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Thứ Bảy, 2 tháng 12, 2017

DECEMBER 03, 2017 : FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

First Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 2

You, LORD, are our father,
our redeemer you are named forever.
Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways,
and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your heritage.
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
with the mountains quaking before you,
while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for,
such as they had not heard of from of old.
No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you
doing such deeds for those who wait for him.
Would that you might meet us doing right,
that we were mindful of you in our ways!
Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful;
all of us have become like unclean people,
all our good deeds are like polluted rags;
we have all withered like leaves,
and our guilt carries us away like the wind.
There is none who calls upon your name,
who rouses himself to cling to you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and have delivered us up to our guilt.
Yet, O LORD, you are our father;
we are the clay and you the potter:
we are all the work of your hands.
Responsorial PsalmPS 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
R. (4) Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
from your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power,
and come to save us.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
May your help be with the man of your right hand,
with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

Reading 21 COR 1:3-9
Brothers and sisters:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

AlleluiaPS 85:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Show us Lord, your love;
and grant us your salvation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad.
He leaves home and places his servants in charge,
each with his own work,
and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore;
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.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'"


Meditation: Watch expectantly today - your Master is coming!
What do you do when someone you love very dearly and miss very much has been gone a very long time but promises to return soon? Do you ignore their absence, or do you anticipate their return and send them messages to let them know how much you long to be with them again? Jesus' parable about the long-expected return of the Master to his household brings this point home. 
Parable of the watchful servants waiting for the master's return
Wealthy landowners often left their estates in the hands of their trustworthy servants and stewards. This gave them freedom to travel, trade, and expand their business ventures. They expected loyalty and hard work from their servants and rewarded them accordingly. Dutiful servants would eagerly anticipate their master's return by keeping the house and estate in good order. Jesus doesn't tell us in his parable whether the servants were ready to receive the unexpected return of their master. Were these servants excited or anxious about their master's return? The watchful servants, no doubt, looked forward to the future because they knew their master would be pleased and would reward them for their vigilance and hard work. Disaster and reprisal, however, awaited those who were unprepared because of carelessness or laziness.
Watching with hopeful expectation and vigilance for Christ's return 
When we expect some very important event to happen, we often wait for it with excited anticipation. The Lord Jesus expects us to watch in great anticipation for the most important event of all - his return in glory at the end of this present age! The Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of the Lord when he shall judge between the nations and decide for many peoples (Isaiah 2:5). 
The Advent season reminds us that we are living in the end times. The end times begin with the first coming of Christ (when the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us - John 1:14) and it culminates in Christ's second coming on the Day of Judgment and vindication for his people. Jesus spoke of his return in glory at the close of the ages as an indisputable fact and predetermined act which he will perform as the Judge and Ruler of all peoples, nations, and individuals who ever lived on the earth. 
"May your kingdom come!"
While the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is for certain, the time of his appearance is not yet disclosed. The Lord's day of visitation and judgment will come swiftly and unexpectedly. Jesus warns his listeners to not be caught off guard when that day arrives. It will surely come in God's good time! The Lord invites us to pray for the coming of his kingdom into our present lives and future as well. Jesus taught his disciples to pray - "may your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). Do you earnestly pray for the coming of God's kingdom - both now and at the end of the world?   
The Lord will reward those who wait for him
The prophet Isaiah tells us that God will surely reward those who wait for his visitation: "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for him" (Isaiah 64:4). Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, has entrusted us with his gifts and graces (his abundant favors and blessings). He expects us to make good use of the gifts and resources he gives us for his glory and for the benefit of helping and blessing others as well. He does not want us to use the present time we have here on earth in idleness or wasted living. He has work for us to do - loving, honoring,and serving him and loving, honoring, and serving our families, neighbors, and communities as well.
How do we watch and wait for the Lord's coming?
How does the Lord want us to be watchful and vigilant for his return? The kind of watching the Lord has in mind is not a passive "wait and see what happens" approach to life. The Lord urges us to vigilance and to active prayer that his "kingdom may come" and his "will be done on earth as it is in heaven". We are not only to watch for Christ, but to watch with Christ. The Lord wants us to have our hearts and minds fixed on him and his word. He wants us to be ready for his action and work of grace in our lives and in our world. Those who "wait" for the Lord will not be disappointed. He will surely come with his grace and saving help. Do you watch for the Lord's action in your life with expectant faith and with joyful hope?
The season of Advent is a time for rousing our minds and hearts for the Lord's coming. As his servants we watch for his will - continually seeking him. We watch for his word and his power - that he may act now to save and to deliver. And we watch for his visitation – he will surely come again! Servants of the Lord rouse yourselves! Be vigilant, be alert, be "watchmen" for the Lord pointing the way for his coming. 
"Lord Jesus, awaken my heart and mind to receive your word and to prepare for your coming again. Free me from complacency, from the grip of sin and worldliness, and from attachments to things which pass away. May I always be eager to receive your word and be ready to meet you when you came again."
Daily Quote from the early church fathersChrist's second and final coming, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Who are the 'all' to whom he says this if not his elect and his beloved, the members of his body which is the church (Colossians 1:18,24)? Therefore, he said this not only to those who then heard him speaking, but also to those who came after them and before us, as well as to us and to those who will come after us until his final coming. Is that day going to encounter only those currently living, or is anyone likely to say that these words are also addressed to the dead, when he says: 'Watch, lest he comes suddenly and finds you asleep' (Mark 13:35-36)? Why, then, does he say to all what concerns only those who will then be living? For that day will come to every single one, when the day comes for him to leave this life, such as it is, to be judged on the last day (John 12:48). For this reason, every Christian ought to watch lest the coming of the Lord find him unprepared. But the last day will find unprepared anyone whom this day will find unprepared (Matthew 25:1-13). This at least was certainly clear to the apostles. Even if the Lord did not come in their times, while they were still living here in the flesh, yet who would doubt that they watched most carefully and observed what he said to all, lest coming suddenly he might find them unprepared?" (excerpt from LETTER 199, TO HESYCHIUS 3)


