1st Sun of Advent B, Nov 29, 2020; Is 63:16b-17, 19b, 64:2b-7; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mk 13:33-37
Years ago, I saw the movie “Moonstruck”. Truthfully, I don’t remember hardly anything about the movie. All I seem to recall is a famous scene where Cher’s character slaps Nicolas Cage’s character across the face and yells, “Snap out of it!”
It seems that during this entire year we have been dealing with social, political, economic, and natural disasters, as well as pandemics and scandals, which have left us feeling stunned, confused, disoriented, and often walking around glassy-eyed and in a daze.
It’s like we need someone to walk up to us slap us and yell, “Snap out of it!” in order to wake us up from this horrible nightmare so we can get back to our normal lives. Now, I have no wish for someone to slap me in the face, and, frankly, I don’t think it would do any good. But there are other options.
In today’s Gospel, it seems like Jesus is trying to snap his disciples out of a similar confused and dazed state of mind. And, as we know, from scripture, it does not always seem to work.
However, as we hear in the second reading, apparently the people of the Corinthian Church, in St. Paul’s time, are starting to get it, and starting to move forward out of the fog, all thanks to the message of Jesus and the hope that came from Jesus’ resurrection.
And, as Paul tells us in that reading, the grace from Jesus Christ has brought the Corinthian Church spiritual gifts that are strengthening them to allow them to firmly endure all that they have to face, which includes: persecution, imprisonment, suffering, and even death, for the sake of the Gospel.
Being able to persevere and endure, through all their struggles, was not something that the Corinthians and the early church did in an instant like turning on a light switch. It developed over time just as it does with us, with patience, practice, and faith.
Today, we begin our 4-week Advent Season. This year, we can use these next 4 weeks to truly prepare ourselves to receive Jesus into our lives, not just in celebrating Jesus’ birthday, or even in anticipation of Jesus’ coming again, but, rather, by opening ourselves, our hearts and our minds and our spirits, to the resurrected savior and to the grace and power that Jesus wants to give us if we are willing to accept that grace.
If nothing else, we have learned this year that we need each other. Every part of the body of Christ is important. Every one of us has a part to play.
Each one of us can pray, can forgive, can show mercy, can offer compassion and love, can be the hands of Christ for someone in need, can humble our pride, and, with respect, consider the welfare of those we might be putting in danger by our actions, and we can be a source of hope and light in these dark times. Today, Jesus says, “Be Watchful! Be alert!” and I say, if we aren’t listening then we need to: Snap out of it! Hopefully, it won’t take a slap for us to get the point.