My Sunday sermon Advent first Sunday to Preach

St Bernadette Church, Bayou Vista
Advent – 1st Sunday Sermon
Is 2:1-5; Rom 13:11-14; Mt 24:37- 44
Stay Awake and Be Prepared!
A man once asked Buddha, “Are you a god? An angel? A prophet?” Buddha replied simply, “I am awake.” His answer highlights a profound truth: most of us go through life half-asleep—unaware of our thoughts, feelings, and actions. On this first Sunday of Advent, we are invited to wake up spiritually and prepare for the coming of the Lord. The Gospel repeatedly urges us to stay prepared, for we do not know the day or the hour of the Lord’s return. Jesus gives three striking images to stress this urgency.
Not to Ignore Warnings: First, Jesus recalls the days of Noah. People were absorbed in eating, drinking, and daily pleasures, ignoring God’s warnings. The flood came suddenly and swept them away, while Noah’s faithful household was saved. This serves as a reminder: excessive attention to worldly concerns can distract us from what truly matters. In this post-modern time, it is easy to get lost in material preparations and secular celebrations while forgetting the deeper meaning of Christmas—the coming of Christ into our hearts and lives.
Constant Watchfulness: Second, Jesus speaks of two people working side by side: one will be taken and the other left. The point is clear—those who live in daily readiness will be saved, while those who delay may be caught unprepared. We must live each moment centered on Christ, aware that the evil one constantly seeks to distract and discourage us. A heart that stays awake and alert will receive the greatest reward of all—Christ himself.
No Scheduled Time! The third image is of a thief who comes unexpectedly. Because we cannot predict when he might arrive, we take precautions: we lock our doors, install alarms, and keep a light on. In the same way, we must prepare for the coming of the Lord, whether at the end of the world or at the moment of our death. His coming will not be scheduled, and we cannot look it up on the internet like the kids who tend to look for everything on it. God arrives without an appointment. He will be there sooner than we think. Our task is simple: be ready at all times.
Living Properly: How do we prepare? St. Paul gives the answer in the second reading: “Conduct yourselves properly.” He also warns us not to indulge in behaviors that draw us away from God, but to live faithfully and uprightly as servants awaiting their master’s return. The present moment is the best moment to prepare. Every day offers us an opportunity to do so. We often say, “Have a nice day,”- perhaps we should start saying: “I wish you to live rightly today.”
Sharpen Your Spiritual Life: A story illustrates this well. A lumberjack proudly cut down 18 trees on his first day. But each day afterward, his output declined. Concerned, he told his boss, “I must be losing my strength.” The boss replied, “When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” The lumberjack answered, “I haven’t had time—I’ve been too busy cutting trees!”
We are often like that lumberjack. We stay busy with many tasks—but are they the right tasks? Are we too occupied with the urgent and forgetting the important? Without spiritual renewal, our strength diminishes. Advent offers a chance to sharpen our “spiritual axes”: through prayer, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and renewed faith.
God comes to us: The first reading from Isaiah (2:1–5) gives us a beautiful promise: one day, God’s presence will be so strong that all people will be drawn to him. Advent reminds us that our faith isn’t about trying to reach God by our own strength. Instead, it’s about recognizing that God is already coming toward us—
• in the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem,
• in the sacraments we celebrate today,
• and when he comes again at the end of time.
Our role is simple: we don’t have to climb our way up to heaven. We just need to keep our hearts open, watchful, and ready to welcome him when he comes.
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