1st Sunday of Advent – Cycle B

Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.

Introduction

There is evidence from the mid-4th century on concerning some period of preparation for the Christmas-Epiphany celebration. Length and emphasis varied from place to place. Some regions kept a relatively long Advent (from St. Martin’s feast - November 11); others, a rather brief one. In Rome the season evolved to a four-week preparation whose focus was on the joyful celebration of the Lord’s Incarnation. In Gaul there was a longer, heavily penitential season emphasizing the Lord’s glorious advent at the end of time as Lord of history and judge of the universe. Roman practice from the 12th century, codified by the Council of Trent and enhanced by the greatly enriched lectionary of Vatican Council II, combines these different emphases. The violet vestments (with rose as an option on the 3rd Sunday) and the preaching of John the Baptist bespeak the penitential aspect which invites the people to reform. The Gloria is omitted, as during Lent, but for a somewhat different reason, as the official commentary on the revised Calendar notes: “So that on Christmas night the song of the angels may ring out anew in all its freshness.” On the other hand, there is a clear note of joyful expectation: The Alleluia is retained before the Gospel. There has been no mandatory Advent fast since the 1917 Code of Canon Law. The Ambrosian Rite in use throughout the area around Milan, Italy still observes a longer (6-week) Advent while the Eastern Rites in general observe a shorter “pre-feast” period before Christmas.

Advent is a time for looking both backward and forward. We look backward as we prepare to celebrate the historical birth of Jesus of Nazareth at Christmas. Before that birth people longed for the Messiah who would restore Israel to her former power. We identify with that ancient longing for restoration as we await Christ’s coming more fully into our lives and also as we await His Second Coming.

With that longing for restoration in mind, we recognize in Advent a time of preparation and anticipation. What we celebrate as having happened in the past points to what we anticipate is coming again. First, we recognize that Christ is born into our lives each day as we open ourselves to His grace and love. These moments of discovering birth in Christ are times when we can stand with the shepherds and hear glad tidings proclaimed. Advent is a season that prepares us to discover new birth happening over and over again for us in and thru Christ. We celebrate those birth times at Christmas. Second, we look forward in Advent to the culmination of Christ’s kingdom, when He will return in glory to fulfill the promise of wholeness as all creation responds to His healing presence. In our acclamation during the Eucharistic Prayer, we identify with this longing when we say “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again,” or similar words in the other acclamations. Through the Holy Spirit, this new age has already begun, and this too we celebrate.

