Advent – God’s
Entrance
Introduction
- Entrance and exit are so common to our daily
life.
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You all entered into the chapel and you are sure
that we have to exist after the mass.
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We entered into this world one day and we are
sure that we have to exit one day. Our exit is an entrance to eternal life. Our
life is a short time between this entrance and exit.
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In today’s reading we heard of the
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entrance of Messiah (2nd coming) and
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our exit to the other world.
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Advent means ‘enter’ and we remember the
entering of messiah to history. In this season we prepare for that. He entered
into history to make our entry to heaven possible.
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The fist Christmas was God’s entrance to human
history. It happened around 2000 years back. So, what about the present
Christmas? It is the entrance of God to ‘my history’.
Content
- How should we prepare for this entrance?
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The gospel says, ‘stand erect and raise your
heads’.
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It is a call to be ‘courageous and confident’.
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Enter with confidence.
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For a wedding we usually go well dressed, with
good costumes. If something happen to our dress, we may feel shy to enter into
the banquet hall.
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If we are not prepared well it would be
difficult to enter into a public gathering with confidence.
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In public speaking it is said that when you go
to address an audience, be in your good attire. It would give you additional
confidence.
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For the first parent, they felt this shyness
after committing sin, to come in front of God.
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If we are not confident, we will bend, put our
face down and hide ourselves.
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We lose our confidence when we are away from
Jesus.
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Our attachment to worldly things
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Our sinfulness
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Our desire for material things.
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Our broken relationships
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Story of an old man who was unable to even die
because of his inner troubles.
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Are we worthy to enter the banquet of Christ?
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We have given two opportunities to check
ourselves – advent and lent.
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Now we are in the season of advent.
Conclusion
- We began lightening the advent wreath. It symbolizes our own self. Let each of this advent weeks be the time build up our confidence to meet Jesus. Jesus tells us to “stand erect and raise your heads”.
- We began lightening the advent wreath. It symbolizes our own self. Let each of this advent weeks be the time build up our confidence to meet Jesus. Jesus tells us to “stand erect and raise your heads”.
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Let us light a candle in our different areas of
life.
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Example
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First week – light a candle (reflect) on our
over attachment to worldly things
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Second week – light a candle on our sinfulness
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Third week – light a candle on our desire and
cravings of life
§
Fourth week – reflect on our broken
relationships
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Let our advent preparation enlighten the whole
being of ours and give us confidence to meet Jesus in Christmas who is coming
to “my own history”.
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