By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture - Advent begins with the same warning that ended the liturgical year: Be watchful. Stay awake. You do not know the day nor the hour (cf. Mt. 24:37-44). Jesus speaks these words not to frighten us, but to shake us free from spiritual lethargy. Advent is our time to wake up, purify our souls with God’s grace, and clear the obstacles that keep us from receiving Jesus—in Bethlehem, at the end of time, and at every Mass... Advent is the season of spiritual readiness for the coming of Jesus. Not paranoia, not anxiety: readiness. Jesus tells us to stay awake because He desires to come to us with mercy, not catch us off guard with judgment. The Church gives us these weeks to reorder our lives, examine our habits, and prepare the way of the Lord.