First Sunday of Advent Gospel Reflections  C

Jesus said to his disciples:
· Jesus is prophesizing about his Second Coming. At the end and beginning of the Liturgical season the Church helps us to keep this perspective as we go through the whole season.
· Jesus doesn’t say things to frighten us but to prepare us.

 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 
· The people who die of fright will be those who are not prepared to receive the Lord in his Second Coming.
· At another time, Jesus asked a haunting question: “When the Son of Man comes in glory, will he find faith on the earth?” A person of faith is not frighten.
· Are we prepared, even if he comes to us at our own personal end of life?
But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.
· Our response is to be different. We know that he is coming and we have been longing for it to some extent. For us this will be the completion of a long journey begun at the moment of our baptism.
· We are called to be a people of expectation, of waiting, of longing. Are we?

 Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. 
· Jesus identifies a couple of attitudes to be vigilant against during the waiting time. It is easy for us to become distracted and inattentive on the journey of our life. We should not allow the worries of daily life to consume us so that we forget that the most important thing is to remember our destiny is heaven.
· If we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord, we will not be caught off guard.

For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”
· Prayer helps us to keep our relationship with God at the forefront of our life. This time of intimacy with the Lord allows us to yield our concerns and worries to the Lord and seek his guidance and strength.
· How conscious are we that we are preparing for something greater than this present life?
· How vigilant are we of our decisions to insure that they are in right order with our relationship with God?
· How central is prayer in our daily life?
· If we spend so much time and energy in things that are here today and gone tomorrow, do we do the same with that which will last forever?
· Advent is the time to renew our decision to be vigilant for and with the Lord as we wait his future coming with certainty.