Once again, with accuracy and a message, Advent has come to us. Our earth revolves on its own axis, and encircles the sun in a proven pattern. The year turns following its innate essence.

During the First Week of Advent the Scripture readings can seem ominous. They narrate the apocalyptic fears and anxieties of the Israelites of Jesus' day. We may feel some unease or questions when Jesus says things such as ‘in those days there will be wars and rumors of wars'! (These next sentences are a distillation of Chapters of: Matthew, 24-25; Mark 13; and Luke 21.)

Nations will be fighting against other nations. Many people will be falling away from their beliefs. The rise of lawlessness will increase. Jesus gives images of storms, and earthquakes. The earth will be shaking so much that destruction comes upon its outer crust. Then, the ‘Day of the Lord' will come, and ‘The Son of Man'  will appear in glory as a judge.

We hear quite often, people saying that the ‘end of the world' is coming on such and such a date. Now we have the movie 2012! There are several other movies about the only ones left after a giant Nuclear explosion. It seems that people are obsessed these days with extreme violence and destruction. ( The other day an article appeared in the New York Times which said "Misery seeks company—yes, the company of worse misery.") In another area people say "Why doesn't God put an end to all this!" Or they attribute some act of terrorism, or a natural disaster, to God displaying anger at we human beings.

Let's take a brief resume of some of these things. Probably most everyone realizes that there is much destruction, hatred, selfishness, and human oppression of other human beings in our day. One could say that those chapters of the Gospels do reflect conditions present today. That has some truth to it. Maybe Jesus was speaking about the world as it has been, it is, and likely will be - according to our history.

In a closer look at Jesus' statements we find such phrases as: When the ending will happen no one knows: since we do not know, be ready: no one knows the day or the hour. He also says: don't let anyone mislead you! There will be many who will pose as prophets, and as teachers. Be careful. Don't trust what you hear without a good examination. There will be people who want to upset others.

A point which may help our understanding of just why these passages are in the Gospels is to recall when these documents first appeared. We date them from the year 70 AD to the year 100 AD. At that time of the first century the split between Israelites was becoming most painful. The Jewish people—whether believing Jesus or not—kept going to the Synagogue. Then there came the times when those who accepted Jesus were not allowed into the Synagogue because they were accused of blasphemy against the One God. This was very painful because, as Jesus says in another place: "Father will betray his son; a son will betray his father; Mother-in-law will be against daughter-in-law; daughter-in-law will be against mother-in-law; Brother will be against brother, and sister against sister." This was all the more painful because those who were related, or friends one day became enemies the next day. The issue was that some accepted Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament, others did not, or refused to accept him. Both of these are sincere religious points of view. Why do differing religious points of view sometimes lead to abuse, persecution or war? (On the matter of friend one day and enemy the next, this deepened the pain of the Hutu people and the Tutsi people in Rwanda, and the Palestinians and the Jewish people who until the '67 war were getting along quite well together.) The point is, then, that the writers of the Gospels put back into Jesus' mouth the description of this future time. Their reasoning is entirely Jewish: if this comes about as a result of believing in Jesus, which is a challenge, then he must have said it! (To us that doesn't sound right. We need to remember that our forebears in the faith were Jewish; it is a ‘faith' way of their thinking.)

Do all these images, situations and actions continue today? Of course they do! Do they mean the end of the world? We don't know! Yet, consider an idea. Do you think that God who nursed the universe along for 14 billion years, having in it absolutely marvelous things and beings— especially human beings—is going to destroy everything that created? Do you believe that Jesus' promises of everlasting life with himself in union with the Father and the Spirit are just fiction? Look into our own hearts. Don't we realize in our inner self that—maybe without being able to put words to it—there is something more to this life? There is a yearning, a longing which we know remains unsatisfied.

Possibly our yearly circle of Advent is trying to get us to accept our own human nature, and live it to the fullness of what it is meant to be? We have a brain; we have knowledge and choice. We are responsible of the state of the world at the present time and, as much as required of us, for the future. Our humanity and it depth has the means of solving the situation. That is why we are given these powers. It is our responsibility to do God's—and Jesus'—work to bring about the complete "Peaceful kingdom, the Kingdom of God" That is what Jesus preached.

Advent then brings to us the complete mystery of a child, born of woman, who grew to maturity believing that he was the servant of God to bring all to the Father. Many believed in him; many did not. Some who did not believe considered him a threat to their money and their control of religious thought. Again, as had happened to the prophets—and still happens to prophets who are true to themselves and God—had to be humiliated and crucified. Did he consider himself a failure? The words attributed to him on the cross strongly suggest that. Those who followed him were utterly decimated that they had put their trust in someone who turned out to be fraud. Then the mystery deepened as those very smitten men and women experienced that man raised from the dead. The Spirit of God fortified their faith, and they set about spreading the timeless formulation of the mystery of Jesus, the Christ.

We are invited to search into that mystery. The more we advance the more we feel and know, the more territory there is to cover. Yet, the attraction once tasted will not be satisfied until our next stage of life. Even there, the mystery may become more compelling. What our world needs amid the clamor of storms, wars, hatred, and selfishness are those who will ‘tolerate' the mystery and be lead along its endless path sharing it with our world they go along. The path is lighted by the radiance of the fullness of life in its ultimate union with ‘all Being'. This is the gift of our yearly Advent.

Joining my prayers with yours in the roads and ways of our lives, and wishing you all the blessings of Advent and Christmas, I am, sincerely, and with "God Bless,"

Brother Benilde James Loxham, FSC