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Advent’s Wake-Up Call
St. Paul
tells us, “Wake up” — and to do so “at
an hour you do not expect.”
And Advent begins exactly there: often in the dark, and with themes we might
not expect, especially when the world around us is already celebrating
Christmas.
Outside, the
days grow short. Inside, we strike a match and light a single candle. It
doesn’t seem like much, but a tiny flame can change everything.
Advent is
not the pre-game warm-up to the actual playing at Christmas; rather, Advent begins in overtime, reminding us how important every choice is,
how much every moment matters.
And Jesus’
message is not meant to frighten us. It is meant to wake us
— to help us notice what we may have been sleeping through and to open our
hearts to His quiet light.
A small
example brought this home to me. One evening I parked my car and assumed
everything was off. The next morning the battery was dead. One tiny interior
light had been left on — almost unnoticeable — yet it drained the entire
battery.
Isn’t that
how our inner life works?
A small worry, a quiet resentment, or a hidden habit can keep burning in the
background, draining the heart little by little.
Even here at
church, with all our candles, we can spend so much time managing the lights
around us that we forget the One who wants to bring light within us — the light of faith, hope, and charity that only God
can kindle.
And so
Advent gently asks us:
What lights am I leaving on that are draining
me? And what light of Christ do I need to let Him turn on within me?
This brings
us directly to today’s Gospel.
1.
Ordinary Life, Hidden Choice
Jesus says,
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
Life was
normal then: people eating, drinking, marrying — living their routines, doing
what everyone does.
Nothing seemed unusual… until suddenly everything changed.
Then Jesus
gives us two brief scenes:
·
two
people in a field — one taken, one left
·
two
women grinding at the mill — one taken, one left
From the
outside, they are doing the same work.
But inside, something is different:
One heart is
awake to God.
The other is drifting through the motions.
Advent puts
this question before each of us:
Am I becoming spiritually awake or spiritually
inattentive?
Jesus does
not ask us to abandon ordinary life.
He asks us to live it in Him — alert to His
presence in the very routines where we assume nothing spiritual is happening.
2. When
Our Lights Don’t Work
Our own
attempts to “light ourselves up” don’t always cooperate.
We adjust holiday decorations, screens, and glowing devices.
Even in church, we think about candles — whether they’re lit at the right
times, burning too quickly, or needing to be replaced.
All of that
is fine.
But these things can fool us into thinking we
control the light.
The deeper
light — the light we truly need — is God’s work in us.
It cannot be manufactured; only received.
And that
brings us back to the car interior light.
One tiny
bulb, left on all night, quietly drained all the energy the car had.
In the same
way:
·
a
quiet resentment glowing inside,
·
a
worry running constantly in the background,
·
a
habit we allow because it seems “small,”
can slowly
drain the soul.
Advent invites
us to notice these small interior lights — not to shame us, but to free us.
What little lights are draining me?
What lights of God have I left switched off?
3.
Artificial Light and True Light
Some lights
glitter brightly but do not satisfy:
·
constant
notifications,
·
scrolling
and comparing,
·
entertainment
that fills silence but not the heart.
They aren’t
evil; they are diversions.
But St. Francis de Sales warns: distractions refresh us only when they are
brief.
When they dominate our time, they begin to consume us —
just like that tiny car light that kept burning until the battery was gone.
Then there
are the lights that do not glitter but endure:
·
time
truly listening to family,
·
time
spent with someone who is sick or lonely,
·
a
moment of prayer that re-centers the heart,
·
the
honest work of our vocation,
·
reading
the Gospel quietly, letting it speak.
These are
the lights God uses to prepare us for His coming.
These are the lights that never fail, even when life grows dark.
4.
Choosing to Stay Awake
Recently we
reflected on two figures who made the right choice in life’s “overtime”:
·
the
Good Thief looking at Jesus, saying, “Remember me,”
·
the
Samaritan leper turning back to give thanks.
Neither
could undo the past.
Neither lived a perfect life.
But in the moment that mattered, they chose Christ.
Today’s
Gospel gives us no named character.
Instead, Jesus gives us two people going about their daily tasks — one ready,
one not.
Readiness is
not dramatic.
It is formed quietly, in hidden choices, in the interior life where God alone
sees.
Advent
whispers to us:
Let the Lord find you among those who are
awake — not perfect, not finished, just awake.
Awake to His
voice.
Awake to His mercy.
Awake to His presence in the daily, unnoticed moments of life.
5. A Simple
Advent Plan
What might
this waking-up look like?
1. A daily “check of the
lights.”
Each evening
ask:
“Lord, what drained me today? What did You try to light within me?”
Then entrust both to Him.
2. One small act of
watchfulness.
A short
prayer.
A decade of the Rosary.
A few minutes of silence in the car without the radio.
A quiet visit to the Blessed Sacrament.
Small lamps — but connected to the right power source.
3. A step toward
Reconciliation.
If it has
been some time, Advent is a gentle season to return.
Like the Good Thief, we simply say, “I have sinned,”
and Jesus answers with mercy.
Conclusion:
Let God Turn On the Light
As we begin
this new liturgical year, Jesus does not ask us to predict the future.
He asks us to stay awake to His presence now.
He does not
ask us to be anxious — only attentive.
He does not ask us to generate our own light — only to receive His.
So when you
look at the Advent wreath, notice how early the evening comes —
but also remember that the dawn of the true King is approaching.
His light is already breaking through the night.
And so we
pray with Paul’s words from Romans 13:
“You
know the time.
It is the hour now for you
to wake from sleep.
For our salvation is nearer
now than when we first believed.
The night is far gone; the
day is at hand.
Let us cast off the works of
darkness
and put on the armor of
light.”
May this
Advent find us awake, expectant, and walking in His light.
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