Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 12-02-12, First Sunday of Advent

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 12-02-12 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

Archdiocese of Washington

A Recipe for Readiness – A Meditation on the Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent.

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

As we begin the Advent Season, we are immediately drawn into its principle theme of preparation and readiness for the coming of the Lord. The first coming of the Lord has already been fulfilled at Bethlehem. And while we should prepare spiritually for the coming Christmas Feast, these first weeks of Advent bid us to focus even more on the Second Coming of the Lord in Glory.

Thus, as the curtains draw back on the opening scenes of Advent we are given warning from the Lord that he will come on the clouds with great power and glory and we must be prepared. Beware! He says, Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.

The Gospel is taken from the Mt Olivet discourse, and as we saw two weeks ago, the historical context in which the Lord was speaking was not the end of the world, not the destruction of the cosmos, but was the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. It was however, for those ancient Jews, the end of the world as they knew it. And for us as well, the destruction of Ancient Jerusalem is also a paradigm (a symbol) of the end of the world, which, for us, will definitively end, either by our death and going to stand before the Lord, or by his coming to us, in the Second Coming.

Whatever the personal context will be for us, the message is the same: Be ready!

With that in mind we do well to study this Gospel and heed its message, set forth in two stages.

I. DOUBLE VISION - The Gospel opens with a description of tribulations that are about to come on the Land. Bu in that description there is a twofold reaction that is described. Note the First the tribulation that is described and first of two reactions that is intertwined with it:

There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

And thus we see all the political powers weak and in dismay, and fixed points in this world such as the sun, moon and stars, the sea and the land, shaken. And this will cause many to be frightened, in shock, bewilderment and dismay. And thus is described the first reaction of one group of human being.

But note that not all human beings do react this way. There is a second reaction that is prescribed and described:

But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.

Yes, a very different reaction, one of expectant joy and of serene confidence. And so we see here a kind of “double-vision.”

1. Some cry out with fear and say “He is wrathful!” Others with faith say “He is Wonderful!”
2. To some he is frightening, to others fabulous.
3. To some, these events are awful, to others Awe-inspiring.
4. Some shout “Horror on every side!” others sing “Hallelujah to the King of Kings!

Thus, there is the dread of the defeated and the delight of the delivered. Of those who experience dread other Scriptures say

1. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. (Rev 1:7)
2. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Rev 6:15-17)

And of those who experience delight other Scriptures say:

1. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev 22:20)
2. Come, O Lord! (1 Cor 16:22)
3. Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book. (Rev 22:7)
4. He who is coming will come and will not delay. My righteous will live by faith….we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. (Hebrews 10:37,39)
5. In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Rom 8:37)
6. Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. (Malachi 4:1-2)

Yes, a kind of double vision, a double and very different experience of the same reality. The difference of course as we shall see is sin and grace, and with which “army” we have allied ourselves.

Consider as an image, the Civil War. As with any war, the issues were complex which led to arms be taken up. But it is simply not possible to extract from the mix the egregious injustice and sin of slavery. And, as the Northern troops swept (often ruthlessly) through the South there were some who saw only destruction and conquest. But there were others who saw something very different. An old spiritual from the time said:

Oh the slave folk say “Ho! Ho!
And the master says, “Oh No!”
And it must be now that the kingdom’s coming
In the year of Jubilo!

Yes, a double vision. For some, the definitive end to power and the “South” they knew. To others, vindication and freedom.
But in order for us to celebrate on that day when the Lord shall come, there are prerequisites that must be met. And that leads us to the next stage of this Gospel.

II. DIRECTIVES - The Lord goes on to instruct us in how to be ready for the Great and Terrible day of the Lord:

Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.

And herein the Lord gives us five basic directives of things to avoid, and practices to adopt in order that we be ready and able to greet him in all his Glory. It may be helpful to alter the order in which the Lord lists them since he announces the effect (drowsiness) and then the causes. This is typical of ancient practice. But for we moderns, it is more common to speak of causes and describe effects. Hence we proceed with a slightly different order:

1. DEBAUCHERY - In our text the Lord warns of the problem of  “carousing.” But the Greek word here is κραιπάλῃ (kraipale), meaning most literally,  the giddiness and headache caused by drinking wine to excess. More generally it means the excessive indulgence of all our passions, or living life to excess. Other translators render this word “dissipation” referring to the general squandering and loss of resources that results from excessive indulgence.

We of course live in times that are skilled in (over)supplying our every need. There is lots of potential for excess.  At the market there is not merely bread, but fifty different types of bread. Our oversupply and overindulgence is literally reflected in our bodies as obesity and its consequent diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and heart disease plagues us.

But it is not just food that is excessive, it is everything. We are excessively busy in the non-essentials of life and there are innumerable schemes to occupy our minds. Our minds are overstimulated so that we cannot hear that “still, small voice.” Most people have a very short attention span due to over-stimulation. All day long the noise of radio or mp3 player, the TV, DVD, CD’s, PC’s iPads, cell phones, all constantly seizing our attention. It jams our minds and break that union with Christ, even with our self. And then there the 24 hour news channels generating noise an hype about even ordinary events: “BREAKING NEWS!” Our e-mail is flooded with junk mail and every kind of alert and promotional, offering free products, services and false hopes. There are endless money schemes, Powerball, the numbers, sweepstakes. An oh the sales, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, post and pre holiday sales. Excess everywhere: news, money schemes, sales, deals. It is like the carnival hucksters: “step right up!” But it is worse since we cannot get away.

We spend, spend, spend then borrow, borrow, borrow. We need double incomes and to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10- 12 hours a day, so we can afford our lifestyles. Having “the goods” we are never there to enjoy them, and we sacrifice family on the altar of pleasure. We have an excess of everything except children, for they harm our ability to consume by denting our income.

Even our recreation is excessive. Our weekends and vacations often leave us exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week. A simple quiet weekend, reflecting on nature and God’s wonders, or spending quiet time at home with family? No way, its off to sporting events of our over scheduled (but fewer) children. The weekends meant for rest feature more shopping, and disquieting events like loud bars and often enervating  events like football games and drinking rituals related to same.

Yes, its all excess. It weighs us down, wearies us, cost a lot of time and money and isn’t really all that satisfying anyway. It is dissipation. In the end we have something like that headache and hung over feeling after a night of drinking of which the Greek word kraipale speaks. But up goes the cry anyway: “More! – Yes, “One more round.” Excess, dissipation, surfeiting, carousing, more, more more! And that leads next to:

2. DIVISIONS  - The Lord warns of the anxieties of daily life. Here the Greek word is μερίμναις (merimnais) meaning more literally “a part, separated from the whole;” “that which divides and fractures a person into parts.” And thus we see the human person, overwhelmed with excess, incapable of distinguishing the urgent from the important, the merely pleasurable form the productive. On account of our over-stimulation, our excess, we are pulled in many contrary directions. We are chasing butterflies. We can’t decide, our loyalties are divided and conflictual. We are endlessly distracted by a thousand contrary drives and concerns.

