The First Sunday of Advent (Year C)

The Entrance Antiphon in today's Mass calls for an action: "To you, my God, I lift up my soul. I trust in you." The Responsorial Psalm repeats it. Advent invites us to ask ourselves deeply whether, in fact, this is what we are doing. What does it mean to lift up my soul, to trust in God? What visible actions in my life are a sign that I am?

The Opening Prayers tell us praying is not enough. Their key phrases are: "our hearts desire... our minds are searching.. increase our strength of will for doing good." To "lift up our soul" means to lift up our minds to see, our hearts to desire, our wills to make decisions and act. Only if we do this will the "dawn of his coming" find us "rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his truth."

Advent is a time of Evangelization: a time to hear again the "good news" - to excite and refocus our desires. To give us hope. To make us realize we want Jesus in our lives and how much we need him. A time to look at promises.