First Sunday of Advent November 30, 2025
Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:37-44
We spend much of our time waiting. We wait for a job, we wait for healing, we wait for the dawn, and we wait in queues for buses and trains. We wait for purchases we make, and we wait for surfing the internet. Sometimes waiting can be boring and frustrating, at other times waiting can be exciting and hopeful, especially when we know what we are waiting for. Have we waited for God? Are we ready to wait for Him? Are we prepared to wait for a long time until He comes?
Today marks the beginning of the season of Advent, a time of preparation, a time of going toward the coming again of the Messiah, a time of great expectation and great anticipation. Advent means waiting and we wait eagerly for someone we love, we care and we are ready to invest our time on him. In the liturgical calendar, the season of Advent means a joyful waiting, a waiting for Jesus prayerfully, with affection and love. There is the eagerness within us to receive him and we look forward to this great event when God becomes man.
In the first reading the Prophet Isaiah invites us to climb the mountain of the Lord. He says that the people who walk in the light of the Lord will experience peace and transformation. The swords will become ploughshares and spears will become pruning hooks. That is the dream of God for the world. That is the dream of God for India. God wants our families our society and our country to be places of peace justice and unity. But this peace is not automatic. It flows from our willingness to walk in the light of the Lord. Advent invites us to start this journey.
The Gospel gives us a powerful reminder. Jesus says that his coming will be like the days of Noah. People continued their daily activities eating drinking and enjoying life but they were not prepared. Everything seemed normal until the flood came. The focus of the Gospel is not fear but awareness. Jesus tells us to stay awake. This does not mean dreaming about the end of the world but living responsibly every day.
Advent is the season when the Church gives us four beautiful weeks to renew ourselves. It is the time of preparation not only for the celebration of Christmas but also to welcome Christ into our lives every moment.
In India we live in a fast and noisy world. We rush every day. We run for work education business and success. We worry about our future. But many times we forget the most important future which is eternal life. Advent calls us to slow down and reflect. It invites us to give space for God. The real success of our life is not only the house we build or the money we save. The real success is the relationship we build with God and the goodness we share with others.
The second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans is a wake-up call, and it urges us to turn away from the darkness of sin and evil and walk into the light of Christ. We can no longer sleep, for though it is not yet full day, we live no longer in darkness, which favours idleness and dishonesty. If we really believe in Christ, if we are impatient for our hope to be realized, we must act as people in love with the light and truth of Christ. To be a Christian is to live in the light and walk in the light, striving to let His light shine in our lives.
A man came to Buddha and asked him, “Tell me Buddha, are you a God?” “No, I am not a god.” “Are you an angel?” “No, I am not.” “Are you a prophet?” “No, not a prophet either.” “What are you then?” Whereupon Buddha answered. “I am awake.” – Most of us are not awake. We are always in slumber. We are not aware of our own thoughts, feelings and actions. We function most of the time, like an automaton. The enlightened are those who are aware and awake.
Buying decorations clothes and sweets is good. But the best preparation is a clean heart. Let us read the Bible more often reflect on its teachings and receive the sacraments with sincerity. When Christ comes into our hearts we become new persons. Our families become stronger. Our society becomes more honest and compassionate. Advent teaches us that God does not simply look at our past. He looks at our present and invites us to a new beginning.
This Sunday the Lord tells each one of us Wake up. Prepare. Walk in the light. Let us respond with faith. Let Jesus not find us distracted divided or unprepared. Let him find us ready with open hearts. May this Advent lead us to peace joy and holiness. May we become instruments of harmony in our families neighbourhoods workplaces and our country. When we are prepared Christ shines through us and the world becomes a better place.
Happy Sunday
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