This is anxiety, the condition of being overwhelmed and divided by many and contrary drives, demands and priorities. Anxiety freezes and perplexes us. There is too much at stake and no central governing principle to direct our decisions. All of this overwhelms and clouds our mind and heart. We are anxious about many things and cannot determine the “one thing necessary” that will order all the details (cf Luke 10:42). This is anxiety and the Lord enumerates it as among those things that destroy our readiness to stand before him with joy. Next comes:

3. DRUNKENNESS – Here the Greek word is very straight forward: μέθῃ (methe), drunk on wine. But why do we drink? Frankly we drink to medicate our anxiety. Overwhelmed by the excess that leads to anxiety (inner division and conflict) we drink to medicate our sense of being overwhelmed. Something has to soothe us. And, instead of slowing down and seeking God, we drink. We anesthetize our mind. And it is not only alcohol that we use. We use things, people, power, sex, entertainment, diversions and distractions, all to soothe our mind, stirred up by tensions and anxieties.

This of course only deepens the central problem. For all these things only add to the very problem that has disturbed us in the first place: the kraipale that is excess and dissipation. For the solution is to get clear about our priorities, seek God and allow him to order our lives. But instead of seeking a clear mind, we do the opposite and tune out. A little wine is a gift from God, (cf Psalm 104:15) to cheer our hearts. But remember excess if the problem, and so we go beyond cheer to dull the mind.

To be sober is to have a clear mind, a mind that knows and is in touch with reality, goals and final ends. To be sober is to be alert, to be honest, to be be reasonable and to be acting in a way that bespeaks thoughtful, and deliberative movement toward a rational and worthy goal. The sober person acts consciously and purposefully toward a unifying goal, the goal that is being with God. St. Paul says, But this one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:13-14).

But lacking one unifying thing, and torn apart within and anxious on account of the excesses we insist on keeping, we dull our minds and use alcohol as a medicine for our stress, our anxiety, our inner divisions. The Lord calls us to clarity, but we retreat into an insobriety.We are, in effect hung over by indulging the excesses of this world and then “medicating” the inner divisions it created. Our minds go dull, we tune out. And all of this, the excess which leads to

4. DROWSINESS - The Lord says, Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy - The Greek word translated as drowsy here is βαρηθῶσιν (barethosin) meaning burdened, heavy-laden, overcome, or weighted down.  And thus we see that the effect that all of the above has in our lives is to weigh us down, to burden our hearts. Laden with excess, divided by contrary demands and medicating the stress with insobriety, our hearts become burdened and tired. They are no longer hearts inflamed and animated with love. They are hearts that have become weary, distracted, bored and  tired of holy things and of the Lord. Instead of being watchful in prayer, the drowsy heart weighted with sin, excess, division, and insobriety, sleeps on. It no longer keeps watch for the Lord whom it is called to love.

Yes the world, and our sinful preoccupations with it, weighs our hearts down. It captures our love and attention and we become drowsy toward spiritual things.

In the Garden the Lord asked the Apostles to pray. But they had spent their energy that night at table arguing with Jesus and debating among themselves about who was greatest. And divided within, they wanted Jesus, but they also wanted the world and its fame and power. Struck by the conflict and tension that Jesus’ words about suffering and dying brought, they were divided and anxious. And so they medicated it all, and tuned out. They likely had more than a few drinks of wine that night. Weighed down and exhausted by worldly preoccupations and priorities, their burdened hearts were too drowsy to pray. Drowsy, they slept. (But Satan did not sleep that night).

Consider the words of Jesus to the Church at Ephesus: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (Rev 2:5-6) Jesus also warns:  Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold (Mat 24:12). Yes, the sinful indulgence of the excess of sin, divides and stresses us. Since it is too much we tune out, and medicate our mind, and thus our hearts grow cold, burdened, and heavy with sin. Thus heavy and weary, our hearts go to sleep and we lose our first love.

What to do about this awful cycle? And thus comes the answer:

5. DUE DILIGENCE – The Lord says, Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.“

The Lord does not describe this terrible cycle of Debauchery (excess), Division (anxiety), Drunkenness (self-medication), and Drowsiness (heavy hearts) merely to define the problem. Having diagnosed our condition he prescribes the remedy of prayerful vigilance.

To be vigilantly prayerful is to be in living, conscious contact with God. It is to have our hearts and minds focused on the one thing necessary (cf Lk 10:42), and having this focus, to have our life ordered. With this order properly established our excesses regarding this world fall away, and the many anxieties and divisions associated with it depart. That having gone, we no longer need to medicate and soothe our anxious minds. This lightens our heart and its heaviness goes away. No it is free to love and desire with well ordered love.

Having set our sights on God, through vigilant prayer, everything else in our life becomes ordered. And when Christ comes, he will not come to disrupt our world, but to confirm what we are already used to, namely, that Jesus Christ is the center and meaning of my life.

Through prayerful vigilance we can stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. Why? We are used to seeing him and experiencing his authority. He thus comes not to destroy and usurp our disordered lives, but to confirm and fulfill what has always been true for us, the Jesus is the center of our lives.

[Salvation]

Sunday Gospel Reflections

First Sunday of Advent
Reading I: Jer 33:14-16 II: 1 Thes 3:12-4:2

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Gospel
Luke 21:25-28,34-36

25 "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,
²⁶ men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
²⁷ And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
³⁴ "But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare;
³⁵ for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth.
³⁶ But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man."

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Interesting Details

• This year of Luke begins with his version of the discourse on final days. The discourse consists of three main sections:
  - First section, 21:10-11, describes the end signs and tell us what to expect.
  - Center section, 21:20-23, the fate of Jerusalem.
  - Last section, 21:25-26, again describes the end signs and tell us what to do.
• During this period of teaching, Jesus spent the larger portion of His time in the temple. Jesus knew that His death was near so He taught all that was most urgent and critical for us to know. Precious gifts from a "dying man."
• The coming of the Day of the Lord was to be preceded by cosmic and natural events. Jesus warned us of His coming back, with the implication that He was the fulfillment of the Son of Man. Thus, the Day of the Lord is simultaneous with the coming back of the Son of Man.
• The end signs are universal, all of creation will be involved. This disproves false claims that a single catastrophe is an end sign.
• (v.28) "Your redemption is near": This verse bursts with a message of confidence and hope for disciples. In contrast to the cowardly actions of other man and woman (V.26-27), faithful disciples stand erect with heads held high, without fear and shame, to greet their faithful judge, Jesus, Son of Man.
• (v.34) Since about 95 percent of the population of Palestine at the time were poor peasants, this kind of warning would be directed to the wealthy who had both the leisure and opportunity to carouse, got drunk and be consumed by "worldly cares."

