Skip to main content

1st Sunday of Advent: Follow-up...

By
As I noted in the commentary for the 1st Sunday of Advent, this is a season of penitent reflection, a time for us to slow down and consider if we are ready to meet Christ when he comes again.

Seems I'm not alone in that thinking.  Here's some links I'd like to share:

From the online Catholic news magazine Crux:
https://cruxnow.com/commentary/2016/11/26/culture-frenzy-advent-always-slows-us/

From  the online forum "For Her":
http://forher.aleteia.org/articles/3-advent-rituals-embrace-season/

From Matthew Kelly's Dynamic Catholic ministry, there's Best Advent Ever
http://dynamiccatholic.com/best-advent-ever/

And lastly, from America Magazine:
http://www.americamagazine.org/content/the-word/stay-awake

On some of the outer fringes of Protestant Christianity there has been this growing movement to "Take Back Christmas."  They are understandably frustrated with how our secular society has taken over this uniquely Christian celebration and turned it into something completely different.

I don't think we Catholics have ever felt we've lost the Christmas in this same way.  Why?  Because we've always had the Season of Advent.  Celebrating Advent allows us the time we need to reflect, taking time to prepare both our souls and our homes.  Christmas will still come, just as it did in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and we know the celebration will last a full 12 days (plus-or-minus on the new Liturgical calendar).  So we know there's no rush.  No need to feel pressured.  No reason to feel offended by something we didn't feel was lost.

There is a rhythm and a purpose to our Liturgical calendar, reflective of the highs and lows of the seasons.  Right now as Fall gives way to Winter, we celebrate the end of the harvest and prepare our homes for the cool bluster of winter.  What better time to thank God for his blessings and prepare our spirits for his coming again.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

6th Sunday of Easter - Cycle A

By
If you want to have some fun, ask a Catholic (or any Christian) about the Holy Spirit.  The answers you get will likely be as varied as the people you ask.  Our faith is based on a “Trinitarian” view of God:  God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.  As a Church we do quite well teaching about God the Father, and we do an excellent job teaching about God the Son (Jesus), but when it comes to the Holy Spirit we tend to treat the subject like a “third wheel” or “odd man out.”  We spend so much time learning about God the Father and God the Son that we end up with little time to spend on the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps our readings for this week can help us to better understand the Spirit: The Word for the 6th Sunday of Easter Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20 1 Peter 3:15-18 John 14:15-21 For this 6th Sunday of Easter we open with a story from Acts of the Apostles where we hear how Philip has had great success in bringing the Gospel to the p...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Ascension of the Lord - Cycle C

By
Following the traditional calendar, the Solemnity of the Ascension falls on a Thursday, 40 days after the Resurrection, and 10 days before Pentecost.  But since the Ascension is such an important moment for us as Church, many dioceses, including our own, have moved this celebration to this coming Sunday (in place of the 7th Sunday of Easter). The Word for the Ascension of the Lord Acts 1:1-11 Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 Ephesians 1:17-23 or Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:19-23 Luke 24:46-53 Our first reading is from the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles.  While it might be more appropriate that this reading should follow our Gospel reading for today (as it naturally follows after Luke’s Gospel), the book-end effect of these two readings remains intact, reminding us how this was a pivotal moment for the Church.  Like most sequels, our reading opens with a recap of where we left off at the end of Luke’s Gospel with the Ascension of Jesus.  Also like most sequels, this “recap” of t...
Post a Comment
Read more

24th Sunday od Ordinary Time

By
Last week our readings spoke of a conversion of heart, learning that we not only must love one another but that we have a duty to each other – a duty that demands that we speak out when we see injustice, personally at first, and publicly as needed.  But in order for love to survive, take root, and grow, we also need to learn to forgive. The Word for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time Sirach 27:30-28:7 Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12 Romans 14:7-9 Mathew 18:21-35 We open with a reading from the book of Sirach, also referred to as the “Wisdom of Ben Sira” in honor of its author (Yeshua [Jesus or Joshua = chosen of God], son of Elezar, son of Sira).  The prophet wrote during the post Exilic period, completing his work around 175 BCE, with his grandson preparing the Greek translation around 117 BCE.  The book is also referred to as “Ecclesiasticus”, which translates to “Church Book” because it was commonly used in the preparation of catechumens, like an early catechism for post...
Post a Comment
Read more