Homily for Advent - 1st Sunday Year A 2025
Introduction
Waiting. Very few of us like waiting. Children want nice things immediately, not knowing their parents must work hard to provide them. Even we adults struggle. No one enjoys arriving at the bank or a government office and finding a long line. We want things done quickly so we can return home. We are an impatient people. And yet, as the Swahili proverb teaches: “Haraka haraka haina baraka”—hurry-hurry has no blessing.
Thank God the Church has her own way of
teaching us patience. Before the two great feasts of Easter and Christmas, the
Church makes us wait and prepare: six weeks of Lent for Easter, four weeks of Advent
for Christmas. So what is Advent for us? What
kind of waiting does God invite us into?
Scripture and Theology
Advent prepares us for the coming of Jesus Christ—not only His first coming at Christmas, but also His second coming at the end of time. In fact, in the early weeks of Advent, we will hear more about His return than about Bethlehem.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus describes the unexpected arrival of the end times, just as in the days of Noah. He concludes: “So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your Master is coming.” Just as Israel waited for the Messiah the first time, we Christians now wait for Him to come again.
Jesus uses the example of a house owner: “If the owner knew when the thief would come, he would stay awake.” When Jesus returned to the Father at the Ascension, He left His work in our hands—some as priests, and bishops; others as mothers, fathers, single people; others still as religious men and women. Whatever our vocation, the Lord wants to find us ready, doing something useful. So He warns us: “Therefore, you too must stand ready.” “Be watchful! Be alert!”
I learned something about waiting when I was growing up as a child. When my parents separated, even though I was only eight, I often had to help look after my three siblings, when my mother went to town or when she went to work. At first, like any child, I chose not do what my mom asked me to do; rather, I played the whole day, bossed my siblings around and each day invented new ways to be naughty. I would then try to guess when mom might be returning and get ready for her by destroying all evidence of my mischief.
Now this strategy worked, except when she came home early. And I soon realized that doing things this way required way too much energy and was way too stressful. I realized that it was much easier simply to do my chores and do the right thing always. That way, I did not have to worry if mom came back earlier than usual. With this new approach, when mom returned, besides thanking me for finding everything in order, I received another reward for being good, which is, that I spent my time watching and waiting with peace of mind.
Advent functions the same way. It is a practice-run, a mock exercise, teaching us the waiting and readiness we must live every day of our lives. It is the Church’s remedy to our impatience: a season of waiting without noise, and watching without excitement.
Christian Life
Waiting in Advent is not idle. Like the faithful householder, we must actively prepare for the coming of the Lord. Let us look at four ways to do this:
(1) Consider the liturgical symbols of Advent, which remind us of the waiting that we must do. At Mass, you have perhaps already noticed a few changes during the Advent Season.
· The vestments are the penitential colour of purple, to remind us to prepare for the coming of the Lord by a conversion of our lives.
· We don’t sing the Gloria, the song sung by the angel to the shepherds, so that we can sing this joyful song on Christmas day, the day the angel first sung it, thus teaching us patience and waiting.
Secondly, besides the liturgy, we prepare for the Lord’s coming by conversion of heart. We examine our conscience—our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves. If something is seriously wrong, we go to confession and get clean as we wait, so that when the Lord comes, he finds us ready. In fact, St. Paul told us in today’s reading, to “throw off everything that belongs to the darkness and equip ourselves for the light.” He warns us to “live decently, as in the light of day; with no orgies or drunkenness, no promiscuity or licentiousness, and no wrangling or jealousy.”
Thirdly, we wait by getting spiritual nourishment. Many parishes hold missions, retreats, and moments of prayer during Advent. These special teachings help nourish our souls as we wait for the Lord's coming. Are you considering going to one of these events as you wait for the coming of the Lord?
Fourthly, we wait by thinking of others too. In fact, that is what Jesus asks us to do throughout the gospels, as our way of preparing for his return. Catholic Tradition provides us with two lists of things we can do, called the corporal and spiritual works of mercy:
In the Corporal Works of Mercy, we attend to the bodily needs of others.
1. Feed the hungry – share food with a family that is poorer than we are.
2. Give drink to the thirsty – share water with those who don’t have.
3. Clothe the naked / give alms – give clothes you don’t use to others.
4. Shelter the homeless – help someone with accommodation.
5. Care for the sick – visit a sick person, especially those with nobody.
6. Visit the imprisoned – support your parish ministry to prisoners.
7. Bury the dead – contribute towards funeral expenses of the poor.
In the Spiritual Works of Mercy we attend to the spiritual needs of others.
1. Counsel the doubtful – guide a person confused about their faith.
2. Instruct the ignorant – share your knowledge with another person.
3. Admonish the sinner – gently correct a friend or relative who does wrong
4. Comfort the sorrowful – talk to a depressed or overwhelmed person.
5. Forgive injuries – let go of past hurts and wrongs done against you.
6. Bear wrongs patiently – accept misunderstandings and inconveniences.
7. Pray for the living and the dead – offer Mass for those who have nobody.
These actions prepare us for the Lord’s return far more effectively than decorations or shopping for Christmas.
Conclusion
But the watching and waiting we do during Advent is only practice, dress-rehearsal, mocks. Learning to prepare well for Christmas teaches us how to prepare for when the Lord will call us, and for when he will return. That long term waiting is something we do all our lives, and not just during the Advent season.
In Uganda today, many young people want success immediately—quick money, quick jobs, quick prosperity. But as our elders say, ‘You cannot climb a tree from the top.’ True success comes slowly, with effort and with waiting. Maybe the waiting of our Advent can help us learn this lesson for our lives.
And so, at the end of Advent, On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, I invite you to look back and ask yourself: Have I waited for Christmas with the enthusiasm of the child who can’t wait to get something? But have I also waited with the patience and hard work of the adult who knows that we are not there yet? Let the child’s excitement show your longing for Christ; but let the adult’s patience remind you that ‘little by little, fills the pot.
Let these four weeks of Advent help us to watch and wait faithfully and patiently, so that when the Lord returns at Christmas, but more importantly, when he comes on the Last Day, we shall be found ready.