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One Main Point

Jesus will come again in glory. That should not cause fear but bring joy over our redemption.

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Reflections

• Have I prepared myself for the day the Lord comes? What do I have to do to be strong when He comes?
• Putting myself in the days that extraordinary events are happening, what actions will I take and what feelings will I have? Am I ready? Have I completely entrusted all things according to God's will?
• Have I placed complete faith in God when life presents obstacles on my path?

[Salvation]

Sunday, December 02, 2012
First Sunday of Advent (Blessing of Advent Wreath after homily)

First Reading: Psalm: Second Reading: Gospel:

Jeremiah 33:14-16 Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14 1 Thessalonians 3:12 -- 4:2 Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 "Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven." -- St Ephraem

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Just A Minute (Listen) Some of EWTN's most popular hosts and guests in a collection of one minute inspirational messages. A different message each time you click.

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The Angelus 

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 

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Information: St. Bibiana

Feast Day:	December 2
Born:	4th century in Rome
Died:	361
Patron of:	against epilepsy, against hangovers, against headaches, against insanity, against mental illness, epileptics, mentally ill people, single laywomen, torture victims

[Salvation]

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Bibiana

Feast Day: December 02
Born:(around)330 :: Died:361

Bibiana's father Flavian was a prefect of the city of Rome in early Christian times. He and his wife Dafrosa were good Christians and everyone knew it. So when Emperor Julian left the Catholic Church, he began harassing the Catholics.

Flavian was arrested, branded on the face with a hot iron and sent away from the country. After he died, his wife Dafrosa was also made a prisoner in her own house. This was only because of her good Christian life. Then she, too, was put to death.

Left alone with her sister, Demetria, Bibiana tried with all her heart to trust in God and pray. Everything they had was being taken from these young women. Then they were taken to court.

Poor Demetria was so frightened that she dropped dead at the judge's feet. Bibiana was handed over to a sinful woman, who was supposed to make her as evil as she was.

This woman tried by sweet words and many clever tricks to make Bibiana do wrong. But the saint refused. She was imprisoned in a madhouse and then brought back to court and beaten. Yet she held to her faith and purity as strongly as ever.

St. Bibiana was beaten to death with leaden scourges and her body was left to the dogs but none came near her. Two days later, a priest buried her at night beside her mother and sister.

A church was built over her grave. In the church garden, there grew a herb (plant) that cured headaches and epilepsy.

[annalex]

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 21
25.	And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves;	Et erunt signa in sole, et luna, et stellis, et in terris pressura gentium præ confusione sonitus maris, et fluctuum :	και εσται σημεια εν ηλιω και σεληνη και αστροις και επι της γης συνοχη εθνων εν απορια ηχουσης θαλασσης και σαλου
26.	Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved;	arescentibus hominibus præ timore, et exspectatione, quæ supervenient universo orbi : nam virtutes cælorum movebuntur :	αποψυχοντων ανθρωπων απο φοβου και προσδοκιας των επερχομενων τη οικουμενη αι γαρ δυναμεις των ουρανων σαλευθησονται
27.	And then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud, with great power and majesty.	et tunc videbunt Filium hominis venientem in nube cum potestate magna et majestate.	και τοτε οψονται τον υιον του ανθρωπου ερχομενον εν νεφελη μετα δυναμεως και δοξης πολλης
28.	But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand.	His autem fieri incipientibus, respicite, et levate capita vestra : quoniam appropinquat redemptio vestra.	αρχομενων δε τουτων γινεσθαι ανακυψατε και επαρατε τας κεφαλας υμων διοτι εγγιζει η απολυτρωσις υμων
[...]
34.	And take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly.	Attendite autem vobis, ne forte graventur corda vestra in crapula, et ebrietate, et curis hujus vitæ, et superveniat in vos repentina dies illa :	προσεχετε δε εαυτοις μηποτε βαρηθωσιν υμων αι καρδιαι εν κραιπαλη και μεθη και μεριμναις βιωτικαις και αιφνιδιος εφ υμας επιστη η ημερα εκεινη
35.	For as a snare shall it come upon all that sit upon the face of the whole earth.	tamquam laqueus enim superveniet in omnes qui sedent super faciem omnis terræ.	ως παγις γαρ επελευσεται επι παντας τους καθημενους επι προσωπον πασης της γης
36.	Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man.	Vigilate itaque, omni tempore orantes, ut digni habeamini fugere ista omnia quæ futura sunt, et stare ante Filium hominis.	αγρυπνειτε ουν εν παντι καιρω δεομενοι ινα καταξιωθητε εκφυγειν παντα τα μελλοντα γινεσθαι και σταθηναι εμπροσθεν του υιου του ανθρωπου

[annalex]

25. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26. Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

BEDE; The events which were to follow the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles He explains in regular order, saying, There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars.

AMBROSE; All which signs are more clearly described in Matthew, Then shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven.

EUSEB. For at that time when the end of this perishing life shall be accomplished, and, as the Apostle says, The fashion of this world passes away, then shall succeed a new world in which instead of sensible light, Christ Himself shall shine as a sunbeam, and as the King of the new world, and so mighty and glorious will be His light, that the sun which now dazzles so brightly, and the moon and all the stars, shall be hidden by the coming of a far greater light.

CHRYS For as in this world the moon and the stars are soon dimmed by the rising of the sun, so at the glorious appearance of Christ shall the sun become dark, and the moon not shed her ray, and the stars shall fall from heaven, stripped of their former attire, that they may put on the robe of a better light.

EUSEB. What things shall befall the world after the darkening of the orbs of light, and whence shall arise the straitening of nations, He next explains as follows, And of the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea. Wherein He seems to teach, that the beginning of the universal change will be owing to the failing of the watery substance. For this being first absorbed or congealed, so that no longer is heard the roaring of the sea, nor do the waves reach the shore because of the exceeding drought, the other parts of the world, ceasing to obtain the usual vapor which came forth from the watery matter, shall undergo a revolution. Accordingly since the appearance of Christ must put down the prodigies which resist God, namely, those of Antichrist, the beginnings of wrath shall take their rise from droughts, such as that neither storm nor roaring of the sea be any more heard.

