Advent 2013: What's coming up on December 1st

Let's take a look at the second reading that we will hear on December 1st, the first Sunday in Advent.

Romans 13:11
"Brothers and sisters:
You know the time;
it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.
For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed;
the night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light;
let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day,
not in orgies and drunkenness,
not in promiscuity and lust,
not in rivalry and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the desires of the flesh."

What I get from this is that Christ is going to come again, and we have to be ready. We don't know when He will come for the second time, but we have to be alert and watchful. You have to behave and do what God wants you to do. Do not indulge in sinfulness, but in holiness and good works. Let's take a look at some practical ways in which we can practice this.


  1. "Awake from sleep." We can all fall into lazy habits. We don't feel like saying the Rosary or we're too tired to read the Bible. Make time for those extra devotions that are easy to ignore.
  2. "Let us then throw off the works of darkness." Go to confession and carefully confess all of your sins. Then make a conscious effort not to do those things anymore. For example, if you're tempted to gossip when you're with a certain person, make a deliberate effort to change the subject if you start talking about other people.
  3. "Put on the armor of light" Go to Mass, pray, read the Catechism, or anything else that lifts your spirit and feeds your soul.
  4. "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh." Make note of the things that tempt you to sin, and avoid those things. Especially stay away from television shows or movies that have visual reminders of what you're not supposed to think about or do.
So there's some food for thought. Think on it, pray about it, and then when Advent rolls around (it's coming fast!) you'll have something prepared in your heart for Jesus.

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