This time of year, called Advent, urges us to be wide awake for the coming of the Lord for we do not know the day or the hour when He might come. This word, Advent, means coming and this period of preparation lasts four weeks.

It 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 prepare and to be alert. The Son of man is coming at “the time you least expect” we read in the Gospel. Jesus reminds us in today’s scripture that we must “stay awake” for we do not know “when the time will come” (Matthew 24:42). 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 pulling out boxes of Christmas lights and ornaments to decorate their homes for Christmas. This is a beautiful custom for it 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.

You can hear the sound of Christmas music everywhere. You can see the joy and abandon and frivolity of little children running about because they know Christmas is coming. They are filled with hope: hope in something extraordinary, the birth of Jesus, who raises their spirits.

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 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 during Advent so it flows in union with Christ, and pay attention to whatever contradicts His truth.

Advent is a time 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 time to “Stay awake! For you do not know when the time will come.”

We do not have to do anything extraordinary to stay awake and to be 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 crucify themselves between two thieves: regret for the past, and 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 stay awake so we can act like Him.

—Fr. Hugh Duffy