And this event shall be succeeded by the distress of the men who survive; as it follows, Men's hearts being dried up for fear, and looking after those things which shall come upon the whole world. But the things that shall then come upon the world He proceeds to declare, adding, For the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

THEOPHYL. Or else, When the higher world shall be changed, then also the lower elements shall suffer loss; whence it follows, And on the earth distress of nations, &c. As if He said, the sea shall roar terribly, and its shores shall be shaken with the tempest, so that of the people and nations of the earth there shall be distress, that is, a universal misery, so that they shall pine away from fear and expectation of the evils which are coming upon the world.

AUG. But you will say, your punishment compels you to confess that the end is now approaching, seeing the fulfillment of that which was foretold. For it is certain there is no country, no place in our time, which is not affected or troubled. But if those evils which mankind now suffer are sure signs that our Lord is now about to come, what means that which the Apostle says, For when they shall say peace and safety. Let us see then if it be not perhaps better to understand the words of prophecy to be not so fulfilled, but rather that they will come to pass when the tribulation of the whole world shall be such that it shall belong to the Church, which shall be troubled by the whole world, not to those who shall trouble it. For they are those who shall say, Peace and safety. But now these evils which are counted the greatest and most immoderate, we see to be common to both the kingdoms of Christ and the Devil. For the good and the evil are alike afflicted with them, and among these great evils is the yet universal resort to licentious feasts. Is not this the being dried up from fear, or rather the being burnt up from lust?

THEOPHYL. But not only shall men be tossed about when the world shall be changed, but angels even shall stand amazed at the terrible revolutions of the universe. Hence it follows, And the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

GREG. For whom does He call the powers of heaven, but the angels, dominions, principalities, and powers? which at the coming of the strict Judge shall then appear visibly to our eyes, that they may strictly exact judgment of us, seeing that now our invisible Creator patiently bears with us.

EUSEB. When also the Son of God shall come in glory, and shall crush the proud empire of the son of sin, the angels of heaven attending Him, the doors of heaven which have been shut from the foundation of the world shall be opened, that the things that are on high may be witnessed.

CHRYS. Or the heavenly powers shall be shaken, although themselves know it not. For when they see the innumerable multitudes condemned, they shall not stand there without trembling.

BEDE; Thus it is said in Job, the pillars of heaven tremble and are afraid at his reproof. What then do the boards do, when the pillars tremble? what does the shrub of the desert suffer, when the cedar of Paradise is shaken?

EUSEB. Or the powers of heaven are those which preside over the sensible parts of the universe, which indeed shall then be shaken that they may attain to a better state. For they shall be discharged from the ministry with which they serve God toward the sensible bodies in their perishing condition.

AUG. But that the Lord may not seem to have foretold as extraordinary those things concerning His second coming, which were wont to happen to this world even before His first coming, and that we may not be laughed at by those who have read more and greater events than these in the history of nations, I think what has been said may be better understood to apply to the Church. For the Church is the sun, the moon, and the stars, to whom it was said, Fair as the moon, elect as the sun. And she will then not be seen for the unbounded rage of the persecutors.

AMBROSE; While many also fall away from religion, clear faith will be obscured by the cloud of unbelief, for to me that Sun of righteousness is either diminished or increased according to my faith; and as the moon in its monthly wanings, or when it is opposite the sun by the interposition of the earth, suffers eclipse, so also the holy Church when the sins of the flesh oppose the heavenly light, cannot borrow the brightness of divine light from Christ's rays. For in persecutions, the love of this world generally shuts out the light of the divine Sun; the stars also fall, that is, men who shine in glory fall when the bitterness of persecution waxes sharp and prevails. And this must be until the multitude of the Church be gathered in, for thus are the good tried and the weak made manifest.

AUG. But in the words, And upon the earth distress of nations, He would understand by nations, not those which shall be blessed in the seed of Abraham, but those which shall stand on the left hand.

AMBROSE; So severe then will be the manifold fires of our souls, that with consciences depraved through the multitude of crimes, by reason of our fear of the coming judgment, the dew of the sacred fountain will be dried upon us. But as the Lord's coming is looked for, in order that His presence may dwell in the whole circle of mankind or the world, which now dwells in each individual who has embraced Christ with his whole heart, so the powers of heaven shall at our Lord's coming obtain an increase of grace, and shall be moved by the fullness of the Divine nature more closely infusing itself. There are also heavenly powers which proclaim the glory of God, which shall be stirred by a fuller infusion of Christ, that they may see Christ.

AUG. Or the powers of heaven shall be stirred, because when the ungodly persecute, some of the most stout-hearted believers shall be troubled.

THEOPHYL. It follows, And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds. Both the believers and unbelievers shall see Him, for He Himself as well as His cross shall glisten brighter than the sun, and so shall be observed of all.

AUG. But the words, coming in the clouds, may be taken in two ways. Either coming in His Church as it were in a cloud, as He now ceases not to come. But then it shall be with great power and majesty, for far greater will His power and might appear to His saints, to whom He will give great virtue, that they may not be overcome in such a fearful persecution. Or in His body in which He sits at His Father's right hand He must rightly be supposed to come, and not only in His body, but also in a cloud, for He will come even as He went away, And a cloud received him out of their sight.

CHRYS. For God ever appears in a cloud, according to the Psalms, clouds and darkness are round about him. Therefore shall the Son of man come in the clouds as God, and the Lord, not secretly, but in glory worthy of God. Therefore He adds, with great power and majesty.

CYRIL; Great must be understood in like manner. For His first appearance He made in our weakness and lowliness, the second He shall celebrate in all His own power.

GREG. For in power and majesty will men see Him, whom in lowly stations they refused to hear, that so much the more acutely they may feel His power, as they are now the less willing to bow the necks of their hearts to His sufferings.

28. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws nigh.

GREG. Having in what has gone before spoken against the reprobate, He now turns His words to the consolation of the elect; for it is added, When these things begin to be, look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws nigh; as if he says, When the buffetings of the world multiply, lift up your heads, that is, rejoice your hearts, for when the world closes whose friends you are not, the redemption is near which you seek. For in holy Scripture the head is often put for the mind, for as the members are ruled by the head, so are the thoughts regulated by the mind. To lift up our heads then, is to raise up our minds to the joys of the heavenly country.

EUSEB. Or else, To those that have passed through the body and bodily things, shall be present spiritual and heavenly bodies: that is, they will have no more to pass the kingdom of the world, and then to those that are worthy shall be given the promises of salvation. For having received the promises of God which we look for, we who before were crooked shall be made upright, and we shall lift up our heads who were before bent low; because the redemption which we hoped for is at hand; that namely for which the whole creation waits.

THEOPHYL. That is, perfect liberty of body and soul. For as the first coming of our Lord was for the restoration of our souls, so will the second be manifested to the restoration of our bodies.

