STAY AWAKE!

I SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

During the Advent season, we prepare for the coming of the Lord, when he fulfils his promises and completes his work of salvation. “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” However, his coming will be preceded by a time of great fear and confusion. When that time comes, we must not lose confidence in the Lord since He will not abandon his people. Jesus advises us, “… stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.” 

We must prepare ourselves and be on the alert: 

“‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. (…) Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.”

At the beginning of Advent, we are invited to listen to Jesus’ warning. The society we live in has been corrupted: debauchery, drunkenness and the cares of life are found everywhere, and we are easily carried away. The more we speak of justice and freedom, the more we live under oppression and injustice. We are slaves of sin, which pervades our society, leading us to turn our backs on God and put ourselves in the centre of the universe.

Advent must instill in us the hope that comes from God’s promise. While we live here on earth, we walk strengthened by hope., which is the theme for next year’s Jubilee: “Pilgrims of hope”. To grow in hope, we must listen to God’s word and anchor ourselves in him through prayer.

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul insists on the need for us to make more and more progress, increasing our love - the love for one another, confirming our hearts in holiness, so that we may be found “blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.”

Let us pray with the psalm:

Lord, make me know your ways.

  Lord, teach me your paths.

Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:

  for you are God my saviour. (Ps 25)