1st Sunday of Advent Year A 2025

So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." ( Mt 24,44 )

Advent opens a season of promise. It invites us to move forward with hopeful and peaceful hearts  and with the gentle expectancy that accompanies waiting. Yet, this waiting is not passive: it is joyful, alert, and filled with wonder. We wait for the coming of the Lord — for the Child whose birth reveals the depth of God’s love for us. As St Augustine of Hippo wrote, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” Advent reminds us that the love of God becomes flesh in Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us.

This special waiting rings with excitement. We are not preparing for an abstract idea, but for someone who changes lives. We await the One who teaches us how to reflect God’s goodness in our families, workplaces, schools and communities. In the midst of December busyness, Advent gently insists that we step aside from the rush and make room for what truly matters. Pope Leo XIV, once remarked, “To welcome Christ, we must first create silence in which His voice can be heard.” Advent provides the opportunity for that silence, offering space where joy can grow.

Waiting invokes many emotions: impatience, anxiety, longing, hope. But this holy waiting teaches something important — that we are not in control. Advent reminds us of our need for God, our dependence on God and our poverty. And it is precisely into this poverty that Christ comes. Advent is the season where our yearning encounters God’s faithful promise.

Scripture draws us into the ancient longing of Israel, who waited for the Messiah with hearts full of hope. Through the prophets, we hear of their dreams for freedom, forgiveness, peace and joy — dreams echoed in our lives today. Their trust in God’s promises strengthens our own. The fulfilment they longed for has already begun in Jesus. His birth in Bethlehem, his life among us, his death and rising, and the gift of His Spirit — all assure us that God keeps his word.

Yet, Advent not only looks backward but also forward. We prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus with grateful hearts as we welcome him anew into our lives. Christmas is not merely a remembrance; it is a tender and powerful encounter with God’s love today. And still, we look toward Christ’s coming in glory at the end of time. Preparing well for Christmas helps prepare our hearts for that final meeting too.

On this 1^st Sunday of Advent, Isaiah invites everyone to the mountain of the Lord — offering a universal peace where weapons become tools for growth and nations walk in God’s light. Jesus urges us to stay awake and be alert to his presence and his coming.

Advent is never about fear, it is about freedom, trust and joy. The God, who loved us enough to send His Son, comes again as Saviour and Friend. With hearts full of expectation, we pray: Come, Lord Jesus — and make our hearts ready for Your joy.

By Fr. Thomas O'Brien a.a.