Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, the first Sunday of Advent, the Church begins a new Liturgical Year, a new journey of faith that on the one hand commemorates the event of Jesus Christ and, on the other, opens to its ultimate fulfilment. It is precisely in this double perspective that she lives the Season of Advent, looking both to the first coming of the Son of God, when he was born of the Virgin Mary, and to his glorious return, when he will come “to judge the living and the dead”, as we say in the Creed. I would now like to focus briefly on this evocative theme of “waiting”, for it touches upon a profoundly human aspect in which the faith becomes, so to speak, completely one with our flesh and our heart.

Expectation or waiting is a dimension that flows through our whole personal, family and social existence. Expectation is present in thousands of situations, from the smallest and most banal to the most important that involve us completely and in our depths. Among these, let us think of waiting for a child, on the part of a husband and wife; of waiting for a relative or friend who is coming from far away to visit us; let us think, for a young person, of waiting to know his results in a crucially important examination or of the outcome of a job interview; in emotional relationships, of waiting to meet the beloved, of waiting for the answer to a letter, or for the acceptance of forgiveness.... One could say that man is alive as long as he waits, as long as hope is alive in his heart. And from his expectations man recognizes himself: our moral and spiritual “stature” can be measured by what we wait for, by what we hope for. 

Every one of us, therefore, especially in this Season which prepares us for Christmas, can ask himself: What am I waiting for? What, at this moment of my life, does my heart long for? And this same question can be posed at the level of the family, of the community, of the nation. What are we waiting for together? What unites our aspirations, what brings them together? In the time before Jesus’ birth the expectation of the Messiah was very strong in Israel – that is, the expectation of an Anointed one, a descendent of King David, who would at last set the people free from every form of moral and political slavery and find the Kingdom of God. But no one would ever have imagined that the Messiah could be born of a humble girl like Mary, the betrothed of a righteous man, Joseph. Nor would she have ever thought of it, and yet in her heart the expectation of the Savior was so great, her faith and hope were so ardent, that he was able to find in her a worthy mother. Moreover, God himself had prepared her before time. There is a mysterious correspondence between the waiting of God and that of Mary, the creature “full of grace”, totally transparent to the loving plan of the Most High. Let us learn from her, the Woman of Advent, how to live our daily actions with a new spirit, with the feeling of profound expectation that only the coming of God can fulfil.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus, 28 November 2010]

These are the words of the Responsorial Psalm for today’s liturgy of the First Sunday of Advent, a liturgical season which from year to year renews our expectation of Christ’s coming. Advent has taken on a new, unique aspect in these years as we look forward to the third millennium. Tertio millennio adveniente: 1998, which is coming to an end, and 1999, now close at hand, bring us to the threshold of a new century and a new millennium. 

Our celebration today also began “on the threshold”: on the threshold of the Vatican Basilica, in front of the Holy Door, with the presentation and reading of the Bull of Indiction of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. 

“Let us go joyfully to meet the Lord” is a refrain perfectly in tune with the Jubilee. It is, so to speak, a “jubilee refrain”,according to the etymology of the Latin word iubilare, which in itself contains a reference to joy. Let us go joyfully, then! Let us walk with joy and watchfulness, as we wait for the season that recalls God’s coming in human flesh, a time which reached its fullness when Christ was born in a stable in Bethlehem. It is then that the time of waiting was fulfilled. 

In Advent we await an event which occurs in history and at the same time transcends it. As it does every year, this event will take place on the night of the Lord’s Birth. The shepherds will hasten to the stable in Bethlehem; later the Magi will arrive from the East. Both the one and the other in a certain sense symbolize the entire human family. The exhortation that rings out in today’s liturgy: “Let us go joyfully to meet the Lord” spreads to all countries, to all continents, among every people and nation. The voice of the liturgy — that is, the voice of the Church — resounds everywhere and invites everyone to the Great Jubilee. 

2. The last three years preceding the Year 2000 form a very intense period of waiting, aimed at meditation on the meaning of the forthcoming spiritual event and on its necessary preparation. 

The content of this preparation is modeled on the Trinitarian formula which is repeated at the end of every liturgical prayer. Let us therefore go with joy to the Father, through the way which is our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with him in the unity of the Holy Spirit. 

