The Advent season got underway Sunday and Pope Francis reminded Catholics to be aware of Christ’s coming at all times as the new liturgical year starts.

"Season of #Advent, let us be shaken out of our torpor to recognize God’s present in daily situations,” the pope said on Twitter this week. “If we are unaware of his coming today, we will also be unprepared when He arrives at the end of time. Let us remain vigilant!”

Sunday’s readings also underscored the need to stay ready and prepare for the coming of the Lord.

The Archdiocese of Detroit will host a Holy Hour every night during the season of Advent, a recent tweet from I AM HERE said. A different parish in the Archdiocese will hold the Holy Hour each night at 7 p.m. The tweet noted that spending time in front of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is the best way to prepare for His coming at Christmas. Sign up for a time by visiting iamhere.org/advent.

The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word meaning “coming,” Crosswalk.com said. Advent is typically thought of as a season of anticipating Christmas these days, but originally it was a time when early Christians would prepare for the baptisms of new Christians on the Epiphany. The Advent season also anticipated the Magi visiting the baby Jesus, Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, and Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana. Christians used the Advent season as a time for fasting and prayer. Advent became directly linked to Christ’s birth in the Middle Ages.

The first Sunday of Advent celebrates hope, Crosswalk said. Catholics pray and reflect on hope in God’s plan for deliverance through Christ.

On the first Sunday of Advent, Catholics light the first purple candle on their Advent wreaths, a Daily Press article said. The color purple represents the notions of preparation and repentance. The circular wreath symbolizes God’s eternal nature. The pink candle, which is lit on the third Sunday of Advent, signifies that the waiting period for Christ's birth is almost over.

“Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep,” the second of the USCCB Daily Readings said, in which St. Paul writes to the Romans (Romans 13:11-14). “For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.”