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Important Message(s)
First Sunday of Advent
Faith that gives hope and victory
Today’s world needs Christians who truly understand that faith gives us hope and victory in the midst of any and all difficulties.
Taking this even further, today’s world needs Catholics who truly understand that going to Mass means having faith in miracles — especially the miraculous transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Are you changed by the presence of Christ in the Eucharist? If so, then after you exit the church, others see evidence of this faith — right?
There’s a difference between “knowing” the truths of our faith and authentically living these truths.
What prayer requests have you made in which you’re still waiting for God to provide his help? When you offer them to Jesus during the prayers of Mass, do you feel the hopefulness that comes from faith?
During the consecration of the Eucharist, if we do not have faith in God’s ability to change bread and wine into Christ — an ability that does not rely on the how holy the priest is — we won’t have faith to recognize that Jesus is ministering to us in the Eucharist.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus speaks of his Second Coming, but we can also relate it to our daily lives today. We all have new tribulations looming in the future, unknown and unpredictable. That’s life on earth! And Jesus wants to help us through them. Faith in this gives us hope and victory.
However, when our focus is on our troubles instead of on Christ, we are not living in faith. Jesus warned us about our hearts becoming spiritually drowsy. This is when we lose faith. We forget to remain centered in Christ. We neglect to listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But when we ask Jesus to restore us to a life of faith, we become vigilant, expectant, and aware that we can rely on God to help us in whatever comes our way.
Our tribulations make us fearful. Faith gives us reasons to hope in Jesus and to live in joy instead of fear. It’s not easy! It takes conscious effort. But spiritual drowsiness is a miserable way to live.
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