Besides, you know the time in which we are living. lt is now the hour for you to wake from sleep, for our salvation is closer than when we first accepted the faith. 12 The night is far spent; the day draws near. So let us cast off deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us live honorably as in daylight, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with our Savior Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the night. (Romans 13:11-14) Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible . Sheed & Ward. Kindle Edition.
During this time of year, draped in darkness, and a hardened blanket of cold snow and ice, we, as human beings long for sunlight and warmth. If you live in Minnesota, in which we are horribly Vitamin D deficient, we find ourselves slowly slogging through the cold and snow, cursing the darkness and the season of winter. This passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans, from the scriptural readings for the First Sunday in Advent, is particularly pointed to us.
Advent is a time in which we long for the light of Jesus’ Second Coming as we remember the long wait of our Hebrew ancestors longing for the light of the Messiah’s First Coming. Paul’s prediction of Christ’s second coming was rather premature. Paul thought that the second coming of Jesus would be within a short amount of time, even advising his Christian communities to forego getting married and having children. While Paul was correct in many things, his eschatology (the study of the end times) was incorrect, for we have been living in the eschaton (the end times) for a very, very long time. Like our Hebrew ancestors, we have been waiting a long, long time for Jesus to come again.
There is a wonderful book on Celtic Spirituality written by John O’Donohue entitled, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom. John O’Donohue writes in the third chapter of his book these wonderful words. “The eternal is not elsewhere; it is not distant. There is nothing as near as the eternal. This is captured in a lovely Celtic phrase: “Tá tír na n-óg ar chul an tí—tír álainn trina chéile”—that is, “The land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent within itself.” The eternal world and the mortal world are not parallel, rather they are fused. The beautiful Gaelic phrase fighte fuaighte, “woven into and through each other,” captures this.” (O’Donohue, John. Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom . HarperCollins.)
Applying the spiritual wisdom of the Celts to the words that Paul writes to the Roman Christian community is that just sitting around waiting for Jesus to come again is a waste of time. We must live in a way that realizes that Jesus’ Second Coming has already come. The Reign of God is all around us. To borrow that wonderful Celtic image, the Reign of God is “woven into and through us and each other.”
Rather than living lives awaiting Jesus as those” thrown bound into darkness gnashing our teeth” (a vivid image Jesus uses in the Gospels), we must live differently because Jesus is very much living in the here and now among us.
Some try to escape the darkness and cold of this time of year in pursuing activities listed at the end of Paul’s scriptural passage today. Paul was very much aware of the Roman Bacchanalias celebrated during the winter solstice wherein people engaged in self-indulgent activities filled with the abusing of alcohol and sexually abusing others. Paul warns his Christian community to stay away from such activities primarily because such activity is contrary to Christ’s self-giving commandment of love to “love one another as I have loved you.” Rather, in living in the “here and now” of Emmanuel, “God among us”, we must live lives modeled on that of Jesus.
John O’Donohue quotes a Celtic morning prayer that best describes what it is to live in the light of Christ at this darkest time of year.
“I arise today through the strength of heaven, light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.” (O’Donohue, John. Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom)
In closing, as we enter into this Season of Advent, let us invite the light of Christ into our soul to guide us through these darkest hours of the year. May this Celtic blessing be our guide throughout these Advent weeks to Christmas and beyond.
“May the light of your soul guide you.
May the light of your soul bless the work you do with the secret love and warmth of your heart.
May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul.
May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light, and renewal to those who work with you and to those who see and receive your work. May your work never weary you.
May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration, and excitement.
May you be present in what you do.
May you never become lost in the bland absences.
May the day never burden.
May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities, and promises.
May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
May you go into the night blessed, sheltered, and protected.
May your soul calm, console, and renew you.” (O’Donohue, John. Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom)
