Texts taken from the “Sulla Tua Parola” Missal November-December 2024
1st Sunday of Advent (C)
1st week of the Psalter
FIRST READING
From the book of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 33:14-16)
Behold, the days are coming - oracle of the Lord - when I will fulfill the promises of good that I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch to sprout for David, who will exercise judgment and justice in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and it will be called: The Lord our justice. - The word of God.
Commentary on the first reading
The entire Old Testament is, one might say, a time of waiting. We speak of “sacred history” precisely because it is a history that tends toward something, or rather, someone sacred and holy. It took centuries to prepare for the coming of the Messiah, and Israel is continually reminded that the meaning of its existence is to give the Savior to the world. This future son of David is described in various ways: as a liberator, as the one who will restore justice, and also, in the songs of Isaiah’s Servant of the Lord, as the one who will suffer for the people and pay for everyone. Just as a pregnant woman waits nine months to bring her child into the world, so Israel exists to live not months, but centuries in expectation of the Messiah. Pregnancy is not a passive time: the child gradually takes shape in the mother’s womb, grows, makes itself felt, and the mother already lives an increasingly intense relationship with him even without seeing him. Israel, therefore, teaches us to live the time of waiting well, to keep our attention always turned toward Christ who will come, and thus to have the right spirit to begin this season of Advent well.
SECOND READING
From the first letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians (1 Thess 3:12 - 4:2)
Brothers and sisters, may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as our love for you abounds, so that he may strengthen your hearts and make them blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you should live and please God - and as you are already doing - you may make still greater progress. You know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. - The word of God.
Commentary on the second reading
Paul writes to the Thessalonians, asking them to strengthen their hearts and live in holiness so that they may be ready for the «coming of the Lord Jesus with all his saints». If you received a letter like this, what would you think? That Jesus and his saints have yet to come. Yet we know that he has already come, has already died on the cross, and has risen. Therefore, this is clearly speaking of another coming, the second coming of Christ, which may be understood as the end of the world for the Last Judgment, or as a coming in time to reign with the saints in a new way that we do not yet know. In essence, we too, who live in the New Testament, must be ready and watchful in expectation. We say this at Mass as well: «We announce your death, O Lord, proclaim your resurrection, in expectation of your coming». Whether it is a particular second coming in time or the end of the world, Advent always places us on this twofold level: reliving Jesus’ birth in time, welcoming him into our hearts, and remaining in expectation of the Parousia, his second coming.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 21:25-28.34-36)
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: «There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fear and in expectation of what is to come upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from dissipation, drunkenness, and the anxieties of daily life, and that day does not catch you by surprise; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth like a trap. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape all these things that are about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man». - The Gospel of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel of the day
Preparing for the encounter with Christ: this is the meaning of the liturgical season of Advent, which the Church invites us to live each year. The liturgy asks us to admire, contemplate, and adore what has already taken place in time, namely the Incarnation of the Word of God and his birth in the grotto of Bethlehem, while at the same time inviting us to raise our eyes to heaven and prepare for the coming of the Lord, when he will come upon a cloud with great power for the final and universal Judgment. Our lives, therefore, unfold with a twofold gaze: toward the past, to contemplate the wonders of God, and toward the future, knowing that the final verdict awaits us. In the meantime, however, we live in time, which is regarded as our personal journey between these two poles, a journey in which the Lord gives us himself as companion, help, and nourishment (in the holy Eucharist); he gives us strength, courage, freedom, and grace through the continual gift of the Holy Spirit; he gives us spiritual friends who accompany and encourage us by their example, the saints of Paradise. We lack nothing, therefore, to walk in hope, practicing faith and carrying out acts of charity every day.