EUSEB. He speaks these things to His disciples, not as to those who would continue in this life to the end of the world, but as if uniting in one body of believers in Christ both themselves and us and our posterity, even to the end of the world.

34. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36. Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

THEOPHYL. Our Lord declared above the fearful and sensible signs of the evils which should overtake sinners, against which the only remedy is watching and prayer, as it is said, And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time, &c.

BASIL; Every animal has within itself certain instincts which it has received from God, for the preservation of its own being. Wherefore Christ has also given us this warning, that what comes to them by nature, may be ours by the aid of reason and prudence: that we may flee from sin as the brute creatures shun deadly food, but that we seek after righteousness, as they wholesome herbs. Therefore said He, Take heed to yourselves, that is, that you may distinguish the noxious from the wholesome. But since there are two ways of taking heed to ourselves, the one with the bodily eyes, the other by the faculties of the soul, and the bodily eye does not reach to virtue; it remains that we speak of the operations of the soul. Take heed, that is, Look around you on all sides, keeping an ever watchful eye to the guardianship of your soul. He says not, Take heed to your own or to the things around, but to yourselves. For you are mind and spirit, your body is only of sense. Around you are riches, arts, and all the appendages of life, you must not mind these, but your soul, of which you must take especial care. The same admonition tends both to the healing of the sick, and the perfecting of those that are well, namely, such as are the guardians of the present, the providers of the future, not judging the actions of others, but strictly searching their own, not suffering the mind to be the slave of their passions but subduing the irrational part of the soul to the rational. But the reason why we should take heed He adds as follows, Lest at any time your hearts be overcharged, &c.

TIT. BOST. As if He says, Beware lest the eyes of your mind wax heavy. For the cares of this life, and surfeiting, and drunkenness, scare away prudence, shatter and make shipwreck of faith.

CLEM. ALEX. Drunkenness is an excessive use of wine; crapula is the uneasiness, and nausea attendant on drunkenness, a Greek word so called from the motion of the head. And a little below. As then we must partake of food lest we suffer hunger, so also of drink lest we thirst, but with still greater care to avoid falling into excess. For the indulgence of wine is deceitful, and the soul when free from wine will be the wisest and best, but steeped in the fumes of wine is lost as in a cloud.

BASIL; But carefulness, or the care of this life, although it seems to have nothing unlawful in it, nevertheless if it conduce not to religion, must be avoided. And the reason why He said this He shows by what comes next, And so that day come upon you unawares.

THEOPHYL. For that day will not come when men are expecting it, but unlooked for and by stealth, taking as a snare those who are unwary. For as a snare shall it come upon all them that sit upon the face of the earth. But this we may diligently keep far from us. For that day will take those that sit on the face of the earth, as the unthinking and slothful. But as many as are prompt and active in the way of good, not sitting and loitering on the ground, but rising from it, saying to themselves, Rise up, be gone, for here there is no rest for you. To such that day is not as a perilous snare, but a day of rejoicing.

EUSEB. He taught them therefore to take heed to the things we have just before mentioned, lest they fall into the indolence resulting therefrom. Hence it follows, Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to pass.

THEOPHYL. Namely, hunger, pestilence, and such like, which for a time only threaten the elect and others, and those things also which are hereafter the lot of the guilty for ever. For these we can in no wise escape, save by watching and prayer.

AUG. This is supposed to be that flight which Matthew mentions; which must not be in the winter or on the sabbath day. To the winter belong the cares of this life, which are mournful as the winter, but to the sabbath surfeiting and drunkenness, which drowns and buries the heart in carnal luxury and delight, since on that day the Jews are immersed in worldly pleasure, while they are lost to a spiritual sabbath.

THEOPHYL. And because a Christian needs not only to flee evil, but to strive to obtain glory, He adds, And to stand before the Son of man. For this is the glory of angels, to stand before the Son of man, our God, and always to behold His face.

BEDE; Now supposing a physician should bid us beware of the juice of a certain herb, lest a sudden death overtake us, we should most earnestly attend to his command; but when our Savior warns us to shun drunkenness and surfeiting, and the cares of this world, men have no fear of being wounded and destroyed by them; for the faith which they put in the caution of the physician, they disdain to give to the words of God.

Catena Aurea Luke 21

[annalex]

Mother of God "The Sign"

[annalex]

"The Sign" is a derivation from the better known Oranta icon. In "The Sign" (Russian «Знамение») the emphasis is not on the intercessory prayer of Our Lady, but rather on the mystery of the Incarnation. In this one iconographic type several meanings are compressed: the Annunciation, the anticipation of the Divine Birth, and the entire life of the Church all the way to the Second Coming. Appropriately, the Russian iconographer (identified only as Fr. Cyprian) added insets with depiction of historical events in his local Church.

Source.

[Salvation]

 

Catholic

Almanac:

Sunday, December 2
Liturgical Color: Violet
Today the Church honors Bl. Liduina Meneguzzi. At age 24, she joined the Sisters of the Congregation of St. Francis de Sales and was sent to work as a nurse in Ethiopia. She displayed great courage helping the injured during World War II.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: December 02, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming, so that, gathered at his right hand, they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

• Plum Pudding
• Plum Pudding 2
• Plum Pudding 3
• Plum Pudding 4
• Plum Pudding 5
• Plum Pudding with Coffee-Brandy Ice Cream Sauce
• Rich Fruit Cake

ACTIVITIES

• Advent and the Year of the Eucharist
• Advent Calendar II
• Advent or Mary Candle I
• Advent or Mary Candle II
• Advent Penances
• Advent Wreath I
• Advent Wreath II
• Advent Wreath III
• Advent Wreath V
• Advent Wreath: Background and How To Make Your Own Wreath
• Advent Wreath: Making Your Own
• Christmas Field Trip
• Gifts for Jesus, the Advent Manger
• Jesse Tree Instructions
• Jesse Tree Symbols
• Religion in the Home for Elementary School: December
• Religion in the Home for Preschool: December
• Stir-Up Sunday
• Stir-Up Sunday - First Sunday in Advent

PRAYERS

• Blessing of the Advent Wreath
• Hungarian wheat
• Advent Prayers
• Jesse Tree Prayer Service
• Advent Table Blessing 1
• Blessing of an Advent Wreath (First Sunday of Advent)

LIBRARY

• Caryll Houselander and the Flowering of Christ | Janet Golden

Advent: December 2nd

First Sunday of Advent

Old Calendar: First Sunday of Advent

For us Catholics, the new Liturgical Year commences with the first Sunday of Advent. In this new liturgical year, the Church not only wishes to indicate the beginning of a period, but the beginning of a renewed commitment to the faith by all those who follow Christ, the Lord. This time of prayer and path of penance that is so powerful, rich and intense, endeavors to give us a renewed impetus to truly welcome the message of the One who was incarnated for us. In fact, the entire Liturgy of the Advent Season, will spur us to an awakening in our Christian life and will put us in a ‘vigilant’ disposition, to wait for Our Lord Jesus who is coming:

