This first Sunday of Advent is also the day on which we commemorate the Apostle Andrew. I would therefore like to say ‘Happy Feast Day’ especially to the Sisters of St. Andrew, whose presence in Ameugny for almost 60 years is a gift from God, and also to all the Andrews among us, known or hidden!

At the beginning of this new liturgical year, what do the Scriptures we have just heard tell us? The reading from the book of Isaiah announces peace. Isaiah's time was no easier than ours. In the 8th century BC, the Assyrian armies had invaded the land of Israel and threatened, like huge waves, to engulf Jerusalem as well. 

Today, as in the past, it is necessary and urgent to remember God's ability and desire to turn swords into ploughshares, weapons of war into tools of life. “Many peoples shall no longer train for war.” Living this hope is a challenge and a balm, a comfort. I think especially of Jihan and Daoud from the Tent of Nations near to Bethlehem who are with us these days. They live from this hope. 

The invitation to walk “in the light of the Lord” is there for all of us. We who listen to the word of God in this time of uncertainty, anxiety and war can find in Isaiah a companion on the journey who encourages, challenges and strengthens us. 

The Gospel also encourages us: it encourages us to watch, to be ready for the coming of the Son of Man, Christ. Jesus evokes the days before the flood, a time when evil and violence took over: his coming will put an end to it. 

But he also says that the decisive moment will come in the midst of everyday life, when some are working in the fields and others at the mill. It is not only in extraordinary or dramatic moments that we must keep watch. Then Jesus says that his coming will be like a thief in the night: it is impossible to know the hour.

What reaction do these words of Jesus provoke in me? Fear? A feeling of powerlessness? Jesus compared to a thief... that can make us feel uncomfortable or even disturbed. 

Nevertheless, in a world where we want to control everything, must we not recognise that some things escape our desire to know and understand all things? We cannot fix everything, we cannot put everything in order. 

Yet the attitude we are asked to adopt is neither weariness nor passivity: it is a patient and active waiting that discerns the signs of God's presence. God has chosen to live among us and always comes to us humbly, in the midst of the complexity of our times. 

Are we not invited to remain awake, ready to walk towards the light of Christ's birth, which is already shining? Does it not illuminate the path where we are called to watch over the gift he entrusts to us: his peace for our hearts and peace on earth?

Christ Jesus, help us to watch and be ready to welcome you at every moment. Humble presence knocking at the door of our hearts, you prepare us and come to us often without our knowing it: through your Word, through those who challenge us in our daily lives, and through the whisper of your Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Come, Christ Jesus, come!