We begin the Season of Advent today—a season that is always full of quiet longing. There is something beautiful in these early Advent days: the evenings grow darker, yet our hearts begin to look for light. In that spirit, Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel come to us gently but firmly: “Stay awake… be ready.”
At first, these words may sound like a warning, almost like a threat that something frightening is coming. But Jesus is not trying to scare us. He is trying to wake us up—because something beautiful, new and deeply human is being born.
The Gospel takes us back to the time of Noah. People were eating, drinking, marrying—nothing wrong, nothing sinful. They were simply absorbed in their routines, their worries, their plans. What was the problem? They were so caught up in daily life that they could no longer recognise the signs of something new that God was doing. They did not see the “ark” God was preparing for them.
Jesus is telling us: Do not repeat their mistake. The Son of Man comes—quietly, humbly—into the ordinary fields and kitchens of our lives. Two people may be doing the same work, but one heart is awake, open, attentive… and the other is closed, distracted, numbed by the noise of this world.
I think Jesus is speaking to us very directly today. Our lives are full—sometimes overflowing—with worries: health issues, deadlines, family tensions, anxieties about the world, the future of the Church, the violence around us. We might not be worshipping ancient idols like the sun or moon, but we often place modern idols in the heavens: success, money, perfection, productivity, public opinion. These “false stars” promise much but consume our peace.
Advent invites us to let these old stars fall. To notice when we are living on autopilot. To rediscover what truly matters.
Jesus calls Himself the “Son of Man”—the true human being, the one who shows us how to live without devouring each other like the “beasts” of Daniel’s vision. He shows us a new world, a world not built on competition or fear, but on tenderness, service, and dignity.
The Gospel reminds us: God has not given up on humanity. A new world is possible. It begins not with grand gestures, but with simple acts done with great love—done by people who stay awake.
So maybe this Advent we can ask the Lord for one gift: A heart that notices.
Notices the tired face of someone who needs a smile…Notices when anger is rising in us and chooses patience instead…. Notices the quiet ways God whispers hope into our days.
May this Advent be a time of awakening—a time to welcome the God who still comes, today, quietly, tenderly, into the ordinary places where we live and love.
Father Josekutty Mathew CMF
cmf
