Reflection

Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert!

You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man travelling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.

Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch’.                          Mark 13: 33-37

Reflection

We begin the longest Advent season possible; we actually have four full weeks so there is no reason for us not to be prepared for the great celebration of God’s becoming earthly. The more there is of the pre-Christmas jingle, the more we pray for freedom from the commercial jangle. We have time and we need time for our spiritualities to catch up with our “heckticities”.

We pray for a greater sense of awareness and alertness to all the various ways God is trying to enter our world and our individual lives. Christ’s coming is an always event, but during this liturgical season we are invited to take time for ourselves to whom He comes.

“Be watchful. Be alert.” “Watch!” These are strong words and they are also words by which Jesus Himself has lived His personal mission of redeeming this world. Awareness can be a function of fear, but also of love. 

The challenge is not just to stay awake, but awake so as to do the work of bringing light and life to God’s world. Waiting and watching out of fear is passive and paralysing. Waiting in faith is eager and exciting. We can wait expecting to be caught, or expecting to be caught up in our part in His coming into this world.

Now that I am a bit older, I am waiting more actively for Christmas and enjoying Advent more. As a younger person Advent was easily endured, because I had my eyes on the prizes of Christmas underneath the largest Christmas tree. Emptiness in our living room was replaced with branches whose fullness promised completion. Darkness was replaced by as many lights as our electrical system would permit. Silence was moved out by carols and stories of the old times. We kids enjoyed it all of course, but it was all about having and waiting for more.

These Advent days do get busier, packed, brighter and louder. What I need is some sense of experience. I would like to be more watchful and alert to how loved I am and how many ways there are to bring Christ to life in the world around me.

Julie Leonard Religious Education Leader/Wellbeing Leader