We begin a new Advent, a time of waiting, promise, and hope. The Gospel of this first Sunday (Mk 13:33–37) invites us to watch: “Be alert and keep watch, for you do not know when the time will come.” Jesus does not speak from fear, but from the certainty that God fulfills His promises. The vigilance He asks of us is an attitude of the heart, a way of living open to God’s presence, trusting that His coming transforms history and our lives.
Advent teaches us to wait, but not with passive waiting—rather, with active hope. To wait as Christians is not to resign ourselves; it is to stay awake, to look beyond what we see, to believe that God continues to act even when the world seems dark. Hope is that inner light that, even in the night, reminds us that the Lord is coming, that we are not alone, and that the last word will always belong to God.
This hope is reflected especially in so many people who, through their simple lives, become signs of God’s love. Let us think, for example, of a father of a family—a man of hope. Each day he rises early to work and provides for his loved ones. He does not ignore difficulties: economic uncertainty, the challenges of family life, fears for the future of his children. Yet he does not let worry defeat him. He knows that beyond what he can control, God walks with him.
This father does not wait with his arms crossed. His hope is expressed in concrete actions: in his effort to educate, in his fidelity to duty, in the silent love with which he supports his family, in the simple prayer each night when he entrusts his life to God. His children learn from him that hope is not an illusion but a strength that sustains and gives meaning. He is a watchman, like those in the Gospel: attentive, responsible, confident, open to what God wants to do in his life.
In this Advent, we too are called to be men and women of hope—to remain awake, to trust even when we do not see immediate results, to believe that God is always coming in new ways. May this season help us lift our gaze, renew our trust, and actively await the Lord who comes to save us.
Sr. Glecy Punongbayan, OP
