Always be ready for coming of the Lord

Published: December 4, 2017

"Jesus said to his disciples: 'Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'" (Mark 13:33-37)

The Gospel for the first Sunday of Advent is a powerful reminder that we are always to be ready for the coming of Jesus. The word "advent" originates from the Latin "adventus" which means coming. The season of Advent, therefore, is the preparation for the coming of Jesus, first through the incarnation and ultimately, his coming again in glory at the end of time. This year it runs from Dec. 3 to Dec. 24.

During Advent we are invited to reflect on the wondrous mystery of Jesus' birth as well as look with joy and hope to his return. We are called to repent of our sins, pray and draw ourselves closer to God.

Reciting the Angelus prayer on Dec. 3, Pope Francis told people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, “Being watchful and alert are the prerequisites for not continuing ‘to wander far from the Lord’s path,’ lost in our sins and infidelities; being watchful and alert are the conditions for allowing God to break into our existence, to give it meaning and value with his presence full of goodness and tenderness.”

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor compared this state of alertness to carrying a beeper and always being prepared for it to go off.

"If you and I are prepared for the coming of the Lord, it will make a big difference in the way we live our lives. Just as with the beeper, there are some things we can’t do if we’re really prepared for the coming of the Lord, and there are other things we need to think twice about doing because we want to be always ready," he said in his homily on the first Sunday of Advent.

"Advent is a time of preparation. It is a time to look inward. It is a time to get ready and to see how ready we really are. You could say figuratively that every one of us has a beeper that could go off at any time. None of us knows when."

He cautioned about falling prey to the "four dangerous Ps," which are the pursuit of power, possessions, pleasure and prestige. "We put our trust in them and think that they will make us feel happy and secure, but it’s all an illusion, one of Satan’s biggest lies," he said. If consumed with acquiring these, "then we’re not the least bit ready for the coming of the Lord, no matter how many prayers we say or how many nice things we do. Non-believers do lots of nice things too.

"Advent is a time of preparation. It is a time to look inward. It is a time to get ready and to see how ready we really are. You could say figuratively that every one of us has a beeper that could go off at any time. None of us knows when," he added.

Advent also marks the beginning of the liturgical year in the Catholic Church. Unlike the secular year, which marks the passage of time, the liturgical year celebrates the sacred mysteries of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

The liturgical color of Advent is violet or purple, except on the third Sunday of Advent when rose vestments may be worn. The purple represents the prayer, penance and sacrificial good works that help us prepare.

The third Sunday of Advent is also known as Gaudete Sunday. "Gaudete" is Latin for "rejoice," which is the first word of the entrance antiphon. The celebrant wears rose vestments to signify the anticipatory joy that the waiting is half over and Christmas is near.