Homily for the First Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2020. Gospel – Luke 21: 25-36. Theme: The Silent Sermon of the Advent Wreath
Well, here we are at Advent once again, ushering in the holiday season that is always so special in just about everyone’s heart. Many of our holiday customs began centuries ago when the vast majority of people were illiterate, so the stories of the Bible had to be taught in ways that made it easy for them to remember. And so, the coming of the Savior was proclaimed by appealing to the senses with things like the Advent Wreath, the setting up of Nativity Scenes, the composition of Christmas carols and decorating Christmas trees.
The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival” and the Wreath which we set up in our sanctuary every year gives us a silent sermon about the meaning and purpose of this special season. Every aspect of the Wreath is meant to convey something about God. For example, its evergreen branches symbolize eternal life while its circular shape proclaims the awesome mystery of God who has no beginning or end.
The candles of the Wreath speak to us of the passing of time because each one of them represents a particular phase in the story of our salvation. They are intentionally not lit all at once, but week-by-week, visually emphasizing that the history of God’s intervention into our world was a gradually unfolding process. Even the colors of the candles deliver a message. Purple is the liturgy’s color of preparation, while pink is its color of rejoicing. So, the Wreath tells us that we are preparing for something that will bring us tidings of comfort and joy.
The first purple candle represents the first phase of human history which began with the Creation of Adam and Eve. This candle calls to mind the promise God made to them in the Garden of Eden. After having turned away from their Creator in their disobedience, the first humans repented and God in turn promised to send a Redeemer who would undo what they had done. Through perfect love and obedience, this Savior, called the Messiah, would lead the human race back to God. And so, this first candle invites us to join in the story that began in the Garden of Eden. It calls us to become part of the solution to sin by preparing our hearts and lives to welcome and follow Christ, the Promised One.
The second purple candle represents the second phase of salvation history that we call the Old Testament. During this 4,000-year period, God built up and guided his people Israel through such leaders as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and King David. He sent them prophets who kept the promise of a Messiah’s alive in their minds and hearts. This candle encourages us to keep the faith and be confident that God’s Word is trustworthy and true. It calls us to never forget that, no matter how things may seem in our lives, God is a Father who always keeps His promises and who often delivers even more than we can hope for or imagine.
The third candle stands out from among the rest. Its pink color stands for Joy and since we light it on the Third Sunday of Advent, we call that day, “Gaudete” or “Rejoicing” Sunday. google.com
Finally, we come to the fourth candle and we return to the color purple. This last candle symbolizes the final era of humanity, from the present day until that time when Jesus returns in glory to establish the Kingdom of God in its fullness among us. And so, this final candle calls us to look forward to that glorious Day when Jesus will come again; when good will triumph over evil forever, once and for all. From that time on there will be no more suffering, no more struggles and no more tears among God’s people.
So, as we can see, every year the Advent Wreath retells what has been called “The Greatest Story Ever Told”. And it invites us to make it part of our own life-story as well. As the days of Advent lead us to Christmas, we are called to take a good honest look at ourselves - at who we are and at how we are living - and open our hearts to the transforming presence of the Messiah, the Promised One, who comes to give deep meaning and purpose to our lives.
In closing, it’s worth noting that the word Advent means “coming” or “arrival”. The Word of God proclaimed in the Advent liturgies reminds us that this coming of our Savior happens in three ways: past, present and future.
Advent-of-the-Past brings us to Bethlehem, to the first Christmas. It delights us with the heart-warming stories about the arrival of our Savior in human history.
Advent-of-the-Future turns our minds to the second coming of Christ. As we heard in today’s liturgy of the Word, he will return unexpectedly to planet Earth as Judge of the living and the dead.
But of them all, Advent-of-the-Present is really the most important. It’s really the only Advent that we can personally experience because the past is only a memory and the future is yet to come. But Advent-Present is ours here and now.
We experience Advent-Present at every Eucharist when we can reach out our hands to receive the Living Christ with the same mindfulness and devotion as Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem. This is the Advent that is truly ours…the Coming of Christ that we can truly prepare and expect with joyful hope every time we come to Mass.
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