Deacon Tom Anthony

First Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 1

Reading 1 Is 2:1-5

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
the mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths."
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
one nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Responsorial Psalm Ps 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my brothers and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Reading 2 Rom 13:11-14

Brothers and sisters:
You know the time;
it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.
For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed;
the night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light;
let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day,
not in orgies and drunkenness,
not in promiscuity and lust,
not in rivalry and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

Alleluia Cf. Ps 85:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Show us Lord, your love;
and grant us your salvation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 24:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples:
"As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

 MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 On this First Sunday of Advent we are asked to meditate on the concept of Hope and its relation to our faith. Hope is defined as the expectation of things to come. It is not something that we anticipate with fear or with trepidation that it just might not happen but with a genuine expectation that we know certain things will happen and that we are looking forward to them. In this case our hope as Christians lies in the fact that we look forward to the Coming of Our Savior Jesus Christ and an existence of eternal joy with Him. There should be no anxiety or nervousness about the future but only an understanding that with Jesus everything will work out for the better and in a good way. Regardless of what circumstances we find ourselves in we can be comforted to know that Jesus is with us and He is here to guide us, protect us, and above all love us completely. Yes, to fully believe these words that have been written can sometimes be challenging to believe completely. There will be times when we will doubt our faith and doubt Jesus Christ but it is times like these we need to pay more attention to our relationship with Jesus Christ so He can help us through these periods. Just as in any relationship there are shared acts of support and encouragement. Jesus is always here for us and He is true to His promises. That is why we do not wish but instead hope; expecting all that He has revealed to us will happen.

In the Scripture Reading today from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah there is an invitation to “Climb the Lord’s Mountain.” This invitation is extended to all of us and defines our relationship with God. He is always there, larger than life, and is the greatest thing that there was, is, and ever will be. The invitation is also always there and God is waiting for us to accept it. When we do accept it then we immediately become receivers of all the benefits of a relationship with Him. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are poured out upon us and what once baffled us and caused us fears and anxieties have no power over us. There is a beautiful imagery created here. We go to God, He receives us, and His love is poured out over us thus transforming us into a new creation. We all have the opportunity to be immersed in God’s Love and to be healed by His presence if only we accept that invitation. He invites all of His creation into this experience. This is the vision of the universe that He intended before it was corrupted by our choices and our actions. Yet, He has forgiven all of that through the sacrifice of His only son so that we may be healed, forgiven, and eventually made perfect once again.

Throughout the Gospels and the writings of the New Testament we are warned to be alert and to stay awake for the Kingdom of God is at hand. We are told that Jesus Christ will return in all of His glory to judge the living and the dead. This is not a warning to us but more as a promise of things to come. Conducting ourselves rightly is a part of being a Christian and it is through this conduct that a higher awareness and experience is revealed. When we obey the Word of God we are shown a better way which will affect our entire lives for the better. We are told these things so as to bring us closer to God and to experience a more joyous life; not out of fear of final judgment. Jesus Christ will come again in all of His glory but that will mark a time of a new heaven and a new earth. These things are things that should be expected but not focused on. If we focus on that time in the future we then tend to forget the importance of the present. Jesus Christ, being the alpha and the omega, is here now with us and in us now. We cannot ignore His presence in the now and just focus on some undisclosed time in the future that even Jesus doesn’t know. If we do that then we are missing the benefits of Him being in our lives and we miss the benefits of an amazing relationship with Him.

It should be comforting knowing that we walk with our God and that we are invited to experience Him fully. There are benefits to this now and for all of eternity. We as Christians are encouraged and instructed to examine both of these concepts and live our lives by these same concepts. He has always been with us, is with us now, and will be with us forever if only we want to keep Him with us.

Deacon Tom