During the first period of Advent, the readings from the prophet Isaiah continually speak of God’s visitation, consolation and redemption of His people, while the corresponding Gospel selections portray Christ as the fulfillment of the prophetic promises.

1st Reading - Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7


This portion of Isaiah points toward the victory of Yahweh in a new heaven and new earth, to be reflected in a new Temple and new priesthood. The Jews did not suffer physically in Babylon, they were treated quite well. During their exile the Jews even lost their ability to speak Hebrew and instead adopted Persian Aramaic as their language. After the Jewish people returned from exile in Babylon, their nation and even their Temple continued to lie desolate. Surely the punishment of the people had gone on long enough. When would God come to restore the fortunes of His chosen people? This passage is a plaintive lament and cry for God to reveal His power and presence among the people and to intervene in the course of human events.

16b You, LORD, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever.

The sacred writer is defending his status as an authentic Israelite and true child of God (Exodus 4:22). God became Israel’s father not by creating the people but by redeeming them. Redemption imparted a life that shared God’s love and hopes, a life far more precious than any physical life.

17 Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.

Servants are faithful disciples.

19b Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you, 64:2 [w]hile you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for, 3 such as they had not heard of from of old.

The sacred writer is imploring God’s personal intervention and is pleading for a theophany more wondrous than Sinai.

 No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you doing such deeds for those who wait for him. 4 Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways! Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful;

God has abandoned Israel to their guilt.

5 all of us have become like unclean men, all our good deeds are like polluted rags;

Implies a cultural shame and ceremonial uncleanliness

We have all withered like leaves, and our guilt carries us away like the wind. 6 There is none who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to cling to you; For you have hidden your face from us and have delivered us up to our guilt. 7 Yet, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.

A desperate appeal

2nd Reading - 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

The busy port of Corinth had a lively and turbulent Christian community. Their first surviving letter from Saint Paul treats difficulties in the community reported to St. Paul (probably at Ephesus in A.D. 57) by their envoys, then answers various questions they brought to him. Today we hear the Greeting and Thanksgiving portion of Saint Paul’s opening remarks.

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,

This is Saint Paul’s customary salutation. It signifies the gracious goodness of God and the gifts that are the effect of the divine liberality. Grace is the favor God shows and the gift He gives to men whom He saves in Christ. Peace is the fruit of the salvation God gives in Christ. It includes the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God as well as harmony among men. Perfect peace will be realized only at the parousia, when Christ’s redemptive work is completed. The Corinthians enjoy grace and peace because they are brothers of Jesus the Christ, children of His Father.

5    that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge,

All the charismatic gifts of speech: discourse of wisdom, discourse of knowledge (1 Corinthians 12:8) as well as the gift of tongues, of interpretation, of teaching, of making known a revelation, even of singing a psalm (1 Corinthians 14:26).

6    as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift

The Corinthians are adequately equipped with spiritual gifts. The Corinthians tended to focus on the excitement of the present, so Saint Paul has to remind them that completeness is reserved to the future.

as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The parousia of Christ

“Although we lack no gift, nevertheless we await the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will then keep us secure in all things and present us unimpeachable when the day of our Lord Jesus Christ comes. The end of the world shall arrive, when no flesh may glory in His sight.” [Saint Jerome (A.D. 415), Dialogue Against the Pelagians 2,8]

8    He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable

If believers are to receive a favorable eschatological judgment, it is due to God’s assistance.

on the day of our Lord Jesus (Christ).

The Christian adaptation of the Day of Yahweh (Amos 5:18).

“Paul is confident that the Corinthians will persevere in righteousness during the day of judgment. People who could not be shaken in spite of so many turmoils and disagreements proved that they would remain faithful to the end. In praising them, Paul is also challenging those who had been corrupted by the errors of the false apostles, for in proclaiming the faith of the former, he is calling the latter to repentance.” [The Ambrosiaster (ca. 366-384), Commentaries on Thirteen Pauline Epistles, 1 Corinthians 1,4]

9    God is faithful,

God will not abandon what He has begun.

and by him you were called

Members of the Church are frequently referred to as “the called ones” (1 Corinthians 2:2, 24; Romans 1:6, 7; 8:28).

to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Communion. The Greek word translated here is koinonia which means the vital union of believers among themselves, their union with Christ. Their shared existence as members of His body. This koinonia is highlighted in the Eucharist (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).

