Dec 03, 2023 English

“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down…” (Is 63:19) As we hear from Isaiah in our first reading for this Sunday, the people of Israel felt as if the heaven was closed and so the Lord could not hear their prayers. This desperate prayer of Isaiah for the Lord’s deliverance from the humiliating and oppressive Babylonian Exile can also be recited by the North Korean Christians who live under abject conditions of total persecution by the atheistic Communists for over 70 years. Those people there live as hostages in their own country.

Sometimes we may also feel anxious and distressed to the point of despair. Nothing seems to go our way. We may feel stuck in an impasse. It could be the ongoing toxic political polarization, worrisome world events, or, on a more individual level, personal finances, family situations, issues with our children, etc. And we cry out in our desperate prayers to God.
 
Advent is about a fundamental reorientation of our thinking and attitude, as well as personal and communal priorities. If we feel we are stuck in muddy ground, not knowing how to get out, we look up for help. If there is blockage in our veins, it is time to consider bypass surgery or other procedures. If there is a disconnect among institutions and attitudes in promoting the common good, it is time to implement structural rearrangement and reconnection. If we are used to rely on our own ingenuity and ability without knowing how to get out of dark abyss, we need to learn to rely on God and trust in His providence.
 
John Cassian (c. 360-430), a spiritual master, has a suggestion in this reorientation and reconstruction project of Advent for the coming of the Lord. He invites us to do some inner work (of asceticism) by renouncing our attachment to the mindless thoughts about eight items: food, sex, things, anger, dejection, acedia (weariness of the soul), vainglory, and pride (see his The Institutes [New York 2000]).  We do this in order “to have the eyes of our soul set upon the place where we must hope that we shall go at any moment (p. 98).”

The Lord is ready to rend the heavens and come down among us. In fact, He has broken open the heavens and sent His Son who shows us the way, which is what we celebrate during Advent. And we are invited to reimagine our way of thinking and living. Sometimes, instead of fixing here and there, we need to demolish the old structures to build something we truly need and want. Construction sometimes involves deconstruction and reconstruction.
 
Prayer is indispensable, and understanding God’s way is paramount. Our devout and attentive participation in the Advent liturgy will sharpen our vision, while the Sacrament of Reconciliation will help us to be more prepared for the Lord’s coming. May our joyful Advent lead us to a life-giving Christmas for “all flesh shall see the salvation of God!”

Fr. Paul D. Lee