In Advent the Church celebrates the three “comings” of our king, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The first is His coming in history; Jesus born of Mary as the prophets foretold, and as we remember. The second is His coming in mystery¾in the Word and Sacrament and in the members of the Assembly (we, the Body of Christ). Fr. Richard Rohr said: “The Second Coming of Christ is us.” We are the ones who bring Christ to life again in this world, in this time. We are the ones called to live in hope, to serve one another, to love God and neighbor to continue to work for the poor, to stand in solidarity with the oppressed, and to keep on working for justice and peace. We participate in this “coming” every day of our lives. The last is His coming in Majesty, at the end of time, in glory, to judge the living and the dead.

Today is the First Sunday of the new Liturgical Year, the beginning of the cycle of Scripture readings, the dawn of Advent, the return of anticipation and expectation. Happy New Year! The readings are filled with images of peace, of waiting, readiness and light. The Prophet Isaiah tells us what is to come: we shall be instructed in the ways of the Lord, be judged, live in peace and walk in the light of the Lord. St. Paul in his letter to the Romans tells us to stay awake, to throw off the (works of) darkness and put on the armor of light.

Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew today refers to Noah, and like Noah prepared his ark according to God’s plan for salvation, so we must ready our souls to make them worthy for His return. He tells us to be vigilant always: “stay awake!” We do not know when He will return; we must be prepared for when He comes again. The ark was Noah’s vehicle of salvation; Christ is our salvation. We must shed light on our old destructive ways, our self-centered and compromised lives of disobedience and obliviousness to God. No more choice for war, for apathy, for sin, for darkness, for terror, greed and fear. We must turn to the light of Christ to lead us home.

Last weekend we celebrated the Solemnity of Christ the King and we asked Christ to remember us when He comes into His kingdom. How will we be remembered? This weekend we bless and light the Advent Wreath¾an image of light that represents the coming of the light of Christ into the world. Advent is a gift of time for us to rededicate ourselves to holiness. As we light our Advent wreath we praise God for all the advents of His son: yesterday, today and forever. Lord, lead us to your light! Come, Emmanuel, God with us!
Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

How will you be remembered? A better question: how will you want to be remembered? Today we think of end times as celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King—the end of our liturgical cycle “C” and the beginning of cycle “A” for our Scripture readings. We will enter the new and next season of Advent. During November we have remembered all our Saints and Souls who have passed away in the last year—and we have remembered those long gone from us, too. In the Gospel today we hear the “good” thief ask Jesus to remember him when He comes into His Kingdom. It got me wondering if Jesus would remember me—and say to me when the time comes: “Amen…today you will be with me in paradise.”
 
I am convinced that probably most of us would like to do some great thing with our lives. But we labor under the illusion that the doing of great things is reserved for a chosen few: heroes, Olympians, martyrs, Saints—not really for you and me. What if the greatest thing to do is just to honor God with a life that seeks to do His will in all the little things—like spending our lives in love and care? We may not die for our faith, but we could strive to stay true to it in all we say and do during a lifetime. Here are some questions to consider:
 
Did I make anyone's burdens lighter?
Did I share with those less fortunate?
Was I a good example for my children, my co-workers, my fellow parishioners, and my neighbors?
Was I kind and considerate of others—going out of my way to comfort those who need comfort?
Was I strong for my spouse when there was a need to lean on me?
Did I remember to say every day how much I love and appreciate them to my spouse and family?
Did I praise my Savior and give thanks for blessings too numerous to count?
 
Try to imagine that the 24-hour blocks of your life are bank-fresh bundles of a hundred one dollar bills. Your challenge each day is to spend your life in order to be remembered for your caring and sharing. We must spend the small increments of our lives’ capital in unselfish events that honor God by serving the people He has placed on our paths. Spend your love capital wisely, and you will be remembered by those around you. And more importantly, remembered by Jesus—so that one day you will be in paradise.
Keep “spending wisely”—and keep singing!

​Elizabeth Dyc