"Be Vigilant at All Times"
Saturday, November 29th Readings Reflection: Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
On this last day of the liturgical year, the Gospel reading gives us Our Lord’s exhortation to remain vigilant, watching and praying at all times, “that [we] may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man” (Lk 21:36 DRB). At the end of the liturgical year, the readings at Mass become increasingly apocalyptic, telling of the signs that shall precede the end of the world. These readings repeatedly warn us to remain watchful so that Christ’s coming might not catch us unawares.
The transition from this apocalyptic mentality into Advent, from the dramatic end times to an Infant born in a humble stable, can feel jarring. However, the apocalyptic theme will continue in our Advent readings as well, as tomorrow we will hear again Our Lord’s warning to remain prepared, for we do not know the hour in which He will come again. The Church deliberately gives us these dramatic readings as we begin to quiet our hearts for Advent. In the midst of the busyness as we prepare our homes for one of the most beautiful seasons of the year, we can sometimes forget the true reason for it all.
My priest made an excellent point about this in a sermon last Christmas. We often see reminders that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” and in one sense, He absolutely is, for He is the Infant born in the stable in Bethlehem that first Christmas long ago. However, Christ did not become incarnate for His own sake; rather, He became man for us, to live like us in all things but sin and to ultimately take all our sins upon Himself and nail them with His Body to the wood of the Cross. Christ was born that first Christmas night for us, so that we might stand ready at His Second Coming with oil in our lamps and hearts full of joyful longing to come at His call. That first Christmas happened for us, so that we would not be slaves to sin any longer but instead might attain eternal salvation with our God, Who became man for our sake.
This juxtaposition of these apocalyptic Mass readings and the stillness of Advent is thus meant to guide our hearts and properly orient us as we enter this beautiful season of preparation. Historically, the Church has observed Advent as a mini Lent, with the purple liturgical color reminding us of the need to purify our hearts. The reason for this purification, as we hear in today’s Gospel, is that we might remain vigilant, avoiding sin “and the cares of this life” (Lk 21:34) but instead watching and praying with ready hearts. May this upcoming season of Advent help us prepare our hearts to greet the King of Kings when He comes, both as an Infant in Bethlehem and as our Judge at the end of the world.
