First Sunday of Advent, Year B
The Catholic Church always looks for ways to bring us closer to God and one of such ways is by creating liturgical seasons that will dispose us to spiritually long for God. Today we begin the Season of Advent, a season of hope, of keeping watch, of expectancy, of waiting and of preparation for the first coming of the Christ Child into our world and our lives, and of preparation for His Second Coming. The Advent season has four weeks, and these four weeks represent the thousands of years the Israelites awaited the coming of the Messiah. This season of Advent is not only a season of preparation for the coming of the Christ Child, but a time and opportunity for us to look into our lives, think about our relationship with God, and find out where we stand with Him.
So how are we preparing for the coming of Christ during this holy season of Advent? Jesus in today’s gospel reading teaches us how we can prepare ourselves for His coming. According to Jesus, we can prepare for His coming by being watchful and alert, since we do not know when the time will come. How can we be watchful and alert? Being watchful and alert as the way to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Christ Child entails:
- Doing a thorough examination of conscience.
- Purifying ourselves through our participation in the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation.
- Being one with Christ in constant prayer, mortification and in the worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist at Mass.
- Living out God’s love in the world through acts of charity and kindness.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we begin our preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas and also of preparation for the Second Coming of Christ today, let us prepare ourselves well by doing a thorough examination of conscience; by purifying ourselves through our participation in the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation; by being one with Christ in constant prayer, mortification and in the worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist at Mass; and lastly, by living out God’s love in the world through acts of charity and kindness.
