First Sunday of Advent B1

First Sunday of Advent B1

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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