1st Sunday of Advent – C
December 1, 2024 11:00am
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton
Be Vigilant
In today’s gospel, Jesus says: “Be vigilant.”
Jesus also uses some scary imagery here. He says that there will be signs in the stars, nations in dismay, tribulations, and people dying.
These images are a literary style of Jesus’ day, and in truth, they are not intended to make us afraid or fearful. Instead, they are intended to motivate us to “be vigilant” – Jesus’ own words.
My reflection on this has led me to three words that express what it means to be vigilant. And, just as the word Advent begins with the letter “A”, each of these three words begins with the letter “A”: Awake, Alert, and Aware.
I see a difference in what each of these words means. And I also see them in a definite order, with one leading to the others.
1. Be Awake
So first, be awake.
Jesus cautions us not to “become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.” So, on a basic level, don’t get caught in any substance that just deadens us to what is going on in life.
Beyond that, don’t get caught in living for the latest smart phone or clothing style or things like that. And don’t get caught in being so busy with our jobs and in making so many other commitments that we are always running and always tired.
All of these are possibilities, and they can lull us to sleep, to living almost unconsciously. So, it is important to gain control of these things.
Be awake to life and to living each day of life consciously and intentionally. That’s the first step, and then this being awake takes us to the next step of being vigilant.
2. Be Alert
Be alert.
Notice the persons in our lives, especially our family and friends. Be alert to what is going on with them – maybe your son has become withdrawn and seems down, and you need to be there for him.
Notice the needs in our parish or community. Be alert to how we might assist others, maybe by bringing a hoodie or flannel shirt that our outreach project can share with persons who are in need.
And notice the big picture of our country and our world. Be alert to something we could say that would be constructive and that lessens fear and negative energy.
So be alert to the persons and situations around us. And being alert in this way takes us to the third step of being vigilant.
3. Be Aware
Be aware.
This means to look within ourselves. Be aware of how well we are living.
Look at our quiet time versus our talking and noise time. Be aware if we are making space for an inner life, for being in touch with ourselves, with our hopes and worries, with our inner peace or unsettledness.
Look at our relationship with God. Be aware if it is minimalist, just Sunday Mass, or if it is more than that, making some time each day for some kind of personal prayer.
So, be aware of ourselves, of what is going on and how we may need to grow. This may lead us to a sense of repentance and fresh resolve, and it will definitely be the crowning and completion of being vigilant.
Conclusion
This is the approach I am seeing for these four weeks of Advent.
Jesus tells us to “Be vigilant” and I see these three words that will help us to do this. Be Awake and live each day consciously.
Be Alert to the persons and situations around us. And be Aware of what’s going on inside us and in our relationship with God.
This will make these weeks of Advent personally rewarding and spiritually enriching. And this will prepare us for celebrating Christmas for what it really us – a celebration of Emmanuel, of God-with-us.
