On the night of April 15, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank. Over 1,500 people lost their lives in one of the worst sea disasters in history. A few years ago a magazine recalled the great disaster and asked its readers this shocking question: “If we’d been on the Titanic when it sank, would we have rearranged the deck chairs?” At first we say to ourselves, What a ridiculous question! No one in his right mind would ignore wailing sirens on a sinking ship and rearrange its deck chairs! No one with an ounce of sanity would ignore the shouts of drowning people and keep rearranging deck chairs. But as you continue to read the article, you see the reason for the strange question. And suddenly we ask ourselves, “Are we , perhaps, rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship?” For example, are we so caught up with material things in life that we are giving a backseat to spiritual things? Are we so busy making a living that we are forgetting the purpose of life? Are we so taken up with the things of life that we are forgetting why God gave us life? When you think of the state of our world and some people are getting up at 3 a.m. to buy a pair of sweat pants at Old Navy on Black Friday, you have to wonder, are we rearranging deck chairs as the ship is sinking?

Strangely enough, the question, “Are we rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship?” is the very question the Church asks us in the season of Advent. All three readings in today’s Mass, in one way or another, invite us to ask ourselves, “Are we rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship?” All three readings invite us to ask ourselves, “Are we so caught up with this life that we are forgetting it is only a preparation for a life to come. In the Gospel today Jesus warns us, “Beware that our hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.” Jesus tells us to watch and pray. Watch and pray for the coming of the Lord. We hear this theme repeated again and again in different ways in the Gospel. Jesus says, “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come...whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow...what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” Advent invites us to watch and pray “come thou long expected Jesus.”

There is a new book called “Have a little Faith” by Mitch Albom, he is also the author of “Tuesdays with Morrie.” In the book he quotes his rabbi...a quote that was in our bulletin a few weeks ago. “A man seeks employment on a farm. He hands his letter of recommendation to his new employer. It read simply, “He sleeps in a storm.” The owner is desperate for help, so he hires the man. Several weeks pass and suddenly in the middle of the night, a powerful storm rips through the valley. Awakened by the swirling rain and howling wind, the owner leaps out of bed. He calls for his new hired hand, but the man is sleeping soundly. So he dashes off to the barn. He sees, to his amazement, that the animals are secure with plenty of feed. He runs out to the field. He sees the bales of wheat have been bound and are wrapped in tarpaulins. He races to the silo. The doors are latched, and the grain is dry. And then he understands. “He sleeps in a storm.” My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of “I could have, I should have.” We can sleep in a storm. And when it’s time, our good-byes will be complete.”

Advent is a reminder to all of us that we do not know when it will be our time. We do not know when the storm will hit but if we have lived faithfully day in and day out we will have nothing to worry about - we can sleep in a storm. My own brother’s sudden death made that point very clear to me. Advent reminds us to be vigilant at all times and to pray with confidence - “Come thou long expected Jesus” - for those who are faithful there is nothing to fear...there is actually an eagerness to meet the Lord. So the call of Advent is to be vigilant. Being vigilant means forgiving the offender; dedicating our lives to caring for the poor and infirm; challenging the world powers to protect life and to pursue peace; sharing from our limited resources; raising a good family even under stressful conditions; protecting the environment; speaking up to local and national governments for just legislation; struggling to get a health plan for the poor.

Be vigilant...there is work to be done - we must watch for ways to put into action the faith we profess. Advent has begun...yes, there are presents that need to be bought, cards need to be sent...families will gather...carols will be sung...but these are not the essentials of Advent - let us not forget the deeper meaning of these dark days of December. We are called to live as faithful children of God - as children of light and when we live faithfully we eagerly pray, “Come Thou Long-expected Jesus.”