The need for watchfulness

Today is the First Sunday of Advent, which officially marks the start of the Christmas celebration. It is also the beginning of the new Liturgical cycle. Last Sunday was the end of the first cycle in this three-year cycle, which ended with the Judgment of Nation and the celebration of Christ the King (Cristo Rey). The start of the new Liturgical Year always begins with the first Sunday of Advent.

These Liturgical cycles had its beginnings from the Second Vatican Council, whose objective is to evangelize Catholics in a three-year cycle wherein after three years, faithful Catholics who listen to the Sunday homilies get to know salvation history even if they can't read the Bible.

These readings are called Cycle A, B, and C) with Cycle A featuring the Gospel of St. Matthew. Cycle B features the Gospel of Mark and Cycle C features the Gospel of Luke. Of course they also insert many other teachings from the Bible depending on the time.

Today we begin the Liturgical Cycle B, which is the Gospel of Mark. So we start with this first of many teachings from our Lord Jesus Christ in this Sunday's gospel entitled "The Need for Watchfulness" which you can find in your Bible in Mark 13: 33-37.

[Jesus said to his disciples,] 33 "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. 35 Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming; whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. 36 May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to all: watch!"

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This scripture teaching by our Lord is easy to decipher as he is speaking very plainly. So what does it mean to be watchful and alert? Put yourself in the place of one of the servants, especially the gatekeeper. How will you know that the lord and master of the house would suddenly return?

So you have to be watchful and be on the alert for you do not know the time and hour when the lord and master would return to the house. Just imagine if the lord and master returns and you are asleep. That's the end of your job. How many security guards have lost their jobs because they were sleeping on the job?

But since our Lord Jesus Christ is speaking plainly, the real lesson we must learn from him is for us to be watchful that at anytime, we could lose our lives… not our lives here on earth… but we could lose our chance to live an eternal life. First of all, we must accept that we are frail human beings that more often than not succumb to temptation whether it is a temptation to overeat, to steal or be corrupted or the temptation of a pretty woman that causes us to commit sin.

Because he took on the task to become a human being, our Lord Jesus Christ knows the human heart. We were born innocent and therefore a good person. However, the evil one always lurks around the corner and more often than not, we then fall into sin.

So to give a chance for us sinful humans, open your Bibles to Matt. 16:19 and read what our Lord Jesus Christ said to Peter and his disciples, "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Let me remind you that we are talking here about God's Divine Mercy. This is why we must thank God for even if we are sinners and therefore not because of our worth, but because of God's divine love he has not condemned us but rather allowed the Sacrament of Confession so we can be reconciled to God who is displeased with our constant sinfulness, but would forgive our contrite heart.

Often, our separated Christian brethren would insist that we do not need to confess anymore as our Lord Jesus Christ already saved us when he died on the cross. If so, why did he have to mention Matt. 16: 19 in the first place. But then, he didn't just mention this only once. Open your Bible to John 20:22-23,  "And when he had said this, he breathe on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

This is the very foundation of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which the Catholic Church practiced from the very beginning of Christianity.