Lk. 21:25-28, 34-36
This evening (27.11.21) Fr. Dominic Veliath SDB, a well-known professor of theology and philosophy, passed away. Without a second thought, I could say that Fr. Dominic was one of the great intellects of our time. At the same time, he was a noble and loving human being who embodied qualities of both the heart and the intellect.One of the classical treaties Fr. Dominic taught during his tenure as a professor was the treaty on the Holy Trinity. He had vast experience of teaching this treaty, which very few dared to teach. Once, I had a personal chat with him and asked him a question: Having taught for many years, how do you understand the notion of the Holy Trinity? To my surprise, he told me: “You know, I am waiting to die because I wanted to experience the Holy Trinity face-to-face…” He was a person who was loving kindness personified. He always reached out to each and everyone of our community, especially those who were sick. Having witnessed his life for the past four years and especially the last days of his life, I could genuinely say I have lived with a person who was ever ready to meet the Lord… I am sure he will be enjoying what our eyes have not seen and our ears have not heard in its fulness with his being… Thank you and adieu, Fr. Dominic Veliath SDB… Your memories remain immortal in our hearts…
Today we begin a new liturgical year by entering into the season of advent. This season invites us to prepare our hearts to receive Jesus into our lives through a life of spiritual renewal. The readings of this season lead us to contemplate the second coming of Jesus, and in the second half, we will be called to reflect on the inarnation of the Son of God to deepen our trust in his redemptive mission and strengthen our hope in his second coming. Being the first Sunday, we are called to reflect on the second coming of Jesus. The exact time of Jesus’ second coming is beyond our calculations. The evangelist Luke exhorts us to read the signs of the times, such as the sun, the moon, the earth, the sea, etc. When abnormal signs connected to reality happen, it is a sign of his second coming in all his glory.
More than the second coming of Jesus, we are all worried about the end of the world. In all ages, we have had natural calamities such as earthquakes, volcano eruptions, global warming, tusanmi, and most recently, global climate change. We are frightened about these eventualities, but are we prepared enough for the second coming of Jesus?
Dear brethren, that does not mean we live our lives in fear and trembling. All the same, we should not neglect any of the signs of the times that are reflected in nature. Though we are not certain about the second coming of Jesus, it is not an excuse for us not to be prepared. We can be sure that there would be signs; he would come at an unexpected hour, as we see the bridegroom coming at an unexpected hour in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins.
How can we be so certain that it will occur at an unexpected time?In the first reading, we see, the prophet Jeremiah prophesying about the first coming of Jesus, the righteous branch of King David. But how many people come to know about Jesus’ birth? There were many women who prepared themselves to be the mother of the Messiah, but only Mary had this privilege. There were many men with high learning and social status, but only Joseph had the privilege of becoming the guardian of the Son of God. Many religious leaders were aware of the prophecy concerning the righteous branch of David, the Messiah. But when he was born, only poor shepherds received the Good News about his birth. Similarly, only three wise men from the East were given the opportunity to meet the light of the nations and the salvation of all humanity.
How do we need to prepare for the second coming of Jesus? Stay awake, watch and pray. It is not merely a physical but rather a spiritual attitude that we need to inculcate in our lives. In today’s second reading, St. Paul gives us a deeper awareness concerning this spiritual attitude. We need to encounter the Lord in our fellow brethern and we need to grow in our love for them by serving the Lord in our fellow bretheren. When our faith journey is integrated with our good works, our hearts will be blameless, and we will be ever ready for the second coming of Jesus at any point in our lives.
As we step into this advent season, how can we prepare to encounter the Lord in a concrete manner? We are passing through a post-pandemic era. How did we live our Christian charity during this pandemic time? Did we make any sacrifices at all for others? Even today, there are people suffering the perils of the pandemic. There are children who have lost both their parents. There are men and women who lost their partners, children who lost one of their parents, people who lost their livelihoods and are struggling to meet both the ends of their lives. Dear bretheren, it is a challenge for me and you to express gospel charity in a concrete manner and grow in love to encounter the Lord. Let us renew ourselves in this season of advent by preparing ourselves to encounter Jesus by reaching out to our needy bretheren.