Cycle B - Year II:  

3 December 2017: First Sunday of Advent 

(Liturgical Color: Violet)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7

Second Reading:   1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Gospel:Please Read  Mark 13:33-37

A new hope.... a new beginning!

The Catholic Church starts this Sunday a new liturgical year in our journey of faith with the Season of advent.

Advent is a period of preparation, extending over four Sundays before Christmas. The word "advent" comes from Latin "adventus", meaning "arrival" or "coming". Thus, it is a preparation for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ on Christmas.

The Church invites us to reflect during the Advent Season in three ways: first, and the most obvious, is the celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas; second, the coming of Christ in our lives through grace and the Sacrament of the Eucharist; and finally, the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ at the end of time.

Our Evangelist during Year II of the liturgical year is mostly St. Mark. The theme of the Gospel narratives on the first Sunday of Advent is to be vigilant and alert: "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come." (Mk 13:33) We hear these words, or their equivalent, at the beginning of every Advent Season. Obviously, these are words from the past that direct us to the future. This interplay of past and future nicely reveals the character of Advent itself, and of Catholic life in general. Because how we receive our Lord at His birth will determine how we respond to Him at His return, or second coming.

The right attitude of a true Christian is that of faith and trust, rather than fear for the final coming. Thus, the first Sunday of Advent invites us to be awake, be prepared, hope and trust in God's loving mercy.

And to help us understand better the urgency with which we should anticipate the Lord's return in glory, our Lord Jesus compares us to servants awaiting their master's return but not knowing exactly when it will occur. This uncertainty should not leave us dreading the future. Rather, it should impel us to live in such a way that whenever Jesus returns, we will be found ready and waiting for Him. Our whole lives should be an ongoing preparation to meet the King of kings, and Lord of lords, whenever He should decide to return.

So then, how do we utilize Advent for our personal preparation?

Here are some practical suggestions: First, undertaking voluntary penances during the season of Advent by availing of the Sacrament of Reconciliation; second, dedicating a portion of what we might spend on gifts toward charitable causes as a way of mortifying the secular tendency to overindulge during the Christmas season; finally, but not the last, we should dedicate ourselves to intensified prayer, for example, meditating on the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. All thse are among the most effective ways of being watchful and alert during the Advent Season.

Let us then begin our Advent pilgrimage by lighting the candle of hope... a hope for new beginning in our journey of faith toward the Father's house. Amen.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!