—Teacher, what should we do?—

Advent is a time of preparation, but did it ever strike you as odd in that we are preparing for something that has already happened?

That is one of the mysteries of the Christian faith. Jesus’ coming, His birth, death, burial, and resurrection, have ushered in the Kingdom of God. Yet the Kingdom has not arrived in its fullness.

So here we are; left with choices. The preeminent choice is whether we will faithfully follow Christ, join ourselves to His work, follow His way, and build up His kingdom.

Deciding to faithfully follow Christ, to join ourselves to His work, and to follow His way requires preparation. It requires a constant re-evaluation of our priorities and a desire to bring the Kingdom one step closer.

We prepare again. We prepare and struggle throughout our lives; lives that without hope would go on year after year, through the cycle of time, with no purpose other than death.

But for us God is our hope. As Christians we know that God created a world of cycles and times and that the Church faithfully follows these. We know that as we walk through time, through the seasons and cycles ordained for our lives, these repetitive cycles will end with the joy of heaven. As we walk through the cycle of times and seasons Jesus’ words are ever fresh; they speak anew to us, prompting us on to preparation and reparation.

Paul reminds us:

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.

The first among those requests is that we be prepared, prepared to do what we are called to do. We pray and petition God, asking Him to wash us and renew us. We ask Him to take charge of our growth, our change, and our work. We need His grace to assist us in our work for the kingdom. God help us to bring Your heavenly Kingdom one step closer to its fulfillment.

My brothers and sisters,

This time of preparation gives us the opportunity to engage in reparation.

Our lives are constantly changing, and as I noted, that change makes Jesus’ message ever new.

How has His message spoken to you? Prepare and repair.

This past year made us different in some way, both for the better and for the worse. Our ability to change, to work toward the kingdom is a constant challenge. Our ability to overcome our faults and our our sins, as they take on a new character to challenge us, is a never ending battle.

Perhaps our anger changed, our desires and lusts took a slightly different direction. Perhaps we found a new way to fall, to deny Christ, to be more cynical or sarcastic about our partners, our friends, our family, the Church, or God.

The times and seasons and God’s everlasting grace are the antidote to those new challenges; the time of preparation and reparation punctuated by the great joy of Christmas is the cure we so desperately need.

You remember that joy. You remember it – that morning when you caught mom or dad secretly smile because you were happy. That joy you felt when you learned that giving was more than spending money. That feeling of warmth, when you were surrounded by family, when you ate, sang, and walked or drove off to church together. That day you held new life in your hands for the first time and knew the meaning of hope. We return to that joy year after year because of Christ, because He affords us the opportunity to prepare and repair, through the seasons and throughout time.

Today we celebrated an expanded Sacrament of Penance, the very same sacrament you receive at the beginning of every Holy Mass. Prayer, petition, and thanksgiving —“ God make me a new man, a new woman. Get me back on the road, the work lies before me, the kingdom needs to be built. Here are my hands, here is my heart. I am sorry I wasted them in any way.

You are washed anew in the sacrament of penance. Through the penance you have been given, a means to reflection, recompense, and prayer, and through the words of the priest you are absolved of sin. Your sin is no more. You have entered back into full communion with your brothers and sisters, with the Holy Church, and with God.

So onward. Preparation and reparation… By these mystical means God builds you, prepares you, and sets you to work for His kingdom.

The sinful came to John in the Jordan and asked:

—And what is it that we should do?—

He told them: preparation, reparation, and amendment of life…

Now the people were filled with expectation

They were ready to move forward, at John’s words eagerly awaiting the Messiah.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn

Come Lord Jesus! Gather us in.