Make our hearts ready for Him

FIRST  SUNDAY OF ADVENT
November 29, 2020

The prophet Isaiah in today’s reading acknowledges the transgressions of the people of God while beckoning on Him for mercy. God, he reminds us, is the potter and we are the clay. We are the works of His hands and He can do whatever He wills. The Psalmist speaks about the people of God as the vine which His right hand has planted. He therefore appeals to God to protect His vine from destruction and to let His face shine on His people. At the beginning of Advent, we mark the end of the liturgical year and the beginning of a new one. And quite appropriately, God is the beginning and end of all things. Advent reminds us of His coming at Christmas as the Word Incarnate. But it also reminds us of the future coming of Christ who is lord and king. Whether it be for the immediate or for the future coming, we are reminded to make our hearts ready for Him. This is the meaning of prophet Isaiah’s invitation to forsake old ways. The gospel uses the metaphor ‘to keep watch’ as a reminder to stay relentless in doing good. In doing so, it re-echoes the theme of the last two Sundays both of which invite us to stay awake at all times, for we know neither the day nor the hour. The call to be holy is a daily and constant one. While moments and seasons such as this may help to remind us to not let our guards down, our call to be    Christians is one that is timeless and without season. Doing good should be the norm not the exception, it should be a part of the ordinary routines of our daily lives to care, to forgive, to be compassionate, to be sincere, to be just and loving in all our ways. Doing so is indeed our true and only mission as Christians.