Prepare to welcome Christ with a vigilant heart, Pope says as Advent begins (Vatican Press Office)

In his Angelus address for the First Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis called for vigilance in the Christian life to help guard against apathy.

“The secret to being vigilant is prayer,” he said. “Even during our busiest days, we must not neglect prayer. The prayer of the heart can be helpful for us, repeating often brief invocations. For example, during Advent, we could make a habit of saying, ‘Come, Lord Jesus.’”

“And now we pray to the Madonna: may she who awaited the Lord with a vigilant heart accompany us during our Advent journey,” Pope Francis concluded.