0
0
Image of The Last Judgement, c. 1100 AD icon, by John Tohabi, in the St. Catherine’s Monastery
Pope Francis’ Angelus Reflection for 1st Sunday of Advent 2024
“Come, Lord Jesus”.
1st Sunday of Advent Gospel
Luke 21:25-28: 34-36
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamor of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.
‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.’
Dear brothers and sisters,
The Gospel liturgy (Lk 21:25-28, 34-36), first Sunday of Advent, speaks to us of cosmic upheavals and of human anxiety and fear.
In this context, Jesus addresses a word of hope to His disciples: “stand with confidence before the Son of Man” .
The Master is anxious that their hearts should not become drowsy (cf. v. 34) and that they await the coming of the Son of Man with vigilance.
Jesus’ invitation is this: hold your head high and keep your hearts light and awake.
Indeed, many of Jesus’ contemporaries, faced with the catastrophic events they saw happening around them – persecutions, conflicts, natural disasters – were gripped by anxiety and thought that the end of the world was at hand.. Their hearts were weighed down with fear. Jesus, however, wanted to free them from their present anxieties and false convictions, by showing them how to stay awake in their hearts, how to read events in the light of God’s plan, who works salvation even within the most dramatic events of history. That is why He suggested that they turn their eyes to Heaven in order to understand the things of earth: “Stand upright and raise your heads” (v. 28). It is beautiful… “Stand erect and raise your heads”.
Brothers and sisters Jesus’ admonition is also important for us: “Take care that your hearts do not become slumbering” (v. 34).
We all ask ourselves at many moments in our lives: what can I do to have a light heart, a watchful heart, a free heart?
A heart that is not crushed by sadness? And sadness is terrible, it is terrible.
Indeed, it can happen that the anxieties, fears and worries about our personal lives or about what is happening in the world today weigh down on us like boulders and throw us into discouragement.
When worries weigh down our hearts and cause us to close in on ourselves, Jesus, on the contrary, invites us to lift our heads, to trust in his love that wants to save us and that comes close to us in every situation of our existence, he invites us to make room for him in order to find hope again.
And so, let us ask ourselves: is my heart weighed down by fear, worries and anxieties about the future? Do I know how to look at daily events and the vicissitudes of history with God’s eyes, in prayer, with a broader horizon?
Or do I I allow despondency to overcome me? May this time of Advent be a precious opportunity to turn our gaze to Him who enlightens our hearts and sustains us on our journey.
Let us now invoke the Virgin Mary, who even in times of trial was ready to accept God’s plan.
