ADVENT WEEK I [yr A] (Nov. 30, 2025) Is 2:1-5; Rom 13:11-14; Mt 24:37-44. REFLECTION BY REV. FR. CLIFFORD ATTA ANIM.

As we enter this new liturgical year, we begin our yearly journey through the great story of God’s saving work. Advent opens that pilgrimage. The word Advent means coming, and the Church invites us to reflect on the three ways Christ comes to us. First, we look back to his coming in history as the child born in Bethlehem. Second, we recognize his coming in mystery every day through the Sacraments, through the Scriptures, and through the Christian community. Third, we look forward to his coming in majesty at the end of time when he will judge the living and the dead.

The signs in the church help us enter this season. Violet vestments, simple decorations, and the Advent wreath remind us that this is a time of hopeful waiting. These symbols call us to prepare room for Christ so that his mercy, forgiveness, and compassion can take shape in our lives and spread outward to those around us.

Scripture

In the first reading, Isaiah shares a beautiful vision in which all nations stream toward the mountain of the Lord to learn his ways and walk in his light (Isaiah 2:1 to 5). This picture of people moving toward God prepares us for our own spiritual pilgrimage.

The responsorial psalm continues that theme. Psalm 122 is a joyful song once sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. It captures the excitement of entering God’s presence together as one people.

In the second reading, Paul urges the Christians in Rome to wake up spiritually because salvation is near (Romans 13:11 to 14). He encourages them to leave behind the sins common in their culture, like drunkenness, lust, rivalry, and jealousy, and to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” His message challenges us today to make room for Christ by letting go of whatever harms our relationship with God and with others.

In the Gospel, Jesus reminds his disciples to stay awake and prepared for his coming, using the examples of Noah’s generation and the surprise arrival of a thief (Matthew 24:37 to 44). People in Noah’s time ignored God until it was too late, and a careless householder risks losing everything to a thief. Jesus later adds more examples, always making the same point, those who belong to him must stay watchful and faithful by loving God and loving their neighbor.

Life messages

1. Advent calls us to stay awake spiritually.

We prepare for Christmas by offering our daily work to God, by resisting habits that lead us away from him, and by seeking reconciliation both with God and with the people around us. When we fail, we ask for his mercy, and at the same time we extend forgiveness to those who have wounded us. These small daily acts prepare a manger in the heart where Christ can be born again.

2. We begin each day by praying for the Holy Spirit.

When we ask the Spirit to guide our thoughts, our choices, and our relationships, we give Christ the space he needs to renew us. This makes his coming not only a past event in Bethlehem or a future event at the end of time but a present grace that shapes who we are right now.