Awakened Hearts: Ready for the Lord Who Comes
Listening the Spirit
Lord, thank you for the gift of Your Word, the ancient promise that sustains Your people in hope.
As I go about my day, waiting for Your coming, may I not forget the scriptures You have opened up for me.
Help me to recognize how You want me to prepare a way for You in my daily life.
Holy Spirit, guided by Your Word, may You enlighten my mind and enkindle in my heart a greater love, that I may be ready to welcome You in my brothers and sisters.
Listening the Word: Matthew 24:37-44
Jesus said to his disciples:
"As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."
Reflection
The Gospel of the first Sunday of Advent is a call to stay awake, so as to be ready for the coming
of the Lord. And it motivates the need to do so by giving two examples:
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
What does that mean? Those people are working together, doing the same things, so why are
some taken (to heaven) and some not? What is the criteria used by the Lord when choosing?
We can easily understand it if we imagine to have to go to the garden to pick up apples from a
tree. What shall we do? We will pick up only the apples that are ripe and leave the others on the
tree. And so does the Lord: he will only take the people that are “ripe” – that is: ready – and
leave the others.
When we try to put into practice the teaching of Jesus in our daily life, working not only for
ourselves or for our own interest, but also for the others, especially the poor, the sick, the
marginalized etc., then we are ripe, we are awake, we are ready for the Lord to take us to our
home in heaven. Sometimes we forget this and so we relax our behavior and our way of thinking,
becoming more selfish. Therefore Advent is a time when the Word of God wakes us up and
remind us that the Lord expect us to produce good fruits and even to become good fruits
ourselves.
Reflection Questions
- In what areas of my daily life is Jesus inviting me to “stay awake” — to live with more kindness, generosity, and attention to others, especially those who are suffering or forgotten?
- What concrete steps can I take this Advent to become more “ripe” for the Lord — producing good fruits through love, service, and fidelity to His Word?
