One reason we must be attentive to the Word of God is that Jesus shows us again and again what we often fail to see. One reason we are drawn to the Eucharist is that we know it is God's way to nourish and unite us. With the strength that God's grace provides, we receive courage to live our faith and to respond to people in need. We need Christ in Word and Sacrament for the strength to practice what we profess. We began a new liturgical year last week with the First Sunday of Advent.
Advent literally means the coming or arrival of something really important.
As Christians we know that the goal of our waiting and anticipation is Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Our faith tells us that the first coming of Jesus, at Christmas, is so important that we must prepare for it by prayer and penance. This demands conversion. I must welcome God into my life, just as I will welcome my family into my home during the holidays. We must also prepare for the second coming of Christ, that moment at the end of the world when the Lord will judge the living and the dead by separating the sheep and the goats, the good and the bad.