We, Christians, always emphasize the importance of waiting for the realization of the reign of God on earth as it is in heaven. We often relate our act of waiting to the idea of preparing ourselves. How do we prepare to be part of the celebration at the banquet of joy with God and His people? We begin our life journey in the Christian season of Advent with waiting and preparation. Advent is waiting and preparation.
Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. We know that Advent serves as an anticipation of celebrating Christ’s birth in the season leading up to Christmas and also emphasizes the Second Coming of the Messiah. Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means coming or arrival; and parousia in Greek.
The season of Advent anticipates the “coming of Christ” from three different perspectives: the physical nativity of Jesus in Bethlehem, the reception of Jesus Christ in the heart of the believer, and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Advent in Eastern Christianity is called the Nativity Fast but it differs in meaning, length, and observances. It also does not begin the liturgical church year as it does in the West. The Eastern Nativity Fast does not use the term parousia in its preparatory services. Hence, it is a four-week season in the Church dedicated to anticipating the arrival, or “advent,” of Jesus of Nazareth, the long-awaited Messiah and King. Christians from many backgrounds celebrate this time with reflections on hope, peace, love, and joy. While their practices may differ, all focus on the hope-filled arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and His Second Coming.
In the Gospel reading (Luke 21:25-36) for the first Sunday of Advent on December 1, we are presented with a picture of destruction (verses 25-26) and the experience of anxieties in life (verses 34-35). However, there is an assurance that: “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27). Thus, “the kingdom of God is near” (Luke 21:31), the “redemption (of the people) is drawing near” (Luke 21:28), and we will “be able to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).
In this Gospel, Christians are called to “watch” or be prepared. “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen” (Luke 21:36).
To “watch” is to wait and prepare for any change in life. Changing oneself is necessary for a change in community life or the transformation of society, as depicted in the Gospel reading. The destructions and anxieties will be replaced with redemption, joy, and hope for the realization of God’s presence with His people (the realization of the reign of God) as promised in Revelation 21:1-7.
So how does the arrival of Jesus bring relief and assurance, both at Christmas and during the Second Coming? We should consider our present context. We cannot celebrate Christmas without acknowledging our situation.
More than two thousand years ago, the people living in Palestine longed for deliverance from the powerful hands of the Roman Empire. The people, especially the Anawim, believed that the Messiah would come from the lineage of King David. Jesus was that man because his earthly father, Joseph, was from the line of King David.
Some writings of the Prophets and the New Testament gospels and epistles tell of Jesus Christ’s birth, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection. The Churches, especially those in the Philippines, preach about Jesus Christ but from different perspectives. Some Evangelical churches emphasize individual salvation of the soul through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The Catholic tradition focuses on the passion of Jesus Christ and the end of the world with the joy of salvation.
Whatever the works, ministries, and missions of these Churches, I believe that in the Church to which I belong, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), that I shall consider actualizing a ministry and mission based on the call of its forebears when the IFI was proclaimed in 1902. This was because the colonial and neo-colonial contexts since 1902 and 1946, respectively, still persist today. The issues prevalent at that time, such as national independence, land monopoly, forced labor, slavery, religious discrimination, and subjugation, remain relevant.
In general, the Filipino people are suffering, though they are now free to worship God and to enter any church they wish. However, for the IFI, the freedom of belief and expression is still not fully allowed. For example, when the IFI’s ministers and members express support for the struggle of Indigenous Peoples for self-determination, which is part of their belief, culture, and way of life, the IFI is red-tagged, and its leaders are threatened with arrest and imprisonment through the power of the Anti-Terror Law of 2020. The freedom of expression exercised by the IFI is not fully respected when it comes to its advocacy for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other marginalized sectors of Philippine society.
There are many issues related to freedom of expression, but I believe this freedom is essential in our celebration of Christmas and the Second Coming. We must be free from control and subjugation. Our people must be fully emancipated from the clutches of foreign and local domination.
In this season of Advent, I think of waiting and preparing for the Second Coming, which no one knows when it will happen, with the hope that genuine independence, democracy, and peace will reign.
We can cite many passages in the Bible that support our hope for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The Second Coming is the transformation of society.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36).
Because of this truth, let us patiently wait for when it will happen. In the meantime, let us prepare ourselves. We should not be anxious about how it will happen. Jesus just said to us: “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen” (Luke 21:36).
In preparing ourselves, we need a self-examination and environmental scanning. Self-examination and environmental awareness are important in the Second Coming.
Self-examination is important because it is the essence of the mission of Jesus Christ on earth as he revealed himself as the preacher of the Good News. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news,” (Mark 1:15). Our repentance must be relevant and transformative. In this case, what kind of heart and mind are we going to be like?
In Matthew 5, he enumerated some characteristics Christians should possess. He said:
- 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
- 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
- 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
- 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
- 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
- 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
- 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
- 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
We can even cite more examples about our heart and mind in the Bible but a concrete example about being united in heart and mind is found in Acts 4:32-37. It says:
- 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.
- 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all
- 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales
- 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
- 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”),
- 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Because the early believers of Jesus Christ “were one in heart and mind,” they shared common property, a common work, and witness for the reign of God.
Environmental awareness is also important as the believers must actualize the missionary statement of Jesus in Luke 4:18-19:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
The key word is “good news to the poor.” We should be aware that the majority of Filipinos are poor even though God has bestowed us with the richness of our country. Because we are blessed with islands and islets, our seas, rivers, bays, and even creeks produce plenty of sea and stream foods. We have regions which were once called rice, corn, and vegetable granaries and bowls. We have mountains and hills once blessed with hardwoods and rocks. Underneath are the different kinds of minerals. At present, our wealth is being plundered by foreign investors and corporations in collaboration with Filipino big capitalists and big landlords. At least, we should be aware of this situation.
The “good news to the poor” in Luke 4:18 is their liberation and salvation. When the Second Coming is at hand, we are judged not on our “spiritual works” but on our commitment to uplift the poor, as specifically pointed out in Matthew 25:34-36:
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”
Self-examination and environmental scanning are great challenges in our celebration of Christmas as an anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. While waiting for its realization, it is good to prepare not only ourselves but the whole community, the whole country, and the whole world. To prepare is to continue our education works, organizing works, and mobilizing works. In our Christian calendar, waiting and preparation start in Advent, but this does not necessarily mean that our works, ministries, and missions start in Advent. Advent is a continuing journey and the renewal of our heart and mind in serving the poor, the deprived, the oppressed, the exploited, and the marginalized.
