiently for God, always remembering how patient God is with us.
Death, our ultimate meeting with God, is a fearful event for most because we have no control and are baffled by what will happen. Yet, if we have done what God asks of us, if we have made a good effort to fulfill our vocations to holiness and service, then there is nothing to fear. As our Advent journey begins, therefore, let us find the time to wait with joy and wonder. Let us take the time to wait for God, who created us, has loved us, and stands ready to greet us with his words of encouragement, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34b).
1.Paraphrased from, "Death Comes for His Aunt," in William J. Bausch, World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers (Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 1999), pp. 216-17.