Today is the
First Sunday of Advent which speaks about the coming of our Saviour into
this word and specially in our own lives. He comes everyday silently in
our lives without prior information. I am reminded of a poem of
Gitanjali no 45, written by Rabindra Nath Tagore. Which go like this:-
Have you not heard his silent steps,
He comes, comes, and ever comes.
Every moment and every age,
Every day and every night,
He comes, comes, ever comes.
Many a song have I sung, in many a mood of mind,
But all their notes have always proclaimed,
He comes, comes, ever comes.
In the fragrant days of sunny April through the forest path
He comes, comes, ever comes.
In the rainy gloom of July nights on thundering chariot of clouds
He comes, comes, ever comes
In sorrow after sorrow, it is his steps that press upon my heart,
And it is the golden touch of his feet, that makes my joy to shine.
- (Tagore, Gitanjali, 45)
The Lord comes
to us in many ways and manners which we do not understand. He made
Himself available to us in variety of ways. He comes in our life in
beauty; He comes in our life in love, in strength, in goodness, in
friendship and in support. He comes in our life in sorrow and in joy.
My dear people, He comes every day but we
fail to recognize him because we are too busy in our materialistic
world. In today’s gospel Jesus encourages his followers to remain alert
in the spirit. We need to be awake in faith to recognize and serve
Christ in these commonplace and routine encounters since it will do us
no good to recognize him on the Last Day if we have not recognized and
served him day by day.
Accidents
happen when we least expect them. A sensible man would be prepared for
the unexpected. He would protect himself with insurance to protect his
property; he would save money for a rainy day, would anticipate for a
moment of disgrace and would at least be prepared mentally to cope up
with any situation or distress. On the other hand, the foolish man never
plans the future; he never anticipates for calamities, he takes
everything for granted. When evil strikes him, he is caught unaware.
We are living
in a time of great calamities, when apocalyptical prophecies are being
fulfilled. Do we think we are safe? Do we think we are better off than
anyone else and that we may escape the tribulation that has been
predicted for everyone?
we are better off than anyone else and that we may escape the tribulation that has been predicted for everyone?
If we are going
away on a trip, we prepare ourselves in many ways. We prepare our
luggage, make travel arrangements, prepare our camera, obtain foreign
currency, get a passport and obtain visas for the places we will visit,
in other words we spare no effort in order to secure a safe and happy
holiday.
We know very
well that preparation is the secret of success, not only in earthly
activities, but also in our spiritual life. And just as we anticipate
the weather by movements of the clouds and the winds, we can also
understand that we are living in very dangerous times when things may
change very quickly from one moment to the next.
We are talking
here about our trip from this life into eternity. A whole life is given
to us so that we may stop frequently and meditate about it. It is very
important for us to be constant and persevere in our spiritual life
otherwise when the final moment arrives it will catch us unaware.
I do not want
anyone to be lost; this is why I came personally to proclaim my message
of salvation to everyone, so that no one would be lost, says the Lord!”
It is never too
late to stop and reflect on these spiritual realities that
unfortunately get obscured with all the worldly occupations.
The Lord is
telling us once more, repent and amend your life, be more aware of your
reality as a spiritual being. Remember that the time will come when you
will be called to enter into the spiritual realm for eternity and
depending on how you lived your life you will either be saved or
condemned. It is a very serious situation that needs urgent attention;
do not procrastinate. Start doing something about it before it is too
late. Be alert, keep praying and watching.
Let us pray,
Lord open our eyes in faith to see God present and active in our life
and in our world. Open our heart and our house to the Lord who comes to
us daily in the form of the needy man or woman. This is the best way to
prepare to welcome the Lord when he comes on the Last Day.
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