“WATCH THEREFORE FOR YOU DO NOT KNOW ON WHAT DAY YOUR LORD IS COMING” (Matt 24:42)

⏰FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT YEAR A (01 December 2019)

????Isa 📖Isa 2:1-5; Ps 122:1-2, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (R.v.1); Rom 13:11-14a; Matt 24:37-44

🎤”WATCH THEREFORE FOR YOU DO NOT KNOW ON WHAT DAY YOUR LORD IS COMING” (Matt 24:42)

Today is a day of many beginnings. It is the first day of the week as well as the first day of the month. Providentially, it is the beginning of the Church’s new liturgical year. Today, we begin a new cycle. And so I wish you a happy new year. With all these new beginning, I pray that God may open a new and better chapter in your life. May this be for you, new blessings, new and better opportunities, and most of all, stronger faith in Christ yielding unto eternal life. Amen.

In the wisdom of the Church, this new year begins with a period known as Advent, today being its first day and first Sunday. It is a period of preparation in anticipation for the coming of the Messiah. The prophet Isaiah had a vision of what shall characterize that messianic coming – the people who belong to the messianic camp shall be exalted high above others and peace shall reign in their land (cf. Isa 2:2-4).

To become part of that messianic camp, St. Paul advised us in the Second Reading to conduct ourselves like children of the Light, who have walked away from the darkness of drunkenness, licentiousness, quarrelling, jealousy and other kinds of vices we used to indulge in. In fact, we need to move away from all that are hinged upon the desires of the flesh.

There is no time to be wasted in doing so. The reason is because the Gospel warns us of the danger of wasting time. Some salient details from there are very instructive.

First, the reference to the “days of Noah” (Matt 24:37-39) warns us of the danger of playing down the warnings we have been getting concerning the end time. Many people neglected the warnings of Noah and perished. They were laughing at Noah because they think that _he no get swag_; he does not know how to enjoy life. Is that not where we are today? Are we not in pursuit of what is _en vogue_ at the expense of what should benefit our souls?

Second, the act of two people doing the same task and one taken while the other is left (Matt 24:40-41) warns us of one deceitful trend we already have in our midst now. Remember that Jesus had earlier said that, “Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven…” (Matt 7:21).

There are many Churches now and many people who claim to be working for God but some of these may not have been approved by God. That is the warning! We are called today to be watchful so that we do not fall into the pranks of the deceitful enemy and allow the kingdom of God to meet us unprepared.

When the Lord comes, may we be among the number that would join the psalmist of today in going up with joy to the house of the Lord. Amen

Have a fruitful Advent season. Peace be with you.