This Sunday we start the season of Advent. It is that season of waiting – first for the celebration of Christmas, and second, for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
With joyful hearts, we look forward to Christmas Day when once again, we remember how more than two thousand years ago, God fulfilled his promise to send his Son into the world, born of the Virgin Mary, to save from eternal damnation everyone who will believe in him. Jesus, truly God and truly man, lived among us, showing us in words and in deeds that the true face of the Father is pure love. Dying on the cross, he offered his life as a reparation for our sins, taking our punishment upon his sinless body so that we who are sinful can be clothed with his holiness. Rising from the dead, he preceded us in heaven, ready to welcome us when our journey here on earth comes to an end.
Advent also reminds us that Jesus, who ascended to heaven, will someday descend back to earth to redeem both the dead who died in his friendship and the living who continue to live in faith and obedience to his will. And the message of the gospel is very clear, “We have to keep watch.”
We have to keep watch because as the gospel (Mk 13:33-37) tells us, we do not know the day or the hour when Jesus will come again. His return was likened to that of a man traveling abroad and leaves his servants in charge, each with his own work to do. When he comes at the most unexpected time, may he not find us, his servants, sleeping.
To be awake is to keep watch. We must be watchful so that at Jesus’ second coming or at the hour of our death, whichever comes first, we are ready to face our God and give an account of the life we lived on earth. When we stand before the judgment seat of God, what will be our most likely answers to the following questions? Were we faithful to our baptismal vows, professing Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, until the very end? Did we have a living faith that demonstrated itself in love – avoiding sin and bearing fruits of good works, not only for ourselves but for others? Did we love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and our fellowmen as ourselves?
While others try to spread fear out of the Lord’s coming, our attitude should be that of calm anticipation. We wait with the joyful expectation that better things are coming our way, but our waiting is not passive but an active one, persevering in doing our part in advancing God’s kingdom in this world, even in the ordinary chores of everyday life. Not only in the time of Advent but all the time, let us bear the message in mind, “Keep watch.”