God acts, and his actions are creation, renovation, and transformation. The work of God is always in favor of human life and dignity. The Scriptures, and ultimately Jesus Christ, gives testimony of these actions.
However, although God’s action is a constant flow of creation, there are dense moments that make evident the nearness of God in our lives. Unfortunately, despite the density of those moments, sometimes they just pass by unnoticeable, or we might be oblivious to them because of distractions, daily worries, injustice, and inequality in our society, among other reasons. Somehow, we turn blind and deaf to those manifestations of God’s loving actions in this world and our lives.
The liturgy celebrates two of those dense moments: the birth of Jesus (Christmas) and his death and resurrection (Easter). Before those celebrations, the Church invites us for a time of preparation to neutralize a bit the noise of distractions and preoccupations. In doing so, we set our hearts and minds on the fundamental things.
This Sunday begins the first season of the liturgical year, Advent, that is marked by expectation and hope of something new that is going to be manifested. The celebration of the birth of the Messiah is an occasion to celebrate the beginning of new times in human history. It is not merely the remembrance of an old event that happened centuries ago, but the actualization of the something that happens every day. And so, it is a necessary time to prepare such a celebration.
St. Paul in the second reading (Romans 13: 11-14), invites all Christians to “awake from sleep.” Awakening is a symbol of attention of what occurs around us, to be conscious of our being in this world, and the responsibility we have in building up this new reality the birth of Jesus inaugurates.
In this Sunday’s gospel (Matthew 24:37-44), Jesus asks his disciples to be ready as a way to say: God is acting, but sometimes we cannot perceive his actions. The reference to Noah’s story suggests the lack of attention of the people who neither noticed the signs of the flood nor listened to Noah’s plead to convert. Also, the metaphor of the rapture talks about how God’s action in life could be so surprising, catching us off guard.
On the other hand, St. Paul in the second reading (Romans 13: 11-14), invites all Christians to “awake from sleep.” Awakening is a symbol of attention of what occurs around us, to be conscious of our being in this world, and the responsibility we have in building up this new reality the birth of Jesus inaugurates.
The prophet Isaiah (2:1-5) beautifully sings to this new order of hope and peace as he calls us to appreciate what God will create with our participation.
He [The Lord] shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
one nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord!
That is why preparation is necessary to understand this new reality. Therefore, a phenomenal way to get right the meaning of Christmas is going consciously through the season of Advent. It doesn’t mean we have to add more things to our already busy schedule, but to pay attention, to listen and to observe the newness God is bringing about and how we are invited to welcome and to be part of it.
God wants to inaugurate something new, and Advent is the right moment to get its meaning. It is always and an urgent task to ask ourselves how we can be part of and how we can be companions and disciples of Jesus in this new world he will bring.
Welcome to the preparation; welcome to Advent season.
