Readings: Jeremiah 33: 14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:12 - 4:2; Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36

Stay on Course

Introduction

In the days before satellites, when your cruise ship sailed the navigator ketp track of where the ship was in one of two ways. The best way, celestial navigation, uses the stars to plot the ship's course. Should the skies be clouded over, the ship did what's called dead reckoning. That is, the ship just stayed on its planned course. After the skies have cleared again, the navigator would check the stars to make certain the ship was where it was supposed to be.

Two ways to guide the ship, by the stars or by staying on the planned course.

Cloudy Days

Today's the First Sunday of Advent, and each of our readings describe cloudy days. Dark times for the Hebrew people, dark days for Christians. In the midst of catastrophic times, better times are promised. During cloudy days we faith-filled Christians stay on course, we keep our faith.

The Prophet Jeremiah described the worst of times. Egypt had conquered Judah, and installed Jehoiakim as King. Then the Babylonians defeated the Egyptians. Jehoiakim was a puppet king, he was also a tyrant. The Prophet Jeremiah takes Jehoiakim to task for bleeding the poor dry with taxes. Why such high taxes? So the King could build a majestic palace.

Then came King Zedekiah. Jeremiah calls Zedekiah a weakling, unable to resist while the Babylonians forced able-bodied Israelites into exile, to serve their conquerors.

But, the Prophet Jeremiah promises, a just shoot of David will arise. Stay faithful, Jeremiah urges, there will come a strong, powerful king, a bright star to guide us, to bring peace and justice. Jeremiah was predicting the Birth of Christ.

Then, we come to the Gospel of Luke. Again describing bad times. The baby Jesus had been born, 600 years after Jeremiah's prediction. But also Jesus had been crucified. His followers awaited the Second Coming of Christ. By now, some fifty years had passed, and Christ had not returned. Patience had worn thin, Christians were being persecuted, people were giving up hope.

Luke writes, trust God. God has his own time table. The Son of Man will come in a cloud. Keep your heads up, stand tall. Luke tells the early Christians, keep the faith.

Jeremiah and Luke, both write during dark times. Each says, God has not forgotten us. God promises, God always is faithful. Better days are ahead. Stay on course, keep the faith.

Embrace the Present Moment

In fact, to stay on course is good advice for every Christian. We stay on course when we embrace the present moment, acting and living each moment of every day as good Christians.

One way to stay the course, to embrace the present moment is to use our God given talents. A sixth grade student wants to be an engineer, but worries about being able to pass all the science and math and engineering courses. The wise teacher asks the youth, Are you able to do your sixth grade work? Yes, the boy answers. Do you think you'll be able to pass seventh grade next year? Yes, the boy answers again.

The student passes one grade at a time until he graduates as an engineer. Doing his school assignments each day is embracing the present moment because he uses the talents God gave him, follows the interests God placed within him.

Another good example of embracing the present moment comes from a couple I was preparing for marriage. Of Lebanese descent, the couple wanted a Marian Rite ceremony. One day, as I was getting ready for Mass, the couple said they had located a Marian Rite priest, and asked if he could do the wedding. I said, yes, of course. Then, the couple asked if they could have the traditional crowing ceremony, part of the Marian Rite wedding. Then, would it be O.K. to have only candles light the church. All during these questions, I feel rushed, trying to get ready for Mass.

To embrace the present moment called me to listen carefully to the couple. Here was a young man and a young woman, in love, anxious, hoping everything could be arranged for the wedding of their dreams. To embrace the present moment, to live my faith, I was called to reassure them, to be kind when personally feeling rushed.

As we await the birth of Christ, we are to do what we always do: to stay on course, to embrace the present moment, each and every day to live our faith, loving God and neighbor.

Embracing the Present Moment During Advent

Question is: How do we stay the course, embrace the present moment during Advent? On the one hand, we get ready for the birth of Christ; on the other hand, we make our shopping list and head for the mall. How do we keep our faith, stay on course, in the midst of the busy-ness of December?

Our Gospel from Luke tells us: don't get drunk, or caught in wasteful consumption, or oppressed by the anxieties of daily life.

First, drunkenness. With all the Christmas parties, how do we avoid drinking and eating too much? We’ll have Christmas parties at work, at school, with every club we belong to. We embrace the present moment as a chance to relax with friends or co-workers. To enjoy good food and good conversation. What we avoid are the excesses. Perhaps a glass or two of spiked eggnog; not an evening of drinking. Certainly not enough drinks that we need to be taken home by the designated driver. As Luke tells us, we avoid drunkenness.

Then Luke warns, beware of wasteful consumption. A problem at Christmas, with the malls jam packed with merchandise, sale prices to tempt us. Internet shopping makes it easy to find what we want, with delivery date guaranteed.

We embrace the present moment, we stay the course by remembering to make the gift a gift of love. Not to impress. Not to outshine what someone else gives. In one family, all gifts are modest. But, watch the fun that family has opening those gifts. A pair of socks, a delight, with the thank-you telling how the socks match so well a favorite sweater. The mother, receiving an oven mitt. Carefully chosen, greatly appreciated, because the old oven mitts were wearing thin. Each family gift shows care in its selection, knowing the tastes and needs and wants of each other family member.

How different from the stack of expensive gifts. We've all seen children go from gift to gift, unwrapping one after another. No gift getting more than the seconds it takes to unwrap before going to the next package.

We embrace the present moment by looking for the love behind the gift, not for the price tag.

Third, Luke tells us to not to get overwhelmed by the anxieties of daily life. Here we might mention embracing the present moment during times of personal tragedy. I remember a husband died, leaving a wife in her thirties with two children, both boys. The young widow found a job, still, money was short. She concentrated on her two sons, their growing up.

Always active in her parish, after a few months, the widow joined the Bereavement Team. Having experienced the death of her husband, she began to feel that deep joy of bringing God's love to someone else in pain and shock. And such joy she had as she watched her sons, one a natural leader, always class president at school; the other an excellent athlete, the captain of the swim team. A full life, with God at its center.

How do we embrace the present moment during Advent? Luke told us in our Gospel: don't get drunk, or caught in wasteful consumption, or oppressed by the anxieties of daily life.

Conclusion

Today, we begin the season of Advent. A quiet prelude before the brightness of Christmas. Our colors darker, the blue-violet of the winter skies.

Sometime during the darker days, Luke's Gospel says: "The Son of Man is coming like a trap, suddenly, without warning."

Truth is it does not matter when Christ comes again. If we stay the course and make everyday holy, we are ready and Christ can come anytime. If we do not embrace the present moment and focus on God each day, it does not matter when Christ comes because we will never be ready to meet the Son of God.

Let's stay on course, as faith-filled Christians, always ready to welcome the coming of Christ.

(Comments to Fr. Bonar at cbonar@cfl.rr.com.)