the tension of what is and what should be - 1st week advent tuesday

Our first reading is describing to us the day when the Messiah will reign over us.  It describes to us through the use of imagery the good things that will happen to a people ruled by the Messiah sent by God. It would be a peaceful place where the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. It describes to us the character of this Messiah king who shall rule with justice and equity because of the Spirit of the Lord rest on him.  He will not judge by appearance shall he decide by hearsay rather he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the afflicted of the land.

Compare this ideal with what is happening to our nation.  Or compare this ideal with what is happening in our parishes and in our Christian communities or compare this ideal with what is happening in our own families.  Probably our nation is miles apart from this ideal 9 even light years apart), most probably it is nowhere near it.  Or our families may be calf and young lion, wolf and lamb but we are put in individual cells and cages because we can be vicious to each other, and abhor being within arms’ length from each other.

What am I trying to say here?  In advent we are made aware of the tension that exists between what is and what should be, the tension between what we have and what we could possibly become, between what we are and what we want and dream to be but never could in our own lifetime. 

Father I want my family to be like this and like that, my kids to be like this and like.  Father I want our parish priest to be like this and like that, I want our ministers to be like this and like that.  Father I want our society to be like this and like that, or bisan sa office na lang I want my officemates to be like this and like that because now they are stupidly like this and like that.

This season of advent, we are made aware of the contrast between what is and what will be.  These reading are read to make the difference glaring.  So what does this knowledge bring us?

 First. This ideal reign came about because of the Spirit that rests on the messiah.  Reform or change, true and real change, cannot happen by just simply demanding concessions.  It can only happen when there is a change of heart, a conversion in the person.  A change in outlook, a change the way we look at people.  It involves  a heart becoming more sensitive to others. 

 Second this tension creates in us a more realistic worldview that we can only do as much.  It is God who will bring things to perfection.  SO learn to do as much as we can possibly do to improve our situation.  Then learn to live with what is knowing that the world can only be perfected when God restores it to its former state, when sin has been totally eradicated.