(The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde during the Mass celebrating the First Sunday in Advent on November 28, 2004, at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Virginia.)
Something is different today! We sense the difference the minute we enter the cathedral and even more once the celebration of the Holy Mass begins. There is a different symbol in the sanctuary: a wreath with four candles. The music is different; the color of the priest's vestments is different from previous Sundays. Yes, something is definitely different this morning and the difference spells Advent.
It is time for Advent once again and once again Advent is concerned with time " not time in general, not time as an abstraction, but time as an agent for change. This first day of Advent is also the first day of a new church year " a new span of time, time given to us by God in order for us to become changed people, to become more like Jesus, to become more committed disciples of Jesus. The Decree of the Sacred Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council puts it this way: the purpose of the church year is to complete the formation of the faithful during various seasons (cf. nos. 102 and 105). What lies before us is a new span of time, another opportunity, a second chance to “throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light,” to “conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies, and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy.” What lies before us is a new span of time, another opportunity, a second chance to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” and to “walk in the light of the Lord.”
During the new span of time which lies before us, during this time of another church year just beginning with this first day of Advent, you and I can deepen our identity as the People of God and followers of Christ. You and I can refashion our attitudes and actions so as to reflect this identity. During this new span of time, this new church year, you and I can become changed, transformed. And the key to this change, this transformation, is the Lord Jesus. That is why St. Paul urges us in today's second reading from his Letter to the Romans, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Yes, we are to put on the Lord Jesus, adopting His way of thinking and acting. Yes, put on the Lord Jesus; let Him enter your lives and mine; let Him change us in time " the time of this new church year, beginning today with this first day of Advent.
In today's Gospel account, we hear Jesus referring to the people in the days of Noah. The people in Noah's time were so taken up with the here and now that they were totally unconcerned and completely unaware of the things which really mattered until it was too late. They ignored their relationship with God. So often we are like them: totally unconcerned and completely unaware of what really matters " our relationship with the Lord. Before it becomes too late for us, before the Son of Man comes for the final time, let us put on the Lord Jesus and become changed people, transformed people, new people, God's people!
How shall we become changed and transformed this new church year? By heeding Christ's advice to us in today's Gospel: stay awake and be prepared. “Therefore, stay awake,” He says. He goes on: “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Yes, we must stay awake and be attentive each day during this new church year as we hear the Lord's voice in prayer, both personal and liturgical, and as we meet the Lord in the celebration of the sacraments, especially Penance and the Holy Eucharist. Being attentive to Him enables us to be prepared for His coming to us, again each day in His Word in the scriptures, in the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy, and in the people we meet.
The Year of the Eucharist, which our Holy Father inaugurated in October, will coincide with most of this new church year. During this new span of time which lies before us, may you and I deepen our awareness of the Lord's Real Presence in the Eucharist. I would urge all of us to make time to visit Jesus present within the tabernacle at least weekly, or several times a week or even daily. Here, in the Cathedral parish, we are being offered a weekly opportunity to be with Jesus, eucharistically present; each Thursday evening, we gather at 7 PM for a brief catechesis or instruction and then pray at 7:30 PM before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Our prayer of adoration concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 8:30 PM and is then followed by a discussion in Burke Hall. As we remain before Him, truly, really and uniquely present to us, Jesus will change us and transform us. He will create within us a new heart and strengthen us for doing good in accord with His will. Let me share with you how our Holy Father recently described prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament:
The presence of Jesus in the tabernacle must be a kind of magnetic pole attracting an ever greater number of souls enamored of Him, ready to wait patiently to hear His voice and, as it were, to sense the beating of His heart. (Mane Nobiscum Domine, no. 18)
Yes, it is time for Advent once again and once again Advent is concerned with time. If during the time of this new church year, we put on the Lord Jesus every day, through prayer and adoration, through the celebration of the sacraments, especially Penance and the Holy Eucharist, through self-discipline and through generosity to others, then this time, this new church year will be different for us; this time, Advent will be different for us, this time, through our fuller cooperation with God's grace, we will be different. And the difference within us will last beyond time, because to put on the Lord Jesus means that we belong to Him for time and for eternity. Amen.
