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First Sunday of Advent
December 3, 2000
The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: "The LORD our justice."
Second Reading--(1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2)
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. (Amen.) Finally, brothers, we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God--and as you are conducting yourselves--you do so even more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
Gospel Reading--(Luke 21:25-28, 34-36)
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand."
"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."
Pastor's Message: Security
So could it be that the most secure way to actually spend the upcoming holidays is to sit at home and yawn? And perhaps the only secure place to fall asleep behind the wheel is at a drive-in theater. But surely, the biggest need in auto security is the urgent recall of about fifty million drivers. For maybe the only way to pass speeding motorists at a very secure distance is to travel by plane. And while it is so very important to really know the traffic laws, it is so very prudent not to learn them by accident. Apparently, the only car that is truly secure is the one that can go no faster than its driver can think and react. With each passing year, there are some five million more vehicles on the roads -- so if you really want to cross the street, you had best do it right now! Doubtlessly, the nation's highways would be far more secure if an ounce of prevention were added to every gallon of gasoline. And, it surely stands to reason that motorists are much more secure when the streets are dry, and surely the streets are much more secure when motorists are "dry."
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal and Hugh Marlowe, and is regarded as a classic science-fiction film with a very strong pacifist message. Sent by a federation of planets to warn the people of Earth to stop all nuclear testing before the planet is destroyed, the Christ-like Rennie descends into Washington, D.C. in his spaceship, accompanied by his massive robot, Gort. But when an American soldier panics and shoots Rennie, Gort eliminates the whole squad of frightened G.I.'s. But Rennie is able to stop the robot from destroying the whole world. Taken to a military hospital, Rennie escapes, and -- posing as a normal human being -- he seeks shelter in Neal's boarding house. There he begins to understand that Earth-people really are not so evil. But since he cannot make contact with the governments of Earth, Rennie arranges a vivid demonstration of his power that justifies the title of this film.
In this gospel passage, Jesus talks about the end of the world. Not only Planet Earth, but the entire universe will undergo a cataclysmic upheaval and many people will die from the mere fright of it all. But those still alive on the earth will not be mere onlookers, like moviegoers. For all who are still alive will be starring-in the last picture show. The whole point of this gospel passage is that real and lasting security can be found only in Jesus Christ. The wisest people in the world are clearly those who seek their ultimate security only in God's hands. On this first Sunday of Advent, our Church invites us to begin our preparations for Christ's birth. We are positively prudent if we place our trust in Him. For He is our eternal security. Nobody and nothing else can ever save us! All of our preparations for Christmas 2000 should raise our awareness and our acceptance of this immense truth. We shall live forevermore because of what God did on that very first Christmas.
Fr. George Griffin