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