Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

Throughout this season of Advent we have been focused on the ancient prophecy of the coming of a messiah, and how through Jesus we have the fulfillment of that prophecy.  This Fourth Sunday of Advent is no different as we read more about what to expect with the coming of this savior: The Word for the 4th Sunday of Advent Isaiah 7:10-14 Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 Romans 1:1-7 Mathew 1:18-24 Our first reading is again from the book of the prophet Isaiah.  This week we go back to an earlier time where King Ahaz is in trouble.  The Assyrian Empire is on the move.  The Northern Kingdom of Israel is under threat and King Ahaz of Judah is concerned that Jerusalem and his kingdom are next.  Rival forces are converging on Jerusalem, so Isaiah is called by the Lord to go and meet with Ahaz and begs him to stand firm in his faith in the Lord.  Ahaz, on the other hand, is more comfortable putting his trust in the might of the Assyrians.  Our passage this Sunday picks ...

Patience.  Good things are coming and are almost here, so rejoice!  This is Gaudete Sunday (from the Latin “to rejoice”), the Third Sunday of Advent.  We celebrate this Sunday because we are now past the halfway point of our Advent observance.  For this one day we put away the violet color of Advent and bring out the Rose-colored vestments and décor – the color you get when you mix the purple of Advent and the white of Christmas.  We light the rose-colored candle in our Advent wreaths as we joyfully count the remaining days to Christmas.  Our readings remind us of the good things to come, but good things only come to those who wait: The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10 Psalm 146, 6-7, 8-9, 9-10 James 5:7-10 Mathew 11:2-11 Our first reading, again, is from Isaiah.  Here the prophet sings of the great things to come, and the land itself will rejoice and bloom.  Isaiah goes to great lengths to paint us this glorious picture of Zio...

The Messiah is coming!  Emmanuel!  How do we know this?  Prophets through the ages have been telling us, and their scribes have been preserving those words, so that we can recognize the signs.  Our readings for this coming Sunday give a picture of who this deliverer will be, who he’s come for, and how we should respond: The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Advent Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 Romans 15:4-9 Mathew 3:1-12 Our first reading is from the prophet Isaiah.  Here he describes for us a vision of the ideal king, the one who will “fear the Lord” and be a just judge; whose words will be his only weapons and whose reign will bring universal peace.  It will be so glorious that all the nations will seek it out.  To our Christian ears, this “shoot of Jesse” (King David’s father) sounds very much like Jesus himself.  But wait, This passage dates back some 720 years before Jesus.  Sometimes when we get a prophecy like this we need to pa...

Joyful anticipation – this is the meaning of Advent!  The First Sunday Advent marks the beginning of the new Liturgical year.  The green vestments and décor of Ordinary Time are put away, replaced with the purple vestments and décor of Advent.  Like Lent, Advent is a season of penitent reflection.  So as our secular culture charges into the beginning of a frantic holiday season, we Catholics are asked to slow down, take a step back, and prayerfully consider if we are prepared for the coming of Christ – that is, his second coming. The Word for the 1st Sunday of Advent Isaiah 2:1-5 Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:37-44 Our first reading comes from the second chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah.  The book of Isaiah is one of the longest of all the prophetic books and spans a period from before the Assyrian attack on the Northern Kingdom all the way through (and long after his death) to the end of the Babylonian Exile.  This S...