The new liturgical year begins this Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent. This is the time to prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ, who is the reason we celebrate Christmas. We look forward to the second coming as Jesus promised, and as anticipated by creation—a better future where we are fully united with God, and blessed to be in the presence of Christ.
The theme of the first Sunday of Advent is Awakening. We should be prepared at all times, to stay alert, keep praying, be cautious of our behaviour, discern signs of the times, prepare for the second coming of Jesus Christ. In our daily lives, let us not allow our hearts hearts to become indolent, and become oblivious and indifferent to the plight of brothers and sisters around us.
Have we paid attention to and cared about what happens around us? For example, war Russia’s war on Ukraine gone on for nearly nine months and is still not over. Wars breed misery and suffering. People are forced to leave their homes and are displaced. Two weeks ago, a bomb exploded in the shopping district in the centre of Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, causing many deaths and injuries. This is believed to be a terrorist attack. Pope Francis made a special appeal for peace in Ukraine and he also condemned violence at a recent general audience on November 16.
Through prayer we keep our hearts alert. We pray not for God to serve us, but for God to be within us and to work through us. Prayer enlightens our hearts and motivates our faith. Do not let our hearts become indolent and do not let our zeal and passion for evangelisation and the gospel be extinguished. As Proverbs 4:23 says, “Preserve your heart with all watchfulness, for life proceeds from this.” Preserving your heart with all watchfulness means keeping an awakened heart.
Faith helps us to stay alert, to recognize signs of Jesus Christ on earth, and to be able to find his presence among the poor and those in need. Meeting Jesus in our daily lives helps us in our journey to holiness and sanctify others. During the Mass on the World Day of the Poor, the pope called upon the faithful to leave a space in their hearts for the poor. “Since he loves us, let us resolved to love him in the most abandoned of his children, and care for the poor.”
At the beginning of Advent, we anticipate the second coming of the Messiah. Is the anticipation earnest enough to sparkle, or is it just an annual routine? At the beginning of the new liturgical year, let us make concrete plans to nurture our faith in the coming year, read the gospel, care for the least among us, and to put in practice the Christian spirit. SE
