My sister is always fixing up her house – inside and outside. Home Depot Credit card. Anyone who visits her has to work. This first Sunday of Advent invites us to remember that at our baptism we became a “dwelling place for God.” And as such we are invited to do some necessary “home improvements” in our lives so that God can be more powerfully present there.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to “beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from various activities of the world.” These are the ways of thinking, speaking, and acting that weaken our spiritual house from within – making us a less worthy temple. St. Paul, in the 2nd reading, urges us to be blameless and holy before God. This is the home improvement God rejoices in. Jeremiah, in the 1st reading, tells us that the Lord is a Lord of justice, and reminds us that we should live in a right relationship, not only with God, but also other people and our world.

Let us make this Advent season a 4-week series of “Extreme Makeover – the Home Edition.” Let it be an opportunity to renew and refresh ourselves on God’s dwelling place. A time to patch up the holes in our hearts. A time to put a fresh coat of paint on our souls. For this is the task God inspires us to and brings to fulfillment on the ways to Christmas.