First Sunday of Advent, Year B

awaiting God's tearing open of the heavens and coming down....

restore us, God....

strengthen us with your grace....

help us to keep awake.

"Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen." [Advent 1 Collect from The Book of Common Prayer]

Who/what has the reign? What/who are we subject to?

The Feast of Christ the King was created by Pope Pious XI as an antidote to the rising primacy of secularism in the 1920’s. 

Now celebrated on this last Sunday before we begin a new church year with Advent, the assigned readings for this feast day remind faithful Christians that the good news, charitable/caring mission, and coming judgment of Christ is to reign supreme in our hearts and minds, especially amid the rants of gluttonous commercialism, consumerism, and nationalism that demand our allegiance. 

How might we be surprised to perceive God’s ‘kingdom come’ with the eyes of our heart when caring for the vulnerable, hungry, thirsty, stranger, needy, imprisoned, and sick? 

It’s always a good day to re-cognize the systems and beliefs we support; 
who/what compels us to action (or inaction) toward each other; 
and to what/who we all are ultimately subject. 

[ref. RCL readings for Christ the King, Year A]

in the meantime...

Yes, we’re told the end times will include accounting and judgment... 

and we’re also warned against playing it too safe in the meantime. 

Humility, yes. Timidity, no. 

The timing of the ultimate day of reckoning is unknown. 

What is known is that we’re still alive this day. 

We are to remain alert and awake as children of light, 

rather than dwell in/on the darkness. 

During these days that we’ve been granted, 

how are we handling and investing the talents 

with which we’ve been entrusted?

[ref: RCL readings for Proper 28, Year A]

oil in our lamps

Faithful endurance and spiritual reserves
are fuel we build up 

through practice and perseverance. 

Though they’re not commodities that we can 

sell, trade, and loan to others in a pinch, 

we can (and should) demonstrate them 

as encouragement 

while otherwise sharing freely our 

hope-full instructions, 

patience-filled preparedness, and 

discernment-based disciplines. 

[ref: Matt 25:1-13 / Gospel reading for Proper 27, Year A]

living with the dead

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

Imagining faces in that divine crowd 

as we read names of our faithful departed 

and celebrate the mystery and promise of Communion; 

honoring the past, 

hoping for the future, 

and gearing up for the present.   

[ref: All Saints, All Souls/Faithful Departed, and Dias de los Meurtos]