Thoughts to live by: First Sunday of Advent

Today, Advent begins, the liturgical time which prepares us for Christmas, inviting us to lift our gaze and open our hearts to welcome Jesus. During Advent, we do not just live in anticipation of Christmas; we are also called to rekindle the anticipation of the glorious return of Christ — when he will return at the end of time — preparing ourselves, with consistent and courageous choices, for the final encounter with him. We remember Christmas, we await the glorious return of Christ, and also our personal encounter: the day in which the Lord will call. During these four weeks, we are called to leave behind a resigned and routine way of life and to go forth, nourishing hope, nourishing dreams for a new future…. But what is the horizon of our prayerful anticipation? In the Bible the voices of the prophets are especially revealing to us. Today it is that of Jeremiah who speaks to the people who had been harshly tried by exile and who risked losing their very identity. We Christians, too, who are also the People of God, run the risk of becoming worldly and of losing our identity, indeed, of “paganizing” the Christian way. Therefore, we need the Word of God through which the prophet proclaims: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made…. I will cause a righteous Branch to spring forth for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land” (Jer, 33:14-15). And that righteous branch is Jesus. It is Jesus who comes and whom we await. (Angelus, 2 December 2018).