‘Awaken! Remember that God comes! Not yesterday, not tomorrow, but today, now! The one true God, "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob", is not a God who is there in Heaven, unconcerned with us and our history, but he is the-God-who-comes.’¹

The Season of Advent is therefore a season of vigilant waiting, that prepares us to welcome the mystery of the Word Incarnate, who will give the ‘Light’ to the womb of the Virgin Mary, but essentially this time prepares us not only to welcome this great event but to incarnate it in our lives. We could say that the true light enters the world through the immaculate womb of Mary but it does not stay there. On the contrary, this light flows out into our dark, obscure, sinful lives to illuminate them, so that we can become the light that illuminates the world. For this reason, let us live this time of waiting not only to celebrate a historical memory but to repeat this memory in our lives and in the service of others. To wait for the Lord who comes, means to wait and to watch so that the Word of Love enters inside us and focuses us every day of our lives.

As Blessed John Henry Newman reminded us in a homily for the Advent Season: “Advent is a time of waiting, it is a time of joy because the coming of Christ is not only a gift of grace and salvation but it is also a time of commitment because it motivates us to live the present as a time of responsibility and vigilance. This ‘vigilance’ means the necessity, the urgency of an industrious, living ‘wait’. To make all this happen, then we need to wake up, as we are warned by the apostle to the Gentiles, in today's reading to the Romans: ‘Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed” (Rm 13:11).

We must start our journey to ascend to the mountain of the Lord, to be illuminated by His Words of peace and to allow Him to indicate the path to tread. (cf. Is 2:1-5). Moreover, we must change our conduct abandoning the works of darkness and put on the ‘armor of light’ and so seek only to do God’s work and to abandon the deeds of the flesh. (cf. Rm 13:12-14). Jesus, through the story in the parable, outlines the Christian life style that must not be distracted and indifferent but must be vigilant and recognize even the smallest sign of the Lord’s coming because we don’t know the hour in which He will arrive. (cf. Mt 24:39-44)

1 Pope Benedict XVI, Celebration of First Vespers of Advent, Vatican Basilica, December 2006

Excerpted from the website of Congregation for the Clergy

On the First Sunday of Advent, the traditional opening prayer (or Collect) prayed: "Stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, and come." With this request to God to "stir up" His might, this day was traditionally called Stir-Up Sunday. Many families create a traditional plum pudding or fruit cake or some other recipe that all the family and guests can "stir-up." This activity of stirring-up the ingredients symbolizes our hearts that must be stirred in preparation for Christ's birth.

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Jesse Tree ~ Creation

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

1st Sunday of Advent

“They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud.” (Luke 21:27)

Don’t you find it strange that today’s Gospel reading would focus on the end times and not Christmas? But as confusing as this may seem at first, it really is appropriate. There are a lot of similarities between Christmas and the Second Coming.

First, there is the obvious similar­ity that both events are marked by the coming of Jesus. It’s true that he came as a baby at Christmas, and at the Second Coming, he will come as a conquering king. But in both instances, it’s still Jesus, the all-holy Son of God, who is breaking into our finite, limited world.

Second, in both instances Jesus comes to bring the kingdom of God. At Christmas, he came to inaugurate that kingdom through his preach­ing, his miracles, his death, and his resurrection. At the Second Coming, he will bring to fulfillment what he began at Christmas. All sin and suf­fering will be wiped away, and we will enter into eternal life with all the angels and saints.

Finally, both Christmas and the Second Coming are times of excite­ment mixed with awe. At Christmas, we hear angels singing, see a magnif­icent star, and watch Herod tremble with fear. At the Second Coming, the heavens will open to reveal Jesus, shining like the sun, and all who are opposed to him will face his judgment. Both are times of great hope that call us to examine our own lives.

So as Advent begins, think about who Jesus is for you. This little baby in a manger is also the Suffering Servant who gave up his life to set you free from sin and death. He is the Lord of all creation who is com­ing back to bring his faithful people to heaven. May God open our eyes this season, so that we can see Jesus in a new way and be transformed by what we see!

“Jesus, I want to dedicate this season to seeing you more fully. Come, Lord, and make me ready to greet you when you come again!”

Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14; 1 Thessalonians 3:12–4:2

 

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

1. The first reading opens with these words of great promise and warning: “The days are coming, says the Lord, …” As you prepare your hearts to celebrate Christmas this year, what steps can you take to receive the Lord into your life in a deeper way?

2. In the Responsorial Psalm, we ask God to “make known” to us his “ways,” to “teach” us his “paths”, and to “guide” us in his “truth” (Psalm 25:4-5). In what ways does God teach and reveal his intentions to you? What additional steps can you take each day, and especially during Advent, to be more attentive to his promptings?

3. In the second reading, St. Paul says that loving one another is the key to “being blameless in holiness” at the “coming of our Lord Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13). Why is there such a strong relationship between love and being ready to receive Christ at his “coming”? What are some practical steps you can take to demonstrate more deeply Christ’s love, and your love, to your family and to others? In what way will this love in action help them to be more ready to receive Christ?

4. In the Gospel, we also hear words that speak of the signs that will arise at the end of the world, the final return of Christ. We are cautioned to be vigilant, so that day doesn’t catch us “by surprise like a trap” (Luke 21:34). Sin causes us not to be vigilant. What does being vigilant mean to you? What are some things you can do to root out areas of sin and temptation in your life?

5. The meditation begins by asking this question: “Don’t you find it strange that today’s Gospel reading would focus on the end times and not Christmas?” How would you describe the similarities between Christmas and the Second Coming?

6. Take some time now to pray that the Lord would use this Advent Season to prepare your heart to receive Him more deeply this Christmas, and when he comes again in glory. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

THE TIME WHEN JESUS CHRIST COMES AGAIN

(A biblical refection on the FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT [Year C] – 2 December 2012) 

Gospel Reading: Luke 21:25-28,34-36 

First Reading: Jer 33:14-16; Psalms: Ps 25:4-5,8-10,14; Second Reading: 1Thess 3:12 – 4:2 

The Scripture Text

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 

“But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare; for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Lk 21:25-28,34-36 RSV) 

Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. The very word “Advent” means coming. But there are two comings of Jesus Christ: His first coming, when He was born of Mary in Bethlehem, and His second, when He will come again in glory at the end of time. And so the Church divides Advent into two parts.

