Two words, two cries are delivered to us from this first Sunday of Advent in order to be able to live well, with spiritual wisdom and human maturity, the new liturgical season that opens today. The first cry rises from our hearts and expresses our desire: “If you God would only pierce the skies and came down!”. The second is an imperative that Jesus addresses to our life through the Gospel of Mark: “Watch!”. The two perspectives intersect: it is necessary to be vigilant to recognize the signs of the presence of God who descends and comes to dwell among us. We do not know the time, nor can we pretend to guess it. But we know that God is trustworthy and fulfills his promises, keeps his word. It is therefore a question of watching and waiting, opening every moment of our day to the encounter with the one who comes. We must wait for him in the night, as the light that illuminates our darkness; to the crowing of the cock, as a new principle that gives meaning to our life; in the morning, as the sun that illuminates and warms our commitments and our relationships; in the evening, as the fulfillment of our efforts and hopes. Discovering him coming in the daily folds of our existence, we will be able to learn to recognize him and welcome him promptly even on the last day, when the skies, already torn by his coming, will remain open to allow us to enter his Kingdom.

Commentary by Comunità di Dumenza

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves, Prinknash Abbey