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First Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 63:16B-17, 19B; 64:2-7
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
I Corinthians I:3-9
Mark 13:33-37
Summary
You, LORD, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever.
Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
What I say to you, I say to all: “Watch!”
Reflection
Today’s readings urge us to reflect on the true “reason for the season”. Advent is a season of
joy, a time to be marked by faithful anticipation, by a yearning for the fulfillment of what
has been promised: the return of Christ. It is also a time of profound spiritual reflection that
leads to a personal transformation of faith…How will you live out this Advent season?
Watch!
Across the lush and arid landscapes of our lives, in the midst of every kind of abundance
and scarcity, God is faithfully with us and keeping us “firm to the end”. “Watch”, Jesus says,
urging his listeners and subsequent generations of believers to be ever watchful for his re-
turn. It is, after all, a fact of our faith: the beloved Master will indeed return and expect to be
welcomed…Are we unwearyingly anticipating and ready for his arrival? Or, are we distract-
ed and preoccupied with the consumerism that envelops the Advent season?
Seek!
We live in a world that is incessantly pursuing, searching, seeking and ultimately…
unfulfilled. The quest of worldly pursuits will only lead to a life that is famished and yearn-
ing; never quenching the thirst for more attainment. However, the quest of spiritual pursuits
will lead to a more fulfilled and meaningful live; always quenching the thirst for living water.
What are you seeking during this Advent season?
Restore!
In
Confessions
, Saint Augustine conveys the struggle for faithful identity and recalls those
crucial life episodes and events in which he reflects and celebrates God’s provident grace.
Listen to St. Augustine’s lament as he speaks from his heart and soul:
The house of my soul is too narrow for you to come in
to me; let it be enlarged by you. It is in ruins; restore it.
There is much about it which must offend your eyes; I
confess and know it.
But who will cleanse it? Or, to whom shall I cry but to
you?
Cleanse me from my secret faults, Lord…I believe, and
therefore I speak.