Final Test

1st Sunday of Advent
30 November 2008


Come, let us worship the Lord, the King who is to come.

First reading Isaiah 63:16-17,64:1,3-8
You, the Lord, yourself are our Father,
‘Our Redeemer’ is your ancient name.
Why, the Lord, leave us to stray from your ways
and harden our hearts against fearing you?
Return, for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your inheritance.

Oh, that you would tear the heavens open and come down!
– at your Presence the mountains would melt.

No ear has heard,
no eye has seen
any god but you act like this
for those who trust him.
You guide those who act with integrity
and keep your ways in mind.
You were angry when we were sinners;
we had long been rebels against you.
We were all like men unclean,
all that integrity of ours like filthy clothing.
We have all withered like leaves
and our sins blew us away like the wind.
No one invoked your name
or roused himself to catch hold of you.
For you hid your face from us
and gave us up to the power of our sins.
And yet, O Lord, you are our Father;
we the clay, you the potter,
we are all the work of your hand.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 79:2-3,15-16,18-19

Second reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace.
I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers; the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you so that you will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; and he will keep you steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ; and God is faithful.


Gospel Mark 13:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come. It is like a man travelling abroad: he has gone from home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own task; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake. So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow, dawn; if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake!’


Reflection
By Grace Madrinan

More often we hear of predictions on when the world will come to an end. All that is written, from one sign to another, is coming true. Whether we admit it or not, we are somewhat alarmed and fearful of what is to come.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus told His disciples to be watchful at all times. Judging from the number of times that Jesus mentioned this in the readings and the different parables He shared to make His message easier to understand, He really wanted us to take this to heart. It is like a teacher, informing his class of a crucial exam that is about to come, preparing us for it while giving away all the answers (e.g. lesson from the Bible). The only information left out is when the 'final test' would be.

This only tells me how much Jesus wanted to secure our place in heaven. From the Second Reading, it assured us that we will not lack that ‘spiritual gift’ to help keep us firm until the end. All we need to do is to be mindful of His teachings and be faithful to the work He has assigned us.







Father, thank You for giving us the spiritual gifts to keep us firm until the end. May You find us awake at the time of reckoning. Amen.