Tuesday, 29 November 2016
WALKING INTO LIGHT
WALKING IN THE
LIGHT OF CHRIST
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My brethren in the Lord,
This can be our theme all through Advent: to
walk in the light of the Lord.
Far too often we walk only by our own
light and that is why we stumble and fall. The Prophet Isaiah sees this incredible
vision that he describes to us today in the first reading: of the first
Sunday in the advent season; the journey of life is filled with uncertainties
and hurdles. Sometimes it becomes very difficult if not impossible to know
which path to follow. But we should rejoice and be glad because god has given
us his word to enlighten to us . All nations come streaming to God! More than that,
Isaiah tells us: They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their
spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against
another, nor shall they train for war again.”
As we look at our world today, none of this seems to be
happening. Instead there seems always to be more warfare and more threats
of one nation against another. Yet in this time of Advent, we can set all our hearts before the Lord, asking for
this vision of Isaiah to come true. It important to know that our God dwells in
light and holiness, He is the light himself (John1:5) and so it’s quite natural
that He reflects his very nature before all things.
The second reading today is from the Letter to the Romans. This time it is not a vision, but an invitation: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.” This letter sets this invitation once more in the process of moving from the darkness of our sins into the light of God’s love. We should not think of the desires of the flesh as only sexual desires, but at any desire that we have that moves us away from loving God and serving all of the people who come into our lives. These people are all God’s people and we can only prove our love for God by loving His people, not matter how difficult that is at times.
The Gospel of Matthew today tells us that the end of our lives will come when we do not expect it. The end of the world will come when we are not waiting for it. The only solution is to be always watchful and to know that my life can end right this instant and the world could also end. When we take it for granted that we will go on living and put no attention to the fact that we could die, then we often lose the focus of our lives and begin to live as if there were no God at all.
Today, many people no longer believe. Today even many Christians no longer believe that Jesus is truly God. Instead Jesus has become just a “good teacher” and is nothing more. In this time of Advent this year, we can seek to deepen or faith in the living God, our faith in Jesus as true God, and our faith in the Catholic Church as the living presence of God in our world.
Advent is waiting for the Lord. Advent is not empty waiting. Rather Advent is a time to renew our faith in this God who loves us so much that He sends us His Son in our humanity so that we can share in God’s divinity. God sends us His Spirit to deepen our faith in these great mysteries—but this can only happen when our hearts are open to the Lord!
Your brother in the Lord,
UKAEGBU MARIO .C
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