1st Sunday of Advent – Year A

Fr. Mark Gatto

Preached: November 30, 2025

Keep Awake! This is the message we hear from Jesus as we begin the Season of Advent. Now I have tell you something about myself. When I was in the seminary studying I was well known for falling asleep in class. In fact, the other guys would sometimes bet on how quickly I would dose off. That is why I am very understanding if any of you fall asleep during my homily. One day as a joke my uncle gave me an ear piece that you put on your ear and when your head fell forward it would ring to wake you up. Very practical way to keep awake in class.

Falling asleep in class did not really matter much, but falling asleep spiritually really matters. Jesus speaks urgently to his disciples, “keep awake.” It is his message to you and me, “keep awake.” Falling asleep spiritually leads us away from a relationship with the living God. It blinds us to the beauty of our world and our life. It prevents us from being an instrument of God’s peace in the world.

What causes us to fall asleep spiritually? It is usually not something that happens due to some major event or happening. Usually it is just a slow drifting away without even realizing it is happening. Our hearts become cool and we lose our connection to the living God.

It is very much the same as what can happen in a marriage, or a friendship, or within families. Slowly we stop connecting, stop talking, stop listening to the other. Slowly we stop paying attention and reaching out to the other. Slowly the relationship becomes cold and empty.This can also happen to us spiritually in our relationship with God.

It can happen even when we are still coming to Mass, still acting as Christians on the surface. We can spend time talking about God, reading the Bible, but that does not substitute for talking with God. Spiritual death comes slowly when we stop talking with God.

Jesus realizes how easy it is for us to full asleep spiritually. What do we need to do to keep awake? Just like in any relationship, in a marriage, a friendship, a colleague, we need to do something to keep that relationship awake and alive. Here I will present just a few things that you might want to do during Advent to keep awake in your relationship with God.

1. Listen to Scripture. One challenge of a good relationship with friends or family, is to listen to them. In fact, listening carefully to another person is like a form of prayer. So, take some time to listen carefully to the Word of God in the Bible. Perhaps during Advent, plan on reading one of the gospels and listen carefully to what you hear there about Jesus.

2. Come to be at the Sacraments, especially the Sunday Mass. In a healthy relationship we need to find ways to be with those we love. We know how difficult it is when those we love live in another country or far away. It takes real effort to be with them. Spiritually, Jesus left us the Mass as a way for us to spend time with him. It takes some effort, some time, perhaps even sometravel to come and be with Jesus in the Eucharist. But, that time with Jesus is important to keep your heart from becoming cold.

3. Confession. Advent is a time when many will make the effort to celebrate the Sacrament of Confession. No community or relationship can continue to exist without forgiveness. Sometimes we fail each other, we let each other down, we hurt each other. It requires one who is ready to admit they were wrong, to confess that they are sorry. It requires another to say I forgive you.

This is true in any family or any community. It is so important that Jesus has left us a Sacrament to come and confess our sins and experience God’s forgiveness through the words and actions of the priest.

4. Apps for prayer. You might be surprised that I would suggest using Apps. It is true that Social media can be a distraction in our relationships and interfere with our communication. Also, our phones can take us away from prayer, take our attention away from God, lead us to fall asleep spiritually. But there are tools that can also help us. Apps that assist us to pray, that provide us with reminders to pay attention to God. Such good Apps can be like Jesus calling to us, Keep Awake. So, search for a good App that provides tools to lead you into prayer.

5. Silence. We cannot be with others in a good way if we do not take time for silence. Times of silence open our hearts to be able to hear others more clearly. This Advent commit to some times of silence, maybe in a church or maybe out on a walk or in a room in your house.

We need to honestly look to see if in our relationship with God we are not falling asleep. What do you need to do to keep awake? I was given an ear piece to keep me awake in class, what do you need to keep awake spiritually? Take some time to review your life, your relationship with God. Are you falling asleep?

What is one or two small things you can do during this Advent to Keep Awake? Listen to God by reading the gospels. Spend time with God in the Sacraments, especially the Mass. Confess your sins honestly in the Sacrament of Confession and experience God’s forgiveness. Find a good App that will help you in your prayer. Take some time of silence.

My homily today could have been very simple, the words of Jesus in his preaching in today’s
Gospel. Hear those words throughout this coming week. Keep Awake.