Isn’t it great in movies when the heroes receive the help they need at just the perfect moment? There are several movies that come to mind with those types of moments. One is The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. In this movie, all seems to be lost, as Aragorn, the soon-to-be leader of the armies of men, is trapped by the evil orcs. They have them backed into a corner and are prepared to finish them off. The armies of men have retreated into Helm’s Deep. Lots of innocent families are huddled together as the Orcs outside are ramming the front doors with a huge battering ram. Aragorn orders that the families retreat back into the mountain while the soldiers remain to face the orcs and ride out against them. When all seems lost, they remember the words of Gandalf, the good wizard: “Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the east.”
Outnumbered, the soldiers of men ride out valiantly against the huge army of orcs. They are vastly outnumbered, but they have hope. Then comes the moment. As promised, Gandalf appears in the East, at the rising of the sun, just as he had promised. And with him is an army of additional men, another clan who was not expected to help. But they came. With Gandalf appearing at the perfect time, the tide turns. He and the reinforcements come galloping down the hill and mow down the orc armies. It is awesome!
Another movie where there is a similar moment is Star Wars. Luke Skywalker, the hero, is in his X-wing spacecraft trying his best to destroy the huge Death Star and is being chased by a number of enemies, including Darth Vader, the king of all movie villains, in my humble opinion. So Luke is closing in on the weak point of the Death Star, but Darth Vadar has got him in the sights of his weapons. “I have you now,” says Darth Vader. At that moment, just before Darth Vadar pushes his trigger, Han Solo, Luke’s friend, shows up in his ship, the Millenium Falcon and foils Darth Vader’s plan. I love Han Solo’s “Yahoo,” when he blows up one of Darth Vader’s escort vehicles. It is such a great moment.
I just love those moments and I bet you all do, too. There is something right about a helping hand showing up at just the perfect time. I think these moments resonate with us so much because they reveal something to us about ourselves and about God. We all want to be that hero who has friends who are there for them in the moment of need. And God reveals Himself to be that ultimate friend, the Helper who has come to our aid at just the perfect moment.
Listen again to the beautiful words from the prophet Baruch that we heard in the first reading: “Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children gathered from the east and the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God.” Baruch looks forward to a time when Jerusalem, that great symbol of God’s Holy people, will be a home to all people. And Jesus fulfills this prophecy so perfectly. God the Son’s coming as one of us has opened the possibility of all people being made part of the family of God. His coming was perfectly timed to bring in all peoples. God knew what he was doing and came tpo the aid of humanity at just the perfect time. Baruch talks about the people coming from the East and West rejoicing because they are remembered by God. It’s not that God ever forgot His people, but that He always kept them in mind, even when they turned away from Him. As God said in another place through the prophet Jeremiah: “For I know well the plans I have for you.”
God is never far from us. Even though He comprehends all of time in a single instant, none of us are lost on Him. All of us have been in His mind from the very beginning of creation, and His purpose for each of us is that we be with Him for eternity. So even now, in our time and place, God is close at hand and has a specific plan for you and for me. This is an awesome thing!
The specificity of God’s plan is clear in the Gospel of Luke. In today’s Gospel, we hear Luke rattling off all of these world leaders and religious leaders that were around when St. John the Baptist started preaching repentance to prepare the way for Jesus’ coming. These details work on multiple levels. First of all, Luke is emphasizing the historical reality of the preparation for Jesus’ coming. When the Holy Spirit stirred St. John the Baptist to begin preparing the way for the Lamb of God, Jesus, it was at a very specific time: “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,” etc. This wasn’t just “once upon a time,” God really, truly did become human at a very specific time in history, the perfect time that God had planned for from the beginning!
On a deeper level, all this detail shows how much God is concerned for each of us. His plan isn’t just some general plan to save humanity as a faceless, impersonal crowd. God sees each of us. He knows what we need and when we need it. When the timing was just right, He knew the words He would give to St. John the Baptist to prepare for the coming of Jesus. God worked in the hearts of many people, including St. John the Baptist’s parents, to prepare him to preach the way he did. Also, God was at work in the lives of those who went out to hear John. God knew exactly what each of them needed to repent and prepare for Jesus. Sadly, some of them refused to open their hearts to him.
This second Sunday of Advent, God the Father is right here for each of you. He knows you personally. He knows you better than you know yourself. He has been with you every step of your journey which has brought you to this point. The Father desires you to be with Him in the unbelievable joy of Heaven, and He has given you His Beloved Son to draw you there.
You may feel right now that God couldn’t possibly know what you are going through, but He does. He is that every present friend, ready to help you with just what you need, just when you need it. That is who our God is!
He is here with you right now with grace to help you in just the way you need. Just as St. John the Baptist called people to repent to prepare for Jesus’ coming, the Church now invites you to open your heart to repentance in this Advent Season. The Father gives us this season through the Church to help us prepare to receive Jesus in our hearts in a fresh way this Christmas. God the Father knows you and knows specifically what it is you need to turn from to more fully embrace Jesus. He has brought you to this place, so trust in Him. Ask Him to show you now what you can repent from to more fully embrace Jesus.
+ Father, thank you for Your loving concern for each of us. Help us hear how You are inviting us to repent and more fully embrace Your Son. Jesus, thank you for coming for each of us at the perfect time in history and for continuing to be near to us today and every day. Help us surrender more and more to Your grace. Holy Spirit, enflame us with deeper love for You and help us become more aware of Your presence in us. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen. +