Reading I
The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will fulfill the promise
I made to the house of Israel and Judah.
In those days, in that time,
I will raise up for David a just shoot ;
he shall do what is right and just in the land.
In those days Judah shall be safe
and Jerusalem shall dwell secure;
this is what they shall call her:
“The LORD our justice.”
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs 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 the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Reflection
On this first Sunday of Advent, many of us wait in joyful anticipation—for Christmas, for families reuniting, and for our packages to arrive. Our Church reminds us with today’s readings to redirect that eagerness towards Our Incarnate Lord.
In the Gospel, Christ promises the return of the Son of Man in glory amidst great trial and tribulation, and He calls us to constant vigilance. Yes, we look forward to Christmas during this season, but we also anticipate a day of such significance that Jesus prophecies “there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars.” Advent is about our grateful certainty that God fulfilled His promise to “raise up from David a just shoot,” when Jesus Christ was born of Mary. That certainty also looks ahead in hope to when He will fulfill His promise to come again.
Our hope is not rooted in wishful thinking or optimism. Our hope stems from our trust. We rely upon a God who has already won, who has demonstrated His infinite love by taking on our weakness and our flesh, dying for our sins, and opening the gates of Heaven to us. We look to Christmas day as a sign of the humble and immeasurable love of God, and we anticipate the second coming as the finale of God’s perfect plan.
That said, Jesus’s words in this Gospel are also a warning. The eager anticipation of this season carries with it a sense of vigilance and rigor. We must not grow complacent as we wait, nor should we confuse our confidence in God’s mercy with an excuse to “become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.” Christ tells us to pray, now, daily, for the strength to stand before the Son of Man on that day of reckoning. So, we also enter a season of preparation, that we might make room in our hearts and our lives for Jesus Christ.
This Advent, let us wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior—both for the celebration of His birth and for His glorious return.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
