V/ My eyes are turned to you, O Lord.
R/ You are the joy and gladness of my youth.
V/ Grant me the Wisdom that sits by your throne.
R/ That I may dwell as a child in your presence.
Let us pray. Lord, in your loving design, you have drawn me here to encounter you in your Word and, in you, to find myself. Empower me by your Wisdom, that this meditation may be a font of transformation and freedom, bearing fruit for my salvation and that of the whole Church. Amen
CHRIST OUR HOPE IS PRESENT
By Chidi Ezeakacha, OCD
First Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 121:1-9; Romans 13: 11-14; Matthew 24: 37-44
30th November 2025
We stand at the threshold of a new liturgical year. This is the Season of Advent, a time of sacred anticipation. We have walked into this new cycle with joy and expectation, awaiting the coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Paradoxically, we stand at the dawn of a new year while simultaneously approaching the hour when the long night of waiting will cease. In this liminal space, we bear our candles, shining brightly against the encroaching shadows. On this First Sunday of Advent, we light and carry the candle of hope.
Our readings today invite us to reflect deeply on the word “Presence.” In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah issues a stirring summons to ascend the mountain of the Lord. He invites us to make ourselves present before God. Isaiah gazes into the hope the Lord has promised—a future of peace and instruction—and he is determined not to miss it. “Present yourself,” he implies, so that you may walk in the light of the Lord.
In the Gospel, Christ uses sobering, even frightening words to describe the days when the Son of Man becomes present at the end of time. He encourages a spirit of radical vigilance, warning us that the presence of the Son of Man will arrive unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. Furthermore, in the second reading, St Paul declares that the hour has come. He contrasts night with day, and darkness with light. Yet, while he calls us to wake from sleep and put on the “armour of light,” he explicitly exhorts us to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” For Paul, the armour is the person of Christ. As the presence of the final hour becomes imminent, our primary defence is to clothe ourselves in Him, the true hope of salvation.
Reflecting on this liturgy of the word, I urge you to ‘live in hope.’ However, by ‘live in hope,’ I do not merely mean living in our present time while looking wistfully into the future. Rather, we must ‘live in Hope’ because Christ is our Hope. He is here with us, and we must dwell in Him. In the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy, Christ has come to lighten our path, and our candle of hope burns brilliantly to attest to this reality. To alleviate the fears that the apocalyptic tone of the Gospel may provoke, remember that Christ is with us for eternity. He teaches us to cherish His presence now as He walks us through life toward His final coming.
Our Carmelite father, St John of the Cross, appeals to us to “live in faith and hope, though it be in darkness, for in this darkness God protects the soul.” Though we may sense the darkness of this age—a night of despair, sin, depression, or conflict—the candle we lit today reassures us of Christ’s abiding love. Let us cast off our gloomy looks and heed Paul’s words to cast off the works of darkness. St John of the Cross reminds us that “the endurance of darkness is the preparation for great light.” As we traverse our various nights, let us trust that they will give way to the Dawn. Do not resign yourself to fate; brace yourself and prepare for the Light, so it does not catch you unprepared.
Carry your candle of hope with care. Walk with Christ through the darkness. He is present to you; are you present to Him? Do you feel He is absent? As St John teaches, He is always present; often, we fail to see Him only because of the absence of our own hearts. We are journeying while living in a ‘realised Hope’—a Hope that is present to us now in the Eucharist and the Word, yet is also a glory still to be attained.
Rejoice, for Christ our Hope is present!
Prayer through the week
Lord Jesus, Eternal Dawn and Present Hope, as I stand at the threshold of new beginnings, I ask for the grace of radical vigilance. You are the Armour of Light; help me to clothe myself in You, casting off the works of darkness that cloud my vision. When the night feels long, and the shadows encroach, remind me of the teaching of our father, St John of the Cross: that You are protecting my soul even in the obscurity. Do not let me merely wait for a distant future, but grant me the eyes to see You here and now. You are present to me; grant me the stillness to be fully present to You. Amen.
Ponder:
1. Am I truly presenting myself to the Lord, or am I merely reciting words while my heart remains absent?
2. What do I need to strip away this Advent to be more effective?
3. How can I reframe a current struggle or period of spiritual dryness not as an abandonment, but as a protected time of preparation?
4. Do I treat Christ primarily as a future reward to be awaited, or do I recognise Him as a companion walking within me right now?
Practice for the week:
Every time you cross a threshold this week (entering the chapel, your office, or your home), or even a dark experience, pause for a brief second. physically or mentally acknowledge that you are entering a space where Christ is already present. Whisper the phrase: “You are here, and I put on the armour of light.” Allow this physical movement from room to room to mirror your spiritual movement from distraction to presence.
Commit to Heart: “He is present to you; be present to Him.”