Come on! Act right! Wake up!

/

Our readings for the first Sunday of Advent can be summed up in just a few words: Come on! Act right and wake up!

It’s not bad advice for our predecessors in faith, and it’s not bad advice for us either, especially at the dawn of this season and another church year. So, let’s go through it and go deeper in.

We’ll begin with our first reading from Isaiah, the first voice we hear during this season, and one which we’ll hear throughout as well.

Come on!

The first reading invites all people to come to the mountain of God, and in this exuberant summons, I hear a call to enter into my faith in a deeper way. One thing I appreciate about being Catholic is that there are plenty of chances to start again. We’re kind of experts at new beginnings. Advent and Lent are entire seasons that invite growth and change. Plus, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation anytime we need it, and every Sunday is a fresh start. In fact, every morning is a fresh start! I always add New Year’s Day and my birthday too – occasions that have that same renewing effect. I’m grateful for so many opportunities to start again, and so when I hear, “Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord,” I want to do just that. I think most of us want to be faithful, but we tend to wander off, and God is always finding ways to bring us back.

The other thing I notice about this reading is its inclusivity. “All nations,” and thus, all people, are included in this summons. And we’re called to the holy mountain for a purpose. God will give us instructions and we will know how to live together in peace. God, what a vision. What if that vision was a reality – no more fighting among nations, no more bickering between people? Doesn’t your heart just yearn for peace like that? I feel like I want to just drop everything and run toward that mountain and find that peace. But, before I run off, there’s more to be gleaned from these readings.


Act right.

You know, I tend to think our society has gotten bad morally, but then I read the letters from Paul to the early Church and realize that people have always done crazy stuff. You’d think it would be easy to just be good to each other, but apparently it’s not. I say that as if it’s about other people, but I certainly have my moments. It’s so easy to desire to do good, but as it turns out, acting in the ways we desire is hard, or at least hard to do consistently. I want to be loving toward other people, but then my voice gets sharp, or I say something hurtful. I love the image of changing our actions (and maybe attitudes too?) like we do when we throw off the covers in the morning and get dressed. “Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” I also appreciate the urgent tone of this reading. We may not think the Second Coming could be tomorrow, and we may live longer than the people of Paul’s day, but, like them, we never really have enough time, do we? We too are finite, with only this present moment.

So, I definitely need the invitation to act right – we all do. We do the best we can, and when we don’t get it right, we say our sorries and learn from it and try again. There’s another chance to be better! So, we can live our live numb and unaware, as if we’re sleeping, or we can hear and respond to what Paul tells us: “You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.”

Which brings us to the Gospel.

Wake up!

The insomniac in me resists this invitation from the Gospel. My body and mind tend to say, “Wake up!” at 3 a.m. when I really need to be sleeping. Even so, I appreciate the metaphor. It’s not about being awake or asleep but about being attentive to what God is doing in my life. It’s easy to move through life on autopilot, but when I do, I miss the hand of God’s providence. The thing is, God is always doing stuff in my life, and the more I notice, the more I experience God’s love and care. The same is likely true for you. Being awake in this context means being alert to the movement of the Spirit, and that helps me to recognize God in all circumstances.

During Advent we prepare for the coming of Christ, but we also know that Christ has already come into the world, that Jesus preached and healed, died and rose and lives on in us. So, we await Christ and we have Christ too. Each Advent is the same, but we are different because we’ve grown as we’ve lived through another year of new experiences, new joys and heartaches. So, here’s an old call to prepare ourselves anew; here’s another chance to open our hearts even more than we ever have before to this Christ who’s coming and already here. As we prepare to receive Christ at Christmas, maybe we can also recognize Christ right here, right now, in each moment and person we encounter.

 

So, come on, everybody! Let’s act right and wake up! God is inviting you and me into this holy, still, gentle, waiting season of Advent. Let’s open ourselves, seeking God in all things because God wants to be found.

  

For reflection:

  • What is the new start that you need as Advent begins?

  • How can you be more attentive to God’s presence in your life?

  • Are there any behaviors or patterns that you need to change to be more open to God?

  • Besides Christmas preparations, the decorating, shopping, and everything else, what spiritual preparations do you feel called to make? What can you do to help yourself to notice God in all things?


By Sister Leslie Keener, CDP

Sister Leslie Keener, CDP is the director of God Space, a community-building spirituality ministry in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. She’s a Sister of Divine Providence with a Masters in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University. She directs retreats, meets with people for spiritual direction, and serves as the vocation director for her community. She also serves on the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International. She enjoys music, meaningful conversations, dancing, and Advent calendars with chocolate in them.