Today is the first Sunday of Advent, which is also the first Sunday of a new liturgical year for the Church. It is a time of new beginnings as we turn our attention to the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Advent is a word with Latin roots which means “coming.” Christians use this period of time before Christmas to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. It’s also a time of repentance and meditation while anticipating Jesus’ second coming. Advent is a season rich in wonder as we focus on the incarnation of God. In Jesus, we have the divine God who left his glory to become the perfect example of a sinless man.
According to St. Matthew in today’s gospel, the certain coming of Jesus requires us to make a decision to watch for him. Any day, any moment could be the final coming of the Lord. Advent is a time of preparation for this coming of the Lord. As St. Paul tells us in the second reading, it is time to awake from our sleep, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
Advent is an attitude of anticipation. The entire season prepares us to allow Christ into our hearts, sometimes in ways far different from other times when we celebrate the “excitement of December.” Many people want everything about this season to stay the same year after year: the same carols, the same schedule for giving gifts, even food prepared in the same way.
But another truth tells us that each year ought to be different. We are not the same. We are faced with different responsibilities, moved by different insights, changed by circumstances we didn’t have before, challenged by fresh opportunities and different memories, equipped with increasing or diminishing capacities for coping with all these variations. So we never approach Advent in exactly the same way.
In this new Advent season, God is ready to give us a fresh vision and the grace we need to lose self and find God. God wants to work in and through us for the greater honor and glory of God. That is why God expects great things from us, which are in fact possible by the grace of God at work in our lives. God is always ready and willing to fill us with grace, strength and power. May we hunger for God and not be weighed down by other things. May this Advent be one of joy knowing we are making use of our time and energy for the things of God, the good gifts bestowed on those who seek first the Kingdom of God.
The grace of God through Christ Jesus is not a passive presence in our lives. The grace of God is at work in us, building us up and moving us to action and growth, to good work and worship. Everything we accomplish and all we become is because of the grace of Christ. In this, the first week of Advent, let’s remember Advent in Us, the gift of grace through our Lord Jesus. Let’s consider ways to discover anew the work of grace in our work, our lives, and our relationship with God.
By Deacon Mar Tano