Gospel - Mark 13:33-37

Mark’s gospel is the most compact of all the gospels, concentrating not on Jesus’ teaching but on the mystery of His person, the gradual way in which the disciples reach an understanding of Him which still remains hidden from the crowds. The paradox is that Jesus is acknowledged as Son of God by the Father and by evil spirits, and yet He is rejected by the leaders of the Jews and is even misunderstood by His own disciples.

As we celebrate a new liturgical year, we look forward to the arrival of our Lord. As we await the Lord’s coming, He warns us to always be on the alert.

33    Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.

This exhortation to Christian vigilance is true for all ages. Jesus brings this point out with a parable.

“A person does not go wrong when he knows that he does not know something, but only when he thinks he knows something which he does not know.” [Saint Augustine of Hippo (ca. A.D. 400), Letter to Hesychius 52]

34    It is like a man traveling abroad.

This parable compares watchfulness with regard to the kingdom to the watchfulness required of a doorkeeper when the master has gone on a journey: you do not know when the master of the house will come. Since the exact time is not known, constant vigilance is required.

He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. 35 Watch, therefore; 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.

Four divisions of the night (into periods of three hours each) were used by the Romans. Jewish Palestinian usage divided it into three watches (as illustrated by the parallel story in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 12:38).

36 May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to all:
‘Watch!’”

This statement lifts the whole discourse beyond the limits of the narrow perspective of the crisis that the coming destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple would mean to the Jews and Jewish Christians.

“Watch therefore, and pray, that you do not sleep unto death (see Luke 21:36). For your former good deeds will not profit you if in the end of your life you go astray from the true faith.” [(ca. A.D.400), Apostolic Constitutions, 7,2,31]

St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Picayune, MS http://www.scborromeo.org


ADVENT: A TIME OF PREPARATION

Advent is the start of the liturgical year in the Roman Catholic Church. This year, in the Liturgical cycle, is Year B, in which we read the Gospel of Mark. Advent is a period of preparation, extending over four Sundays, before Christmas. The Latin word adventus is the translation of the Greek word parousia, commonly used to refer to the Second Coming of Christ. The season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from two different perspectives. First of all, it is our celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas; but second, it directs the mind and heart to His Second Coming at the end of time. It is also a season to be aware of the coming of Christ in our daily lives through grace. In the Roman Catholic Church, the official liturgical color for most of the Season of Advent is violet. ​

THE FOUR WEEKS OF ADVENT

During the first two weeks of Advent we light the first two purple candles. The Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday. On this day we celebrate that our waiting for the birth of Jesus on Christmas day is almost over. Rose is a liturgical color that is used to signify joy, so we light the single pink candle on the third Sunday of Advent. Then on the fourth Sunday of Advent, the final purple candle is lit to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait expectantly for the soon-coming birth of the King of Kings.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR B)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, MARK 13:33-37

(Isaiah 63:16b-17,19b, 64:2-7; Psalm 80; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9)

KEY VERSE: "Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming" (v 35).
TO KNOW: Mark wrote his gospel to encourage Christians who were suffering persecution for their faith. In chapter 13, Mark used an "apocalyptic" form of writing that was popular during times of crisis. This style borrowed images from the Hebrew Scriptures that depicted a time of turmoil and tribulation before the great "Day of the Lord." The author's purpose was not to instill fear, but to inspire hope in God's ultimate triumph over evil forces. While no one knows for certain the exact "day or hour" (Mk 13:32) of Christ's return, God's servants must be vigilant for his inevitable coming. As we begin this Advent time, God invites all of us to reflect on our readiness to bring the Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary, to our world today. We are invited to "wait in joyful hope" for the Lord's coming in each and every day of our lives.
TO LOVE: Do my actions help bring about the arrival of God's kingdom of peace and justice?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to use this Advent to prepare my heart for your coming.

NOTE: APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE
The word apocalyptic means "unveiling" or "revelation." Apocalyptic literature flourished among persecuted Jews and Christians from the second century before the coming of Christ to the second century of the Christian Era. Apocalyptic writing is crisis literature, the product of oppressed peoples. Basic to its belief is that the evil of a particular historical situation is so overwhelming that only God can rescue the victims and set things right. The apocalyptic author offers hope and encouragement in seemingly hopeless circumstances. The Book of Daniel is the only apocalyptic book in the Old Testament, and the Book of Revelation is the only apocalyptic book in the New Testament, although there are sections with apocalyptic elements in both Testaments.

