I believe that I read the story in the New York Times back in 2006. That story never left my mind because it reminds me of what Advent should not be. The story is about the murder of four prostitutes in Atlantic City, NJ. It describes the dark underbelly of Atlantic City’s prosperity: prostitution, drugs, crimes. While the gambling industry brings more than 40 million tourists a year, and billions of dollars, to the city, a less prosperous side continues its slow deterioration into the abyss.
Advent is about “what was, what is, what could be.” All that remains of the past is what we call “what was.” The “what” is the reality of “who” we are today and we are not what we are supposed to be or we want to be, then what will be?
The doctor of the church, Bernard of Clairvaux in his fifth sermon on Advent describes three advents (comings) of Jesus. In the first coming, Christ comes in flesh and in weakness; in the second, he comes in spirit and in power; in the third, he comes in glory and in majesty; the second coming is the means whereby we pass from the first to the third.
Now, how is the prostitutes’ story connected with the three comings of Jesus? Well, Advent is a time of hope, and that hopefulness ran out for Kimberly Raffo, Barbara V. Braidor, Tracy Ann Roberts, and Molly Jean Dilts. They were the four women whose bodies were found in a strip of land between the Black Horse and the Atlantic City Expressway.
While Advent is a time “waiting for the Lord,” we experience drastic changes if we let God into our lives. He comes to fill the valleys of depressions, leveling the mountains of pride and making straight our crooked ways. Let us not forget that when the gospel speaks of valleys and mountains, it doesn’t give us a lesson in geology, it speaks about our lives. Sometimes we must be courageous enough to undertake this task at the beginning of the new church year, even if it takes extra energy and a generous amount of determination to be not what was or will be, but what is.
Perhaps, the story of Zachary can be a good example for all of us. Little Zachary was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything…tutors, mentors, flash cards, special learning centers. In short, everything they could think of to help his math. Finally, in a last ditch effort, they took Zachary down and enrolled him in the local Catholic school.
After the first day, little Zachary came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn’t even say “hello.” Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and papers were spread out all over the room and little Zachary was hard at work. His mother was amazed. She called him down to dinner. To her shock, the minute he was done, he marched back to his room without a word, and in no time, he was back hitting the books as hard as before.
This went on for some time, day after day, while the mother tried to understand what made all the difference. Finally, little Zachary brought home his report card. He quietly laid it on the table, went up to his room and hit the books. With great trepidation, his mom looked at it and to her great surprise, little Zachary got an “A” in math.
She could no longer hold her curiosity. She went to his room and said, “Son, what was it? Was it the nuns?” Little Zachary, looked at her and shook his head, no. “Well, then, was it the books, the discipline, the structure, the uniforms? What was it?” Little Zachary looked at her and said, “Well, on the first day of school when I saw that guy nailed on the PLUS sign, I knew they weren’t fooling around.”
I wonder if it is possible to look at Jesus on the cross and still refuse his love.
