Today the Church celebrates the First Sunday of Advent. The season of Advent serves as an invitation to resist the inertia of the secularized version of Christmas which can become frantic preparation and a countdown to Christmas.
Instead, as disciples of Christ, we are called to a season of holy waiting by being reminded that God comes to us not in the noise, but in the quiet places where we dare to hope again.
Today’s readings call us to “stay awake,” but not in the anxious sense we often live with. It’s the wakefulness of someone who trusts that God is near, that grace is already on the way, and that even in a world full of distraction, Christ’s light is coming like the dawn.
Reflection: As you enter this season, consider one small part of your life you can turn over to God with renewed hope. Then ask yourself how you might be a source of hope for someone else.
