The Advent of Our Rebirth as a Nation

Homily for the First Sunday of Advent (C) – 28 November 2021. Readings: Jer 33:14-16; Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14; 1 Thes 3:12-4:2; Lk 21:25-28, 34-36

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Advent Season this year comes at a time when the political season starts heating up. Amidst the politicking, the candidate substitution drama, and the switching of political allegiances, what should concern us Christians the most is the violence.

The first type of violence is the destruction of the truth. Someone said, “The first casualty of war is the truth”. Today we see truth-telling upended by manufactured narratives, government officials lying shamelessly to the public, and troll farms flooding the internet with disinformation, some of them operating as early as seven years ago. Worse, a recent study found out that 52% of young people could not distinguish real from fake news, and they comprise the bulk of our voting population. The number is even higher among older population.

The second type of violence is the wanton corruption perpetuated by those in power. The bottom pit of corruption recently unearthed were the anomalous deals and overpriced purchases in COVID-19 response, which benefitted government officials and their choice friends, and cause so much suffering to our people, especially the poor who are already affected by poor healthcare services and loss of income. In a homily in 2014, Pope Francis said, “The corruption of the powerful is paid for by the poor.”

The third type of violence are the killings and harassments perpetrated against critics and the so-called dregs of society. The culture of killing extends beyond body count to the breakdown of the social conscience. Thus, we see the scandal of Christians who go to Church on Sundays and post bible quotes on social media, but who are also the staunchest cheerleaders of the killings and enablers of murderers.

We enter into Advent in the context of this systemic violence. There is more to the theme of preparation in Advent than just anticipating the festivities of Christmas. It is a season of soul-searching and spiritual preparation in order to fully grasp the meaning of Christmas, thus, to fully celebrate it. Advent also reminds us to prepare for two other events: Christ's Second Coming, and our own mortality.

The Gospel passage this Sunday prophesies cosmic upheavals, a slew of natural disasters, and nations in tumult to precede the second coming of the Son of Man. It seems Scriptures, nature, and history all attest that for meaningful change to happen, some form of violence or crisis has to happen as well. The joy of Easter is preceded by crucifixion and death. The rejoicing at Christmas is accompanied by political oppression and the slaughter of innocents.

A soul’s journey of conversion from the old ways to new life is also fraught with inner violence as the old ways fight back and seek, time and again, to regain control. Read St. Augustine, St. John of the Cross, Thomas Merton, even Mother Teresa, and you will know. Ask any recovering alcoholic or addict and they will tell you this to be true. Salvation, redemption, and human progress come with a heavy price.

So it seems to be true as well for our nation. How then do we turn this blood-soaked time of violence and corruption into our hour of glory? Luke 21,28 says; “But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” How do we stand erect, raise our heads and await our redemption?

First, we have to recognize that we are all involved. The powerful and corrupt political dynasties, and their sycophant enablers, may be mainly to blame. But we too played a part in it. Let us ask ourselves these questions: Have you posted on social media unverified contents that support your personal views? Have you ever thought dirty politics will never change, or accepted that corruption is here to stay? Have you ever participated, willingly or unwillingly, in a corrupt practice because it is a fact of life and you can’t do anything about it? Have you ever conceded that vote-buying and patronage will never be gone during elections? Have you given up on politics and politicians, and chose instead not to care?

If our answer is yes to any of these questions, then we are partly to blame as well. We have heard this line from Edmund Burke often enough: “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men (and women) to do nothing.” We are as much part of the problem as the solution.

Second, we have to work on the things we need to stop doing. We need to stop believing that politics will never change for the better. We need to stop affirming that corruption is a way of life. We need to stop conceding that power only belongs to a few. Even in our weakness, there is strength; in our poverty, resources within our reach; in humiliation, dignity; in naivety, wisdom. We need to put a stop to our apathy for a culture of apathy spawns a culture of impunity.

Third, we have to get involved. We have to start respecting ourselves and our vote. “Ang pera sa bulsa, ang boto sa balota” degrades our dignity us voters and undermines the electoral process itself. Our sense of sacrifice has to go beyond the confines of family and loved ones. We have to hold our public officials more accountable. More importantly, we have to hold ourselves more accountable, especially, those of us entrusted with responsibility or position of authority.

Ultimately, we are all accountable to God. When our hour of judgment comes, can we honestly say we have made God’s will the standard of our moral choices? More importantly, when people see what we do, do they recognize Christ in us? More than ever, we have to make our Christian faith relevant to our participation in public life.

In his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (205), Pope Francis echoed the words of Pope Pius XI in 1924, “Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good,” Then he prayed, “I beg the Lord to grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people, the lives of the poor! It is vital that government leaders and financial leaders take heed and broaden their horizons, working to ensure that all citizens have dignified work, education and healthcare. Why not turn to God and ask him to inspire their plans? I am firmly convinced that openness to the transcendent can bring about a new political and economic mindset which would help to break down the wall of separation between the economy and the common good of society.”

There is a way in which the martyrs and victims of killings, and those who perished from COVID-19, would not have died in vain; those vilified unjustly by fake news and those made more destitute from corruption would not have suffered in vain. That way is to learn from these tragedies and grow better as a people. Tragic as they may be, these types of systemic violence may just be the thing to rouse us from our "carousing and drunkenness, our petty anxieties", our mediocre citizenship, our inconsistent democracy – but only if we let the Spirit guide our passions toward truth-telling, justice-seeking and peace-making. When this happens, there will be genuine healing and rebuilding. It will be the advent of our rebirth as a nation.

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Artwork: "Hope in the Ruins of Manila", Fernando Amorsolo, Oil on Canvas, 1945