GOD IS OUR FATHER AND OUR REDEEMER

I SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Isaiah 63:16-17,64:1,3-8

We begin this first Sunday of Advent with Isaiah addressing God as “our Father” and “our Redeemer”. We call him Father because we are the work of his hands. He is like the potter and we are the clay, which he moulds. For us Christians, God is our Father, not only because he created us but also because he adopted us in Jesus Christ. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells us that God called us and has joined us to his beloved Son, Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus, the Son, that we become God’s children. However, we have gone astray and turned our backs on God. Isaiah describes the tragic situation we live in with strong words: “We have all withered like leaves and our sins blew us away like the wind. No one invoked your name or roused himself to catch hold of you.” Faced with disaster, we plead with God to intervene and redeem us. Being our Father, he is our Redeemer, for the sake of his glory, which manifests itself in love and mercy.

As we begin the Advent season, we are called to become aware of the distressful situation we live in. We are unclean people, who need that their sins are washed away. Then, we must recognise God’s love and mercy in an attitude of thanksgiving. Paul tells the Corinthians that he gives thanks to God “for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ”. (1 Co 1:4). We must do the same. And the graces we have received are so many! Together with thanksgiving, we must pray earnestly that God may“keep you (us) steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

The Gospel calls on us to be on the alert and to remain vigilant. When the Lord comes, we must be ready to welcome him.

“Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and give us your saving help.” (Ps 84:8)

LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

XXXIV SUNDAY: CHRIST THE KING - Matthew 25:31-46

In this last Sunday of the liturgical year, we celebrate Christ the King. Human language is the only means we may use to speak of divine matters. And there is always the danger of transmitting the wrong meaning. Indeed, while here on earth, Jesus refused the title of king and went into hiding when people tried to make him a king. To Pilate, Jesus made it clear that his kingdom is not of this world. His kingdom subjects are those who are in search of the truth. Jesus refused to be king in the manner of human kings, like Herodes or the Roman emperors. He came to set us free, not to overwhelm us with his power, treating us like slaves.

The second reading, taken from 1 Corinthians, gives the meaning of Jesus' kingship. He will dissipate darkness and destroy all the enemies, which spread hatred and bring death. Christ will bring everything to fulfilment so that the glory of God becomes present in everything. "And when everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subject in his turn to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all." (1 Co 15:28).

The gospel, taken from Matthew 25, presents the third parable of that chapter. All three parables - the virgins, the talents and the last judgement - have a common theme: we will be called to account. Not all find the door open to enter the Kingdom of God. There is the possibility of being excluded. The parable of the virgins puts the stress on the preparation needed to welcome the bridegroom, that is the Christ. All must have enough oil - the oil of faith, hope and love - to keep their lamps burning. The parable of the talents puts the stress on our contribution. God takes the initiative and entrusts his gifts to us, which we must put to good use. In the last parable, Jesus presents the rule by which we will be judged. All those who acted as the good Samaritan (Lk 10:25ff) will enter into the kingdom to share in Christ’s glory. The ones who didn’t do so will be excluded. Jesus will not ask if we were Christians or not. That does not matter. The true Christians are those who acted with compassion, mercy and love towards their fellow human beings, even if they did not know Jesus Christ. We will be judged by the commandment of love. Since God is love, then only love matters.

WE SHALL ANSWER FOR OUR LIVES

XXXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 25:14-30

In chapter 25 of his gospel, Matthew gives us three parables, which deal with the same issue: each one of us will have to answer before God for our lives here on earth. Entrance in heaven is not guaranteed and cannot be taken for granted. We indeed have no right to enter the Kingdom of God, seat at God’s table and share in his master’s happiness. That is only possible, due to God’s love and mercy. We are saved by grace, which has to be accepted in faith. 

In Bemba, there is a proverb that says: Apasamika umutali, umwipi teti afikepo, which means: where the tall one puts something, the short one cannot reach there. Indeed, we cannot be at God’s level. That is only possible because God, in his great love, sent his Son to lift us up. And he did it, taking human flesh and becoming one like us. However, for us to be lifted and reach to heaven, we must believe in Jesus Christ, as the Son of God: “whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. (Jn 3:16). 

We must listen to God’s voice and behave according to his commandments. In the second reading of this Sunday’s liturgy, Paul tells us that we must live as children of light (1 Th 5:5). 

In the parable of the ten virgins, five were left out, because they had not prepared themselves. In the parable of the talents, which is read this Sunday, the master entrusted different talents to his servants, according to their ability. Indeed, we are different in so many respects that complete equality may not be possible, despite the present ideology that claims for it. In the parable, the starting point of each servant was different: one received five talents, the other two and third one. The first two, who worked hard and showed commitment, received the same reward: “come and join in your master’s happiness.” We may say that they ended up receiving the same treatment. However, the third one proved to be lazy and did not add anything to what he had received. For that, he was excluded. Instead of being rewarded, he receiveD punishment.

All of us hope to be welcomed in God’s Kingdom and take part in God’s happiness. For that, we must be committed and responsible, working hard with the gifts God has granted us.

LET US BE READY TO WELCOME THE LORD

XXXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Both the Gospel and the second reading speak about the time when our lives come to an end. Will it be the end or there will be life beyond this life? Paul expresses clearly his faith in the resurrection. Our resurrection is linked with Jesus’ resurrection: “We believe that Jesus died and rose again”. And the same will happen to those who die in Christ: “God will bring them with him.” They will share in his resurrection and his glory. In his letter to the Philippians, he expressed his strong desire that I “may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Fl 3:10-11). The Lord Jesus Christ “will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Fl 3:21). This hope, which we receive from the resurrection of Jesus, makes it possible for us to face death, our friends or relatives and our own death, with a different attitude from the people who do not believe.

In this Sunday’s gospel, we are told the parable of the ten virgins, who are waiting for the bridegroom to come, so that they accompany him to the wedding feast. However, the bridegroom is delayed and they have to put up with a long wait. Like in other parables, the kingdom of God - that is the entrance into the plenitude of life - is compared to a wedding feast, where the guests seat at the table with the bridegroom and the bride to enjoy the food and share the happiness. The opportunity for the great banquet (Is 25:6) is the wedding feast of the Lamb (Rev 19:9). That will when the Lord Jesus will come and we will go to meet him.

The parable stresses that we must be ready when the bridegroom comes. To enter or not in the wedding feast depends on our readiness. We may be left out if we are not there, ready to welcome the Lord. Let us ask the Spirit of the Lord to help us to be ready, and to have our candles lit.