DAILY- HOMILY

December 3, 2017 - 1st SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Violet

Is 63: 16b -17, 19b; 64: 2 -7 / 1 Cor 1: 3-9 / Mk 13: 33- 37

FROM THE FIRST READING:          Is 63: 16b- 17

     But you, O Yahweh, are our Father, from the beginning, you are our redeemer: this is your name. Why have you made us stray from your ways? Why have you let our heart become so hard so that we do not fear you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your inheritance.

FROM THE 2ND READING:            1 Cor 1: 4- 8

     I give thanks constantly to my God for you and for the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus. For you have been fully enriched in him with words as well as with knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you. You do not lack any spiritual gift and only await the glorious coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord. He will keep you steadfast to the end, and you will be without reproach on the day of the coming of our Lord Jesus.

GOSPEL READING:           Mk 13: 33- 37

     Jesus said to his disciples, "Be alert and watch, for you do not know when the time will come. When a man goes abroad and leaves his home, he puts his servants in charge, giving to each one some responsibility; and he orders the doorkeeper to stay awake. So stay awake, for you do not know when the lord of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight, when the cock crows or before dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him catch you asleep. And what I say to you, I say to all: watch."

REFLECTION

     Advent is about prayer and waiting and preparing for the coming of Christ. It is about living in hope and peace, turning to God, getting ready, living in expectation and keeping watch. The Gospel reading has Jesus' warning to his disciples, "Be alert and watch... stay awake... what I say to you, I say to all: watch" So Advent is about keeping watch for Christ.

     The key word for Advent is "Watch!" Jesus compares his going away to a man on a long journey, leaving his servants to watch over his affairs and household during his absence. Jesus has ascended to glory in heaven; he has left his followers to watch over his house and to be ready for his return. We must not be found sleeping when he comes; we have to be always ready for his return.

     Jesus tells us that no one knows the day or the hour of his return: the precise time is left in God's hands. We know the Lord will come back; we do not know when. We live with this uncertainty, in the shadow of eternity. There is no reason for fearful or hysterical expectation. It means that every day and every hour we should live well, always ready for the Lord's return.

     Advent is the season in the Church liturgical year when we consider how well we are actively ready for the return of the Lord. Advent is time to consider key questions: How seriously have I taken my belief that Jesus died and rose from the dead for me? How active have I been a member of Christ's Church, his mystical Body? How have I lived the life God has given me? How is my relationship with the living God?

     There is not one person who can say these questions are irrelevant. One day Jesus will return and he will know what kind of a person I have been. Those who trust in him and have faith in him will be welcomed into eternal life because his death and resurrection have saved us.

     We do spend a lot of time waiting: in traffic, for meetings and other appointments, for other people. Yet there is nothing more important to wait for than the return of the Lord. What we do while waiting for the Lord is important for our life in eternity.

     Advent assures us that Jesus is coming: Come, Lord Jesus!

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     ALVIN JEFFERSON TSOI

     ARMANDO A. DEGUZMAN

     HEDY L. TAN LEONIDA G. CASIANO

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most. 

Have a good day!

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