This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord - for his birth, which we celebrate anew on Christmas, and for his coming into our hearts, and for his coming in glory at the end of time. As always on the first Sunday of Advent, our readings this Sunday refer to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in glory at the end of time.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus reminds us of the importance of being prepared for his coming again. For, first, we do not know when this will happen. We do not know when the world and time will end. And if he the world does not end first, each of us will die, and we do not know when we will die. You could die today. I could die tomorrow. We do not know when we will encounter the Lord Jesus in his glory.

Second, when he comes again in glory, our destiny will depend on our having been prepared. If we are not prepared, we will be destroyed. If we are prepared, we will enter into his glory, into perfect happiness and peace, into heaven, the new Jerusalem depicted in our first reading from Isaiah's prophecy.

In our second reading, St. Paul reminds us of some of the things that we must avoid in order to be prepared for the Lord's coming. One might say, in summary, that we must avoid all that is contrary to the virtues of (especially) temperance and justice. Put differently, and positively - salvation is about being good, not merely about not being evil - we must develop and practice temperance and justice; moreover, we must practice these virtues as contained in and perfected by the virtue of love.

During the beautiful and holy season of Advent, let us grow in these virtues. Then in our celebration of Christmas, we will already begin to experience the light and peace of heaven.