"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy"
This Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent, which begins the new liturgical year in the Church. In our lectionary cycle we begin Year C, where our Gospel readings will mostly be from the Gospel of Luke. And, in the midst of this new beginning for us, the first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah also points to a new beginning for the people of Israel. Through Jeremiah, God speaks about fulfilling his promises, saying he will "raise up for David a just shoot" who will "do what is right and just in the land." And so, a new beginning is foreseen for the people, prophesying the Savior that is to come.
In the second reading, St. Paul encourages the Thessalonians to love one another and to strengthen their hearts in order "to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones." Paul, then, is speaking of the second "new beginning" when Christ comes again in glory. The Gospel continues on this theme, speaking of the Second Coming of Christ in the last days, with Jesus saying, "Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap."
As we prepare to enter this season of Advent, when we both joyfully give thanks for Christ's First Coming and prepare our hearts for His Second Coming, it is important to listen to what St. Paul and Jesus are telling us! The "anxieties of daily life" can cause us to lose sight of the love we are called to share and the people we are called to be just as easily as sin, especially in the busy holiday season. So, take some time today and this Advent season, in the midst of family obligations, holiday celebrations, and football games, to strengthen your heart anew! God has sent a Savior, as he promised, and that Savior promised he will come again; let us all prepare ourselves so that we are not caught off guard when that day comes!
Want to prepare your heart and mind for Sunday's Mass? Click here to find the readings.