That is why the first year was dedicated to the Son, the second to the Holy Spirit, and the one that begins today — the last year before the Great Jubilee — will be the year of the Father. Invited by the Father, we are going to him through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. This three-year period of immediate preparation for the new millennium, because of its Trinitarian character, speaks to us not only of God in himself, as an ineffable mystery of life and holiness, but also of God who comes to us. 

3. For this reason the refrain “Let us go joyfully to meet the Lord” sounds so appropriate. We can meet God, because he has reached out to us. He did so as the father in the parable of the prodigal son (cf. Lk 15:11-32), because he is rich in mercy, dives in misericordia, and wants to meet us from wherever we come and wherever our journey is taking us. God comes to us whether we have sought him, ignored him and or even avoided him. He reaches out to us first, his arms open wide like a loving and merciful father. 

If God is moved to reach out to us, can we turn our backs on him? But we cannot go alone to meet the Father. We must join the company of all who are members of “God’s family”. To prepare for the Jubilee properly, we must be ready to accept everyone. They are all our brothers and sisters because they are all children of the same heavenly Father. 

We can interpret the Church’s 2,000year history in this perspective. It is comforting to note how, in this passage from the second to the third millennium, the Church is experiencing a fresh missionary impulse. This is one of the results of the continental Synods held in recent years, including the current one for Australia and Oceania. It can also be seen in the information received by the Committee for the Great Jubilee about activities planned by the local Churches in preparation for this historic event.  

I would like to offer a special greeting to the Cardinal President of the Committee, the General Secretary and their staff. I also extend my greeting to the Cardinals, Bishops and priests present, as well as to all of you, dear brothers and sisters who are taking part in this solemn liturgy. And I offer a particular greeting to the clergy, religious and committed lay people of Rome, who together with the Cardinal Vicar and the Auxiliary Bishops are here this morning to open the final phase of the City Mission, directed to various social contexts. 

It is an important phase that will see the entire Diocese focused on a vast work of evangelization in every context of life and work. At the end of this Holy Mass, I will give the missionaries their Mission Cross. We must proclaim and bear witness to Christ in every place and in every situation. I invite everyone to support this great undertaking with prayer. I am counting in particular on the contribution of cloistered religious, of the sick and the elderly who, although unable to take part directly in this great apostolic initiative, can contribute so much by their prayer and the offering of their suffering to preparing hearts to receive the Gospel message. 

May Mary, whom the season of Advent urges us to contemplate in eager expectation of the Redeemer, help you all to be generous apostles of her Son, Jesus. 

4. In today’s Gospel we heard the Lord’s invitation to be watchful: “Watch, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming”. And then immediately: “Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Mt 24:42, 44). The exhortation to be watchful resounds many times in the liturgy, especially in Advent, a season of preparation not only for Christmas, but also for Christ’s definitive and glorious coming at the end of time. It therefore has a distinctly eschatological meaning and invites the believer to spend every day and every moment in the presence of the One “who is and who was and who is come” (Rv 1:4), to whom the future of the world and of man belongs. This is Christian hope! Without this prospect, our existence would be reduced to living for death. 

Christ is our Redeemer: Redemptor mundi et Redemptor hominis, Redeemer of the world and of man. He came among us to help us cross the threshold that leads to the door of life, the “holy door” which is he himself. 

5. May this consoling truth always be clearly present before our eyes, as we advance on our pilgrimage towards the Great Jubilee. It is the ultimate reason for the joy which today’s liturgy urges us to have: “Let us go joyfully to meet the Lord”. By believing in the crucified and risen Christ, we also believe in the resurrection of the flesh and in eternal life. 

Tertio millennio adveniente. In this perspective the years, centuries and millenniums acquire that definitive meaning of life which the Jubilee of the Year 2000 is meant to reveal to us. 

Looking to Christ, we make our own the words of a popular old Polish hymn: 

“Salvation came through the Cross,
this is a great mystery.
All suffering has meaning: it leads
to fullness of life”. 

With this faith in our hearts, which is the Church’s faith, today, as Bishop of Rome, I open the third year of preparation for the Great Jubilee. I open it in the name of the heavenly Father, who “so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). Praised be Jesus Christ!

