In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells His friends a little story. A man goes away on a long journey. Before he leaves, he puts his servants in charge of his house and gives each one a job to do. He tells the gatekeeper at the door to keep watch.

Nobody knows when the master will come home — in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning! So Jesus says: “Be on your guard, stay awake!” He doesn’t want the master to come and find them asleep. And Jesus says it to all of us: “Stay awake!”

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the start of a new Church year. Advent is our time to get ready — for Christmas, when we celebrate Jesus being born, and for the day Jesus will come again. We stay awake for Jesus by praying, being kind and doing our jobs with love, so our hearts are ready to welcome Him!