Advent: First Sunday

Happy Advent to all of you who visit my pages. May God Bless you with His peace

First Sunday of Advent: A journey with Hope

My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,

Today is a special day, the beginning of a special season, Advent and the new liturgical Year B.
The Gospel of Mark, which begins in this First Sunday of Advent, was the first written Gospel. It was around 60AD…Christians were being persecuted in Rome by the anti-Christ, Nero. Peter and Paul had been recently executed in Rome, and it was to the Roman Christians that Mark wrote this Gospel. He wrote to bring hope … he wrote to remind them of the teaching of the Apostles (who were dying off) … and he wrote to remind them that “You do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.” So, therefore, be ready and alert. St. Paul (20 years earlier) reminded Jesus’ followers in his letter to the Corinthians (our second reading) that Jesus, Himself, would keep them firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of the Lord.
You may remember what I said about the wreath and the candles last year; but some of you asked me again I think it is a good time to repeat the meaning of it once more; the circle of the green wreath reminds us of God Himself, His eternity and endless mercy and Love, which has no beginning and end. The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that we have in God, the hope of newness, of renewal, of eternal life. Candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His Son. The four outer candles represent the period of waiting during the four Sundays of advent, which themselves symbolizes the four centuries of waiting between the prophet Malachi and the birth of Christ. The Advent color purple is the color of penitence fasting and solemn prayer as well as the color of royalty the Advent of the King, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Three Candles are purple, symbolizing penance, preparation and sacrifice; the Pink candle symbolizes the same but highlights the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, when we rejoice because our preparation is now half way finished. The Light reminds us that Jesus is the Light of the world that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring newness, life and hope. It also reminds us that we are called to be a light to the world as we reflect the light of God’s grace to others (Isa. 42:6).The Purple Candle is traditionally the candle of Expectation or Hope or Prophecy. The second purple Candle is the Peace Candle or Bethlehem or John the Baptist or Annunciation. Third Sunday Pink Candle is Joy Candle or Angels or Magi or proclamation. Fourth Sunday Purple Candle is the Candle of Love or Shepherds or Mary or Fulfillment.The Center Candle is the White and is called the Christ Candle. It is traditionally lighted on Christmas Eve or Day. The Center location of the Christ Candle reminds us that the incarnation is the heart of the season giving light to the world.
During Advent we focus on waiting, waiting for the Second Coming of Jesus, and during the week before Christmas our waiting changes to waiting for our celebration of the birth of Jesus. Anytime we wait we do so because we expect something to happen; we wait for a bus or train because we expect it to arrive. When we are waiting for a bus or train we cannot see it coming but hope it will come. During Advent we are waiting for the Second Coming of Jesus because the Second Coming of Jesus will bring all God’s plans for the world to completion. As we wait in hope for the Second Coming of Jesus we know he is with us in so many ways especially in the sacraments.
For those who are finding these times difficult for one reason or another the message of Advent is “Wait for God in patient hope.” God has not abandoned us, God is with us though sometimes our lack of faith prevents us from seeing him. Remember Jesus in the womb of Mary for nine months; Mary could not see Jesus but she knew that the Word had been made flesh and she was waiting in hope for his birth. Wait in patient hope for God to fulfill his plans in his own way in his own time.
Advent is not only about preparing for the celebration of Jesus’ birth at Christmas. We live between the first coming of Jesus when he was born at Bethlehem and his Second Coming at the end of time when he will come as Judge of all. Advent is also a time for us to reflect on the Second Coming of Jesus. So Advent is concerned with the two comings of Jesus; our preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth and our preparation for his Second Coming.
Stay Awake. Be prepared. If we go through life sleepwalking we might be caught unaware, like the people outside the ark at the time of the great flood. Noah was certainly not a sleepwalker. Noah was wide-awake. He was prepared. His neighbors thought him a fool, but Noah was prepared to meet the Lord. Like Noah we have faith. With Noah, we are in the ark, waiting in faith. Like Noah, we want to be prepared, and we want to stay awake, to be ready for Christ's arrival, for the coming of the light into the dark corners of our lives.
Today we light our first Advent candle. four weeks of traveling through the darkness toward the dawning light of Christmas day. Perhaps the darkness we travel through this year is the grief we still feel over the death of a loved one, or the ending of a friendship, lingering illness, or a conflict at work, a division with the family, or a scandal within our church. If Christmas is all about being "home for the holidays," then Advent is about traveling home. It's about staying awake and alert during the journey home so that we don't miss the exit off the highway.
Isaiah repeats himself at the close of the first reading, "Yet O Lord, you are our father," and add another image, "we are the clay and you the potter; we are all the work of your hands." God created us out of the clay of the earth. Now, as we begin this Advent season we ask our Heavenly father to remold us into a faithful people .
In the First Letter of Peter, St. Peter writes, “Be watchful and alert…your opponent, the Devil, is prowling like a lion, ready to devour you.”