LATEST HOMILY
First Sunday of ADVENT
November 30, 2025

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Focus: To be ready for the Kingdom of Heaven is to possess Spiritual Awareness.   

Function: Always be attentive to the tensions of life! 

A. Always be Aware of your environment. 

As a teen I practiced karate for about two years. And my sensei, from time to time, would give us, lectures during our training in the dojo. One of them I always remembered was his lecture on, being aware of your environment. He said that a good student is always aware of their, environment. A good student will pay attention to their, surroundings at all times. They would pay attention to, danger, to exit signs, those who are vulnerable and may, need help and even danger than may come in the form, of a person. He told the story of taking a stroll in, a random park one day and out of no where a coconut fell out of a Tree.  He jumped back in time fortunately enough, without being hit on the head. A person with that level of attentiveness has taken, years into practice of training their cognitive awareness. It does not take a karate sensei nor student to gain such, a level of awareness. It only takes a desire to sharpen the mind. To pay attention to the tension that surrounds them. And most importantly a hunger to see life in better frame, not absorbed with the self but absorbed of what is, going around one’s self and others. To have such an awareness my friends, is the basis of what Jesus means to stay awake. 

B. Spiritual Awareness 

Jesus reminds us in this first Sunday of Advent to stay, awake. The very first exhortation we here in this 1st, preparation day. It is not something that is alien to us. But something that we come ready to do. We come to, stay awake for the Savior’s, second coming. We prepare for the celebration of, Christmas, yes. But the we know well there is greater, emphasis here on the second coming. When Christ our, light shall appear in glory. But Advent is a season that reminds us of something, we should be doing every day. Being attentive to the, Lord’s coming. And not just His second coming but, for his personal coming into our lives. This is what we call the third advent. To prepare for the personal coming of Christ into our, lives is to have that same sort of awareness like the, sensei in the dojo. We must have spiritual awareness. We pay attention to the spiritual tension around us. We must be cognitive of the things of God. The question is: “How do we do that?” It’s a simple exercise but it takes work. It takes dedication, and it takes a deep desire for holiness. One of the ways we can start is asking ourselves, these series of questions: Do I prepare myself readily for Mass? Do I come inside and kneel in adoration before the, the Blessed Sacrament? Or do I standout side 10 minutes before Mass and chat? Do I pray with the readings of that Sunday before Mass, or do I just walk in and see what’s on the liturgical menu? Do I really take the examination of conscience seriously, at the beginning of the Mass or do I just say the words and, go through the motions? Do I practice other devotions that the Church gives, such as praying the rosary, doing Lectio Divina, or simply staying back in my pew at Mass to give, Thanks? Or do I just walk out at the last hymn? These are simple and small practices but with profound, Graces. They keep us focused on what is important in this life, and stir up the soul to be aware of the spiritual benefits, and dangers in life. They keep us hungry for Jesus, hungry for holiness, hungry for eternal things rather than temporal. They keep us awake for the coming of Christ. They give us spiritually awareness. When we here of Slumber in Scripture, it is an insult to the person that is in such a state. To be sleep is to be dead to the things of God yet, awake to the things of the world. To be absorb in the, self which is the real death. But to be have Spiritual, awareness is not to be dead to God neither to the world. To have spiritual awareness is to be awake to the signs, of the time. To see God moving in one’s life and in the, the lives of others and also to see how the evil one is trying to, destroy the lives of others as well. But do not be afraid and take courage. Drink the celestial caffeine which is the Blood of Christ. Allow the divine energy to surge through the soul, to run the race of the heavenly energized. No need you worry about physical athletics in this, journey called life. Rather exercise with the devotions God, Has given us. They don’t give you a trophy or a grand prize. But they give perseverance to run the race. To stare the course, to possess spiritual awareness, to stay awake. 

 Amen!