1st Sunday of advent
November 29, 2009
The coming which Advent asks us to prepare for is the coming of Jesus. He came the first time by his birth on the first Christmas, and we celebrate that coming in a few weeks' time. And then there is his final coming when he will take the faithful Christian with him into eternity. For those of us who do not survive till his final coming at the end, there is his coming to each of us individually at our death. These are the comings of Jesus for which we should be actively preparing. Life could be described as an active preparation for the coming of Jesus.
Advent is the liturgical time of waiting for Jesus our most loved of friends. It is a time to prepare for Jesus the most fitting welcome into our hearts. This we do by removing the obstacles to him and by loving and serving him daily. This kind of coming occurs in our life of prayer, in our service of others, and in the worthy reception of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. Let us remember too that welcoming the coming of Jesus into our lives is not just a matter between him and me, and no one else. Jesus wants us to help others prepare actively to welcome Jesus into their hearts too.
That is the true spirit of Catholicism. Each parish should as a community is apostolic, and there are numerous ways in any parish in which any parishioner can engage in the apostolic work of the Church. The apostolate consists of helping people to prepare for the coming of Jesus into their hearts now, at the end of their lives, and at the end of time. During Advent let us revive in our hearts the sense and the desire constantly to prepare for the coming of Jesus in our own lives and in the lives of others.