Advent and the Fiscal Cliff

Advent.  It begins Sunday in Christian churches.  As of today, we are in the last week of what is appropriately called “ordinary time”. 

Ordinary.  Same old same old.  Like politics.

The readings for the First Sunday of Advent begin with this from the 33^rd chapter of Jeremiah

In those days Judah shall be safe
and Jerusalem shall dwell secure….

Sound like a campaign promise?

But while the word gospel means “good news”, this first Advent Gospel reads:

People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world….

Sound like the “fiscal cliff”?

Oh, this is perfect.  We’re given a promise, but we’re warned too, that the promise is to be earned, and we are required to wait.

Oh, we’re waiting for the politicians to get their act together…but what about us?  What are we doing while we wait?  Advent, it seems to me, is a “grass roots campaign”. 

Luke goes on to suggest what not to do:

"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life….”

Carousing…shopping?  Drunkenness…our habitual routine?  Anxieties of daily life…yup.

Hearts.  Hearts awake.

Paul gives us some sensible advice:

Brothers and sisters:
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love
for one another and for all,
just as we have for you….

So there, my Jesuit friend used to say, you have it.  Promise, threat, distraction, love.

Welcome to Advent 2012.

  FreeLemonadeStand by John J. Daniels is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.