First Sunday of Advent, 11/29

Today’s Gospel reading is perfect for kicking off Advent. The whole message of the reading is, “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” Meaning, we do not know when Christ will return and we don’t want to be unprepared for his arrival.

Advent is the ultimate waiting time and the time in which we prepare our hearts for the coming of our Lord at Christmas. With the 25th approaching, we get ready both physically and spiritually. We clean our homes, decorate for the season, listen to special music, etc. We also make an effort to practice kindness, generosity, charity. We might pick up an Advent devotional or give up something for the advent season. Why? Because we’re preparing, just as the gospel reflection said -- “Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming.”

But sometimes Advent makes it easier for us to remember that we’re waiting. The season makes it easier to think “big picture” about what life is all about and why we’re here. This gospel reflection, however, made me think of random times of the year like June or September where we sometimes forget that the Lord will be coming back. When we’re busy thinking about our day-to-day lives, the things we want, our jobs, scrolling through TikTok, watching Netflix, etc.

The truth is, most of us forget that we’re actually waiting. We forget that He’s returning. The biggest trick of the devil is distraction. If we remembered that He’s returning at any moment, we’d think twice about the way we spend our time, how we speak, what we watch, how we behave, etc.

Advent is a reminder to remember our Lord every day of our lives. A reminder that beyond the Advent season, we are waiting for His coming. A reminder to prepare not just during the official season of Advent, but the Advent of our lives. We should let Advent inform how we live and prepare everyday, impacting us not just for this season before Christmas -- but all year long.

Lillian Fallon, Communications Coordinator