[Pope John Paul II, homily, 29 November 1998]

Today, the First Sunday of the Time of Advent, a new liturgical year begins. In these four weeks of Advent, the liturgy leads us to celebrate the Nativity of Jesus, while it reminds us that he comes into our lives every day, and will return gloriously at the end of time. This certainty enables us to look trustfully to the future, as we are invited to do by the prophet Isaiah, who with his inspired voice accompanies the entire Advent journey.

In today’s First Reading, Isaiah prophesies that “it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised  above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it” (Is 2:2). The temple of the Lord in Jerusalem is presented as the point of convergence and meeting of all peoples. After the Incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus revealed himself as the true temple. Therefore, the marvellous vision of Isaiah is a divine promise and impels us to assume an attitude of pilgrimage, of a journey towards Christ, the meaning and end of all history. Those who hunger and thirst for justice can only find it by following the ways of the Lord, while evil and sin come from the fact that individuals and social groups prefer to follow paths dictated by selfish interests, which cause conflict and war. Advent is the time to welcome the coming of Jesus, who comes as a messenger of peace to show us the ways of God.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus exhorts us to be ready for His coming: “Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Mt 24:42). Keeping watch  does not mean to have one’s eyes physically open, but to have one’s heart free and facing the right direction, ready to give and to serve. This is keeping watch! The slumber from which we must awaken is constituted of indifference, of vanity, of the inability to establish genuine human relationships, of the inability to take charge of our brother and sister who is alone, abandoned or ill. The expectation of Jesus who is coming must therefore translate into a commitment to vigilance. It is above all a question of wonder before God’s action, at his surprises, and of according him primacy. Vigilance also means, in a concrete sense, being attentive to our neighbour in difficulty, allowing oneself to be called upon by his needs, without waiting for him or her to ask us for help, but learning to foresee, to anticipate, as God always does with us.

May Mary, the vigilant Virgin and Mother of hope, guide us on this journey, helping us to turn our gaze towards the “mountain of the Lord”, the image of Jesus Christ, that attracts all men and all peoples.

[Pope Francis, Angelus, 1 December 2019]

Be careful not to burden, keep watch out «by praying at all times»

(Lk 21:34-36)

The new world comes upon us in an alternative way, and it imposes itself from moment to moment, without concatenated or too polite forewarning. 

Such a impetuous Wind seems to be crumbling everything, instead it acts to gather us.

Beyond discouragement, in the face of shocking flash-events there is the danger of loss of critical consciousness, and flight (even from ourselves).

Conversely, woman and man of Faith discover the Coming of Christ among the people and the many "joints" of the soul, all authentic companions ‘travelers’.

Believers exercise perception, they notice the first stirrings of new life; they are not discouraged.

They do not seek palliatives or brain ideas à la page, which disperse our energies and confuse us, or even more make us our guard down.

On the other hand, here is the danger of settling down in an institutional time - and the emergence of obscure compensations: bogus solutions that make us insensitive; good just to distract us.

And that produce breathlessness (vv.34-35). Escapes or loopholes that anesthetize the soul. Idols-trap [«snare» of v.35].

They are to be kept at a distance: they do not allow to grasp the Lord who’s Coming.

Prayer is done here therapy, Presence, Motive and Engine; source and culmination. Medicine and Bread for the journey of those who wish to stay awake, advance, activate future.

By assimilating the sacred point of view on the upheavals of the world, in prayer we will obtain good disposition, we will move the eye towards horizons in which not a single shape and one colour appears.

We will understand that Providence is right, that the Spirit works well: He’s bringing us closer to the full project of the Father.

Approaching us in this way also to the desire for life of the brothers, we will stand «upright on our feet» (v.36) that is, we’ll wait and welcome without fear the advent of the «Son of Man».

Authentic Presence of God - true and full development of the divine plan on humanity.

Such a deep side was expected to be absolute, performing, and selective. Featured.

The Incarnation surprises. It even revalues our skeletal and deficient being.

It turns uniqueness into a precious Pearl, «because our listening must take into account the sensus fidei, but it must not neglect all those ‘intuitions’ found where we would least expect them, ‘freewheeling’, but no less important» [Audience, Rome, 18.9.21].

