Wait for it...
Let’s just for one second imagine that the Dark Empire somehow was able to complete once again the Death Star. And there is nothing to stop it. Very soon it will fire its planet-destroying superlaser at the Earth, and very soon it “will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.”
If some of ya’ll don’t know exactly what I’m talking about, I’m referring to the Star Wars movies… but this is kind of how it’s going to be right? St. Peter in the second reading says that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief.” We will not be able to anticipate it and even Jesus says, “about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son but only the Father.” (Mk 13:39)
So a few points to remember… 1) The day of the Lord will come quickly. 2) There is no way to know when. 3) Be prepared and wait for His coming.
So in my family growing up, going to Mass on Sunday was always a big ordeal. I have four brothers, and we shared two bathrooms but only one of them had a shower. And all my brothers love taking a longgggg shower… except for me, of course… But needless to say, more often than not, getting to Mass on time was more of an extraordinary achievement rather than a norm. We were rarely not running a few minutes late and about twice a year, we would be early: that is on Christmas and Easter.
On those two days, we would get to Mass about 30 minutes early and then we would sit there and have to wait… At first, I did not know what to do in that time. When I was younger, I would sit there and just twiddle my thumbs and fidget around the whole time trying to keep myself entertained. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that instead of messing around, I can pray and prepare my heart and soul to receive God.
What was the difference? When I was younger, I didn’t know what exactly I was waiting for. Or I should say: WHO I was waiting for… And as I grew older, as my relationship with Jesus grew deeper, waiting for Jesus became desirable.
It is hard to wait if you don’t know what/who you are waiting for.
For example, imagine you are stuck in traffic… which in Houston, it’s not hard to imagine… it can be frustrating if it takes you an extra 30 minutes to get to where you need to go. Now what if you knew that a family of 4, parents and their two children were about 5 miles ahead in an accident and needed medical attention and that was why traffic is taking so long. What if it was a family that you knew?! Could you wait 30 minutes in traffic for the family to get medical attention?
It is hard to wait if you don’t know what/who you are waiting for… But the opposite is true: it’s easy to wait if you know what/who you are waiting for.
The question this Advent is: What are you waiting for? Some people are waiting to visit family and to spend quality time with them. Others have been waiting all year for the next Star Wars movie. Still others wait outside in the cold at the stores waiting for a good deal on electronics and sales. What are you waiting for this Advent?
The prophet Isaiah says, “Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!... Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news!... Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord God…”
When this voice cries out, when the Lord God comes, will there be anyone waiting and ready to receive him? Will we be prepared for his coming, or will we totally miss it because we’re too busy waiting for something else?
Brothers and sisters, an easy way to gauge our readiness, is in how we prepare for Mass. In the Mass, Jesus comes down in the Eucharist and he gives himself as a gift to us, he gives his entire body, blood, soul and divinity to us.
If I had told you this morning, that you were going to meet Jesus Christ himself, Lord of the Universe, and that today He wanted to give you something of infinite value and that he invites you to this great banquet feast… would you have prepared yourselves differently?
The Lamb of God is coming! He comes to take away our sins and our afflictions. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb. Is this what you have been waiting for? Are you prepared for this banquet? If not, take a minute to do so now.
