Thanks be to God. He has taken us successfully through one more Liturgical Year. Welcome to walk in the new Liturgical year from November 28th, the First Sunday of Advent. As I welcome you to begin to new liturgical year, I appeal to you to be concerned about the good we have left undone. ‘What good have we left undone?'
My theme for the First Sunday of Advent is a taken from today’s Gospel ‘stay awake’ ‘Be prepared’. We shall try to learn as to how we could do it with the help of today’s readings?
Prophet Isaiah (2:1-5) is advising us to climb the ‘highest mountain’ so that
a) we may instruct us.
b) we may walk in his paths.
and c) we may walk in the light of the Lord! This is the Catechism we need to go through. This in the first place will enable us to stay awake and be prepared.
The second reading taken from the letter of St. Paul to Romans 13:11-14 has more specific words, ‘it is the hour for you to awake from your sleep’. If we have not yet realized what Jesus can do for us, it means we are still asleep. ‘We need to put on the Lord Jesus Christ’. What does that mean ? It simply means in St. Paul’s words that , ‘for us to live is Christ and death is gain.’
The holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 24:37-44, in the first place makes us think of the days of Noah. “They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away”. Yes, they did laugh at Noah when he was building the Ark. What Jesus is warning us about is, “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Here certainly Jesus is giving clear warning to stay awake and be prepared to welcome Him.
Let us remember that every liturgical year instructs us and informs us about what God wants us to know. Let us try to be attentive to every day’s and every Sunday’s ‘Word of God’ and stay awake and be prepared.
My theme for the First Sunday of Advent is a taken from today’s Gospel ‘stay awake’ ‘Be prepared’. We shall try to learn as to how we could do it with the help of today’s readings?
Prophet Isaiah (2:1-5) is advising us to climb the ‘highest mountain’ so that
a) we may instruct us.
b) we may walk in his paths.
and c) we may walk in the light of the Lord! This is the Catechism we need to go through. This in the first place will enable us to stay awake and be prepared.
The second reading taken from the letter of St. Paul to Romans 13:11-14 has more specific words, ‘it is the hour for you to awake from your sleep’. If we have not yet realized what Jesus can do for us, it means we are still asleep. ‘We need to put on the Lord Jesus Christ’. What does that mean ? It simply means in St. Paul’s words that , ‘for us to live is Christ and death is gain.’
The holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 24:37-44, in the first place makes us think of the days of Noah. “They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away”. Yes, they did laugh at Noah when he was building the Ark. What Jesus is warning us about is, “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Here certainly Jesus is giving clear warning to stay awake and be prepared to welcome Him.
Let us remember that every liturgical year instructs us and informs us about what God wants us to know. Let us try to be attentive to every day’s and every Sunday’s ‘Word of God’ and stay awake and be prepared.
