Letting God In for Advent

The Pompeii Dead

The First Sunday of Advent
Today’s Readings: [Click here]

By now, most of you know that my mind tends to go off in all kinds of different directions… so you probably won’t be surprised to hear that the last video I watched was on The Archaeology Channel about the destruction of Pompeii. In case you’re not up-to-date on your ancient history, Pompeii was a bustling commercial center and a city of beautiful villas of the Roman Empire. In the distance, you could easily see the peak of Mt. Vesuvius. On August 24, in the year 79 A.D., Vesuvius erupted, and it rained tons of volcanic ash and pumice over the city. Except for the few lucky ones who made it to safety by land or sea, most people died from being crushed or by being suffocated by sulfurous fumes.

It wasn’t until relatively recent times that archaeologists discovered Pompeii and began to excavate its buried ruins. The scientists made some interesting finds. They came across a petrified woman who, instead of trying to flee from the city, spent her time trying to gather up her jewels. In another house, they discovered a skeleton of a man who, for the sake of a few coins, a small silver saucepan and plate, remained in his house until the street was half-filled with volcanic debris, and then he tried unsuccessfully to escape out the window.

Isn’t that something? For all our pride in our civilization’s progress, human society hasn’t really changed all that much from the time of ancient Pompeii or Jesus or even Noah until now. Most of us just go about doing our own thing without a care in the world, never for an instant considering that a calamity could turn life upside down without any warning. Jesus prophesies in the gospel today that at the time of his second coming, people will still be behaving pretty much the same way—and pretty much as they were at the time of the great flood: eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.

Christ is not condemning people for their eating, drinking, marrying or their other ordinary pursuits. His point is simply that people tend to become so preoccupied with their everyday routine, that God is easily shoved aside.

It takes no effort to get so caught up in everyday life that we don’t stop to consider the reality of God’s magnificent, shining presence all around us. Our thoughts focus on what to prepare for dinner, where to go for the weekend, who to ask to the dance, how to impress the boss, or when to buy that new car, rather than on the presence of God permeating our lives.

Sometimes, we are lucky or unlucky enough to have an earth-shattering experience in life. Maybe you knew somebody who was killed in the World Trade Towers on 9/11. Maybe someone close to you died suddenly and unexpectedly. Maybe you beat the odds and survived a massive heart attack or accident or bout with cancer—and then, for a while, you looked at the world through different eyes. Remember how after September 11 people got super-patriotic? American flags flew everywhere. But then, after that initial fervor, it was so easy to drift back into complacency, despite the dramatic wake-up call or life-changing event that we went through. Resolutions to live more alertly are easy to make in the initial horror of catastrophic events. We sometimes vow with the best of intentions to live better lives that will be pleasing to God. But as the memories of our earlier spiritual awakenings fade, old habits and the monotony of daily routines lure many of us back into casual and careless attitudes of living.

This is exactly what Jesus addresses in today’s gospel. He tells us to watch and be ready for Christ’s coming into our lives.

Yes, this is meant to be a warning. Jesus advises us that we better have our repentance up to date because we never know when that final judgment day is coming. Sure, God forgives us for our sins—much more readily than we would if we were in God’s place—but we could always get run over a by a bus right after saying dagnabit, or lusting after our neighbor’s donkey or something—and then where would we be?

God is not out to get us. Yes, our final day will definitely come, and God has some final, final day in the works for humankind as well—but we have to remember that God’s forgiveness and mercy are even more a part of his plan. When you see God’s grace all around you, you don’t have to be frantic or nervous about meeting your maker.

In the meantime, though, doing well is something we need to think about more. I know that it’s very difficult to remain spiritually alert 100% of the time. The mind and body get tired. Some of us have heard these admonitions to stay alert for decades. But mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally, it’s humanly impossible to live in a constant ready and waiting mode. Maybe that’s one of the biggest reasons why we should find and participate actively in a spiritual community for encouragement and empowerment. That’s what our parish is supposed to be all about.

With each other’s help and prayerful support, we should ask ourselves: What would my life be like I were to take Jesus’ command seriously? Would I ever cheat my customers or employer? Would I remain indifferent to the poverty, homelessness, hunger and prejudice around me? Would my attitude toward war and conflict change? Would I treat my loved ones and friends differently? Would my relationships with my opponents and competitors be more open? Would I take more time to see God in all the circumstances of my life? You see, what we need to watch out for is not a final roll call, but rather each opportunity to get to know God better.

Today begins the holy season of Advent. Jesus is coming. That’s what Christmas is all about. Santa may make us hide away in our beds pretending to be asleep if we want our stockings filled. Jesus would rather have us wide awake and watching.

No, we never know when the next opportunity to know him better will come. But we should really be ready, because each one is much too good to miss.