Events - even those that are opposite (and inseparable) - speak within us; they develop through inner energy.

They are the treasure chests of engaging facts; they contain a secret amazement, a surprising destination.

Vigilance and Prayer prepare us for this unexpected Encounter, which is the growth and humanization of the people: the peaceful, true and full overflowing of the Eternal project, transferred to wide meshes.

This without resigning... even in the daily - as well as for the vision and action of prophets who do not blame their own finitude. In fact, they consider it a turning point.

So let us not divide the view hysterically, between good and bad emotions: for the 'new' of where we are and will be, even perils or bitterness, stops or detours, will have made sense.

[Saturday 34th wk. in O.T.  November 29, 2025]

Be careful not to weigh yourselves down, watch and pray at all times

(Lk 21:34-36)

The new world descends upon us in an unexpected way, imposing itself from one moment to the next, without warning or excessive politeness. 

But this is precisely the work of the Spirit, who spurs on unilateralism and overturns categorical connections (even in pious life).

This impetuous wind seems to be crumbling everything, but instead it acts to gather us together.

As the Pontiff says, changes in the Church are not made 'as if it were a company, by majority or minority'.

Beyond discouragement, in the face of shocking flash events, there is the danger of losing the pluralistic critical consciousness that would truly bring us home, and of fleeing (even from ourselves).

Conversely, women and men of faith discover the coming of Christ among the people and the many 'relatives' of the soul, all authentic companions on the 'journey'.

He always challenges our freedom with a broad and inclusive hope that brings together inner movements - even the most disparate ones; a sort of new 'synodality'.

True disciples sense the new Kingdom that bursts in suddenly - not according to a 'party' procedure [continuing to quote Pope Francis in his General Audience: see below].

Women and men of faith exercise their perception, they notice the stirrings of new life; they do not lose heart.

They do not seek palliatives or trendy ideas, which disperse our energies and confuse us, or even more so, cause us to let our guard down.

On the other hand, there is the danger of settling into an institutional time - and the emergence of obscure compensations: fake solutions that make us insensitive; good only for distracting us, and even breathless (vv. 34-35).

Escapism and half-measures anaesthetise the soul.

Ultimately, compromises remain an expression of the sense of powerlessness and failure that sometimes grips life - even spiritual life - partisan [today with its small disembodied orientations; or of recovering lost ground, or of excessive sophistication].

And tragic debauchery is nothing more than a sign of an attempt to escape, or to return to the past – to irresolvable attachments.

Idols-traps [‘snares’ in v. 35] to be kept at a distance: they prevent us from noticing the Lord who is coming.

They limit the wealth that wants to come. Wealth that we already possess in truth: in the sides to which we have not yet given space. In them dwells an eminent, authentic and hidden Self.

There - in the Mystery - new life teems. Unexplored veins that await. Sides of the unconscious that want to express themselves. In contact with our Call by Name and deep essence.

Intimate resources to be valued and triggered for wise expansion; even with bitter fruit - from events that appear threatening, yet activate an excavation, a discovery, an Exodus.

So let us not hysterically divide the landscape into good and bad emotions: for the 'new' of where we are and will be, even dangers or bitterness, stops or detours will have made sense.

In short, let us not allow ourselves to be reduced or gripped by the lacerating struggle between black and white... but let us not renounce the virtue of throwing off ballast, overcoming fears, in order to broaden our gaze.

Prayer becomes therapy, Presence, Motive and Motor; source and culmination. Medicine and Bread for the journey of those who do not want to be put to sleep, but wish to remain awake, indeed to move forward and activate the future.

By assimilating the sacred point of view on the upheavals of the world, in prayer we will obtain a good disposition, we will shift our gaze towards horizons where not a single shape or colour appears.

We will understand that Providence is right, that the Spirit works well: it is bringing us closer to the Father's full plan.

Approaching in this way also the desire for life of our brothers and sisters, we will stand 'upright' (v. 36), that is, we will wait and welcome without fear the coming of the 'Son of Man'.

The authentic Presence of God - the true and full development of the divine plan for humanity.

Perhaps even today we find it difficult to believe that the Messiah can be identified with the One who creates abundance where there is none and where it did not seem possible for it to expand.

