Advent, 1st Sunday (C)

There's nothing more British than the long-running TV series, "Dr. Who." The main character looks like a normal man but he's actually a Time Lord. They are supposed to be an advanced race with advanced knowledge of space and time travel.

Today's Gospel has similarly cosmic characteristics. "The powers of the heavens will be shaken." To ancient people the sun, moon, and stars are the constants in the world. No matter what disasters were happening on earth, the stars stayed the same and the Sun came up on schedule. They were the clock, before there were clocks. They were the navigational aids before there was GPS. These were the constants in an unpredictable world.

Jesus is telling us that His word is more dependable than the cosmos. Jesus is the true sun, Mother Mary is the spiritual moon, the saints are the stars in the heavens. God's love is more dependable than the rising of the Sun. When we bless the Paschal Candle at the Easter vigil, this is what we say:

Christ yesterday and today, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. All time belongs to him, and all the ages, to him be glory and power through every age and forever. Amen.
Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the true clock and the true navigational aid. He is the Lord of All Time. He doesn't just look like a human being; he is fully human. And he doesn't need to regenerate because He lives forever and ever.

When we try to be the masters of our own time, we find ourselves surrounded by anxieties. My past and my future become a heavy burden. And I escape through carousing and drunkenness.

This is the season where the Grinch sneaks in and steals all your time. How can we use our holiday time well? Here are three thoughts:

  1. Time is a gift from God. What do we do with God's gifts? We give them back to him! Sunday Mass. Daily Prayer. Give God priority in your schedule.
  2. Discern how to invest your time. Time is not an infinite resource. You have exactly 1440 minutes every day to spend any way you want. Spend wisely.
  3. Trust Him when things change. The Lord of All Time is managing your schedule. They'll be time for the important things when you let Jesus manage your time.
Let Jesus be the King of your heart and the Lord of your time.

(2 Dec 2018)

Going Deeper: Prayerfully discern your use of time today. Are you trusting Jesus to be the Lord of your time?

*Brother Priest Preaching Podcast 2019*

This homily is episode 1 of season twelve of the preaching podcast. Last year was Building the Disciple Ship. Now it's time to equip missionary disciples and launch them into the world. The term for those who are sent is Apostles. The album is called "Season XII". It reminds us of the 12 Apostles and that this is the season for a new evangelization. This is the season when you are called and formed and sent on mission.

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