Saturday, November 29, 2014

First Sunday of Advent


Happy New Year! 

How blessed we are as Catholics to live the ebbs and flows of the liturgical year. After a long period of ordinary time, we as a church move into the expectant time of waiting; a time of preparing our hearts for the one who is to come. The readings for this season give us hints of the prophets, those who listened to the voice of God and shared His message with the people. They speak to us today, illuminating our lives and our faith. The youngest children in the atrium hear five short prophecies proclaimed during their three years in the atrium. The six to nine year old children revisit those five prophecies while beginning to synthesize their messages and add two more prophecies from Isaiah to the list. By the time the children are in 4th grade, they are ready to study four of the prophets more deeply, learning about the prophets' call and their struggles, along with the contents of the prophecies. As for me, I'm happy to count these Old Testament heroes among my friends - they inspire me and give me hope as I ask myself "Am I ready for the coming of Christ?"

I do love this quiet time of waiting – the build up of anticipation for the coming of of our Lord. It reminds me of my own pregnancies, joyfully anticipating a new sweet babe. It also mirrors watching those children grow and seeing glimpses of the life that is yet to come. 

Below are some notes I compiled for the first Sunday of Advent:

CCC 524 When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming. By celebrating the precursor’s birth and martyrdom, the Church unites herself to his desire: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Simple Advent Wreath Blessing:

Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

Leader: O God, by whose Word all things are sanctified, pour forth Your blessing upon this wreath and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and may receive from You abundant graces. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

The wreath would then be sprinkled with Holy water,if you have some at home.

Leader: Heavenly Father, as we begin this Advent, give light to our eyes and peace to our hearts. May the Lord find us watching and waiting in joy when He comes. We pray in Jesus' name.

All: Amen.

Some links to peruse:


Prayers for each day of Advent

Last year's post on the First Sunday of Advent

"The one true God, ‘the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,’ is not a God who is there in Heaven, unconcerned with us and our history, but he is the-God-who-comes. He is a Father who never stops thinking of us and, in the extreme respect of our freedom, desires to meet us and visit us; he wants to come, to dwell among us, to stay with us. His ‘coming’ is motivated by the desire to free us from evil and death, from all that prevents our true happiness. God comes to save us." ~ Pope Benedict XVI Dec. 2006

No comments:

Post a Comment