FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT C
TO STAND BEFORE YOU
MESSAGE
In the churches of the East, the priest says a prayer to the altar at the end of Mass: “May the offering I have received from you be for the remission of my faults and the forgiveness of my sins, so that I may stand without shame or fear before Christ.” As we start another Advent, let us remember its manifold significance: it is about waiting, hope, joy… but it is also about presence. The One we await is not foreign to us. The One who is coming is not a stranger here. He is already among us. The prayer mentions that we “stand before Christ.” He will come, he will visit, he will join us. But there is a paradox in that while we wait for him, we know that we are “already standing before him.”
How is God already present with us? We are convinced that he is present when we pray, when we celebrate the Eucharist, when we open the Scriptures, when we reflect on the Rosary. He is also present when we enter into life’s unexpected moments of sickness, tragedy, old age, pain and even death. The Gospel says the Son of Man is coming but only those who are not also aware that he is here will die of fright and surprise. They are already standing before him and they do not take the chance to know him fully. It is these people, insensitive to his presence, who will experience destruction.
We are standing before him even now. That is why Jesus says we must stand erect with heads held high for we shall see him with glory and power. We are not in front of a furious terminator or a punitive judge. We are in the presence of the King of Mercy, the King of Love. He comes as Savior, Lover and Friend.
REFLECTION
This Advent season, be aware that you stand before the Lord every day, but especially, when and where we need him most. May we be sensitive to his presence especially, his presence in the people around us. Offer everything in your life to him. He is present as love. Share that love this season.
