Reflection for the First Sunday of Advent By Father Tyrell J. Alles, OSB “Advent,” from the Latin “adventus,” means “coming” or “presence.” In the language of the ancient world, it meant the arrival or the visit of the king or emperor to a province. For the Church, the liturgical season of Advent, marked by a spirit of expectation, has a twofold character. Chronologically, the first is the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The second is His glorious return at the end of time. However, liturgically, first, we reflect on His Second Coming. The liturgical readings of this time are apocalyptic in nature, and so we reflect on the Old Testament’s Messianic prophecies and their fulfilment in Jesus at His first coming, His incarnation. Therefore, Advent invites us to look back in view of looking forward to the coming and the presence of Christ among us. The opening prayer on the first Sunday of Advent, which speaks of the Lord’s coming, sets the tone for this season. “Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the resolve to run for to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at His coming, so that, gathered at His right hand, they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.” The Old Testament reading from Jeremiah’s prophecy of a “righteous branch” springing up for David has messianic overtones (Jer 33:15). This metaphor drawn from the plant world is an important symbol of hope. Just as saplings grow out of dead stumps, even a dead dynasty can be restored. He declares: “In those days Judah shall be saved and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; this is the name they shall call her: ‘The Lord our justice.’” (Jer 33:16). In this oracle, Jeremiah points to the failure of political leadership to render justice and righteousness in the community, and he announces God’s intention to provide leaders who will rightly render the affairs of the people and will lead them in their worship of the Lord. “The Lord our justice” is the name of the righteous king who is to come. People who go by the name “the Lord our justice” understand themselves to be committed to all those ways God has defined as living in right relationship with God and neighbour. Such people are a sign of God’s love, of His justice, which is already present and active in history but is not yet completely fulfilled and must therefore always be awaited, invoked, and sought with patience and courage. Jesus, the promised righteous branch, will proclaim a new vision of justice and righteousness.  St. Paul’s Thessalonian correspondence contains much teaching or a vibrant hope about the Second Coming of Our Lord, the Parousia. Through Paul’s preaching of the Gospel, God has called and chosen the Thessalonians to be members of the sanctified community that is the Church. God’s will for them, then, is their sanctification. As members of the sanctified community that has received the gift of the Spirit, they must increase and abound in love and live their lives in holiness so that they can stand blameless before the Lord on the day of the Parousia, the Second Coming of Our Lord (cf. 1 Thes 3:12-13). St. Paul encourages the Thessalonians: “May the Lord increase you and make you overflow with love. May He strengthen your hearts.” We, too, are encouraged to live a life of love and holiness in preparation for the Lord’s coming among us. The reading from the Gospel of Luke focuses on the Second Coming of Our Lord. Jesus speaks of cosmic disturbances – the signs in the sun, moon, and stars, the roar of the sea – to speak of His Second Coming. He will come in power so great that it will shake the heavens, a power exceeding that of the sun, moon, and stars. As startling as all this may be, the unleashing of the destructive forces of chaos are signs that portend the advent of redemption, the end of one age and the birth of another. Such cosmic turmoil calls to mind the primordial chaos out of which God brought order and the destruction at the time of Noah – out of which God brought order anew. Sacred history is punctuated with God’s solemn promises. This history leads to a goal when Jesus Christ will be Lord of all. Jesus came to us in Bethlehem to renew the world in love and justice. Christ will come again as the enthroned Messiah to fulfil God’s promise of love and justice. The day of His coming, referred to as the “Day of the Lord,” foretold by Israelite prophets, will be a day of punishment for the wicked but a day of salvation, the advent of the new age of fulfilment, for those who practice faithful endurance. As the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed, God will raise up a “righteous branch” or the “Lord of Righteousness” will usher in a time of justice and righteous living (Jer 33:15). Rather than being terrified by what is happening in our world, the Lord exhorts us to be vigilant at all times, pray for strength to endure, be confident, optimistic, and not distracted by the cares of this world (cf. Lk 21:34-36). Moreover, St. Paul wrote that we are to be blameless in holiness at the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Thes 3:13). On this First Sunday of Advent, let us pray that God will give us the grace to “cast away the works of darkness and put on the armour of light” (Rom 13:12). Advent is a season of hope in which believers in Christ are invited to remain in watchful waiting for the Second Coming of the Lord in glory and to celebrate His first coming in Bethlehem, nourished by prayer and by the effective commitment to love. God is faithful to His promises. Therefore, soon we will experience great joy, for redemption and eternal life will be ours when the Son of Man (cf. Dn 7:13-14) comes with power and great glory. As we journey through this season of Advent, let the expectation of the psalmist be ours as well: “Guide me in your truth and teach me. For you are God my savior, and for you I will wait all day” (Ps 25:5). Father Tyrell Alles, OSB, is a Benedictine priest who serves as pastor of St. Louis Besancon Catholic Church in New Haven. The post The Hopeful Anticipation of the Coming of Christ appeared first on Today's Catholic.