First Sunday in Advent, Sunday, December 1st, 2013
Fr. Todd Bragg
St. Margaret Anglican Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
"Behold, Thy King cometh unto thee . . . ." (St. Matthew 21)
Whenever we begin the Holy Season of Advent and I hear this Gospel passage being read from St. Matthew, it strikes me that this passage is really something that is read during Holy Week and not during Advent. But keep in mind that during Advent, we are preparing a welcome for Our Blessed Saviour just like those people were welcoming Our Blessed Lord into Jerusalem some two thousand years ago. Advent is about preparation and making our welcome for the King.
Now, St. Matthew reminds us that Bethphage was about a mile outside of Jerusalem. Bethphage was known as the "house of figs and dates" due to what was grown there. St. Matthew reminds us that Our Lord told His disciples to go and get both "an ass and a colt" for Him to use upon His entry into Jerusalem. Now, it is a fair question to ask: why exactly would Our Lord insist on riding into Jerusalem when it seems that everywhere else He was very humble in walking everywhere He went. Certainly, the answer would be to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah:
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, Thy King cometh unto thee; He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass." (Zechariah 9:9)
But then the question becomes, why would Our Blessed Saviour need two animals on His entry into Jerusalem? Did He switch back and forth between the animals? No, the early Church Fathers felt that the two animals: the ass and the colt symbolized the Jews and the Gentiles. The ass symbolized the Jewish people because, in terms of faith, they were older and had a longer relationship with God; whereas the colt symbolized the Gentiles because they were new in regards to their relationship with God.
"On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet Him, and cried: Hosanna, Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the Name of the Lord." (St. John 12:12)
Let us make an effort during this Advent season to welcome Our Blessed Saviour into our hearts like we've never welcomed Him before. It is difficult in the society in which we live because so many people are focusing on Christmas already by dwelling on the latest bargains and the latest gadgets and shopping and holiday festivities. Now, there is nothing necessarily wrong with any of these things but Advent is a time of preparation . . . preparing for the coming of the Christ Child into our hearts. The world wants to make it a time of preparation with the emphasis on shopping and buying things and making purchases. Let us take time out of our Christmas preparations in the secular sense and put that time into spiritually preparing our hearts for God. Prepare a place for the Christ Child and make ready to welcome Him as your King this Christmas.
Whenever we begin the Holy Season of Advent and I hear this Gospel passage being read from St. Matthew, it strikes me that this passage is really something that is read during Holy Week and not during Advent. But keep in mind that during Advent, we are preparing a welcome for Our Blessed Saviour just like those people were welcoming Our Blessed Lord into Jerusalem some two thousand years ago. Advent is about preparation and making our welcome for the King.
Now, St. Matthew reminds us that Bethphage was about a mile outside of Jerusalem. Bethphage was known as the "house of figs and dates" due to what was grown there. St. Matthew reminds us that Our Lord told His disciples to go and get both "an ass and a colt" for Him to use upon His entry into Jerusalem. Now, it is a fair question to ask: why exactly would Our Lord insist on riding into Jerusalem when it seems that everywhere else He was very humble in walking everywhere He went. Certainly, the answer would be to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah:
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, Thy King cometh unto thee; He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass." (Zechariah 9:9)
But then the question becomes, why would Our Blessed Saviour need two animals on His entry into Jerusalem? Did He switch back and forth between the animals? No, the early Church Fathers felt that the two animals: the ass and the colt symbolized the Jews and the Gentiles. The ass symbolized the Jewish people because, in terms of faith, they were older and had a longer relationship with God; whereas the colt symbolized the Gentiles because they were new in regards to their relationship with God.
"On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet Him, and cried: Hosanna, Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the Name of the Lord." (St. John 12:12)
Let us make an effort during this Advent season to welcome Our Blessed Saviour into our hearts like we've never welcomed Him before. It is difficult in the society in which we live because so many people are focusing on Christmas already by dwelling on the latest bargains and the latest gadgets and shopping and holiday festivities. Now, there is nothing necessarily wrong with any of these things but Advent is a time of preparation . . . preparing for the coming of the Christ Child into our hearts. The world wants to make it a time of preparation with the emphasis on shopping and buying things and making purchases. Let us take time out of our Christmas preparations in the secular sense and put that time into spiritually preparing our hearts for God. Prepare a place for the Christ Child and make ready to welcome Him as your King this Christmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment