“It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11)

Our verse for December comes from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans written around the year 57 A.D. to a diverse Christian community living at the heart of the Roman Empire. Paul had not yet visited Rome, but he wrote with pastoral urgency, encouraging Jewish and Gentile Christians to live in harmony and to persevere in faith amid social pressures and moral confusion. Chapter 13 of the letter deals with living honorably and preparing for the Lord’s return. When Paul urges the community to “awake from sleep,” he is calling them out of spiritual complacency. The “sleep” he speaks of is a state of moral drowsiness, a dullness of heart that forgets the nearness of Christ. For the early Church, salvation was not just a distant promise but an ever-approaching reality; each day brought them closer to the full unveiling of Christ’s Kingdom. Paul’s words were a trumpet blast to awaken the hearts of believers to live with vigilance, holiness, and hope.

This same call greets us as we enter the holy season of Advent and begin a new liturgical year, Cycle A. Advent, from the Latin adventus meaning “coming,” is the season of longing, preparation, and watchful waiting for the Lord. We await His coming at Christmas, but also His coming again in glory. This weekend at Mass, we bless the Advent wreath and light the first of four candles, each one marking the passage of time and deepening the light that pierces the darkness. The first candle represents hope, the bright promise that no night is too long, no shadow too deep for the dawn of Christ. In this way, the Advent wreath becomes a silent but powerful symbol. Each flame reminds us, as Paul did, that the night is far gone, and the day is near at hand.

Romans 13:11, then, is a perfect summons to hope. To awaken from sleep means to resist the despair that can settle in our lives like winter snow- perhaps unnoticed at first but quickly accumulating and becoming immobilizing. The Christian virtue of hope is not wishful thinking, but a confident trust that God is working, even now, to fulfill His promises. It urges us to live alert and upright lives, especially in this season of preparation. Paul’s words stir us to take stock of our spiritual habits and to begin again with fresh resolve, to trust that Christ truly is nearer now than when we first believed.

This week, we on December 3, we also honor the patron of our parish church in Winthrop, St. Francis Xavier. A missionary and companion of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Francis left his home in Spain to evangelize in India, Japan, and beyond in the 16th century. He endured storms at sea, opposition from political authorities, and the fatigue of long travel. Yet he pressed forward, preaching Christ to people who had never heard His name. His hope in the Gospel’s power was unwavering. Francis lived Romans 13:11 with bold clarity, his every action testified that now was the time to awake and proclaim salvation.

As we begin this new liturgical year, may we follow St. Francis Xavier’s example. Let us rise from spiritual sleep, renew our hope in Christ, and prepare our hearts for His coming. This week, ask yourself: where have I grown spiritually drowsy? What small act of faith or courage might the Lord be calling me to now? Do not delay. The hour has come. Christ is near.