Happy New Year, Catholics.
Today we step into a new beginning in the life of the Church. We enter the quiet yet powerful season of Advent, a time whose very name comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning coming. In this sacred season, we turn our hearts toward the coming of our Savior. He is not a king seated upon a golden throne. He is not clothed in velvet robes or crowned with jewels. Instead, He comes to us in the gentleness of humility and in the simplicity of love.
As I reflected on this, a question rose within me. Who am I truly waiting for, when Jesus was already born in Bethlehem centuries ago? This question lingered in my mind like a whisper that refuses to be ignored.
This year, known as Cycle A in the liturgical calendar, invites us to listen more closely to the Gospel according to Matthew. And on this First Sunday of Advent, the readings call us to stay awake and to remain alert, for we do not know the day or the hour when the Lord will come. At first, this message may sound like a warning. It may feel like a reminder that the end can arrive unexpectedly, just as a thief enters a house without announcement. If we receive it only in this way, waiting becomes frightening. Yet the Gospel wants to lead us into something deeper than fear.
I remembered an experience that unexpectedly revealed this truth to me. Not long ago, when Fr. Patrick asked me to accompany Fr. Ryan for vocation promotion in the Diocese of Calbayog, I arrived at the airport very early. My flight was scheduled for six o’clock in the morning, so I reached the airport at four. The place was still quiet. While waiting for the boarding announcement, I felt my eyelids grow heavy, and I allowed myself to take a short nap. When I opened my eyes, my heart jumped. The shuttle bus was already outside, ready to bring passengers to the plane, and only a few people remained. The words that escaped my mouth trembled with gratitude. Thank you, Lord, for waking me up and not letting me miss my flight.
This simple moment opened my eyes to the difference between two Filipino words that we often use interchangeably. The first is paghihintay, which is true waiting. The second is pagtatambay, which happens when someone simply sits or stands somewhere without waiting for anyone or doing anything meaningful. As I reflected on this, I understood what the Gospel was inviting me to see. The call of Advent is not a call to fear. It doesn't tell you to be scared. It is an invitation to stop loitering in life and to become people who genuinely wait.
A person who waits is not passive. True waiting is active. It is filled with preparation, longing and love. When we wait for someone important, every moment becomes meaningful. We prepare the room, we ready our hearts, we brighten our spirits. Waiting becomes a form of service, just as a waiter serves with attention and readiness.When I returned to the question that troubled me earlier, I finally understood its answer. Who am I waiting for when Jesus has already been born? The truth is that Jesus has been waiting for me far longer than I have ever waited for Him. Just like that morning at the airport, I thought I was waiting for the flight. Yet the flight was already prepared. The shuttle was already waiting. It was I who was unprepared. I was not waiting. I was only loitering.
As we light the first candle of the Advent wreath, may the flame awaken in us the virtue of hope. This hope reminds us that Jesus has already come and continues to come to us in every moment. Advent becomes the gentle season that prepares our hearts to welcome Him anew. It becomes a time of opening our lives so that He may find in us a humble place where He can rest, just as He once rested in a manger in Bethlehem.
I remember the words a priest once told me in confession. He encouraged me to seek the intercession of Mama Mary. If Mary, in her humility and courage, was able to bring Jesus into the world, then perhaps we too may bring Jesus into our hearts. And perhaps, in doing so, we may become living mangers, carrying Christ to a world that longs for light.
