Gospel: Matthew 24:37-44
37 'As it was in Noah's day, so will it be when the Son of man comes.38 For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark,
39 and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept them all away. This is what it will be like when the Son of man comes.
40 Then of two men in the fields, one is taken, one left;
41 of two women grinding at the mill, one is taken, one left.
42 'So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming.
43 You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house.
44 Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Reflection:
Advent is a time of waiting, waiting for our Saviour Jesus Christ to come. We spend our lives waiting for people, for things to happen, to be paid, in line, queueing up etc. We spend MOST of our lives waiting. This time of Advent is a time of expectant joy, of waiting for the coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We wait during Advent not just in remembrance of His first coming, but also of His second coming, though we know not the time or the day. We are given two analogies - the first of the flood of Noah's ark, and the second of the thief in the night. As we reflect on how both of these come at the most unexpected times, we must prepare our souls to be ready to go with the Lord when He comes.
During this season of Advent, as Catholic, we are recommended to approach the Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. We are reminded that during this time, we need to be especially attentive to what the Lord has in mind for us, and pray and discern His will in our lives, because ultimately, His will is actually our deepest heart's desire, even if we don't know it ourselves yet.
Time and again God invites us to go to the mountain of the Lord. He invites us-all of us-babies or adolescents; young or old; rich or poor; sinner or righteous. In spite of all our brokenness, He invites us. He looks not on our sins, but gazes lovingly beyond that. All He focuses is on us! In the second reading too, Jesus invites us through St. Paul to do away with evil and return to the light. Again He does not focus on our darkness but encourages us to move to the light and make Jesus our armour.
Jesus is constantly calling us-time and again tirelessly. All that He wants is for us to return to Him with a heart, contrite and humble. He, in turn, will change our hearts of stone to hearts of gold. He reminds us to be ready to meet him! So, the question we must ask is, are we ready to meet Him yet? If not, what can we do to be more ready to meet Him, so that we are not caught out when the time comes?
Advent Advantage:
Rather than growing impatient in moments of waiting, try to use the time instead to offer up a prayer and speak to our Lord. Pray for the grace of patience. Thank God for the moments He has given you to allow you to stop and think and pray. Prepare your soul by trying to listen more to the voice of the Lord and asking Him what His will is for your life.
Contributors:
Kim Lee
Shanti Caroline
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