As we begin our new liturgical year on this First Sunday of Advent, here is my homily about our understanding of time and the seasons.<\/p>\n
1st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
\nSt. Jan\u2019s 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m..
\nIsaiah 2:1-5
\nRomans 13:11-14
\nMatthew 24:37-44
\nNovember 28, 2010
\nWe often talk in terms of \u201cthings\u201d because it is the principal way in which we experience the world we live in.\u00a0 There is another important factor in the way we experience the world \u2013 time.<\/p>\n
We mark the passage of time as our years go on.\u00a0 We experience the passage of time in two principal ways; day and year.\u00a0 We have more divisions of time; seconds, minutes, hours, weeks, and months.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
But we experience the passage of time in the day because of the rotation of the Earth, the cycle of light in night and day are very obvious to us.\u00a0\u00a0Likewise, we experience the passage of a year, is experiences in the seasons.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
While everyone has their own natural rhythms, for most the cycle of the day and year are important factors in our natural rhythms.\u00a0 Most people prefer to be active when the sun is out and rest in the darkness.\u00a0 Likewise, the passage of seasons influences when we spend outdoors, when we vacation, or when we might travel south for the winter.<\/p>\n
\u00a0The church understands how these cycles of day and year are important for us.\u00a0 So, the church has established a liturgical calendar based on a yearly cycle with seasons.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most people only experience the Sunday cycle but there is also a daily cycle of readings.\u00a0 And the year, of course, is broken up into seasons.\u00a0 These seasons are based on the two most important days of the year, Christmas and Easter.<\/p>\n
From Easter, we determine the dates of Lent, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the dates of the Easter season, Ascension Thursday, and Pentecost.<\/p>\n
\u00a0From Christmas, we determine the dates of Advent, Holy Family Sunday, Epiphany, and the Baptism of the Lord.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Since we are beginning Advent and approaching Christmas, that is our focus today.\u00a0\u00a0For the secular world, Christmas decorations have started appearing.\u00a0 Thanksgiving Parades often include Christmas at the end.\u00a0 For the shopping world, Christmas seems to begin last Friday, with the Black Friday shopping sales.<\/p>\n
For the Church, Christmas has not begun.\u00a0 Christmas does not begin until Christmas itself.\u00a0 But we do not celebrate it just as a day.\u00a0 No, the Church too celebrates Christmas as a season with several significant days in the season.<\/p>\n
Of course, Christmas day itself is the most important because it is the birthday of our savior.\u00a0 Then, the Sunday after Christmas is generally Holy Family Sunday.\u00a0 Jesus was not born into an abstract world.\u00a0 Jesus was born into a family with Mary and Joseph so we honor the family.<\/p>\n
Then, comes the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, recognizing Mary\u2019s role in the birth of our savior but that role did not end in his birth but continued as she raised Jesus.<\/p>\n
Then comes the Epiphany, the visit of the magi, who come to see the infant Jesus, understanding the importance of Jesus\u2019 birth and finally the Christmas season concludes with the celebration of Jesus\u2019 Baptism, which begins his public ministry.<\/p>\n
All of these events are important to our faith.\u00a0 The fact that Jesus, as the Son of God, was willing to come into the world as a human infant, and to experience life as we experience, is central to understanding what it means to be Christian.<\/p>\n
It is so important that we have a season just to get ready for it.\u00a0 That is where we are at now, just beginning the season of Advent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, Advent is a time of preparation.\u00a0 There are always four Sundays in Advent.\u00a0 On each of this Sundays we are invited (through the readings) to think about the coming of Jesus into the world.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jesus has\/will come into the world twice.\u00a0 The first coming is what we celebrate at Christmas, his human birth.\u00a0 The second coming is his coming at the end of the ages.\u00a0 This is the coming we need to prepare ourselves for.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a time of preparation, Advent is a penitential time, meaning we are called to reflect on our readiness for the Second Coming (that\u2019s why the priest and deacon wear purple).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
But this doesn\u2019t mean we are terrible people that should feel awful about the things we have done.\u00a0 Yes, we need to think about the sins we have committed and seek the Lord\u2019s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and we need to seek the grace to do better.<\/p>\n
But we do so knowing that we have a God who loves us so much as to be willing to become human.\u00a0 That\u2019s why we focus on both the First Coming and the Second Coming during Advent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s readings focus very much on the Second Coming.\u00a0 Over the next four weeks our readings will shift to the First Coming of Christ.\u00a0 The four week cycle is symbolized by our Advent Wreath.<\/p>\n
What do you need to seek reconciliation for in this time and what grace do you need to do better?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As we begin our new liturgical year on this First Sunday of Advent, here is my homily about our understanding of time and the seasons. 1st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A St. Jan\u2019s 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m.. Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:37-44 November 28, 2010 We often talk in terms of \u201cthings\u201d …<\/p>\n