This has been a year like no other, and the coronavirus pandemic makes it even more urgent than ever to be alert and prepared for the unexpected in our lives. The season of Advent is a call to be alert for the coming of the Lord for we do not know the day or the hour of His final coming.

This word, Advent, means coming. Thus we are preparing for the coming of Christ at Christmas and we just have four weeks to make our preparations count.

This is the time of year when we can display in our homes the Advent wreath with four candles that are lit each consecutive week to remind us of the need to be alert. The Son of man is coming at “the time you least expect” we read in the Gospel. We need to keep the steady flame of the Spirit of Christ burning in our hearts always, but especially during the four weeks of Advent as a sign of God’s presence in our lives.

Families are busy at this time of year pulling out boxes of Christmas lights and ornaments to decorate their homes for Christmas. This custom reminds us of the importance of Christ’s birth when Jesus, who came to redeem us, was born in a simple manger. Churches, malls, streets and homes are decorated inside and out as a sign of preparation, as a way of celebrating the Christmas spirit.

Often, we get caught up in the externals of Christmas, the dazzling lights, the Christmas shows on television, and the gifts wrapped in colorful packages. No wonder Christmas is still the biggest shopping time of the year! But it is much more than that.

It is not a time to indulge in mere sentimentality over the birth of Jesus without understanding the price the Lord paid for our redemption. We need to be alert so our hearts and minds can be open to Christ, and not be taken in by the false prophets and god’s of this world. That’s what Advent is really all about. When you’re going through times of darkness and trial, don’t let your guard down. Reject the heaviness that might lull you into spiritual laziness. Guard your heart at all times so it flows in union with Christ, and pay attention to whatever contradicts His truth.

Advent is a time to wake us up. To teach us to be more sensitive to one another’s needs, to visit someone who is sick or in hospital, to help the poor in your midst for that will gain you entrance into Christ’s kingdom faster than fasting. It is a time to listen more carefully to what the scriptures have to tell us for ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ. In other words, it is a special time to be alert.

We do not have to do anything extraordinary to be alert and prepared for Christmas. Create a spirit of happiness in the home. Help your family, your parents, brothers, sisters, spouses, friends and neighbors, knowing that when you do this you are experiencing the very love of Christ. You are healing the pain of others and replacing it with love.

Be grateful for those who make you happy and light up your life for they are the gardeners of your soul who make you blossom. Spread good cheer wherever you are. There is enough gloom to go around without adding to it one iota more. Be cheerful for all that you have: your friends, your family and loved ones, your work, your education, and your life. Too many people beat themselves up over regret for the past or fear of the future rather than being content with the present.

Be content what you have.

Above all, try to see Christ in everyone you encounter irrespective of race, background or creed, forgiving one another, encouraging one another, and respecting everyone from the greatest to the least.

Jesus came among us to save us and raise us up to be more than we are. Advent reminds us that now is the time to be alert so we can act like Him.

—Fr. Hugh Duffy