Homily for First Sunday of Advent

This week's homily from Fr. Stephen:

Dear Faithful,

Today is the First Sunday of Advent. As we look forward to celebrating the Birth of Our Savior we recall the words of the Gospel that spoke of these words:"In the fullness of time God sent His Son into the world." This manner of speaking: the fullness of time indicates the end time when God completes His word. By it we also recall the grave message of Our Lord about the end of time, when on the Last Day Christ will reveal the work and power of God. For God will allow us to see it. This final or His Second Coming of Christ will reveal everything we did not see. Nothing will remain hidden. Immediately before His Power will be shown, the power of goodness, the fullness of Truth revealed, He will allow evil its final own showing its power. Christ will reveal His power and His goodness and also the holiness of his faithful. Their victory over all evil will also be made manifest. Christ will allow evil to show itself, its power, which the Lord described as the time of tribulation, recalling the ‘hour of darkness at the time of his suffering. Evil will cause on earth such agony and sufferings as has never been seen and never again will be seen. All will be tested, and many will prove to fall. The fall of man without God will show its ugly face. The last battle between good and evil already begins to show. It will increase and come to a crescendo. Our Lord reveals for the sake of His faithful that even nature would be caught in this universal time of tribulation. He speaks of the roaring of the sees; waves, never been seen before, will cause fear and trembling which will test even man of faith, but for their sake, Our Lord tells us: those days will be shortened so that the faithful might be saved, those who hold out to the end, trusting in God’s absolute power and Lordship over the world for the world will be purged and purified of evil, which will do all its tricks and abominations seeking to destroy all goodness from the face of the earth. But God is in charge and will bring victory to those who do not succumb to the promises of the power of evil. Nations will be caught in a life and death battle. The Anti-christ will deceive and lead astray nearly everyone. In fact the Lord tells us that the whole world will hate those few faithful left, because of their belief and fidelity to the name of Jesus, who refuse to join the sins of the world. For those few God will shorten those days, because Christ says, that unless those days be shortened, no flesh would survive on earth. God is in charge and He will deliver His justice, for the Lord will return after those evil days of tribulation. The faithful finds consolation in these revelations, knowing ahead of time that there is hope; victory awaits the faithful despite of the tortures, persecutions and reigns of terror. The faith in God and in Christ will be the only light to the faithful. Darkness will reign but the faithful will believe that evil will be defeated.
As we look to Christmas the Church and the truths Christ revealed for our sake, our faith is being strengthened, for we need to stand firm and steadfast and as Jesus says, we can look up and know that He will return to rescue those Who refuse to be lead astray by sin. We can look forward to the coming trials and tests, for those who remain faithful and refuse to join doing evil and do not succumb to the deception of sin, not a hair of their head would be harmed. Our faith is already begun to be tested. Our hope is in the power of our faith in Our God and in His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else matters. Nothing else will remain. Those who remain faithful will triumph and enter into the kingdom of God.

One may wonder why God allows evil in the world. We must remember that evil came into the world because men chose to sin and rebel. Evil came to reign in the world because man opened his heart to evil and evil came in to take over our world. God is still in charge and evil is under God’s power, allowing evil to strengthen and purify the good. By our faith in God we can conquer evil and with God we also reign over evil. We are safe and protected by God if we resist sin. Sin is the way evil takes over us. Choose God and choose only good to conquer evil. We must remember why Jesus came to earth, to save us from evil and show us how we can conquer evil. Have faith in God, obey His will and evil can not conquer you. God is in charge and uses evil and despite evil God accomplishes His will. Jesus said scandal is necessary but woe to those who cause it. God can use it for good to be tested and made perfect. Evil serves God and only within the limit God allows it to operate. Woe to those who turn to evil. Weakness and lack of faith in God’s power and goodness proves only that only God is good and ultimately only His goodness lives and reigns forever. God allows our temptation. Jesus taught us in The Lord prayer: lead us not into temptation. He already tells us that God has a purpose in allowing evil to show that its power can be conquered and evil is passing away, but those who turn to evil and allow themselves to be trapped by evil reveal that they are not worthy, their hearts are not steadfast, they are willing, as Judas was, to betray God and His law and goodness. Evil is not our end, nor may we look upon it, for anyone not keeping his eyes on God and does not focus on God and on His goodness, those who do not seek the holiness and His justice will be trapped and become destroyed by evil. Our freedom, the power of our free will chooses and determines how good or evil we can be and are. God gave us freedom to choose, many, many choices whereby we are tested and are able to grow by turning daily not to evil but to good. These many choices and tests, even temptations, that we resist and reject are helps to us to cement and grow in the goodness of God. By resisting The Commandments of God reveals that we are sinners but called to seek goodness, God’s perfection and not to follow any other ways or voices but only the call of our good God who gave us the Commandments. Our love of God is shown when ever we choose to seek the good and do Our God’s will. Remember what the Lord told the Apostles, because He is speaking to you also at this very hearing: If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Dear faithful, if you want not to lose your life, you must lock your eyes and will on Christ crucified. You must begin to shape your life and will so as to follow His way and His example. Become like Christ whom you are choosing as your Lord. Take not your eyes off Him. Do not allow the world, the flesh and the devil to distract you from your only hope, otherwise you will be lost. As the world and the times around us are getting ever more evil, your faith will be tested. The only way you can save your soul is by keeping your mind in tune with and in union, and in close friendship with Jesus Our Lord. Beware that when you return into the world, you must not allow yourself to forget what you decided here in His presence, you cannot turn back and return to continue seeking evil you know will destroy you. You need to strengthen yourself by a life of constant turning to God by a life of prayer and by your contacts with Our Lord through the contact that prayers give you. If your past downfall was television, or a place that caused you to drift from Christ, you must not return to visit them, those are the cause of your plague, the traps that will keep you and destroy you as before. You need to develop new practices, the practice of doing good, they must be the deeds of good, seeking the face of God, keeping in union with Christ in obedience to Christ, seek not your own will that trapped you, but must subdue your will to God’s goodness, otherwise you are already going sliding back into your trap you know sin will cut you off from God. You must have no part, not even a so called little compromise. You cannot be divided. A house divided will fall. Take the words of the Lord for it.

Christmass, Christ’s first arrival will e here shortly. Prepare your heart for Jesus to live within you. Give up your whole heart to Him to live with you. Allow no space whatever to evil. Do not try to divide your heart. If you continue to make progress from week to week and thus grow and sanctify your life and remain steadfast, then Our Lord’s Arrival on the Last Day you need not to fear. He awaits those who love Him with his gift of reward that will lift you up, close to Christ and to God.

Be sure you grow from week to week. Come to strengthen yourself by weekly confession. Begin your fasting, Start fasting. Chose a day or two, when you come to Church. Make the stations of the Cross. Do your spiritual works every day. Do not allow sloth and pride keep you away and end up on the other side. Seek the face of God and He will hold you up. Make Advent each week fruitful, bringing your gifts to the Infant King by your daily deeds of virtue.