INTRODUCTION
Today marks the beginning of Advent, a time of waiting, a time to live with our hearts turned towards God but with our feet firmly planted in the ground. Just as a Scout should live every day! In a world where we want “everything, right away,” this liturgical season invites us to slow down, to remain much more united with God, He who holds the map to lead us to the fullness of life that our hearts so desire.
GOSPEL
In the Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent, we find three verses that I consider to be precious for our Advent and Scouting journey:
- Stand erect and raise your head
- Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
- Be vigilant at all times and pray
STAND ERECT AND RAISE YOUR HEAD
This phrase invites us not to let discouragement take up a place at our table, not to let it take shelter in our heart. It suggests two verbs that should pull us out of the state of dryness and apathy:
- Stand erect: this is a strong invitation to give new impetus to life and not to remain crushed or immobilised by the many daily battles, disappointments, and fatigue.
- Raise your head: this invites us to stop walking around looking only at each day that passes but to go further, to see and live each day as a gift where we can act in God’s name, despite our shortcomings and weaknesses. The Lord is calling you to live out good deeds every day, not just in scouting. Be an ambassador of hope in your family, at school, at work, with your friends, etc.
BEWARE THAT YOUR HEARTS DO NOT BECOME DROWSY
These words express God’s tenderness for each one of us. Jesus is not asking for performances, figures, or grandiose efforts to achieve extraordinary things. Jesus is asking you to make your ordinary life extraordinary thanks to His presence in your heart! Jesus wants to become a safe, warm, and strong haven for us. This phrase is also an invitation to distance ourselves from things that weigh us down and somehow make us slaves to life:
- Think about all the things that make your life difficult!
- Identify what’s not giving you life but making you feel tired!
Don’t be afraid to look yourself in the eye and decide to change your path to one that is full and rich with inner peace. But be careful: this path must conform to God’s will and not to that of your own ego.
BE VIGILANT AT ALL TIMES AND PRAY
Another great invitation to live Advent to the full. Two other words that become pillars of faith:
- Be vigilant: being sentries, being Scouts in the full sense of the word, young people who do not let themselves be seduced by the night, the blackness of life, or the negative ideas of this world. Young people who keep watch with the assurance of a new dawn, of a new day—in other words, who never lose hope and who are beacons of light and hope. But be careful, in order to be a vehicle of hope, you must first receive it: the source, the seed of hope, is the time you spend with God.
- Pray: reinforcing your dialogue with God. We waste so much time on futile things (social networks, gossip, idleness, etc.), and yet there never seems to be time to pray! Accept the invitation, find time for prayer, because praying is not just talking to God, it’s giving Him time to talk to you and for you. We all need to feel welcomed, supported, and loved by God.
CONCLUSION
So, happy new liturgical year, happy Advent—a journey that begins today, a journey in which you have many travelling companions, and in which your rucksack has been prepared by God with these verbs from today’s Gospel: rise up, lift up your head, take heed, keep watch, and pray! Make good use of them and always be ready, because faith is the light that will help you be a Scout who is always ready!