First Sunday of Advent: The Right Time is Now

C.S. Lewis once remarked that people who think Jesus of Nazareth is a myth, have not read many myths. [1] Myths don’t have a place or a time, Jesus had both a place he was born and a definite time within which he lived. Jesus invaded chronological time, myths do not invade our time. Why was Jesus born when he was born? The scriptural answer is that it was the fullness of time:

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,  to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Gal. 4:4-7.

 
In short, at the right time! Time in the scriptures is used in two senses. One, the ‘right time’ and the other, the one that we are most familiar with, is ‘chronological time. Jesus Christ is born in time and reveals the end or purpose of time. 
 
Cronos and Kairos
In ancient Greek mythology, Cronos is the God of Time. He was the son of Uranus. (In Latin myth he is Saturn) Cronos was the youngest of the Titans, the children of the Greek creator Father Uranus. His mother was Gaia, the earth. In Greek myth, unlike Israel, Father and Son did not get along very well. With the help of Mother Gaia, Cronos overthrew Father Uranus through castration. Uranus’ blood gave rise to Zeus, Aphrodite and the other Greek gods that you might be more familiar with. Saturn or Cronus, at any rate, was king of the universe, but was warned that one day he would be overthrown by one of his sons, just as he overthrew his father Uranus. To preserve his own power he consumed each of his children at the moment of his birth. The myths of the ancient world were rooted in violence and domination. Chronological time, in short, centers on birth and, ultimately, death.
 
In the Gospel, the Son lived and died to bring God’s children to the Father, not to consume them. Where myths argue for the fundamental role of violence, the Gospels reveal that love is fundamental to creation. God does not eat his children, but enters into suffering and death in the fullness of time to reconcile them to the Father.
 
There is, however, another concept of time in the scriptures and Mediterranean culture. Kairos (καιρός) is an Ancient Greek word meaning the right, critical, or opportune moment. For an archer, kairos meant the moment you had pulled the bow string back to full load and aimed. Now was the time to release.  We would say, “the time is right.” When we say that, we don’t mean any particular date on the calendar. We mean that we are prepared or ready or everthing is lined up. That play between cronos and kairos is in the readings for today. Kairos is the appointed time in which God acts. Mark 1:15 
 
Jeremiah and the Gospel
The Prophet Jeremiah is using time in the sense of the right or critical time:
 

The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will fulfill the promise
I made to the house of Israel and Judah.
Jer. 33:14

 
For Jeremiah, chronological time was loading the bow string and God was preparing to release the arrow. Jesus, teaching in the Temple precinct, is using time in the same way when referring to the future destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple forty years later.

People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
 for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Lk. 21:26

 
Jesus, we may recall, was charged at his trial with threatening to tear down the Temple, not leaving a stone upon a stone. Jn. 2:19 All that is left today, is the wailing wall, a retention wall on the Temple mount. But what is the opportune or critical time for?

Be vigilant at all times 
and pray that you have the strength
 to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” Lk. 21:36

What did the fullness of time look like when Jesus was born? The violence of the Roman empire dominated the Mediterranean world. Israel was fractured and in disarray. Half the Empire were slaves. Woman and children were exploited and it was, if not in good taste, at least accepted. In the Christmas story, children and their mothers were slaughtered in the street. The fullness of time includes stress, exploitation and abuse. Yet, there were souls that responded to God’s call, just like today. They stood before the Lord and they followed. The ‘right time’ is the same as ‘time for a change.’
 
Advent and Metanoia: Time for a change
Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year, an approach to space and time that directs chronological time towards the critical time, the time for a change. Advent is the time for anticipating Christmas, the feast that celebrates Jesus incarnation at the critical time. Jeremiah and Paul both wrote during times of great stress. Jeremiah's audience was undergoing a military siege by the Babylonian empire. Paul’s community lived in a time of adversity and persecution as Paul and the community were rejected by the synagogues and pagans. The Jewish world as they knew it was dying. There was much to fear. Both Jeremiah and Paul directed their listeners to metanoia (literally ‘beyond my present mind’), to a change of life and thinking.   
 
Kairos: The right time for change
The Holy Spirit operates at the critical moment, the time that we are ready. "Who knows the hearts of our loved ones better than the Holy Spirit?  He knows their wounds, their passions, their desires.  He can speak to these things through us, but only if we allow him to." The Prodigal You Love: Inviting Loved Ones Back to The Church by Sister Therese Aletheia Noble, FSP  “When we act in union with the Spirit's inspirations, we find the courage to act as the Spirit wants, rather than only in the ways that we think best.  To be "kind" is only meaningful in union with God.  To be "loving" is only meaningful in union with God.  To be "challenging" or "truthful" is only meaningful in union with God." Ibid. When considering the right time, “ "Too often when interacting with our loved ones, we simply adopt ways we are comfortable with rather than ways that are actually most helpful" Ibid. Consider that perhaps it is the right time to invite someone to Advent mass with you in preparation for Christmas. The people you love and your neighbor might be more ready than you think to change their way of thinking.
 
Opportunities:
 
Come and See:  When is the right time to marry or consider a religious vocation. People think that they will be ready for that when they reach some chronological age. It is wiser to prepare now for the right time when it comes. Be prepared, as in Advent. What can you do now to discern a path in life? How do you prepare? Come and See is about preparing for your next step in life. Like the Season of Advent, you are getting ready for something. My advice, is prepare educationally, financially and, also, in the manner of life you now lead. Develop the habits that will see you through in life. Prayer and preparation are the works of Advent and Discernment.
 
Seekers: Have you considered inviting someone to St. Mark with you? Seekers is a time and place to meet with other like-minded Seekers and talk about the importance of faith in regard to the big questions. It starts this Wednesday at 6 pm in the Church Narthex. Did I mention there will be snacks?

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Here is an interesting article on the myth of Saturn, its role in Roman society, modern art and faith.