By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Wow. The season of Advent begins today (Nov. 30 this year). Already. And yet Advent for Christians a time of watchful hope. In this special time we are invited to lift our eyes toward two horizons: the first, remembrance of the first coming of Jesus at Christmas; the second, His final coming in glory at the end of time. Because how we prepare for one reveals how we are preparing for the other.

In today’s Catholic Mass Gospel reading, Jesus says, “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come,” and to emphasize the point, He recalls the story of Noah, when people were eating, drinking, marrying—living their ordinary day-to-day—right up until the flood came. The issue wasn’t their eating or working; rather, it was that they were spiritually asleep.

Advent, too, is a call to anticipate eternity within everyday life. It reminds that the ordinary hustle and bustle of the everyday can easily lull us into spiritual complacency, even to spiritual lethargy (“sloth” being one of the seven deadly sins). We scroll endlessly through our phones, binge another series, chase another deadline, attend yet one more meeting or event, and before we know it, another year has gone by, busyness and distraction having become spiritual anesthesia. But Jesus’ message— “Be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect the Son of Man will come”—is like a spiritual alert, urging us to wake up to what truly matters. After all, each day is a day closer to our going into eternity.

Imagine the ol’ smartphone buzzing a sudden alert: “Jesus Christ—Scheduled Arrival: Soon. Be ready.” How would our habits shift? If our priorities immediately change, that’s exactly Jesus’ point. The arrival of the Lord should shape our choices in the here and how rather than think we can predict the hour.

St. Paul, in the second reading in today’s Mass (Romans 11:14) gives very practical advice: “Throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light,” especially decrying sexual license and hatred in particular. Live not for the flesh but for the spirit, he says elsewhere, for the spirit and the flesh are opposed (Galatians 5:17). After all, we are not animals with uncontrollable urges, but rather men and women with minds, reason, and the God-given rationality to see the good—a trait we are wise not to waste. So, O Christian: live to expect Him at any time.

So, Advent is provided as a spiritual reorientation—a setting our soul’s GPS back toward God. Pushing that spiritual GPS button of “Home”. We stay awake spiritually through prayer—pausing, listening, and letting the spirit catch up to our lives. Also, through repentance—like cleaning a house before guests arrive, prepare the heart by ridding it grudges, gossip, and moral clutter. And finally, through works of charity, turning outward from our own wants and desires only to the needs of others.

All of these the non-believer, too, will find spiritually beneficial—if not prayer, then contemplation on the good, but repentance from vices and the practice of charity are universally recognized as great goods. Every act of mercy—comforting someone lonely, helping a neighbor, forgiving a hurt—what better way for us to live?

In Advent readings, the prophet Isaiah (v. 2:4) foresees and prophesies a world transformed—swords beaten into plowshares, a people walking in the light of the Lord. Christians know that it is not just a poetic dream; it’s a promise tending toward fulfilment. And every time we choose peace over resentment, truth over convenience, generosity over indifference, we are shaping a world ready for that day—for His return.

So, Advent is a season of promise—that God has not forgotten us, that the darkness will not prevail, and that our waiting is not empty or in vain. Until then, we are called to live awake, alert, and full of hope.

When will Christ return to us?  Why does he delay, we wonder? But then we remember scripture: “The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance … what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God … But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:8-13).

When will Christ return to us? As He told us today in our reading, that’s not for us to know. We just know that He will, for God’s promises cannot not come to pass. Our task—and our wisdom—is simply to live in faith…as if His return is tomorrow, because it may very well be for all that we know. As He tells us: Be prepared. Be ready to board when the ship comes. Then, if tomorrow is the great day, it will be one of joy, eager to be called home.

The magi traversed deserts, and braved dangers and hardships to follow a star and find the King of the Jews in a stable. We traverse dangers and the desert of this world with like anticipation…a world so often lacking in grace, of selfless love, of Godliness … by following the true guiding star which is Christ. In following that star faithfully, at the end of our journey we shall find … not a stable, not a manger, not bleating sheep … but rather the King of Heaven, angels singing “Glory to God in the highest” …and life everlasting.

So, we continue our song: “O come, O come Emmanuel…”

Editor’s note: Rev. Glenn Jones is the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and former pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Los Alamos.