Be Vigilant!

As we begin this holy season of Advent, this time of hopeful expectation, we are reminded to be vigilant, to stay awake to the presence of the Lord among us. Year after year, I hear people say: “This Advent will be different. I will slow down.” And yet the temptations are all around us to do anything but slow down. There are gifts to buy and wrap; cookies to bake; cards to write and send; parties to attend; friends and family to visit.

None of these activities are bad in and of themselves, but the Lord asks us to be vigilant, to keep Him always in our sight, to make Him our priority. As Pope Francis reminded us in 2020: “It is important to remain watchful, because one great mistake in life is to get absorbed in a thousand things and not to notice God. Saint Augustine said: ‘Timeo Iesum transeuntem’ (I fear that Jesus will pass by me unnoticed). Drawn by our own interests … and distracted by so many vain things, we risk losing sight of what is essential.”

The God who became flesh is what is most essential. Amid the preparations for Christmas, we should always be alert to God with us, recognizing Him in the eyes of the poor, the smile of a child, the face of a stranger. We are all connected by our common humanity; we are all made in the image and likeness of God. This Advent, stay awake to God’s presence and remember to make Him present through loving acts of kindness.