Homily for 1 Dec 2016

1 Dec 2016

Daydreaming, sleeping, watching TV . . . those are things we can do without really thinking about it.  We don’t have to be alert to do those things.  But what about sports, and school work . . . you can’t do those very well without being awake.  Imagine trying to play basketball and daydream at the same time . . . it doesn’t work. 

And that’s kind of what Jesus is trying to say in the gospel today.  He says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”  You know, it’s very easy to be asleep while we’re praying.  Whether it’s at Mass, or praying the rosary, or when we pray to God alone.  It’s really easy to just say words to Jesus, but not have any idea of what we’re saying. 

Just imagine trying to have a conversation with somebody, while daydreaming at the same time . . . it doesn’t work.  And that’s because it takes attention, it takes effort to really have a conversation with somebody.  And the same goes with our prayer.  Prayer is only prayer if we’re paying attention to what we’re doing.  Otherwise, it’s just words.

Daydreaming, sleeping, watching TV . . . those are things we can do without really thinking about it.  But prayer?  Being a relationship with Jesus?  Well, we have to be awake and attentive to do those things.  And that’s what Advent is about . . . it’s about waking up, and making our prayers to God real and true.