Cycle B - Year I:

6 December 2020:  Second Sunday of Advent

(Liturgical Color: Violet)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11

Second Reading:   2 Peter 3:8-14Gospel: 

Please Read  Mark 1:1-8

"Prepare the way of the Lord!"

On the second Sunday of our Advent journey, the liturgy continues to exhort us to prepare and get ready for the big event that is Christmas Day.

A brief bible trivia:  Today's reading is the beginning of the Gospel narratives of the evangelist Mark. He starts his Gospel accounts simply with the appearance of John the Baptist in the desert and his ministry.

In contrast to other evangelists, Matthew and Luke begin their Gospel account with the Annunciation or the birth and ancestry of Jesus Himself.  And Gospel of St. John the Evangelist begins with the explanation that God sent John the Baptist and his mission to herald the Messiah.

Going back to Mark, the appearance of John the Baptist in the beginning of his Gospel account requires no explanation to his readers as John the Baptist was a powerful force in Israel before our Lord Jesus began His ministry.

Who, then, is John the Baptist, and what is the significant of his message in our lives today?

John the Baptist was the last of the prophets who was sent by God with a special mission to prepare the way for the Savior.  He was to make the way ready for the coming of the Messiah, God's anointed Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  It was John who announced the coming of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  Thus, the role of John the Baptist in our salvation history was very important because it was he who opened the way for Christ to start His public ministry.

As we noted earlier, St. Mark starts his Gospel account simply with the appearance of John the Baptist in the desert and his ministry.  St. Mark wrote: "John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins." (Mk 1:4-5)

To his listeners, John proclaims: "One higher than I is coming after me.  I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.  I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Mk 1:7-8)

And so we also take the role of John the Baptist in our own time.  Because we, too, are called to give testimony to, and proclaim the light and truth of Jesus Christ.  But first, we need to prepare ourselves for His coming through conversion and repentance, especially during this Advent Season, so that we can point others to Christ through the way we live, work, and speak.  Because we are the John the Baptist of our generation.

Speaking of repentance, it is like a door that opens to allow God's visit to our soul.  For while God's throne is in the highest heaven surrounded by majesty, glory and splendor, yet God's dwelling place on earth is found in a humble and contrite heart that repents sincerely.  Conversion is a continuing process, which starts with a decision to come into a personal and intimate relationship with the Lord.

The First Reading from Isaiah speaks of comfort for Jerusalem with the Promise of Salvation. But the people must prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness.

In the Second Reading, Peter encourages Christians to live Godly lives to prepare for Christ's second coming and look forward to the day of the Lord, which will come like a thief in the night.

In sum, the Church teaches that all who is baptized becomes "a man of mission" like John the Baptist, and our mission is to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of heaven through our faith, words and examples.  In other words, our mission especially this Advent Season and also the whole of our Christian life is to prepare the way for Christ's coming on His birthday on Christmas Day, His coming in our lives through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, and His final coming at the end of times.

Lighting of the Advent Wreath:

Before the Mass proper, we re-light the first candle of Hope, and now we light the second Candle of Peace.  We ask for courage to make peace: peace in our hearts, peace in our homes, and peace in our communities.

Let us pray as we continue with our Advent pilgrimage:

"Lord, let Your light burn brightly in my heart that I may know the joy and freedom of Your kingdom.  Fill me up with the Holy Spirit and empower me to witness the truth of Your Gospel, so that by words and examples I can point others to our Lord Jesus Christ wherever I am..... at home and workplace. Amen."

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

 Cycle B - Year I:  

29 November 2020:  First Sunday of Advent

(Liturgical Color: Violet)

Readings:

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

Second Reading:   1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Gospel:  Please Read  Mark 13:3-9

"Be watchful! Be alert!"

The Catholic Church starts this Sunday a new liturgical year in our journey of faith with the Season of Advent, more popularly experienced as the Christmas Season.

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

The Church invites us to reflect during the Advent season in three ways:  first, and the most obvious, as a time of preparation for the Solemnities of Christmas, in which we remember the First Coming of our Savior Jesus Christ to humanity; second, looking forward to Christ's Second Coming at the end of time; and also, we reflect on the coming of our Lord Jesus in our lives through grace and the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

Our Evangelist during this new liturgical year (Cycle B, Year I) is mostly Saint 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.

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

To help us understand better the urgency with which we should anticipate the Lord's return in glory, 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.

How can we make use of the Advent Season 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 last, we should dedicate ourselves to intensified prayer, for example, meditating on the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. All these are among the most effective ways of being prepared and watchful during the Advent Season.

Now, let us begin our Advent pilgrimage by lighting the candle of Hope (in the Advent Wreath)... a hope for new beginning in our journey of faith toward the Father's House.  Amen.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!