Advent 2024

Sunday Reflections

First Sunday of Advent: Be Vigilant

Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14; Thessalonians 3:12-42; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 ✷

Right during those moments when everything seems to be coming to an end, the Lord comes to save us. We await him with joy, even in the midst of tribulations, during life’s crises and the dramatic events of history. We await him.

But how do we raise our heads and not become absorbed with difficulties, suffering and defeat? Jesus points the way with a strong reminder: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy . . . Be vigilant at all times and pray” (Lk 21:34, 36). . . .

We need to be vigilant so that our daily life does not become routine, and, as Jesus says, so we are not burdened by life’s anxieties (cf. v. 34). So today is a good moment to ask ourselves: what weighs on my heart? What weighs on my spirit? What are the mediocrities that paralyze me, the vices that crush me to the ground and prevent me from raising my head? And regarding the burdens that weigh on the shoulders of our brothers and sisters, am I aware of them or indifferent to them?

And let us add an essential ingredient: the secret to being vigilant is prayer. In fact, Jesus says: “Be vigilant at all times and pray” (Lk 21:36). Prayer is what keeps the lamp of the heart lit. This is especially true when we feel that our enthusiasm has cooled down. Prayer re-lights it, because it brings us back to God, to the center of things. Prayer reawakens the soul from sleep and focuses it on what matters, on the purpose of existence. Even during our busiest days, we must not neglect prayer. The prayer of the heart can be helpful for us, repeating often brief invocations. For example, during Advent, we could make a habit of saying, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
– Pope Francis

Second Sunday of Advent: Be Vigilant

Baruch 5:1-9; Psalm 126:1-6; Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3:1-6

For some people, the opening lines in this weekend’s Gospel can seem like “too much information.” The listing of the imperial and religious leaders, the accounting for what time in their rule or ministry, and the name-dropping of geographic locations can appear as irrelevant details when it comes to telling the story of Jesus Christ. But another way to look at this admittedly boring set of facts is to recognize the importance of history in Christian faith.

Christianity is not a religion that believes in an abstract, distant, and disconnected God. On the contrary, the central ele- ment of Christian faith is that our God is radically personal and present. This same God, who loves us so much, enters into relationship with us as one of us through the Incarnation. And that is a real, historical, and material fact. We are reminded today that John the Baptist was not announcing the incoming of God in some vague sense, but in an imminent way and at a specific moment in history. That is part of what makes his prophetic cry different from Isaiah’s in the first reading, even if the Bible recounts their similar use of language.

As we continue our Advent journey, drawing closer to the celebration of Christ’s birth, let us remember that the God of history whom we worship still meets us in our specific time and place, calling us to increase our love for one another.

– Daniel Horan

Third Sunday of Advent: Be Vigilant

Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18

Rejoice! This we must do. It is not just an option. It is a theological demand based on the reality of our faith. It is what we’ve been waiting for these weeks: the advent of God into our world, growing stronger daily. The incarnation is a reality, and the Word of God is hidden in earth’s flesh, history, and our lives. The prophet Zephaniah declares to us: “The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you have no further misfortune to fear.” And the response to the psalm text puts it even more clear-
ly: “Cry out with joy and gladness for among us is the great and Holy One of Israel.” This is our belief, so we live with this awareness. If not, it is time to wake up to the fact that our God is among us and has been for ages past, seen and unseen. This rejoicing has nothing whatsoever to do with our feelings. It is based on our faith.

All of us are called to live out our “rejoicing” by sharing our faith through attentiveness to God’s presence among us and action. We are among believers who stake our lives on the hope that the great and Holy One has been in our world, infusing us with His life through the Spirit who dwells within us, walking among us as the “other,” in the poor, the sick, the victims of war, discrimination, and so many other ills inflicting our world. The Holy One is watching, waiting for us to see, to recognize his Beloveds. How, then, should we respond? “What should we do?” The Baptist’s hearers ask three times in today’s Gospel reading. Share your clothing and your food, he answers. Be satisfied with what you have and don’t overcharge or falsely accuse anyone. In these Advent days when we are “filled with the expectation” of Christ’s coming among us, let us heed the Baptist’s call to welcome Him in service of others.

Today is the day to sing back to God, confidently and unafraid. Does our God have cause to sing over us? Are we awake to the needs of others? Are we like the remnant, the faithful ones of the time of Zephaniah who stayed true and learned to
sing in the midst of affliction and exile? Do we believe that our God will bring us home to “renew us in his love” and that our enemies have been turned back? God is in our midst! As the Venerable Bede wrote, “Christ is the Morning Star, who,
when the night of this world is past, gives to his saints the promise of the light of life, and opens everlasting day. So, Paul says it again: “I say to you, Rejoice! The Lord himself is near.” This is definitely cause for rejoicing!

-Reflection by Megan McKenna, © Liturgical Press, adapted and expanded by Marianne Saccardi.

Fourth Sunday of Advent: Be Vigilant

Micah 5:1-4a; Psalm 80: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45

As I prepare for an upcoming trip, I’m torn between catching a flight or hopping in the car for a five-hour drive. They’ll take about the same time once you factor in airport time, so I’ve got two good choices. Mary did not have that luxury.

In today’s Gospel, we hear that Mary “set out in haste” to visit and support her cousin Elizabeth, who is herself far into an unlikely pregnancy. That word “haste” almost makes it seem as though this was a quick jaunt, maybe just a few hours by donkey.

Alas, there was nothing quick or easy about what Mary chose to do. It was a dangerous trip, across one hundred miles of rough terrain. She went anyway, trusting that all would be well, and that this visitation was necessary, not just for the physi- cal support it would provide but for the spiritual strength it would foster between the two women and the unborn sons who would go on to change the world.

When Mary arrives, Elizabeth says: “Blessed are you who believe that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be ful- filled.” How often does God speak to us, but we are too afraid to follow the call? It is easier for us to stay firmly rooted in the comfort of the familiar rather than risk a journey into the unknown.

Today we look to Mary and Elizabeth and pray that we, too, will be willing to go in haste to wherever God is leading us.

Written and prepared by Worship Committee Members Normand Gouin, Christopher O’Rourke, Marianne Saccardi, and Susan Santos
Sunday Reflections, Give Us This Day © 2024 by The Liturgical Press.