Texts taken from the Missal “On Your Word” November-December

1st Sunday of Advent (C)
1st week, weekday cycle

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 the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous shoot to spring forth for David, who will exercise judgment and justice in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell secure, and she will be called: The Lord our justice. - The word of God.

Commentary on the first reading

God is faithful and keeps the promises made to the fathers. In today's first reading, the invitation of Jeremiah resounds strongly, the prophet with a gentle soul and a love of peace who was instead sent to struggle against everyone and everything; his is a call to place one's hope in God and not in whoever happens to be in power. This word full of light resounds in the heart of the people who find themselves in exile because they were unable to live in justice and did not give God his place as the only Lord, having instead sought security and support in idols. Exile will not be the final word: God wants to bind himself to his people with a new and stronger commitment. He himself will be the justice of his people: Jerusalem will be called: “The Lord our justice.” Let us also set aside the illusion of our own justice, of being able to suffice unto ourselves. The promise is fulfilled in Jesus: he truly is our justice, and in him we can present ourselves to the Father, strong not in our own justice but in his. May the season of Advent that begins be, for each of us, a time of hope, the theological virtue that makes God present in the heart that welcomes him.

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 holy ones. Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, just as you learned from us how you should conduct yourselves 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's earnest invitation refers to the second “coming” of the Lord Jesus and, in view of that event, he prays and begs the Thessalonians to make their hearts firm and blameless in holiness, received as a gift through Baptism. Holiness is God's own life; we might say it is what makes God God. We are therefore urged to clothe ourselves with God's holiness, with his divine life. Christian morality, even before being governed by rules, is in fact governed by the person of Jesus. “At the beginning of being a Christian,” Benedict XVI reminded us in the encyclical Deus Caritas est, “there is not an ethical decision or a great idea, but rather the encounter with an event, with a Person, which gives life a new horizon and thereby its decisive direction” (1). We are called to holiness so that we ourselves may become “children in the Son, the image and likeness of the Father.” Let us set out, then! Christian life is a journey of following Christ in order to “please God”; after all, it is known that those who love seek to please the beloved, and to please the beloved: in this way, the beloved becomes the life of the one who loves, and the two become one.

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 in bewilderment at the roaring of the sea and the waves, while people will die of fear and expectation of what is to come upon the world. 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. But 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 carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise, like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. 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

What does it mean for us to await the Lord? Many believe that meeting the Lord occurs only at the moment of our death, whereas the Lord is always coming; he comes now, and for this reason he will also come tomorrow and for eternity. We are given the opportunity to live the continual surprise of meeting the Lord. For this reason, the first thing required is watchfulness, that is, a lively attentiveness to the Lord. Although it is true that the Lord is always coming, often no encounter takes place because we live distractedly and allow the things of this world to make us unavailable to meet him. The season of Advent, which begins, returns to teach us about this coming of the Lord. It is an important season because it teaches us to go out to meet the Lord, and then to live this way every day of the year. Christian life, often confused with a commitment to things to do, is primarily this coming of God into the soul. This is why it is important that the heart not become weighed down and that our eyes remain open, so that we do not sleep in the presence of the things of God. During this Advent, let us commit ourselves to practicing true recollection in order to welcome and preserve the great Presence.