First Sunday of Advent
Readings for the First Sunday of Advent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 33:14-16
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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 33:14-16
Jeremiah predicts the continuation of the dynasty of King David (“I will raise up for David a just shoot”) in fulfillment of the promise made (the prophecy of Nathan in 2 Sam 7:11-16) To contemporaries of the period this would have announced the restoration of Judah and Jerusalem. This selection is the second time the Prophet has predicted the coming of the Messiah; the first being in Jeremiah 23:5-6. This prediction, fulfilled in Jesus, is one reason so much stress is laid on Jesus’ genealogy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
R. (1b) To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior,
and for you I wait all the day.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
In this hymn of thanksgiving we hear the petition we have all made many times. In paraphrase it is “God tell me what you want me to do. Tell me how to follow you.” It goes on to say how blessed are those who have found that path.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 1 Thessalonians 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 we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.
Finally, brothers and sisters,
we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,
as you received from us
how you should conduct yourselves to please God
Cand as you are conducting yourselves
you do so even more.
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Thes 3:12—4:2
St. Paul speaks to the Thessalonians about encouraging their already fervent love for on another and the Lord. He has warned them earlier that they will be facing resistance and that it is now necessary to strengthen themselves for what is to come.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 21:25-28, 34-36
Jesus again finds it necessary to remind his disciples not to become complacent in their practice of the faith. It is one of his sternest warnings that the end will come without notice and judgment will be immediate. This same Gospel reading concluded the Liturgical Year, having been used only yesterday (Saturday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time) and is used again to begin the Advent season. This duel use emphasizes that we celebrate not only the coming of Christ in his nativity but look forward to his second coming in Glory.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
We do not preach only one coming of Christ, but a second as well, much more glorious than the first. The first coming was marked by patience; the second will bring the crown of a divine kingdom.
In general, what relates to our Lord Jesus Christ has two aspects. There is a birth from God before the ages, and a birth from a virgin at the fullness of time. There is a hidden coming, like that of rain on fleece, and a coming before all eyes, still in the future.
At the first coming he was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. At his second coming he will be clothed in light as in a garment. In the first coming he endured the cross, despising the shame; in the second coming he will be in glory, escorted by an army of angels.
We look then beyond the first coming and await the second. At the first coming we said: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. At the second we shall say it again; we shall go out with the angels to meet the Lord and cry out in adoration: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. (From the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem)
We have marveled before that for all of our reflection and prayer; for all of our questioning and study, we find that in the millennia since Christ waked the earth as man, others, graciously endowed with the gift of faith have reflected more deeply and expressed more clearly the ideals the Lord saw fit to impart. In this case we have offered the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church who served us until his death in 386 AD.
St. Cyril reminds us, as does the Gospel from St. Luke that the Kingdom of God has not yet been fulfilled and while we most commonly use this Advent season to anticipate the triumph of the manger, we need also to be vigilant in our faith as the Lord’s second coming needs to find us diligent in our faith.
We will be reminded of the key figures of Christ’s life on earth in the coming weeks; the Lord’s cousin and herald– St. John the Baptist, St. Mary- virgin and mother, St. Joseph – the Lord’s foster father and servant of God. All these chosen ones played their part in bringing God’s plan forward as the Son of God comes into the world the first time as man, the gift and sacrifice that makes us whole.
This Advent season is also a time for us to recall that we are called to continue their work, advancing God’s Kingdom on earth in anticipation of the second part of the Lord’s promise “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
Our prayer then is this – that we may make this Advent season one in which we are devoted to the Lord’s work and plan – the plan God was pleased to decree in Christ before the world began. May we be blessed for our efforts when he comes again in glory.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Holy Family with the Infant St John The Baptist” by Francesco de Mura, 1760s
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Readings for the First Sunday of Advent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 33:14-16
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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 33:14-16
Jeremiah predicts the continuation of the dynasty of King David (“I will raise up for David a just shoot”) in fulfillment of the promise made (the prophecy of Nathan in 2 Sam 7:11-16) To contemporaries of the period this would have announced the restoration of Judah and Jerusalem. This selection is the second time the Prophet has predicted the coming of the Messiah; the first being in Jeremiah 23:5-6. This prediction, fulfilled in Jesus, is one reason so much stress is laid on Jesus’ genealogy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
R. (1b) To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior,
and for you I wait all the day.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
In this hymn of thanksgiving we hear the petition we have all made many times. In paraphrase it is “God tell me what you want me to do. Tell me how to follow you.” It goes on to say how blessed are those who have found that path.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 1 Thessalonians 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 we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.
Finally, brothers and sisters,
we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,
as you received from us
how you should conduct yourselves to please God
Cand as you are conducting yourselves
you do so even more.
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Thes 3:12—4:2
St. Paul speaks to the Thessalonians about encouraging their already fervent love for on another and the Lord. He has warned them earlier that they will be facing resistance and that it is now necessary to strengthen themselves for what is to come.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 21:25-28, 34-36
Jesus again finds it necessary to remind his disciples not to become complacent in their practice of the faith. It is one of his sternest warnings that the end will come without notice and judgment will be immediate. This same Gospel reading concluded the Liturgical Year, having been used only yesterday (Saturday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time) and is used again to begin the Advent season. This duel use emphasizes that we celebrate not only the coming of Christ in his nativity but look forward to his second coming in Glory.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
We do not preach only one coming of Christ, but a second as well, much more glorious than the first. The first coming was marked by patience; the second will bring the crown of a divine kingdom.
In general, what relates to our Lord Jesus Christ has two aspects. There is a birth from God before the ages, and a birth from a virgin at the fullness of time. There is a hidden coming, like that of rain on fleece, and a coming before all eyes, still in the future.
At the first coming he was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. At his second coming he will be clothed in light as in a garment. In the first coming he endured the cross, despising the shame; in the second coming he will be in glory, escorted by an army of angels.
We look then beyond the first coming and await the second. At the first coming we said: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. At the second we shall say it again; we shall go out with the angels to meet the Lord and cry out in adoration: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. (From the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem)
We have marveled before that for all of our reflection and prayer; for all of our questioning and study, we find that in the millennia since Christ waked the earth as man, others, graciously endowed with the gift of faith have reflected more deeply and expressed more clearly the ideals the Lord saw fit to impart. In this case we have offered the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church who served us until his death in 386 AD.
St. Cyril reminds us, as does the Gospel from St. Luke that the Kingdom of God has not yet been fulfilled and while we most commonly use this Advent season to anticipate the triumph of the manger, we need also to be vigilant in our faith as the Lord’s second coming needs to find us diligent in our faith.
We will be reminded of the key figures of Christ’s life on earth in the coming weeks; the Lord’s cousin and herald– St. John the Baptist, St. Mary- virgin and mother, St. Joseph – the Lord’s foster father and servant of God. All these chosen ones played their part in bringing God’s plan forward as the Son of God comes into the world the first time as man, the gift and sacrifice that makes us whole.
This Advent season is also a time for us to recall that we are called to continue their work, advancing God’s Kingdom on earth in anticipation of the second part of the Lord’s promise “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
Our prayer then is this – that we may make this Advent season one in which we are devoted to the Lord’s work and plan – the plan God was pleased to decree in Christ before the world began. May we be blessed for our efforts when he comes again in glory.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Holy Family with the Infant St John The Baptist” by Francesco de Mura, 1760s
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Thank you so much. This is such a helpful site and really does nourish one with a deeper understanding of the Word of God.
James. (Ireland)
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