Leaps of Faith

Happy New Year everyone. 

What a  wonderful  and joyous celebration we have in the catholic church today 

We start the new season of advent. A new year in the life of the church. 

 A new beginning for us, a chance to start all over, to start anew,  

and a new opportunity to love  to forgive, to serve, and to do good. 

Advent comes from the Latin word “adventus” which means ‘coming’.  

For this season is the preparation for the coming of our savior, the birthday of Jesus , preparing for the celebration of Christmas. 

And in This season each of us  are invited to have the right Spirit, the right attitude as we prepare.  

The attitude and spirit is mentioned in gospel today when Jesus said to his disciples: 
“Be watchful! Be alert! 
You do not know when the time will come.  

I say watch! 

VIGILARE, Being attentive, being awake, aware, and eager is the spirit and attitude of advent. 

Being awake and aware and attentive, that is what we are invited to do, the next days to come. 

 first of all, it reminds us of the end time , when God will finally call us to him when we will finally come face to face with God our creator.  

And our life time is our preparation with the good we do and the love we share. 

Are we ready?  

Many times we say not yet lord, not now. 

Stay awake and be ready for we do not know when the lord will call us to him. 

Second, there is another way of understanding being aware or vigilant or staying awake. 

Like when we are driving we should be awake and attentive and vigilant so as not to hit someone and meet an accident 

Or like a mother who is attentive and awake specially when she hear the cry of the baby in the middle of the night. 

This kind of being aware, being awake or vigilant is done because we have to do it, it is by obligation. 

But there is another way of being awake and vigilant,  

Being vigilant because of LOVE 

 it happens when we see a person who needs help and you are there to help that person even if he or she does not see you. 

Like the awareness of parents for the needs of their kids. Parents feel it even if their children doesn’t say anything 

When you know someone is busy and you don’t disturb them 

Or when you see the poor and you just help  

Or when you give a gift for Christmas, quietly, with love you make the other person happy. 

this is the kind of being aware and attentive and being awake, that is being asked of us 

you do it because you want to and because you love. 

and this is the spirit of advent and of Christmas. 

Brothers and sisters, 

Be attentive and aware and awake to the needs of others. 

Be attentive and awake and aware to the goodness of God in your life, do not just see the troubles. 

Be attentive to goodness of others not only their mistakes and sins 

Be attentive, be awake and be aware with love. 

 that’s the spirit that we should have this advent. 

We pray in this mass that all of us , will prepare for the coming of the savior meaningfully, with joy in our hearts and right spirit, a spirit of vigilance for coming of Jesus.