The first part which begins today and goes until December 16, emphasizes preparation for the second coming of Jesus Christ. The second part, from December 17 through Christmas eve, emphasizes preparation for the celebration of His birth.

Advent should be a joyful time, since expectation of a happy event is always a happy thing. Though the “Gloria” is not said in the Holy Mass, it is omitted not because we are sad or sorrowful, but only so that on Christmas our singing of this great song of the angels may in a certain sense be a new experience for us. Today we begin the joyful expectation of the final coming of Jesus Christ at the end of time.

There is, however, something of a problem here. The picture that many of us have of the final coming is, at best, short of joy. We have the idea that it will be a terrifying experience: a great, awesome cataclysm with the world engulfed in fire and the fearsome judge of all men calling us to account for the least wrong we have done. How can we be expected to want the end of the world, and to look forward to it? And yet the early Christians had an intense yearning for it. That is strange to our present outlook. If the early Christians looked forward to the end of the world, and we dread it, it seems obvious that our notion is different from theirs.

It is not surprising that we are troubled by the thought of the end of the world. In the Gospel we have just heard, St. Luke paints an awesome picture. Frankly, we are not quite sure what this picture means. The images in the Gospel are taken largely from the Old Testament, and they refer to a judgment by God. But God’s judgment destroys one thing only: sin, not goodness. And the world, the universe is good. That is the view the early Christians had. That there will be a change, even an upheaval, at the end of time seems clear, but not in the sense of the annihilation of the universe, but in the sense of the final fulfilment of all things in Jesus Christ. All sin, all evil will be removed from the universe by the coming of Jesus Christ.

Notice what Jesus says in the Gospel: “Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Lk 21:28). “Redemption” here refers not only to people, but to all of creation. Jesus saves us not by taking us out of the world and out of our own history, as if the world and all that men have done are evil. Rather His redemption purifies and perfects all created things. Complete redemption means that in Jesus Christ this universe will reach the purpose for which God created it, and in Jesus Christ all of human history will find its meaning and fulfilment. We do not know just how all this will happen any more than we know when it will happen.

There is much fear in our times that the whole world may just blow up through nuclear explosions. There is no guarantee that this will not occur. But we must not be afraid that God is going to lose control of His creation or that men through their foolish genius will upset God’s plans for the universe. Whatever may happen from the human angle, God will send His Son in glory again when He has decided that the time has come for the end of our present world. But that time will be a new beginning for all of creation, a time of perfection without sin. 

And, what of ourselves? Naturally, we live in hope that we will be part of that perfection without sin. And we will be, if we live according to the words of today’s Gospel: “Take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life …… But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength …” (Lk 21:34,36). We will have confidence and joy if we try to live in accord with the prayer of St. Paul in today’s epistle: “May the Lord make you increase and bound in love to one another and to all men, …… so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus ……” (1Thess 3:12).

Today we begin a new Church year. During this year, we will celebrate all the saving events of the life of Jesus Christ. But today as we begin, we look to the end. We look to the completion of all the good that Jesus began by His life on this earth, a completion that will come only at the end of time.

Like the early Christians, we should have an intense yearning for the final coming of Jesus Christ. As we will pray in the Preface, we should “watch for the day, hoping that the salvation promised us will be ours when Christ our Lord will come again in His glory” (Preface of Advent I, the Sunday Missal [A New Edition], page 62).

Short Prayer: Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit to renew Your Church. May we grow in faithfulness and godliness as we enter into this time of expectation. Revive us all with Your great power. Amen.

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

ON GUARD

(A biblical refection on the FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT [YEAR C] – 2 December 2012) 

First Reading: Jer 33:14-16; Psalms: Ps 25:4-5,8-10,14; Second Reading: 1Thess 3:12 – 4:2;  Gospel Reading: Lk 21:25-28,34-36 

In the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon, England there is an exhibition of the memorabilia of Lord Dowding. He was appointed Commander in Chief of the RAF in 1936 to take on the challenge of expanding the RAF’s fighting force to meet the Nazi threat.

Dowding had less than four years to prepare the RAF for the epic Battle of Britain, while at the same time helping France as much as possible. Lord Dowding’s accomplishments in getting the RAF ready are summed up on a plaque: “It has been given to few men so to employ so short a time that by their efforts they saved civilization.”

Lord Dowding’s vigilance and preparation while waiting for the Nazi attempt to invade Great Britain played a key role in England’s victory in the early 1940’s. Vigilance and preparation while waiting are part of the theme of today’s Advent Gospel.

Jesus says: “Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness, and the cares of life, and that day will spring on you suddenly, like a trap … stay awake, praying at all times …”

Of course Jesus is not speaking about a military invasion or an impending war. He is speaking about His second coming in human history at the end of time. Yet the means of preparation are the same: we have to exercise vigilance, discipline ourselves and share with one another.

These same means are an excellent Advent preparation for Christmas, that celebration of Christ’s first coming in human history.

First, we must exercise vigilance. It is easy for us to become absorbed in our livelihood and to forget life, or to become preoccupied with our own private projects and to miss God’s great plan. That is why we must be vigilant, watch and pray.

Prayer opens our eyes to the presence of God. Prayer puts all things in proper perspective. Prayer implants peace in our hearts even in the midst of problems or poverty.

Second, we must exercise self-discipline. Without discipline we waste things: we waste our time; we waste our talents; we waste our natural resources. Self-discipline creates conditions for maximum effectiveness in the way we use our gifts.

By disciplining our minds, we grow in wisdom and knowledge. By disciplining our bodies, we develop strength and agility. By disciplining our appetites, we increase our capacity to enjoy and appreciate.

Only a person who is in possession of himself can give himself in love to another person. Only a person who is self-disciplined is truly free to seek and find Christ.

Third, we must have a spirit of sharing. When we experience shortages, sharing makes it tolerable and even joyful. When wealthy nations begin to share more with the Third World, peace on earth will become more of a reality.

Sharing does not diminish our wealth; it extends its usefulness. Sharing does not impoverish us; it enriches us with a deep sense of satisfaction. Sharing does not leave us empty-handed; it fills our lives with friendship and good feelings.

Let us not wait for another war to come before vigilance, discipline and sharing become important to us. Advent is an ideal time to develop these habits – not just in getting ready for Christ’s coming at Christmas – but also for his coming in our daily lives, at the time of our death and at the end of time.

When Lord Dowding was preparing the RAF for the war, he didn’t know how much time he had. We too don’t know how much time we have left to live – four years or forty years; four months or four hours. That doesn’t matter. May we be on guard and watching whenever the Lord comes.

Note: Taken from Albert Cylwicki, CSB, HIS WORD RESOUNDS, Makati, Philippines: St. Paul Publications, 1991, pages 201-202.

