Advent Begins!
First Sunday of Advent
“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” Matthew 24:42 (Year A)
“Be watchful! Be alert!” Mark 13:33a (Year B)
“Be vigilant at all times and pray.” Luke 21:36a (Year C)
Advent begins with a call to vigilance as reflected in the passages above. There are numerous Scripture passages that call us to this vigilance and anticipation of the Lord’s coming; these are only a few. Being vigilant means, also, that we are prepared. We are not caught off guard. Imagine if Christmas morning came and you woke up suddenly realizing that you forgot to prepare! Imagine if you had no gifts, no food purchased and no plans were made. Of course you wouldn’t allow that to happen, but we do sometimes allow it to happen spiritually speaking. We often are not prepared to celebrate the birth of Christ within our hearts. (continue)