First Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 63:16-64:7; Psalms 80:2-19, 85:8; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37

We watch. We wait. We assume that we know what to look for, just not when it will arrive. But what if time is not the unknown factor? What if our Parent's love and salvation is already here, just not in a form that we recognize? After all, do the servants expect their master to look the same after traveling for so long? And could they possibly recognize the strange gifts brought back from distant lands? If most of our siblings were unable to grasp the reality of the first Christmas, why are we so confident in our own powers of perception? How many blessed souls have we looked right through, because we could not even begin to imagine them as bearers of grace? So be alert! Look closely at the faces you encounter this Advent, for the Lord of the kingdom is certainly among them.

First Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 63:16-64:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37

We accept as natural that the relationship between parent and child will grow and mature as the child grows and matures. As we become adults, we understand our parents better than when we were teenagers. Should this not apply with God as well, our true Parent and Creator? The time has come for this relationship to mature. Humanity must grow out of adolescence and into adulthood. Do not be the child who keeps watch for some mythical superhero. Be the adult who is alert to the truth about our family.

First Sunday of Advent

Mark 13: 33-37

"Be watchful! Be alert!" During this season, we prepare not only for the coming of our Brother at Christmas, but for his approach throughout our lives. We never know when Jesus will present himself to us, or in what disguise. Every person, every moment offers the possibility of encountering God. Will we be ready, or will we be asleep? "Be watchful! Be alert!"