Isaiah 2.1-5 | Romans 13.11-14a | Matthew 24.37-44

We are inaugurating the new Liturgical Year with the Advent Season, our preparation for the second coming of Christ and for Christmas.
It is not a festive season, as one might imagine. Note that the liturgical color is purple, that is, an invitation to penance, repentance, and conversion. We have no flowers, no Hymn of Praise. It is an opportune season for reflection and for confessing through the sacrament of Reconciliation.
A traditional symbol is the Advent wreath, with its candles that mark the four weeks of this liturgical season. Its catechetical purpose is to help the faithful in the passage from the darkness of sin to welcome Christ, the rising sun, at Christmas (cf. Isaiah 9.2; Luke 1.78-79).
It would be very important to dedicate more time to prayer and charity towards the poorest. The Christmas novena in family and neighborhood is a great option. Let us organize charitable initiatives that purify us from our sins.
Today the evangelist Matthew speaks to us of the coming of the Son of Man, referring to the glorious return of Christ at the end of time (parousia, in Greek).
The expression "Son of Man" belongs to the apocalyptic literary genre, inspired by the prophet Daniel (cf. 7.13), in reference to the Messiah promised by the Lord to the Jews. Christians associated the Son of Man with Jesus, who has already come and who promised to return.
Jews and Christians prepare for the coming of the Son of Man. While in Judaism the coming of the Messiah is awaited, in Christianity the glorious return of Christ is awaited.
Jesus said that on the day and at the hour of the coming of the Son of Man, men and women would be living normally: eating, drinking, marrying, working in the fields, grinding at the mill. Therefore, it was necessary to watch and prepare, because the return could happen at any moment.
Jesus compared this important event to the flood and the breaking into a house by a thief. Unlike Noah and his family who entered the ark, they were all swept away by the waters because they ignored God's warning and noticed nothing (cf. Genesis 6-9).
Christians ardently desire the return of the Son of Man. That is why they cry out - especially during Advent: Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus (cf. Revelation 22,20); come quickly; come, for we await you; do not delay. Christians live in constant vigilance and preparation for the Parousia. While Christians live normally, without neglecting their responsibilities and their commitment to good, justice, and peace, they turn their hearts to Heaven, from where Christ will return in the clouds, clothed in power and glory, to judge the living and the dead.
Christians know that there are good things in this world, but mixed with injustices and violence. Christians desire that Christ return soon to rescue those who belong to Him, so that they do not perish at the hands of the piousless. It is believed that Christ's return is delayed because He is giving sinners the opportunity for repentance and conversion. It is the time of mercy that precedes the time of justice. By living in faith, hope, and charity, we hasten the glorious return of Christ.
Today the prophet Isaiah speaks to us of the invitation to the house of the Lord to be guided by His light.
All peoples and nations should go to the mountain of the house of the Lord so that He may show them His ways and teach them to fulfill His precepts.
Isaiah then beautifully prophesied that these peoples and nations would turn their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks: they would not take up arms against one another and would no longer wage war.
In this Advent Season, let us seek the Lord more intensely, walking in His ways, fulfilling His precepts, committing ourselves even more to peace, and allowing ourselves to be guided by the light of Christ.
Today, the apostle Paul speaks to us in his letter to the Romans about the present time as preparation for the salvation that is approaching.
The apostle compared the present days to a night of gluttony and drunkenness, of sexual orgies and immorality, of quarrels and rivalries, exhorting Christians to put off the deeds of darkness, to put on the armor of light, and to clothe themselves with Christ.
Christians are not pessimistic; they know that there is also goodness in the world. But neither are they naive; they know that evil exists and that it is urgently necessary to abandon sin and embrace the grace that God gives through Jesus Christ.
In this Advent Season, let us enter the confessional and, before the ordained minister, ask for sacramental forgiveness and receive absolution from the Church. Let us act honestly, as in broad daylight.