Homily First Sunday Advent Cycle A
November 27, 2022
Franklin Fong, OFM
Our beginning season of Advent should find us thinking about what it is we should be looking for in the future and the difference this would make for our spiritual life TODAY.
In the first reading from Isaiah, we hear about the coming of the future: peace among all nations united in the same faith and hope. For the present all people must “walk in the light of the Lord.”
The second reading from St Paul’s letter to the Romans hear about the day of salvation is near and that we must live honorably in the present time. We must choose the light of truth to the darkness of moral waywardness.
The Gospel verses wisely alerts us to what we should look for now if we are to be prepared for the coming of the Lord. We hear of how at the time of the flood, people were so involved in their everyday interests that they were totally unconcerned for what mattered in life. They were clearly blind to the imminent disaster.
From these three readings then we can begin to appreciate the twofold character of ADVENT:
• a season to prepare for Christmas when Christ’s first coming to us is remembered;
• a season when that remembrance directs our mind and heart to be alert for Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time.
Advent then is that period of our liturgical year when we are to be in devout and joyful expectation. So, can we watch in faith through the dark moments of our present life? Do we hope for and believe in that future moment when we will be taken into the light of God’s kingdom?
In the perspective of eternal values, what is our understanding of our years here on earth? During Advent we should come to know what to long for, what to hope for, and what is the meaning in faith of all our human concerns. At Christmas we will celebrate God’s entering into our daily lives to give direction to each of our lives.
Can you now recognize that there is the connection between Jesus’ coming in the past with his coming in the future? Jesus became like each of us at Bethlehem that we might enter fully into his divine glory at the end of time.
Another way to express this might that Jesus come to earth below the clouds so that we might join him above the clouds !
By us celebrating Advent/Christmas and the awareness of the future gives us a deeply profound meaning to every moment of our human lives, God keeps coming to us in the present. God comes with every experience of our daily lives.
When God became human at Bethlehem, we were invited to embrace all that is truly human. Today’s Gospel and others in the following Sundays gives us the warning of not to become immersed in illusions of self-sufficiency and of human security and control.
The essence of today’s readings is that we must be vigilant and ready to welcome Jesus when he comes again. We must live with hope in his second coming. Are we prepared to climb the Lord’s mountain and enter into his house as we heard in the first reading? The glory of the future is to enlighten each and every moment as we heard in the second reading.
So, we have three questions to ask ourselves this Advent season:
1) what is coming,
2) who are we becoming and
3) what are we coming to?
Only if we know where we are going, will we truly know where we are now. We should come to know more deeply
• what to long for,
• what to hope for and
• what is the meaning of faith in regards to our human concerns.
The bottom line then is that we must focus on preparing for Christmas day when we will celebrate God’s entering into our daily lives to give us direction to our lives.
Brothers and sisters of the Chinese Catholic Community,
that is the wonderful news for this first Sunday of Advent.
Alleluia Alleluia
(中文翻譯.原文以英文為準.)
鄺神父主日道理中譯本
禮儀年甲年將臨期第一主日 2022 年 11 月 27 日
讀經一: 依撒意亞先知書 2:1-5
讀經二: 羅馬人書 13:11-14
瑪竇福音 24:37-44
隨著將臨期的來臨，開展了新的禮儀年，正好讓我們思考我們應在
未來追尋什麼，及其對我們今天的屬靈生活產生的影響。
在讀經一的依撒意亞先知書中，我們聽到了這樣的未來，到時所有國
家在相同的信仰和希望中團結一致。但目前所有人都必須在“上主
的光明中行走”。
讀經二聖保祿致羅馬人的信說：救恩的日子臨近了，我們必須生活
得光榮可敬。我們必須選擇真理之光，而不是任性道德的黑暗。
福音經文明智地提醒我們，我們要為主的來臨做好準備和現在
應該追求什麼。我們聽說在洪水發生時，人們竟忙於專注於他們的
日常利益，以致忽略了生命中重要的事情。他們顯然對迫在眉睫的
災難視而不見。
從這三段經文中，我們可以開始領畧將臨期的雙重意義：
● 這是準備聖誕的季節, 以紀念基督第一次來臨到我們身邊。
● 紀念時，我們應心靈有所警惕，意識到基督於末日時將第二
次來臨。
在每一禮儀年的將臨期內，正是時候給我們要虔誠和喜樂地期待。
那麼，我們能否憑信心守望今生的黑暗時刻呢？我們是否希望並相
信未來那一刻我們會被帶入天國的光榮中呢？
從永恆價值的角度來看，我們怎麼様理解世上的歲月？在將臨期，
我們應該知道該渴望什麼，該盼望什麼，以及我們人類所關切的東
西，在信仰上的意義是什麼。在聖誕節，我們將慶祝天主進入我們
的日常生活，為我們每個人的生活指明方向。
你現在能覺察到耶穌在過去的來臨與他在未來的來臨之間存在聯繫
嗎？耶穌來到白冷，變成像我們每個人，以便我們可以在末日完全
進入他神聖的光榮中。
另一種表達這種大能的方式，就是耶穌走下雲層降臨人間，這樣我
們就可以與他在雲層上團聚！
藉著慶祝將臨期/聖誕節和意識未來，我們對人類生活的每一刻加
上了深刻的意義，天主在當下不斷地來到我們身邊。我們每當經驗
日常生活，天主都在其中。
當天主在白冷成為人時，我們被邀請擁抱所有真正的人性。今天的
福音和接下來主日的其他福音給我們警告，不要沉浸在人的自給自
足、人的安全和控制的幻覺中。
今天讀經的要點是，我們必須保持警惕，並準備好在耶穌再來時迎
接他。我們必須對他的第二次來臨充滿希望。我們準備好像我們在
讀經一中聽到的那樣，爬登天主的聖山並進入祂的家嗎？正如我們
在讀經二中所聽到的，未來的光榮，就是現在每刻的明燈。
因此，在這個將臨節季節，我們要問自己三個問題：
1. 將會發生何事。
2. 我們正變成怎樣的人。
3. 我們要怎辦？
只有知道我們要去哪裡，我們才會真正知道我們現在在哪裡。我們
應該更深入地了解
- 渴望什麼，
- 希望什麼，和
- 關於們人性關切的事物，信仰提供了什麼意義。
最重要的是，我們必須專注於為聖誕節做準備，屆時我們將慶祝天
主進入我們的日常生活，為我們的生活指明方向。
華人天主教會的兄弟姐妹們，這是將臨期第一主日的好消息。
亞肋路亞, 亞肋路亞!
