"We are a community of disciples inspired by the Holy Spirit to be living witnesses for transformation in Christ to bring about a world of justice, human development and true peace."
Reflection for December 2024 (Liturgical Year - Cycle C, Year I)
Community Word:
Advent is the season of preparation and vigilance for the coming of Christ.
Order:
“Strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.” (1 Thes 3:13)
Reflection
We are now in the season of Advent. Advent means coming. As Catholic Christians, we are mindful of the three “comings” of Jesus in our lives. His first coming which we celebrate on Christmas day, was His birth in Bethlehem more than 2000 years ago. His second coming is at the end of time for the final judgment. And His third coming is in the present, in our day-to-day life. His “third coming” actually prepares us for His final coming as we see in our readings for the Advent season.
Our Community Word reminds us that Advent is the season of preparation and vigilance for the coming of Christ. Advent is the most opportune time given to us to reflect about the moral state of our life, to repent and confess our wrongdoings, to make amends of our ways to transform our life, to pray and to reach out to the poor. It is a time to celebrate God’s love because He gave us His greatest gift – our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
To prepare for the coming of our Lord on the last day, St. Paul counsels us. “Strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father…” (1 Thes 3:13). Everything that we are and what we receive is because of the grace of God. The Lord is directing us to be righteous and holy before Him, to honor and glorify Him with our sanctified life, devoid of worldly attachments, desires and pleasures. We are asked to know and serve His Son, Jesus, with humility and joy, to be grateful for his gift of salvation and for all blessings through the gifts and fruit of the Spirit. We are reminded to act and live in faith, always asking the Lord to fill our hearts with His goodness, love, joy and peace.
Advent brings us to a time of reflection about our readiness and vigilance for the coming of Jesus Christ through our weekly scripture readings.
For the 1st Sunday of Advent, our theme is – We prepare for the coming of our Savior when we pray constantly and conduct our lives pleasing to God. To be spiritually prepared is to anchor ourselves in a life of prayer. It would be difficult to walk in faith, hope and love without prayer. It would be a struggle to live in holiness and please God if we do not establish a prayerful relationship with Him. Prayer keeps our mind and heart focus to the Lord and thus, we receive His grace to become strong in our spiritual life. With this kind of life, we can be assured of this promise: “All paths of the Lord are kindness and constancy toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.” (Ps 25:10)
For the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, our theme is – We prepare for the coming of our Savior when we sincerely repent and seek forgiveness of sins. The words of John the Baptist tells us to “prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths,” calling us to repentance for the forgiveness of sins. In the same way, St. Paul exhorts us to “be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness.” Repentance is the deliberate turning away from sin and turning to God for His forgiveness, healing and strength to do what is good and reject what is wrong. This is the way that leads us to the Lord’s promise, “The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” (Lk 3:5b-6)
For the 3rd Sunday of Advent, our theme is – We prepare for the coming of our Savior when we share the good news of justice and righteousness. Jesus calls us to “bring glad tidings to the poor.” John the Baptist preached the good news to restore justice and righteousness to the people of God. Advent is the season when we are reminded to do good to others, especially to the marginalized ones, to share our blessings and bring joy to the hearts of many who have been deprived of their rights as human beings. When there is kindness to all, the Lord is near, as expressed in this promise, “…He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you.” (Zep 3:17b)
For the 4th Sunday of Advent, our theme is – We prepare for the coming of our Savior when we emulate Mary in obeying the will of God. ‘Lord, I come to do your will.’ This should be our prayer as we prepare for Jesus’ coming. If we accept His will to follow Him, we will receive much of His blessings. Mary is called blessed through all generations because she fully and humbly obeyed God’s plan of salvation. Like Mary, may we always respond, “May it be done to me according to your word” and share in this promise, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled,” (Lk 1:45).
For the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, our theme is – We prepare for the coming of our Savior when we imitate the Holy Family in their bond of unity and love for one another. The example of the Holy Family teaches us how to build our own “Nazareth” and guide all members of our family in the path of good moral and spiritual values. Love, respect and unity are very important in the relationship among each family member. In doing so, God’s promise will be fulfilled, “For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork, blessed shall you be and favored.” (Ps. 128:2).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the greatest gift of Your Son, Jesus. He is our Lord and Savior who humbly obeyed and fulfilled Your salvific plan for all of us. As we start this new liturgical year in the season of Advent, give us the grace to make use of this time to reflect on our nothingness and sinfulness, to seek repentance and forgiveness for all our failures and wrongdoings. Cleanse us, Lord. And as You renew our spirits, lead us to be more loving, giving, just and righteous to our deprived brothers and sisters. Bring our hearts to be more obedient to Your will and plans in our life that we may find hope, peace, joy and love in us and in our relationship with one another. Give us strength that we may remain faithful to continue the good work until the day of Jesus Christ. We rejoice and bless Your Holy Name, Lord God, for You are our Creator, the source of our salvation. Amen.
Directions:
1. Persevere in prayer, go to confession and receive Holy Communion regularly.
2. Be united as one community through our weekly worship and word sharing.
3. Do charitable works and share your blessings during this season of Joy.
4. Bring your children and the young generation close to Jesus and Mary.
Sunday Readings: (Cycle C - Year I)
Dec 1, 2024 – Jer 33:14-16/ Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14/ 1 Thes 3:12-4:2/ Lk 21:25-28, 34-36
Dec 8, 2024 – Bar 5:1-9/ Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6/ Phil 1:4-6, 8-11/ Lk 3:1-6
Dec 15, 2024 – Zep 3:14-18A/ Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6/ Phil 4:4-7/ Lk 3:10-18
Dec 22, 2024 – Mic 5:1-4A/ Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19/ Heb 10:5-10/ Lk 1:39-45
Dec 29, 2024 – Sir 3:2-6, 12-14/ Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5/ Col 3:12-21/ Lk 2:41-52
Monthly: Word, Order, Prophesies and Directions (As provided by bldworld.org)