[Salvation]

 

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for December 2, 2012:

(Advent begins)  “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.” (Lk 21:34) It’s fine to have fun, but how do you know if your drinking has crossed the line? Ask your spouse.

[Salvation]

Sunday Scripture Study

First Sunday of Advent - Cycle C

December 2, 2012

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer  

First Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16

Psalm: 25:4-5,8-10,14

Second Reading: 1 Thess 3:12—4:2

Gospel Reading: Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

• This Sunday begins the Liturgical Season of Advent. It marks the beginning of the Church calendar, and begins a new cycle of the Scripture readings we hear at Mass. Advent is the season where the Church is in preparation for the coming of Jesus, the promised Messiah, both at his first coming at Christmas, and toward his Second Coming at the end of time.

• Note: This Sunday’s gospel is part of parallel account from the gospel of two weeks ago (Mark 13). Verses 29-33, not included in today’s reading, is the parable of the fig tree we heard then.

• Jesus is in the middle of his “Olivet Discourse” (Luke 21:5-38), answering the two questions of the disciples on when the Temple will be destroyed and what the signs would be of his Second Coming (Mark 13:1-4).

• While in this discourse, Jesus combines the prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem with those of his Second Coming, this reading is primarily understood as being concerned with being prepared for Jesus’ coming at the end of time.

• The point Jesus wants us to remember is not so much the signs themselves but what our reaction should be (verse 28) and what we should do until then (verses 34, 36).

 

QUESTIONS:

• In the 1^st Reading from the prophet Jeremiah, we hear about God’s promise of redemption for his people. What does it mean to be “redeemed”? Where have you experienced God’s redemption in your own life, or seen God’s redemption in the lives of others? What is it about God’s character that allows you to trust in “a future with hope” (Jeremiah 29:11)?

• When Paul talks about love in verses 12 and 13 of the 2^nd Reading, about what kind of love is he speaking? How does this kind of love function? Why can only God make this love increase and overflow? How has the Lord caused love to increase in your own life?

• In verses 25-28 of the Gospel Reading, which event (the coming of the end or Jerusalem’s destruction) is primarily in view? What do the two events have in common?

• What is significant about the way the Son of man will come (verse 27. See Daniel 7:13-14)? What should be the attitude of believers when they see the Son of man coming (verse 28)?

• How could the promises of verses 32-33 have been a comfort to the disciples? A discomfort? What impact do they have on you?

• How does the present cultural climate encourage your heart to become sleepy (verse 34)? What is Jesus calling on you to do about that?

• In the midst of this heavy news, how does Jesus comfort his followers (verses 34-36)? What will you do this week to become better at watching and praying?

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 672, 2612, 2725, 2742-2745

 

There are three distinct comings of the Lord of which I know: His coming to men, His coming into men, and His coming against men.   –St. Bernard

[Salvation]

Shopping for a Great Advent

Pastor’s Column

1^st Sunday of Advent

December 2, 2012

 

“Be aware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap….Be vigilant at all times and pray that you will have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent

and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.”

                                                          Luke 21:35-36

 

          Our lives on earth are brief, even for those of us who live a long time.   God gives each soul a precious window of life in which to grow in faith and good works by the choices we make in life. The beginning of Advent is a wonderful opportunity to stop for a moment and ask God to show us how our lives look in the light of eternity. To take up this Sunday’s gospel quoted above, when the day comes and I must stand before the Son of Man on the first day of my eternity, will I stand before him with confidence? What does this mean?

 

          These four weeks prior to Christmas can be extremely busy ones. Rather than being a good preparation for Christmas, God can be crowded out by all that we have to do! Others may find it a particularly lonely time. Still others will find themselves overindulging in food and drink and – dare I say it – shopping! But what does Christ want from us? What is my life really about? What is the best personal way to prepare for Christmas and my own eternity with the Lord (which is closer than we think)? 

 

          First, do I really know my strength and weaknesses, my virtues and sins? Often, they are hiding in plain sight – everyone knows us better than we know ourselves! Have I examined my life? Have I made a good confession? Going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the best spiritual investments you can make for Advent.

 

          Second, is my life out of balance somehow? Is there something, good in itself, that I may indulge in too much? Can I give up some time on my tablet, computer, phone or TV and offer this to God? Try putting your internet time on a timer, and promise yourself to stop when the allotted time is up. Otherwise the hours can go by, and we haven’t even begun to pray!

 

          Third, do I make time for prayer and scripture? Prayer is when I talk to God; Scripture is when he talks to me. If the Lord and you are not conversing regularly, your relationship is beginning to be estranged.

 

          Fourth, what do I do for others? How kind am I? Do I really listen when people speak to me? Am I committed to being a force for peace and goodness in the lives of others? Acquiring possessions like these will truly give us confidence before God.

                                                                  

                                                                                                Father Gary

[Salvation]

St. Paul Center Blog

Heads Up: Scott Hahn reflects on the 1st Sunday in Advent

Posted by Dr. Scott Hahn on 11.30.12 |

Every Advent, the Liturgy of the Word gives our sense of time a reorientation. There’s a deliberate tension in the next four weeks’ readings - between promise and fulfillment, expectation and deliverance, between looking forward and looking back.

In today’s First Reading, the prophet Jeremiah focuses our gaze on the promise God made to David, some 1,000 years before Christ. God says through the prophet that He will fulfill this promise by raising up a “just shoot,” a righteous offspring of David, who will rule Israel in justice (see 2 Samuel 7:16; Jeremiah 33:17; Psalm 89:4-5; 27-38).

Today’s Psalm, too, sounds the theme of Israel’s ancient expectation: “Guide me in Your truth and teach Me. For You are God my Savior and for You I will wait all day.”

We look back on Israel’s desire and anticipation knowing that God has already made good on those promises by sending His only Son into the world. Jesus is the “just shoot,” the God and Savior for Whom Israel was waiting.

Readings:
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25:4-5,8-10,14
1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Knowing that He is a God who keeps His promises lends grave urgency to the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel.

Urging us to keep watch for His return in glory, He draws on Old Testament images of chaos and instability – turmoil in the heavens (see Isaiah 13:11,13; Ezekiel 32:7-8; Joel 2:10); roaring seas (see Isaiah 5:30; 17:12); distress among the nations (see Isaiah 8:22/14:25) and terrified people (see Isaiah 13:6-11).

He evokes the prophet Daniel’s image of the Son of Man coming on a cloud of glory to describe His return as a “theophany,” a manifestation of God (see Daniel 7:13-14).

Many will cower and be literally scared to death. But Jesus says we should greet the end-times with heads raised high, confident that God keeps His promises, that our “redemption is at hand,” that ‘the kingdom of God is near” (see Luke 21:31)