The 'Son of Man', on the other hand, is the One who, having reached the height of human perfection, reflects the divine condition and radiates it in a widespread manner.

It was expected that this profound aspect would be absolute, effective, and selective. In the foreground.

The Incarnation surprises us. It even re-evaluates our skeletal and deficient being.

It transforms it into a precious pearl, a "sense without citizenship":

"In the synodal journey, listening must take into account the sensus fidei, but it must not neglect all those 'premonitions' incarnated where we would not expect them: there may be a 'sense without citizenship', but it is no less effective. The Holy Spirit in his freedom knows no boundaries, and does not even allow himself to be limited by affiliations. If the parish is the home of everyone in the neighbourhood, not an exclusive club, I urge you: leave your doors and windows open, do not limit yourselves to considering only those who attend or think like you – who will be 3, 4 or 5%, no more. Allow everyone to enter... Allow yourselves to go out and let yourselves be questioned, let their questions be your questions, allow yourselves to walk together: the Spirit will lead you, trust in the Spirit. Do not be afraid to enter into dialogue and let yourselves be shaken by dialogue: it is the dialogue of salvation.

Its depth is rooted not in the most icy 'perfection', but in everything that is not static - and it goes beyond the categories of ancient, unilateral, respectable religiosity' [Pope Francis, Address to the Diocese of Rome, 18 September 2021].

Events - even those that are opposite (and inseparable) - speak within us; they develop through inner energy.

They are treasure chests of engaging realities; they contain a secret of wonder, a surprising destination.

Vigilance and Prayer prepare us for this unexpected Encounter, which is the growth and humanisation of the people: the quiet, true and full overflowing of the Eternal plan, transferred to wide meshes.

This without resignation... even in the summary of daily life - as well as for the vision and action of prophets who do not blame their own finitude. On the contrary, they consider it a turning point.

This makes the incarnate Son present and coming, animating 'everything' even in an age of uncertainty - sustained by prayer, 'the living fire of the Spirit, which gives strength to witness and mission'.

All this opens up a healthy and undivided ecclesiality:

Coordinates of Ecclesiality

The first steps of the Church in the world were marked by prayer. The apostolic writings and the great narrative of the Acts of the Apostles give us the image of a Church on the move, a hard-working Church, which, however, finds in prayer meetings the basis and impetus for missionary action. The image of the early community in Jerusalem is a point of reference for every other Christian experience. Luke writes in the Book of Acts: 'They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers' (2:42). The community perseveres in prayer.

Here we find four essential characteristics of ecclesial life: first, listening to the teaching of the apostles; second, the preservation of mutual communion; third, the breaking of bread; and fourth, prayer. These remind us that the Church's existence has meaning if it remains firmly united to Christ, that is, in community, in his Word, in the Eucharist and in prayer. This is how we unite ourselves to Christ. Preaching and catechesis bear witness to the words and deeds of the Master; the constant search for fraternal communion preserves us from selfishness and particularism; the breaking of bread realises the sacrament of Jesus' presence among us: He will never be absent; in the Eucharist, it is He Himself. He lives and walks with us. And finally, prayer, which is the space for dialogue with the Father, through Christ in the Holy Spirit.

Everything in the Church that grows outside these "coordinates" is without foundation. To discern a situation, we must ask ourselves how these four coordinates are present in it: preaching, the constant search for fraternal communion – charity –, the breaking of bread – that is, Eucharistic life – and prayer. Any situation must be evaluated in the light of these four coordinates. Anything that does not fit into these coordinates lacks ecclesiality; it is not ecclesial. It is God who makes the Church, not the clamour of works. The Church is not a market; the Church is not a group of entrepreneurs going ahead with this new venture. The Church is the work of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent us to gather us together. The Church is precisely the work of the Spirit in the Christian community, in community life, in the Eucharist, in prayer, always. And everything that grows outside these coordinates is without foundation, it is like a house built on sand (cf. Mt 7:24-27). It is God who makes the Church, not the clamour of works. It is the word of Jesus that fills our efforts with meaning. It is in humility that the future of the world is built.

