As we begin our Advent journey and light this first candle, we are presented with the vision of hope this Sunday, so needed in the light of all we have been through. In the first reading today, Isaiah writes to encourage a people enslaved and not seeing much place for hope in their lives for they are worn down. The events of these past few months have hurt us and worn us down, some more than others. Like the Hebrew people, enslaved in Babylon, today more than ever we need to feel the loving presence of a God who cares and has not abandoned us because, like them:

We are the work of your hands (Isa 63:8)

The news of these last few months may have filled us with dread and even fear, and it seems like not only the world is full of trepidation because of the onset of perhaps a more bleak future and a difficult future, a future where there could be lots of pain--we wonder what will happen to us. Jesus offers a 'wake-up call' in the Letter from the Romans today:

You know 'the time' has come: you must wake up now: our salvation is even nearer. (Rom 13:11)

We begin this new Church Year with a strong warning from Matthew in the gospel: 'stay awake!' (Matt 24: 42). He reminds his readers of the problems endured by people down through time—using the example of Noah. Matthew urges us not to look backwards in history, but forward. We need to be awake to greet the challenge that the Risen Lord is asking of each of us. We should ask ourselves, "If I changed some of my habits or activities would this give me a bit more time to grow closer to God? Am I too comfortable in my current routine? Am I stretching myself to move out of my comfort zone in order to better serve him? Could I possibly make some room in my life to become a bit more involved in a ministry where I can make better use of the gifts he's given me? Sometimes we just have to make a small change in our routine in order to make a meaningful change in our relationship with God. Maybe consider giving up a half hour of television every evening so you can read and reflect on the day's Mass readings and pray the rosary? Or maybe it's getting out of bed a half hour earlier each morning? St. Francis de Sales once said, "Every one of us needs a half an hour of prayer every day, except when we are busy—then we need an hour,"

The danger is that we can walk this advent way and it makes no difference at all; we can be so caught up in our own worries and fears that our goal is fixed only on December 25^th 2022 and the respite it might offer us. Jesus is offering us a real challenge today: to find hope in TODAY!

What brings you hope this First Sunday of Advent?

Watch and reflect:

Prayer (as you light the first candle)

"Let nothing disturb you,

nothing frighten you,

all things are passing,

God is unchanging.

Patience gains all;

nothing is lacking to those who have God:

God alone is sufficient."

(St. Teresa of Ávila)

Author: Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB

Photo by Dari lli on Unsplash