Fulfill the Promise December 3

First Sunday of Advent

“Fulfill the promise.” Jeremiah

“Do so even more.” 1 Thessalonians

“Your redemption is at hand.” Luke 21

Piety
From Psalm 25

Let us pray: Make your ways known to us and show us the right paths to take on this journey of life. Guide our journey to the realization that you are our long-awaited savior.

You are good and upright, the just shoot from the tree of David. We await your next coming as we did your first. When you come, then will we know the way, show the way and go the way of justice, peace and humility. Your paths are kindness and constant when we keep your laws. Your friendship and grace will be with us thanks to your instruction for our piety, study and action. Amen.

Study
1st Sunday of Advent 06
By Rev. Joe Mc Closkey, S.J.

Advent is the time of the preparation for the “Coming.” There are times when what is coming has lots of preparation. That might be said of the entire Old Testament. Everything before Christ was a preparation for his birth. The heavens and the earth resound with the glory of God. A galaxy for every star of our midnight sky is a faint reflection of the immensity of God. The flight in place of the humming bird an exquisite statement of the attention to detail of a God who knows each moment of our creation with a personal care that holds in existence whatever we notice with a mere passing glance. In the fullness of time he sends his only Son into our lives as the message of our salvation in a love that is his finest creation. The “Just Shoot” raised up for David is our brother. Knowing he is coming, we make room for him in the temple of our hearts.

We prepare for his coming in the love we have for one another. We try to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. We try to please God even more than we have ever done. Making ready the way of the Lord is what Advent is all about. All the tribulations of life are put aside and we prepare to rejoice that God is with us. Our preparation makes his coming all the more important. When he comes in his power and glory we will all wish we had done more. His glory will convict of us of how little we did. His coming as the child leaves us our freedom to respond in every birth of a child. Our hearts open up to the God of new life. His great glory is now found in the littleness of new birth. The cry goes out from our hearts to make ready for the coming of the Lord. What return shall I make to the Lord for all that he does for me by the birth of the child?

Action

Advent Calendar Day 1: Prioritize changes we need to make, including both “big” and “little” changes. Do not allow tokenism - doing only small stuff, like recycling, and ignoring the hard changes, like reducing our dependence on our cars. Likewise, do little stuff to keep a consciousness, otherwise the big changes may overwhelm us. It feels good to say, “Look at all the changes I've made!” But it's tokenism if they're all small stuff. Help: “Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices” and “The Joy of Simple Living.” From www.simpleliving.org