MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE COMING OF CHRIST

1^st Sunday of Advent - Homily 

The Gospel on this first Sunday of Advent invites us to “Stay Awake!”

 

During my seminary days, we began our morning prayer at 6am, followed by meditation for 30-minute and then we proceeded to the celebration of the Eucharistic. Each time when I enter into meditation I would always doze off, quite often. I tried to keep a discipline of staying awake, but failed many times. It took few years for me to learn the art of meditation. I cannot say that I am already a master at it but to date, I still struggle to stay awake. Each of these times, I would be feeling guilty for still not being responsible and serious with my prayer life and mediation. Frequently I had reminded myself to stay awake and not to fall into sleep during mediation.

 

It is indeed very in sync with today’s Gospel (MK 13: 33-37), “Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.” Jesus reminds us to stay and be active in our faith. He wants us to be ready and awake by building on a living our relationship with Him.

 

As we begin our journey in this season Advent - a time of new beginning for each of us - the Lord reminds us that we need a new beginning, by staying awake in our faith and to make our faith active and very much alive. We realise that our faith can be diminishing from time to time, and during those time, you needed to try to remind yourself to “wake up from our sleep”, be active and alive in our faith, and increase and improve the quality of our prayers/conversation with God. 

 

We don’t know when our Master will come. In case, He comes suddenly, He might find us asleep and not on guard for Him. Jesus warns us not to be sleeping. Therefore, stay awake and the Lord has a plan, a fitting and best plan, coming our ways. We must trust Him on that.

 

The season of Advent is a season of awaiting that prepares us to welcome the Mystery of the Word became Flesh (Jn 1: 14). Soon, we will be celebration the birth of Jesus, yet again. In the midst of all the distractions and indifference that run daily in our lives, our hearts and minds must be constantly be inspired in preparation for the birth of Jesus. Let us not sleep on guard, letting our daily busy lives distract us from our focus on the Lord, but continue to keep praying and converse with Jesus, reeling back our faith, so that our eyes will continuously be opened and be on guard. Jesus will come back, and He will come back at the most unexpected time. Stay Awake!