Sometimes, I feel great sadness when I see some communities that, with good will, go astray because they think they are building the Church in gatherings, as if it were a political party: the majority, the minority, what this one thinks, that one, the other... "This is like a Synod, a synodal path that we must follow." I ask myself: where is the Holy Spirit there? Where is prayer? Where is community love? Where is the Eucharist? Without these four coordinates, the Church becomes a human society, a political party — majority, minority — changes are made as if it were a company, by majority or minority... But there is no Holy Spirit. And the presence of the Holy Spirit is precisely guaranteed by these four coordinates. To assess a situation, whether it is ecclesial or not, let us ask ourselves if these four coordinates are present: community life, prayer, the Eucharist... [preaching], how life develops in these four coordinates. If this is missing, the Spirit is missing, and if the Spirit is missing, we will be a nice humanitarian association, a charity, fine, fine, even a party, so to speak, ecclesial, but there is no Church. And that is why the Church cannot grow through these things: it does not grow through proselytism, like any company, it grows through attraction. And who moves the attraction? The Holy Spirit. Let us never forget these words of Benedict XVI: "The Church does not grow through proselytism, it grows through attraction." If the Holy Spirit, who is the one who attracts us to Jesus, is missing, then there is no Church. There is a nice club of friends, fine, with good intentions, but there is no Church, there is no synodality.

Reading the Acts of the Apostles, we discover that the powerful engine of evangelisation is prayer meetings, where those who participate experience the presence of Jesus live and are touched by the Spirit. The members of the first community – but this is always true, even for us today – perceive that the story of their encounter with Jesus did not end at the moment of the Ascension, but continues in their lives. By recounting what the Lord said and did – listening to the Word – and praying to enter into communion with Him, everything comes alive. Prayer infuses light and warmth: the gift of the Spirit gives rise to fervour in them.

In this regard, the Catechism has a very profound expression. It says: “The Holy Spirit […] reminds Christ’s praying Church of him, leads her to the whole Truth, and inspires new expressions that will express the unfathomable Mystery of Christ, who works in the life, sacraments and mission of his Church” (n. 2625). This is the work of the Spirit in the Church: to remember Jesus. Jesus himself said it: He will teach you and remind you. The mission is to remember Jesus, but not as a mnemonic exercise. Christians, walking on the paths of mission, remember Jesus as they make him present again; and from him, from his Spirit, they receive the "push" to go, to proclaim, to serve. In prayer, Christians immerse themselves in the mystery of God, who loves every person, the God who desires that the Gospel be preached to all. God is God for all, and in Jesus every wall of separation has been definitively broken down: as St Paul says, He is our peace, that is, 'the one who has made the two into one' (Eph 2:14). Jesus has brought about unity.

Thus, the life of the early Church is marked by a continuous succession of celebrations, gatherings, and times of both communal and personal prayer. And it is the Spirit who gives strength to the preachers who set out on their journey and who, for the love of Jesus, cross seas, face dangers, and submit to humiliation.

God gives love, God asks for love. This is the mystical root of all the life of faith. The early Christians in prayer, but also we who come several centuries later, all live the same experience. The Spirit animates everything. And every Christian who is not afraid to devote time to prayer can make the words of the Apostle Paul their own: "The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20). Prayer makes you aware of this. Only in the silence of adoration can you experience the full truth of these words. We must rediscover the meaning of adoration. Adore, adore God, adore Jesus, adore the Spirit. The Father, the Son and the Spirit: worship. In silence. The prayer of adoration is the prayer that makes us recognise God as the beginning and end of all history. And this prayer is the living fire of the Spirit that gives strength to witness and mission.

[Pope Francis, General Audience, 25 November 2020]

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus says to the disciples: “take heed... lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life... at at all times, praying” (Lk 21:34, 36). Therefore, moderation and prayer. And the Apostle Paul adds the invitation to “increase and abound in love” among ourselves and for everyone, to make our hearts blameless in holiness (cf. 1 Thess 3:12-13). 

In the midst of the upheavals of the world or in the deserts of indifference and materialism, may Christians accept salvation from God and bear witness to it with a different way of life, like a city set upon a hill. “In those days”, the Prophet Jeremiah announced, “Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: The Lord is our righteousness” (33:16). The community of believers is a sign of God’s love, of his justice which is already present and active in history but is not yet completely fulfilled and must therefore always be awaited, invoked and sought with patience and courage.

