Matthew 24:37-44, First Sunday of Advent

The Church begins a new liturgical year today, on this First Sunday of Advent. So in a very real sense,
Happy New Year! This period in our liturgical journey is called Advent, from the Latin adventus, which
means “coming.” Ang Adbiyento ay isang panahon ng pag-aantay para sa isang pagdating — a sacred
season of waiting and preparing. But whose coming are we waiting for?

Naturally, we begin preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. Yet, interestingly, our Scripture
readings today hardly mention Bethlehem at all. Instead, they speak of another kind of coming — one that can easily un settle us: the coming of the Lord at the end of time, and the coming of the Lord in the unfoldingof our lives.

The Church teaches us that God “comes” in three ways:

The first coming: when the Son of God entered human history in the manger of Bethlehem.
The final coming: when Christ will return in glory — whether that means the end of the world or the
end of our own earthly journey.
The daily coming: when God enters our lives here and now — in our work, our relationships, our
joys and struggles. Ito ang sinasabi ni San Ignacio de Loyola — finding God in all things. Every
experience, every encounter, every challenge is an opportunity to meet the God who draws near.

Today’s readings focus not on the first coming in Bethlehem, but on the second and third. Jesus speaks of floods, sudden separations, and thieves breaking into homes — images that frighten us because they remind us how fragile and unpredictable life can be. When tragedy strikes, when our plans collapse, when news shock us awake, we realize that we only have one life — and that life is far more delicate than we assume.

This is exactly why Jesus insists: “Stay awake, for you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”
But Jesus is not telling us to live in fear. He is telling us to live in freedom — the freedom that comes from
being spiritually awake, morally alert, and lovingly attentive. The late Pope Francis said that staying awake means “to have one’s heart free and facing the right direction, ready to give and to serve.” It means looking at the world, not with apathy, but with compassion; not with indifference, but with readiness to respond.

St. Paul echoes this in the second reading. “It is the hour now for you to wake from sleep.” What is this
“sleep”?
It is the sleep of distraction, when we let busyness numb us to what truly matters.
It is the sleep of compromise, when we get used to small forms of dishonesty or self-deception.
It is the sleep of resignation, when we accept that broken systems and corrupted structures are simply “the way things are.”
And this is where Advent becomes extremely relevant for us in the Philippines today.

We live in a time when corruption scandals, misuse of public funds, and failures of accountability tempt us to cynicism or anger. Many people, especially the young, feel that institutions no longer serve them. Others are simply tired of demanding transparency and justice. But St. Paul’s call to “awake from sleep” speaks directly into this moment. Advent is not escapism. It is a season that insists: God is coming — therefore, realign your life, your decisions, and your commitments to Him.
For leaders, entrepreneurs, scholars, policymakers, and professionals — as so many of us in this community may be — Advent asks: Where must I be more honest? Where must I be more courageous? Where must I be more generous, more ethical, more responsive to those who suffer because of systems that fail them?

My dearest sisters and brothers, to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” as Paul says, is to clothe ourselves in
integrity — especially when it is inconvenient. It means refusing shortcuts, resisting the culture of impunity, and using our influence, resources, and leadership for the common good. Advent invites us to allow God to come into our homes, our workplaces, our professions, and our civic responsibilities. But more than anything, Advent invites us to really allow God to come into our hearts and transform us from the inside out, because only then will He be truly able to enter our homes, our workplaces, our professions – only then will He be able to enter every aspect of our lives.

Advent also grounds us in hope. Isaiah had a vision of nations streaming toward the mountain of the Lord
because they desired God’s wisdom, God’s peace, God’s justice. That hope is still possible — not through sudden miracles, but through awakened hearts choosing to act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with God.

So as we begin this holy season:
May we stay awake — attentive to God’s quiet knocking in our daily lives.
May we stay ready — not fearful, but grounded in love and service.
May we seek and find God in every person, every encounter, every responsibility entrusted to us.
And may our Advent preparation not simply mean decorating our homes, but really transforming our hearts, our leadership, and our nation.