First Sunday of the Advent (Year C)
27th November 2022 (Sunday) Readings and Reflection
Dear Brothers and Sisters, we are on the 1st Advent Sunday of the year. Today's reflection is on the theme He comes!
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Reading of the Day
First Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Psalm 122:1-2, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (R. see 1)
Response: We shall go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced when they said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the Lord."
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem. Response
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
For Israel's witness it is
to praise the name of the Lord.
There were set the thrones for judgment,
the thrones of the house of David. Response
For the peace of Jerusalem pray,
"May they prosper, those who love you."
May peace abide in your walls,
and security be in your towers. Response
For the sake of my family and friends,
let me say, "Peace upon you."
For the sake of the house of the Lord, our God,
I will seek good things for you. Response
Second Reading: Romans 13:11-14a
Brethren: Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh.
Gospel : Matthew 24:37-44
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: He comes!
Indicative: Advent indicates that the Lord comes to us so that we go to him, go with him, go for him so that one day we can go to be with him forever{alertSuccess}
1. We begin again this year the holy season of Advent. At the outset itself, let us remind ourselves once again of what is advent. What is its purpose? How should we do it? For many, it is a commemoration of a bygone event, and nothing more than that. For some, it is one of the few most important feasts of the Christians. It is a feast of decorating the churches and houses with stars, cribs, Christmas trees, and singing carols. Of course, get-togethers, celebrations, and shopping go without saying. But it is not just these. We must go beyond them.
2. Advent indicates the coming of the Incarnate Lord, our Saviour in history. Subsequently, we wait for him who is coming. So, essentially advent is a time of waiting. It raises and answers two fundamental questions. What do we wait for? Who do we wait for?
3. We wait for redemption and salvation. And we wait for the Redeemer and Saviour. Why should we wait for them? It is because we need them. We need them if we want to be re-graced, and regain our lost grace. Sin robs us of grace. Sin throws us into a situation of misery. Sin knocks off our dignity and freedom.
4. Sin makes us bound in fetters of bondage. So we need to be released. Sin soils us and so we need to be cleaned. Sin breaks us and so we need to be mended. Sin shakes us and so we need to be made firm. Sin weakens us and so we need to be strengthened. Sin confuses us and so we need to gain clarity. Sin misguides us and so we need to be rightly guided.
5. It is only the grace of salvation and redemption through the Saviour and Redeemer that reinstates us in the state of grace. Therefore, we need to wait for such a glorious change in our life, such a gracing. God does this not simply by some miracles as in the past, however mighty they may be. But God does this restoration by the very incarnation of His own Son himself.
6. Such waiting certainly implies and demands a fitting preparation. What kind of preparation would this be? All three readings make this amply clear. Let us pick up some highlights. “Know the time, the hour to wake from sleep”. “Stay awake” to receive the Saviour who may come at any time unexpectedly.
7. “Cast off the works of darkness”. “Put on the armour of light”. “Walk properly as in the daytime”. “Walk in the light of the Lord”. “Walk in his paths”. “Live in peace and harmony.” It is a way of living where there is no enmity or violence or destruction, when “swords would be turned into ploughshares, spears into pruning-hooks,” and when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor learn war any more.
8. Further, “get rid of all drunkenness, sensuality and sexual immorality, quarelling, and jealousy.” And “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” In other words, it is to “Re-live” the mystery of the Incarnation. That is, Christ should be born again in us. His birth must become a “living” reality. It should not be merely a celebration of the past. Rather our waiting and celebration must be a thing of the present, built on the past and looking and moving toward the future.
Imperative: Let us check and see whether our advents have become insipid, heavily leaning toward the past. It shall not be merely the commemoration of a past event. Rather, let us celebrate our Lord’s coming, his love, and our salvation{alertSuccess}
Video Reflection
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