[Pope Benedict, Angelus, 2 December 2012]

1. “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near” (Lk 21:28).

The word Advent, dear to the hearts of Christians for the meaningful reality it expresses in view of the expectation of Jesus' birth, is also an announcement of the Lord's return: the return of the Redeemer at the end of time; the continuous return of the Son of God and Saviour in our history in the days that concern us. The Lord has already come, the Lord is coming, the Lord will come again, "with power and great glory" (Lk 21:27), and we await him with joyful hope, for we trust that he will "call us to himself in glory, to possess the kingdom of heaven," as today's Collect prayer expresses.

2. Today, the word of God on the mystery of Advent resounds among us. We listen to them comforted by the example of faith and willingness to serve of Joseph and Mary, supported also by the model of humility and dedication of Christ.

From the desolate and devastated city of Jerusalem, the prophet Jeremiah assures the exiles in Babylon of the fulfilment of God's promises: the redeeming Messiah will come, "he will exercise judgement and justice . Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in peace" (Jer 33:15-16). It is a promise of consolation, but one that will not be fulfilled without trials. At the end of time, the coming of the Lord will be accompanied by upheavals in the heavens and anguish among the anxious peoples on earth.

The Evangelist, in the style and formulas of ancient prophetic and apocalyptic descriptions, summarises in the image of catastrophe the message of necessary purification and judgement on the world. At the same time, he announces God's victory over all forces of evil, with the appearance of new heavens and a new earth. The upheaval of the cosmos and the turmoil of hearts are indeed remembered as a prelude to the appearance of the Son of Man.

"Stand up and lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near": trust and vigilance are the virtues required of Advent. Vigilance above all in prayer, which makes us worthy to appear before the Saviour and Judge of all, who wants our hearts to be "steadfast and blameless in holiness" (1 Thessalonians 3:13).

3. With our faith in the Lord who is coming confirmed, and the certainty of his perennial presence in history and his coming at the end of time reaffirmed, we are ready to welcome the words of the Apostle that we have just heard.

Paul asks the Lord not only to make us grow, but to abound in love. He asks that this love be mutual, within the community and towards all, that is, towards believers and non-believers.

Let us ensure, dear brothers and sisters, that our hearts are not weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life (cf. Lk 21:34)! May the Advent of Christ not find us far from the faith and inattentive to the message of his word! May the enemies of our salvation not triumph over us, for only those who hope in God will not be disappointed (cf. Ant. of the Introit).

[Pope John Paul II, homily, 1 December 1991]

Today Advent begins, the liturgical time which prepares us for Christmas, inviting us to lift our gaze and open our hearts to welcome Jesus. During Advent we do not just live in anticipation of Christmas; we are also called to rekindle the anticipation of the glorious return of Christ — when he will return at the end of time — preparing ourselves, with consistent and courageous choices, for the final encounter with him. We remember Christmas, we await the glorious return of Christ, and also our personal encounter: the day in which the Lord will call. 

During these four weeks we are called to leave behind a resigned and routine way of life and to go forth, nourishing hope, nourishing dreams for a new future. This Sunday’s Gospel (cf. Lk 21:25-28, 34-36) goes in this very direction and puts us on guard against allowing ourselves to be oppressed by an egocentric lifestyle or by the phrenetic pace of our days. Jesus’ words resonate in a particularly incisive way: “take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly ... But watch at all times, praying” (vv. 34, 36). 

To be mindful and to pray: this is how to live the time between now and Christmas. To be mindful and to pray. Inner listlessness comes from always turning around ourselves and being blocked by our own life, with its problems, its joy, and suffering, but always turning around ourselves. And this is wearying; this is dull, this closes us off to hope. Here lies the root of the lethargy and laziness that the Gospel speaks about. Advent invites us to a commitment to vigilance, looking beyond ourselves, expanding our mind and heart in order to open ourselves up to the needs of people, of brothers and sisters, and to the desire for a new world. It is the desire of many people tormented by hunger, by injustice and by war. It is the desire of the poor, the weak, the abandoned. This is a favourable time to open our hearts, to ask ourselves concrete questions about how and for whom we expend our lives.

