First Sunday of Advent 2024

This is the first reflection in NETWORK’s 2024 Advent Series.

As we begin our Advent journey, the Gospel presents a picture of entire nations in dismay, “perplexed by the roaring of the seas and the waves.” In our world today, this could mean the literal roaring waves of the storms that have devastated so many people and places, made all the worse by climate change. It could mean the turbulence of economic insecurity faced by families deprived of the just wages they need to live in security. It could be the peril of a migrant family, like the Holy Family, fleeing from harm.

It could also mean the roar of fearmongering in our country’s politics. Sadly, the voices continue to grow louder that scapegoat immigrants and our LGBTQ+ siblings, that seek to dismantle the structures and practices that have promoted the common good and made us safer and healthier for decades, and that deny the dignity and equality of every person. These voices pretend to promise us protection, but in fact, they bring chaos and division to our communities.

It is natural that we might become fearful when confronted with these daunting realities. In a chaotic time like this, we often cling to the security of what we have known. Moreover, it is difficult to find reassurance in observations like that of Pope Francis, who says, “We are living through a change of era” in human history.

But as the “familiar” shatters and falls away, we also must remember God’s promises to us. God promises that we will ultimately see the Messiah coming in power and glory, that God’s people will dwell secure and call God “our justice.” God promises to raise up “a just shoot who will do what is right and just in the land.”

It’s encouraging to think of the coming of Jesus at Christmas as a “just shoot,” a sprig of green piercing the frozen wilderness in the gloom of winter. And as the baby in the manger entered this world in incredible vulnerability, so too does the shoot of God’s justice spring up delicately in the world and invite our joining in its nurturing and care.

When we remember God’s promises to us, we can move from dismay to participation in promoting God’s justice in the world. Advent calls us to contemplation and stillness even in the middle of the chaos to grow in our commitment and love for one another, and our trust in God’s promise of a future where all of us thrive. It also calls us to be vigilant, to pray for the strength to overcome the divisions in our community and to stand ready to work for the justice God promises. We cannot accomplish this alone, but with God all things are possible.

Echoing the psalmist, we cry to God this Advent: To you, we lift our souls!