Saturday 2 December 2017

Daniel 7:15-27. Luke 21:34-36.
Give glory and eternal praise to him – Luke 21:34-36.
Advent commences liturgically this evening, and we turn our thoughts to Mary.
As a very young woman, she was called to enter into a great mystery, for which she deemed herself unfit. Let us ponder on her faith and deep trust in her God. On the human level, she entrusted herself to the care of Joseph. Together, they set off on the incredible path which led to the birth of Jesus, our Saviour.
So, we pray, ‘Blessed are you, Mary. Help us to learn from you how to live with faith, trust and love, as we try to become increasingly aware of God’s will for us in our daily lives, and to do whatever he tells us.’


ST. FRANCIS XAVIER


On Dec. 3, the Roman Catholic Church honors St. Francis Xavier, one of the first Jesuits who went on to evangelize vast portions of Asia.
Francis Xavier was born during 1506 in the Kingdom of Navarre, a region now divided between Spain and France. His mother was an esteemed heiress, and his father an adviser to King John III. While his brothers entered the military, Francis followed an intellectual path to a college in Paris. There he studied philosophy, and later taught it after earning his masters degree.
In Paris, the young man would discover his destiny with the help of his long-time friend Peter Faber, and an older student named Ignatius Loyola – who came to Paris in 1528 to finish a degree, and brought together a group of men looking to glorify God with their lives.
At first, personal ambition kept Francis from heeding God's call. Ignatius' humble and austere lifestyle did not appeal to him. But the older student, who had undergone a dramatic conversion, often posed Christ's question to Francis: “What will it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Gradually, Ignatius convinced the young man to give up his own plans and open his mind to God's will. In 1534, Francis Xavier, Peter Faber, and four other men joined Ignatius in making a vow of poverty, chastity, and dedication to the spread of the Gospel through personal obedience to the Pope.
Francis became a priest in 1537. Three years later, Pope Paul III confirmed Ignatius and his companions as a religious order, the Jesuits. During that year, the king of Portugal asked the Pope to send missionaries to his newly-acquired territories in India.
Together with another Jesuit, Simon Rodriguez, Francis first spent time in Portugal caring for the sick and giving instruction in the faith. On his 35th birthday, he set sail for Goa on India's west coast. There, however, he found the Portuguese colonists causing disgrace to the Church through their bad behavior.
This situation spurred the Jesuit to action. He spent his days visiting prisoners and the sick, gathering groups of children together to teach them about God, and preaching to both Portuguese and Indians. Adopting the lifestyle of the common people, he lived on rice and water in a hut with a dirt floor.
Xavier's missionary efforts among them often succeeded, though he had more difficulty converting the upper classes, and encountered opposition from both Hindus and Muslims. In 1545 he extended his efforts to Malaysia, before moving on to Japan in 1549.
Becoming fluent in Japanese, Francis instructed the first generation of Japanese Catholic converts. Many said that they were willing to suffer martyrdom, rather than renounce the faith brought by the far-flung Jesuit.
St. Francis Xavier became ill and died on Dec. 3, 1552, while seeking a way to enter the closely-guarded kingdom of China. In 1622, both St. Francis Xavier and St. Ignatius Loyola were canonized on the same day.


LECTIO DIVINA: 1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (B)
Lectio Divina: 
 Sunday, December 3, 2017

