Today the Church begins another season of expectation and waiting for the coming of the Lord.  For centuries the chosen people Israel had looked forward to their salvation.  Amid all their trials, during their captivity in Egypt, in the face of setback upon setback, God’s people continued to trust in the promise of redemption; they heeded the words of the prophets who promised the coming of the Messiah.  But they were understandably a little uncertain too.  If you’ve ever had the experience of trying to walk somewhere in pitch-black darkness: it’s scary: you’re not quite sure of what’s in front of you, it’s difficult to judge distance or how far you’ve walked; you’re not sure when you might see that hint of light appear in front of you.  I think it was like that for the chosen people awaiting the Messiah.  They were straining and searching for the light.  And they couldn’t have told you when the Messiah was going to come, not even a rough estimate.  They didn’t even know what was right in front of them, or when the light would dawn.  They did know that it was dark: they needed a savior: as the prophet Isaiah so forcefully records for us, the people were deeply aware of their own sinfulness, and felt desperately in need of redemption.  They knew that the branch of Jesse would flower again, that somehow, some time, a key would be found to fit the door of their prison.  Some day, a tiny glimmer in the darkness would break free into dazzling, resplendent light.  This attitude of expectation is what the Church wants to nurture in us constantly. 

Now, for us, the Messiah has already come.  He was here.  He accomplished his work.  And yet, we are not permitted only to face backwards.  We are still instructed to be watchful, to wait, to look.  The Church sees it as an essential part of our Christian life to face forward, even now, two-thousand years after the first Christmas, to walk with the shepherds of Bethlehem, traveling with them in the night and straining our eyes to see that speck of light breaking forth from the manger.  When Christ came to earth, that spirit of expectation which the prophets had stirred in the hearts of the Chosen People, had become somewhat dull.  Few recognized him when he came.  Some in that time had even forgotten that they needed a Messiah.  That can happen to us too, so easily.  “Watch,” therefore, Our Lord tells us in today’s gospel.  “Stay awake,” because we can also easily forget what’s most fundamental in our existence, what our life on this earth is really all about.  And so the Church gives us four weeks to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  This season is in one sense about looking back, looking back at the most important events in all human history.  We think about everything that the Incarnation means: that Christ loved the world, loved humanity so profoundly that he wanted to join us and to share our experience: to bring God directly to mankind, so that mankind could be brought directly to God.  But we look forward as well.  Advent invites us to look back to God’s advent into the world, so that we can look forward with hope and with purpose to the advent to come: the advent of God’s kingdom at the end of time. 

This holy season is a time of expectation and hope, and also of preparation. And our waiting is not meant to be passive.  It’s a time to be active spiritually: for an especially thoughtful examination of how our life is going: a time to take note of the things that separate us from God, to try to loosen their hold on us, so that we’re ready to receive God with joy in all the ways that he comes into our lives.  Most especially, we want to get ready, because we have an appointment in about 4 weeks with the Lord of the Universe.  He will come to us in absolute innocence: in the purity and tenderness of a little child: and he wants our hearts to be like his.  May our hope and our spirit of expectation lead us to more profound and regular prayer, to a desire to purify our hearts from sin, and to an attitude of great charity for those around us.  Lord Jesus Christ, we rejoice in your coming centuries ago, and we watch for your coming in our lives today.  Come, Lord Jesus, quickly come.