He is coming

This past Sunday, on the feast of Christ the King, we had the following readings at mass: Daniel 7:13-14, which includes the words On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship; Psalm 92, where we sang the refrain The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed; Revelation 1:5-8, which includes the words Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth; concluding with the Gospel reading from John 18:33-37, where we see Jesus at his criminal trial before Pontius Pilate.  Are you the king of the Jews? Pilate asks.  Jesus answers, Yes, I am a king.  I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.

The first 3 readings reflect Jesus Christ the king in his spendor and majesty.  The Gospel reading shows Jesus seemingly powerless, standing before the Roman governor of Judea.  Remember that the Roman governors represented the Roman emperor.  The emperor held the power of life and death over all of his subjects.  His decrees were final.  The Roman people looked on the emperor as one divine; as a god.  The governors, as representatives of the divine emperor, likewise held the power of life and death over their local subjects. 

And so we see Jesus the Christ, creator of heaven and earth, standing meekly before a mere temporal power.  Thus ends the Church's liturgical year. 

Our King

Advent

On December 2nd we begin the season of Advent (which means arrival) where we contemplate on and prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ - both at the end of time and at his first coming, as a helpless infant in Bethlehem.

The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot.  That begins the first reading this Sunday, from Jeremiah 33:14-16.  We continue with Psalm 25 with the refrain To you, O Lord, I lift my soul; 1 Thessalonians 3:12 - 4:2 May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another . . . strengthen your hearts . . . be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his holy ones; and Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 Jesus said to his disciples: "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay . . . People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world . . . Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy . . . and that day catch you by surprise like a trap . . . Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."

Advent is a beautiful season meant for quiet reflection and anticipation of the coming of Christ.  Hope and waiting are the overarching themes of the season, but each of the 4 Sundays of Advent has its own particular theme.  Hope and vigilance are the themes for the first Sunday, repentence for the second Sunday, joy for the third Sunday, while on the fourth Sunday we are nearly bursting with anticipation of the birth of Christ. 

There are some lovely Advent traditions.  One of my favorites is the lighting of the Advent wreath each Sunday at mass.  The green Advent wreath (green symbolizes hope) has four outer candles and one inner candle.  On the first Sunday of Advent the first candle is lit, on the second Sunday the first and second candles are lit and so on.  Typically 3 of the outer candles are purple (the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to welcome the advent of the King) and one is rose or pink colored.  Rose is the color of joy and this candle is lit on the 3rd Sunday.  The center candle is white, representing Jesus Christ, and is lit during the midnight mass on Christmas Eve.