杏MAP导航

By Christopher Wells

In his reflection at the Angelus on the First Sunday of Advent, 杏MAP导航 Francis reminded the faithful that Advent is not just a time of preparation for Christmas: we are also looking forward to the return of Christ at the end of time, as well as our own, personal encounter with Jesus at the end of our lives. In these four weeks of Advent, he said, 鈥渃alled to leave a resigned and routine way of living, and to go forth, nurturing hopes and dreams for a new future.鈥�

Wakefulness

The Holy Father highlighted two key attitudes that will help us have a good Advent: wakefulness, and prayer. Advent, he said, calls us to 鈥渟tay awake,鈥� to be vigilant, 鈥渓ooking outside ourselves, enlarging our minds and our hearts to be open to the needs of the people, of our brothers and sisters, and to the desire for a new world.鈥�

Prayer

Closely tied to vigilance is the idea of prayer. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a matter of standing up and praying, turning our thoughts and our hearts to Jesus who is about to come,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 explained. 鈥淲e stand up when we鈥檙e expecting someone.鈥� He warned that if we see Christmas only through the lens of consumerism, as a 鈥渨orldly celebration,鈥� then 鈥淛esus will pass us by, and we will not find Him.鈥� Let us await Jesus, 杏MAP导航 Francis said, "and let us desire to await Him in prayer.鈥�

It is Jesus who comes

In the Old Testament reading for Sunday, Jeremiah speaks harshly to his people, who are at risk of losing their identity. 鈥淲e Christians, too,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥渞isk becoming worldly and losing our identity, indeed, of 'paganizing' the Christian style.鈥� And so, he concluded, we stand in need of the Word of God, which proclaims 鈥淏ehold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfil the promise I made鈥� I will raise up for David a just shoot; He shall do what is right and just in the land鈥� And that just shoot, the 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥渋s Jesus, it is Jesus who comes whom we await.鈥