THE PROPER TIMING FOR THE COMING OF TIME

 

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Catholic Handicapped Day

Jer 33: 14 – 16 / Ps 25 / 1 Thes 3:12 / Lk 21: 25 -28. 34 – 36, Cycle C

Most of us express little concern about the end of time. We would rather show our concern on what to eat and wear for the day rather than think of the end of the world. No one among us here, upon waking up, will say, “I think today is the last day of my life. I think I shall die today.” I guess only Frank Sinatra was sure and certain about his end when he said, “And now, the end is near and so I face the final curtain. My friend, I’ll say it clear, I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain.” We show little or even no concern about the end of time.

This is also the case in our Gospel today. When Luke wrote his narrative, he was aware that his audience was no longer concern on the particular time of Jesus’ return. That is why if you read the “eschatological” part of the Gospel of Luke, you will realize that he never gave us any hint of a timetable on the end of the world. However, Luke in our Gospel today which is still part of the “eschatological discourse” of Jesus gave us a very an element when we talk about the end of time. We show little concern on the exact time of Jesus’ return because we do not know when and where. Rather, what should concern us is the timing, the proper timing. And we can see this in our Gospel today. Luke shifts from when these things will happen (21: 7) to the proper disposition of the community (21: 34ff).

Timing is our ability to choose the best moment of our actions. Ika nga, walang labis, walang kulang. For Erik Santos, this is the moment! Timing is about how we give value to the time that we have. And Jesus in our Gospel today taught us to have a proper timing. “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness… Be vigilant at all time and pray that you have the strength.” Since we do not know the exact time of the end then let us have the proper timing by staying away from sin, from being vigilant, and by praying. We do this so that when the time will come, we shall stand erect and raise our heads because we are on proper timing.

My dear friends, today we begin a new liturgical calendar. Today, we begin the season of Advent. This is the purpose of Advent – to set the proper timing so that when Christmas comes, we can truly sing with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest!” This is therefore our challenge as we enter the season of Advent that we are always on the proper timing. And Jesus has taught us how to do this. First, we turn away from sin. I hope and pray that confessionals in Churches will have long lines of penitents. Second, by being vigilant. I hope and pray that we are always conscious of the reality of evil around us. Finally, by praying for strength. I hope and pray that we never cease in praying to God. When we do all these then we are on the proper timing for the coming end of time.

I once read this quote from Marc Levy:

“If you want to know the value of one year, just ask a student who failed a course.

If you want to know the value of one month, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.

If you want to know the value of one hour, ask the lovers waiting to meet.

If you want to know the value of one minute, ask the person who just missed the bus.

If you want to know the value of one second, ask the person who just escaped death in a car accident.

And if you want to know the value of one-hundredth of a second, ask the athlete who won a silver medal in the Olympics.”

Indeed, life is not about duration but donation. How much do we give to our time? It is about how we value our time. It is about the proper timing.  Do we spend our time here on earth setting the proper timing? Do we spend our time here on earth by doing well and avoiding evil? When the end of time comes, can you say that you are on the proper timing?

 Photo taken from http://cdn.listaka.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/time.jpg