Advent I

GOSPEL

(We need to stay alert at our appointed tasks, because we do not know the hour when Jesus, our Master, will return.)
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark (13:33-37)
Jesus said to his disciples: “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the door keeper to be on the watch. Watch therefore – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cock-crow, or in the morning – lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Watch.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord

Liturgy & Life

Christmas, the birth of the Lord, is the beginning of the transformation of the world into God’s Kingdom. The four weeks of Advent are given to us to help to effect a real Christmas, a true transformation in our lives. The Gospel of the First Sunday of Advent gives us the theme of the Season, “Watch and Stay Awake.” The transformation will be completed only when Jesus returns. Watch and stay awake, the Gospel tells us, and be ready for Jesus comes suddenly to call His own to Himself.
Are we his own? Of course, we belong to the Church. But as individuals do we truly belong to him? Am I the Lord’s? That is a question we need to ask ourselves during Advent. We say, rather loosely, that we are members of a religion, the Catholic religion. That word religion comes from the word “legere” which means tying or binding. During Advent we ask ourselves: Am I bound to the Lord to such an extent that He will recognize me as one of his own when he comes again? 
The “watching” and “staying awake” that Jesus demands in this Advent is far deeper than watching and staying awake like children who wait for their Christmas gifts or birthday gifts. The watching of Advent demands introspection as well as awareness of the surroundings. We look for the coming of the Lord within us as he calls us closer to him. 
At the same time we watch for the signs of his presence around us. We take a step of humility and recognize God’s presence working in those around us, particularly members of our family. It is easy to see the Lord’s presence in a stranger. It is more difficult to see his presence in someone whose human limitations and whose idiosyncrasies are part of our daily lives. It is easy to see the Lord in the priest who speaks from the pulpit but may not be easy to see the Lord in him when we meet him in the parish council. It is harder to see the Lord in the person who finds fault with us, spreads false rumours about us and who hampers our growth. Husbands and wives, parents and children can make God’s presence real in their families. The other members of the family need to have humility to see God working through them. 
In this Advent, we should consider the gifts of our lives and have a greater awareness of God’s hand in our own personal histories. Why did God lead us here? How did we get to this stage of our lives? Do we really have any regrets when we realize that God continues to write a straight line using the crooked paths of our lives? God is continually present in each of us, guiding us.  We need to be aware of this presence. 
The staying awake that Advent demands is the readiness we must have to respond to God’s presence. For example, if a child were to ask us, “Why was Jesus born in a stable?” we have to stop what we are doing and realize that God is calling us to provide a deeper knowledge of his love to our children. God provides us with many opportunities to grow in his love and presence during Advent. We have to stay awake so we don’t miss any of these. Of course, if we are so busy with the fringes of Christmas, the things we do because that’s what we do every Christmas, we’ll be caught napping when the Lord reveals his presence to us. 
Advent is the season of hope. The promise of the prophets will be fulfilled. 
So we wait. We watch. We prepare. 
Yes, here we go again, with another opportunity to draw nearer to the Lord. That is the real celebration of Christmas.
Happy & Fruitful Advent!