First Reading
The 1st Sunday of Advent-Cycle C–2009 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.”
Second Reading
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—and as you are conducting yourselves—you do so even more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
Gospel Cycle Cycle C
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.”
Every year when we begin Advent, we can remind ourselves that this word Advent means for us the coming of the Lord. Our Catholic tradition reminds us that there are three comings of the Lord: in the flesh at His incarnation, in our hearts when we respond to grace and at the end of time when the universe is transformed and the final judgment takes place.
The first reading today, from the Prophet Jeremiah, speaks eloquently about the desires of our hearts. God has promised to be with us and to save us. Once we begin to believe, our hearts can deepen in this desire to experience God’s presence and God’s salvation. At times we can get small glimmers of this God who is with us and constantly is saving us. If we allow this loving God to open our hearts, that experience can grow so profound as to overwhelm us with God’s love.
The second reading, from the First Letter to the Thessalonians, urges us to allow love for one another and for all to grow in our hearts. This love is a gift of God but also shows that we are walking the path given to us by our Lord. The author of this letter is convinced that the following of Christ can be fairly simply described as conducting ourselves o please God. That is another way of saying: seek His face, seek His will, do what He asks of you.
The Gospel, today from Saint Luke, is written in a style that can convince people to go sit on their rooftops and wait for the end of the world. It is really meant to change our hearts so that we become completely sensitive to God’s presence and remain alert and open to the Lord. It is our hearts and beings that the Lord wants. God wants us to follow Jesus and to come to the Kingdom.
As we begin this time of Advent, this journey through Advent to celebrate the birth of Jesus, to celebrate the mysteries of our faith, we can once more invite the Lord who has been born for us to dwell in our hearts and in our world. May our hearts cry out with faith: Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven!