Since we are just finishing up on Thanksgiving weekend, I'm sure that most of us here have a pretty clear idea in our minds of what it means to make preparations for something big that is about to happen. Even when my sister and I were children and we weren't old enough yet to be much help in the kitchen, we were asked to do our part in getting the house cleaned and presentable for guests. So whether you were a part of the cooking crew or the clean up crew this weekend, I'm sure many of you had some part to play in preparing for this weekend.
As I told a few of you, this year I played host to a few members of my family. I'm not in a straitjacket so I must of survived it just fine. My mom was the main cook for the dinner, but I helped around the kitchen with getting the meal prepared and getting the table all set. Whenever I'm doing food prep, I can't help but think about a very funny scene from a Three Stooges episode in which Moe, Larry, and Curly volunteer to help make dinner for a birthday party. You know this is not going to go over very well. At one point Larry tells Curly to shave some ice. The next scene you see is Curly with a big block of ice on a chair and he's sharpening a straightedge razor blade. He then whips up some shaving cream and proceeds to literally shave the block of ice, saying things like, “You're new in neighborhood, aren't you?” and making jokes, “Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck!” After Moe gives him the usual head slap, Curly then goes to stuff the turkey for the dinner. He reads the ingredients as he goes. “Separate two eggs”. He holds them apart and puts both of them whole into the bird. “Two potatoes. Diced”. He shakes them like a pair of dice and rolls them on the table before putting them in whole. He then literally pinches some salt, puts in a half dozen oysters (shells and all), and a can of peas (the whole can). When told to put in a loaf of bread, well soaked, he punches a loaf several times and stuffs the whole thing in the bird. He also looses his ring and a wrist watch during this process, which guest finds later on in the stuffing.
The Stooges are anything but good examples for how to prepare for a feast or celebration. But it is still rather humorous to think about how bad things could get if you had three knuckleheads trying to cook something. It is also nice to know that even with a few mistakes, any of us will probably do far better than they did.
As we begin the new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent, our readings speak about looking forward to glorious times that are coming for the people of Israel and about making preparations for that day. The first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah speaks about how things will be so wonderful for the people of Israel that people for all over will want to come to Jerusalem and to the Lord's House. Part of the city of Jerusalem is built on a mountain called Zion, so when you hear “Zion” mentioned, like in this reading and elsewhere in the Bible, it is a reference to the whole of the city of Jerusalem. The city is considered a holy city since that is where the Temple is located. So saying that all these people are going to Jerusalem also suggests that they are going to the Temple to pray and to worship God. This is also referenced in the psalm, “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord”.
Obviously something spectacular is going to be happening for the people of Israel. What it is isn't mentioned here, but I would hope that our Christian faith would indicate to us that this is one of many prophecies within the Old Testament of the coming of Jesus. The next two readings talk about how to prepare for that.
St. Paul in his letter to the Romans speaks of an urgency about being prepared for the coming of Jesus. He says, “You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand.” Now obviously, at the time Paul wrote this Jesus had already come, rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven. He is not talking about the first time Jesus came; he is speaking about Jesus' Second Coming, which we are all waiting for as well. It is important to understand that St. Paul and many other Christians of the first century thought that Jesus' Second Coming was going to happen within their lifetime. It could happen at any moment and they did not want to be ill prepared for that moment. So leaders, like the Apostle Paul, preached and taught a lot about being prepared for that eventual coming again of Christ. In this instance, Paul uses the images of waking from a deep sleep and moving from darkness into light, just like any of us might be awakened in the early morning. You don't want to be all groggy and still waking up when Jesus comes. Be ready.
The Gospel continues with this idea of Jesus coming again without warning and at an unknown hour. The people of Noah's time didn't know that the flood waters were coming. Noah's family made preparations and survived; the others did not. Jesus also uses the imagery of staying awake. Perhaps the Apostles heard about a man who's house had been robbed during the night and Jesus uses that image as well to show the urgency of paying attention to what is happening.
Both Jesus and St. Paul are telling their listeners, including all of us today, that we do not know when that Second Coming will happen and so we must be prepared. So how do we do that? Well, both readings talk about disconnecting ourselves from worldly attachments. St. Paul mentions rivalry and jealousy and other sins that indicate an unhealthy attachment to the things in this world. In other words, they care more about stuff on earth, than about going to Heaven. Jesus also mentions the people of Noah's time who cared more about what they wanted than about doing God's will.
The best way for any of us to disconnect ourselves from worldly attachments and our own selfish desires is through prayer and taking time to focus on our relationship with Jesus. The Season of Advent is a wonderful time to do just that. Take a moment from the holiday rush that is beginning right now and focus on preparing for Christ. It will be well worth your time.
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