Be vigilant at all times and pray - (Lk 21:36)
If this text were to be translated literally from Greek, it would have to be translated: " keep watch by praying at all times" The point is, for a Christian a form of vigilance is prayer. It is not a term: stay awake, that is, don’t sleep, and pray from time to time when something scares you. The Christian is vigilant when he is praying. This is our form of being vigilant.
Significantly, Jesus says: stay awake at all times. This is a task that never ends: a person must always be vigilant; his/her whole life is like Advent.
There is no celebration of Christmas after which there is nothing to wait for.
There is no level of faith experience beyond which there is nothing to wait for.
There is no such understanding of a word after which there is no need to re-read the word.
There is no such experience of the Eucharist that it makes no sense to miss the next one.
Everyday Man is vigilant
It would be terrible if at any point we will came to the conclusion that our faith is ready, closed. There is always time for prayer, which is waiting, which is wakefulness, which is still open to the future. Advent is all year around.
It is important that the vigilance is a prayer. Because in prayer we really look at God, not at ourselves. We learn vigilance in the prayer because we look at how God watches, how God waits. You can look at the waiting God. For example, reading the parable of the father who has two sons, one of whom has gone far. And when he comes back, his father sees him from a distance. This is the father who waits, who, regardless of what has happened to this son over the last years, sees him only as his son. And he runs to him, throw his arms around him, asks to dress him in the best robe, asks to bring sandals, asks to put a ring on his finger. This is how the Father waits: in God the Father vigilance is synonymous with love.
Then, when we are vigilant in prayer, we stand before God, wanting to get a bit of His love, longing to meet Him. That this Advent would end: Advent which is in God and Advent which is in man. So that it really comes to this point, when we will not wait for anything anymore - we will meet God face to face.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george