The second attitude to best experience the time of awaiting the Lord is that of prayer. Arise, “look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (v. 28), the Gospel of Luke cautions. It is about standing up and praying, turning our thoughts and our hearts to Jesus who is about to come. One stands when awaiting something or someone. We await Jesus and we wish to await him in prayer which is closely linked to vigilance. Praying, awaiting Jesus, opening oneself to others, being mindful, not withdrawn in ourselves. But if we think of Christmas in the light of consumerism, of seeing what I can buy in order to do this and that, of a worldly celebration, Jesus will pass by and we will not find him. We await Jesus and we wish to await him in prayer which is closely linked to vigilance.

But what is the horizon of our prayerful anticipation? In the Bible the voices of the prophets are especially revealing to us. Today it is that of Jeremiah who speaks to the people who had been harshly tried by exile and who risked losing their very identity. We Christians too, who are also the People of God, run the risk of becoming worldly and of losing our identity, indeed of ‘paganizing’ the Christian way. Therefore, we need the Word of God through which the prophet proclaims: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made ... I will cause a righteous Branch to spring forth for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land” (Jer 33:14-15). And that righteous branch is Jesus. It is Jesus who comes and whom we await. May the Virgin Mary, who leads us to Jesus, a woman of expectation and prayer, help us to strengthen our hope in the promises of her Son Jesus, in order to enable us to understand that through the travail of history, God always remains steadfast and uses human errors, too, to manifest his mercy.

[Pope Francis, Angelus, 2 December 2018]

Sources of Hope

(Lk 21:29-33)

Lk ends his Apocalyptic Discourse with recommendations on the attention and penetrating gaze to be placed at the ‘sign of the times’.

And - rooted in the Word of God that becomes event and directs us to the future, Hope inaugurates a new phase in history.

Its depth surpasses all current possibilities, which conversely fluctuate between signs of catastrophe.

Jesus reassures the disciples about the fears of the world’s end, and requires them not to look at coded messages, but Nature.

Only in this way will they be able to read and interpret the events.

Wise discernment, which serves not to close us in the immediate present: it pushes us on a path of uniformity or defense.

Indeed, because of the upheavals, a hasty assessment could lead us to fear reversals, blocking growth and testimony.

The world and things are moving towards a Spring, and above all in this regard we have a sentinel role.

On the ruins of a collapsing century, the Father makes us understand what’s happening - and continues to build what we hope [not according to immediate tastes].

Here and there we can catch the first stirrings of it, like the shoots on the ‘fig tree’.

It’s a tree that alludes to the fruit of love that God awaits from his people, called to be tender and sweet: signs of the new season - that of healthy relationships.

In this way, the spirit of dedication manifested by the sons will be the prefiguration of the imminent advent of a completely different empire - able to replace in consciences all others of a competitive character.

The fig tree is precisely the image of the ideal people of blessings; Israel of the exodus towards freedom, and trace of the Father [in the desert’s reflective sobriety and sharing].

It remains long time stripped and bare; suddenly its buds sprout, open and in a few days it’s covered with luxuriant leaves.

Such will be the passage from chaos to the sensitive and fraternal order produced by the proclamation and assimilation of the Word: not equal thought; divine step in history.

Through suggestions that belong to processes of nature, we are introduced into discernment of the Mystery - expressed throughout the wilde of transformations.

Its riches are contained in the codes of the Word and in the ordinary concrete events, which have a symptomatic weight. Chests of treasure, of invisible realities, which do not pass.

Such a wealth will even develop (and in particular) from confusion and collapses, as per intrinsic strength and essence, day by day.

Not for an abstract exemplarity, but for the fullness of life that finds its roots - rediscovering them in error and in the small.

A paradoxical seed of hope, and harbinger of better conditions.

Because without imperfection and limit there is no growth or flowering, nor nearby Kingdom (vv.30-31) which always takes contact with the wounds [Fratelli Tutti n.261].

Word of God and rhythms of Nature are codes that pass time. Authentic reliefs, created, donated, and revealed.

Sources of discernment, of the penetrating gaze, of the signs of time, of free thought, of Hope that does not queue.

[Friday 34th wk. in O.T.  November 28, 2025]