First Sunday of Advent, Year A
Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44
Wake Up to Hope!
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today we begin a new liturgical year — a new spiritual journey. Advent is not simply a countdown to Christmas. Advent is not a soft, sentimental season; it begins with a jolt. “You know the time… it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep,” says Saint Paul. The Gospel compares the coming of the Son of Man to a thief in the night and to the days of Noah—people were eating, drinking, marrying, busy, distracted, until the flood came. The problem was not that they were doing bad things; they were simply asleep to God. It is a season when the Church lovingly shakes us awake. St. Paul says in the second reading: “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.” The sleep he speaks of is not physical rest — it is spiritual drowsiness. Spiritual drowsiness is that state where we still come to Mass, we still say we are Catholic, but our hearts are on autopilot. ”When routine replaces wonder… when faith becomes automatic… when we move through life busy, but not truly alive. Advent arrives like a dawn breaking over a weary world, reminding us that God is not done with us. There is more grace ahead. More life ahead. More Jesus ahead.
Isaiah gives us a picture of God’s dream for the world: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares.” Weapons into tools for cultivation… not destruction. Nations walking together in the light of the Lord. But notice something crucial: before the world changes, people change. “Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord,” Isaiah cries. God’s peace begins when hearts let go of the weapons they carry inside—grudges, resentments, harsh words, indifference. Advent is the time to ask: Where are there “swords” in my marriage, my family, my parish, my speech? Where is God asking me to hammer them into instruments of healing and service? Advent says: Don’t give up on the world. Don’t let war, hatred, division, or despair define reality. God is building something. And He invites us into that construction.
Paul tells us: “Throw off the works of darkness… put on the armor of light.” To “put on Christ” means more than being “a good person.” It means intentionally clothing ourselves with His mindset each morning: “Lord, today I choose Your patience, Your purity, Your mercy, Your courage.” It means going to confession this season, allowing His grace to break chains we have grown used to wearing. It means asking: If someone watched my life this week, would they see that I belong to the light, or that I am more at home in the shadows? We cannot be people of dawn while clinging to the shadows —resentment, gossip, addictions, harsh words, spiritual laziness. The closer Christ draws, the more we must look like Him.
In the Gospel, Jesus says His coming will be sudden — like the days of Noah — life happening, routines unfolding… while hearts remained unprepared. The warning is not to scare us. It’s to awaken hope. Living ready means:
- Reconciling with those we have wounded, or who have wounded us.
- Making time for daily prayer and Scripture, even a few focused minutes.
- Serving the poor and the lonely, not “when life slows down,” but now.
- Making Sunday Mass the heart of the week, not an optional extra.
When death or judgment are preached without hope, they crush the heart. When they are preached in the light of Advent, they become a call to live fully, deeply, beautifully, starting today. Jesus does not say: “Be afraid — the end is coming.” He says: “Be ready — I am coming.”
He comes in glory someday.
He comes in mystery every day:
- in prayer that we almost skipped,
- in the poor person we nearly ignored,
- in the courageous parent of the child with special needs we give the evil eye,
- in the struggling person who needs our encouragement,
- in the family member asking for patience,
- in the Eucharist that transforms us quietly.
He comes not to catch us off guard — but to draw us into love.
Three concrete takeaways: CID
Wake up spiritually:
Choose one concrete “spiritual alarm” for Advent: daily Scripture, a set time of silent prayer, or a short examination of conscience each night. Let this be your way of refusing to live on spiritual autopilot.
Beat one sword into a ploughshare:
Identify one relationship, habit, or attitude where you are still “at war”—angry, resentful, harsh, indifferent. This week, take one real step toward peace: a phone call, an apology, a hard conversation done with love, or a deliberate act of kindness.
Put on Christ in one area of sin:
Decide and ask the Holy Spirit to show you one serious “work of darkness” that needs to go. Decide today on a path: schedule confession, seek help if needed, and choose one concrete practice that moves you from that darkness into the light—so that, when the Lord comes, He finds you already walking toward Him.
Remember, Advent proclaims a simple truth:
God has more for you than the life you are settling for.
So let us walk in the light of the Lord. Let us prepare a place for Him in our hearts.
Let us wake up — because God is on the move.
Have a splendid day!
