Paradoxes of Advent

It was an exhausting day today. Perhaps the Lord wants me to rest and ponder over all that have happened today and cherish them.

Today, the Catholic Church begins a new liturgical year, the First Sunday of Advent. The key message of the gospel is to stay alert and get prepared for the unexpected second coming of the Lord. Yes, he will return at a time when most of us do not expect him. So, he will not come during the Advent season since most of the Catholics pray and expect his second coming in Advent. Here lies the paradox. When we expect him to come, he will not come. Then, when we think he will not come this year, he comes. Will he comes to end this world? Truly, only God knows!

Fr. Milanese shared his perspective on the attitude of Catholics towards the second coming of Christ. Again, there is paradox. Christians are like ordinary secular citizens. We eat, drink and marry like them. But our similarity ends there. We are different from ordinary secular citizens. We keep in mind the second coming of Christ and are told to get alert and prepared. On one hand, we are ordinary secular citizens. We must be in order to make Christianity relevant to secular citizens we relate in our daily life. On the other, we are different because we look beyond this present life. Then, Fr. Milanese brought up the theme of the upcoming year --- the year of Learning the documents and spirit of Vatican II. Here lies the paradox and tension. The more we are different from secular citizens, the less relevant our messages will be to them. So, we cannot be preachy. We bear witness with our lives. Action speaks louder than words.

Today, the Holy Spirit Seminary Theology and Philosophy College celebrates the 21st Graduation ceremony. The College chooses to celebrate on the first Sunday of Advent for a good reason. Their mission is to prepare the seminarians as well as the educated laity to evangelize. John the Baptist is the prototype. He prepared the Jews for the arrival of the Messiah. We graduates have received much training, thus have taken up a similar mission to proclaim Christ like John the Baptist.
Cardinal John Tong made use of the Institution Narrative as an image to exhort us. Jesus took up the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples. Similarly, we are the bread. God took us up (chose us), blessed us (trained us) broke and gave us (sent us) to the world to bear witness. A good analogy and a paradox. We come together for dispersion.

Dear Lord, we long and prepare for Your second coming. But You are already with us till the end of the world. Amen.