1. LECTIO
a) Initial Prayer:
Father in heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of Your love and our minds are searching for the light of Your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of His coming may find us rejoicing in His presence and welcoming the light of His truth. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
b) Reading: Mark 13:33-37
33 “Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come.34 It is like a man travelling abroad: he has gone from his home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own work to do; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow or dawn; 36 if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. 37And what I am saying to you I say to all: Stay awake!”
c) A moment of silence:
so that the Word of God may enter into our hearts and enlighten our lives.
2. MEDITATIO
a) A key to the reading:
“Watch!” This is the key word in the short passage that the Church presents for the liturgy of the first Sunday of Advent. To watch, to stay awake, to wait for the return of the master of the house, not to sleep: this is what Jesus asks of a Christian. These four verses of the Gospel of Saint Mark are part of the eschatological discourse in chapter thirteen. This chapter speaks of the destruction of the Temple and of the city of Jerusalem. Jesus takes up a point from the observation made by a disciple: “Master, look at the size of those stones!” (Mk 13: 1). Jesus then clarifies the idea: “You see these great buildings? Not a single stone will be left on another; everything will be pulled down” (Mk 13: 2). The Temple, the tangible sign of the presence of God in the midst ofHhis chosen people, Jerusalem, “built as a city, in one united whole” where “the tribes go up, the tribes of Yahweh, a sign for Israel to give thanks to the name of Yahweh” (Ps 122: 4), all this, the sure sign of the promise made to David, sign of the covenant, all this will be destroyed: it is only a sign of something else to come. The disciples become curious and ask the Lord who is sitting on the Mount of Olives in front of the Temple: “Tell us, when is this going to happen, and what sign will there be that it is all about to take place?” (Mk 13: 4). After the Jewish apocalyptic style inspired by Daniel, Jesus limits His reply to proclaiming the warning signs (false christs and prophets who will deceive by proclaiming the coming of the imminent times, persecutions, signs in the powers of Heaven. cf.: Mk 13: 5-32), “But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father” (Mk 13: 32).
This leads us to understand the importance of watchful and attentive waiting for the signs of the times that help us to welcome the “master of the house” (Mk 13: 35). When he comes, all things will disappear, both “the authority of the servants” (Mk 13: 34) as well as the signs that help us remember his benevolence (temple, Jerusalem, house). When the master comes, the “servants” and “the doorkeeper” (Mk 13: 34) no longer care about the signs, but take pleasure in the master himself: “Look! The bridegroom! Go out and meet him” (Mt 25: 6 , Mk 2: 19-20).
Jesus often asked His disciples to watch. In the garden of Olives, on the Thursday night just before the passion, the Lord says to Peter, James and John: “Wait here, and stay awake” (Mk 14: 34; Mt 26: 38). Watching helps us not to fall into temptation (Mt 26: 41) but to stay awake. In the garden of Olives, the disciples fall asleep because the flesh is weak, even though the spirit is willing (Mk 14: 38). Anyone who sleeps goes to ruin, like Samson who allowed himself to be put to sleep, thus losing his strength which was a gift from God (Jud 16: 19). We must stay awake always, not fall asleep, and watch and pray that we may not be deceived and thus go to our perdition (Mk 13: 22, Jn 1: 6). “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Eph 5: 14).
b) Questions to orient the meditation and make it relevant:
● What does watching mean to you?
● The Lord foretells the destruction of the Temple and of the city of Jerusalem, the pride of the chosen people and symbols of the presence of God. Why does Jesus foretell their destruction?
● The Temple and the holy city were concrete forms of the covenant between God and His people. But these have gone through destruction. What are our concrete forms of the covenant? Do you think they will experience the same fate?
● Jesus calls us to transcend all forms and to attach ourselves to Him. What things, forms and signs do you think the Lord is asking you to transcend in order to attach yourself more closely to Him?
● Are you asleep? In what sense?
● Do you live always in expectation of the coming of the Lord? Is Advent a time for you to remember the element of waiting in the life of a Christian?

3. ORATIO
a) Psalm 96:
O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
tell of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His marvelous works among all the peoples!

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols;
but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before Him;
strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
bring an offering, and come into His courts!
Worship the Lord in holy array;
tremble before Him, all the earth!
Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns!
Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved;
He will judge the peoples with equity."

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy
before the Lord, for He comes,
for He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with His truth.
b) Moments for a prayerful silence:
We give you thanks, O God our Father, for Your son Jesus who came to raise us up and set us on the right way. When You awaken in our hearts a thirst for prayer and loving service, You prepare us for the dawn of that new day when our glory will be made manifest with all the saints in the presence of the Son of Man.
4. CONTEMPLATIO
Contemplation means to know how to adhere with one’s whole heart and mind to the Lord who, through His Word, transforms us into new persons who always do His will. “Now that you know this, blessed are you if you behave accordingly.” (Jn 13: 17)


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