Blessing
The Advent Wreath
(usually
on Saturday evening before the first
Sunday of Advent)
Father, today we begin our
time of preparation for
the birthday of your Son.
We ask you to bless this
wreath, and grant that as we use it
we may receive abundant graces.
Amen.
WELCOME THE LORD
Light the First PURPLE
Candle which symbolizes hope.
For many years the faithful looked
forward to the coming of the Messiah.
We look forward with the eyes of
faith.
ADVENT designates the
coming or second coming of
Christ.
The English term advent comes from a
Latin word meaning "coming"
and is used primarily to designate a
period before Christmas during which
Christians prepare for the
Christmas season and reflect on the
meaning of the coming of Christ.
Churches in many areas began to
observe this period of preparation as
early as the fifth century, soon
after the origin of the celebration of
Christmas. The period was one of
both penitence and joyous
anticipation. By the Middle Ages, four
Sundays had become the standard length
of the Advent season. Since then,
Advent has been considered to be the
beginning of the church year.
First
Sunday of Advent
TRUST IN GOD'S PROMISES
1 Cor 1:3 Grace and
peace to you from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Cor 1:4 I always thank God for you
because of his grace given you in
Christ Jesus.
1 Cor 1:5 For in him you have been
enriched in every way--in all your
speaking and in all your
knowledge--
1 Cor 1:6 because our testimony about
Christ was confirmed in you.
1 Cor 1:7 Therefore you do not lack
any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait
for our Lord Jesus Christ to be
revealed.
1 Cor 1:8 He will keep you strong to
the end, so that you will be blameless
on the day of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
1 Cor 1:9 God, who has called you into
fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ
our Lord, is faithful.
~~~
St. Paul reminds us that all our
blessings come from the Lord. We
come together at Advent to
remember what God has done for us and
look forward to His coming again.
What do you look forward to most this
Christmas?
Ps 80:1 Hear us, O
Shepherd of Israel, you who lead
Joseph like a flock; you who sit
enthroned between the cherubim, shine
forth.
Advent
1 Monday
Advent... the new
liturgical season has begun. God's
plan to bring all creation
to perfection and unity is
proclaimed through Advent and
culminating in the birth
of Jesus. The prophets of Israel
saw visions of this many centuries
earlier. The prophet Isaiah describes
the "days to come" in an
optimistic and joyful way as is
true of all beginnings.
Isaiah: 2:2-3 In the days to come, the
mountain of the Lord's house shall
be estblished 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 hous
of the God of Jacob, that he may
instruct us in his ways, and we
may walk in his paths."
Isaiah: 2: 5 O house of Jacob, com let
us walk in the light of the Lord!
Ps 25, 1-3 To you, my God, I lift my
soul, I trust in you; let me never
come to shame. Do not let my
enemies laugh at me. No one who wits
for you is ever put to shame.
Let us pray:
All powerful God, increase our
strength of will for doing good that
Christ may find an eager welcome
at his coming and call us to his side
in the kingdom of heaven, where
he lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God forever.
Advent
1 Tuesday
GRATEFUL IN THE LORD
Father in heaven, we wish to thank you
for all that you have given us as we
await the fullness of Your Kingdom. As
we look with anticipation to the
celebration of Christmas and the gifts
that we will receive and give, help us
to remember that we have received the
most wonderful gift of all, the life
of Your Son, Jesus.
Luke 10:21 At that time Jesus, full of
joy through the Holy Spirit, said,
"I praise you,Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, because you have
hidden these things from the wise and
learned, and revealed them to little
children. Yes, Father, for this was
your good pleasure.
Luke 10:22 "All things have been
committed to me by my Father. No one
knows who the Son is except the
Father, and no one knows who the
Father is except the Son and those to
whom the Son chooses to reveal
him."
Luke 10:23 Then he turned to his
disciples and said privately,
"Blessed are the eyes that see
what you see.
Luke 10:24 For I tell you that many
prophets and kings wanted to see what
you see but did not see it, and to
hear what you hear but did not hear
it."
~~~ We have
truly been given so many things from
God. Our lives, our family, our faith
in Jesus, and so much more. Advent is
a time to look ahead to Christmas, but
it is also a time for giving thanks to
what we have right now. Let us all
take a few moments to call to mind all
the things that we are thankful for in
our lives.
Ps 72:17
May his name endure forever; may it
continue as long as the sun. All
nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.
Advent
1 Wednesday
TRUST IN THE LORD
Father in heaven, our hearts desire
the warmth of your love and our minds
are searching for the light of your
Word. Increase our longing for Christ
our Savior and give us the strength to
grow in love, that the dawn of his
coming may find us rejoicing
in his presence and welcoming the
light of his truth.
As advent progresses we see that we
must look back in order to look
forward. Jesus often reminded his
disciples on the necessity of being
ready. He did this not so people would
live in fear and dread: rather that
they live in expectation and
hope, ever mindful of the signs
of God's loving plan. Since Advent
means coming or arrival.. we have the
sense of coming in the excerpt from
Matthew that follows:
Matthew
24:42-44 Watch out, then,
because you do not know what day your
Lord will come. If the owner of a
house knew the time when the thief
would come, you can be sure that he
would stay awake and not let the thief
break into his house. So
then, you also must always be
ready, because the Son of Man will
come at an hour when you are not
expecting him.
Ps 85:13 The Lord will shower his
gifts, and our land will yield its
fruit.
Advent
1 Thursday
STRONG AND
FAITHFUL GOD
Dear Lord, so much
changes around us as we change and
grow each day. We are always changing
but You remain the same. Help us to
cling to You all of our lives and help
us to know
that you will always be with us for
all time. Amen.
If we obey God, then we will be cared
for, no matter what happens.
Isa 26:1-4 "In that day this song
will be sung in the land of Judah: We
have a strong
city; God makes salvation its walls
and ramparts.Open the gates that the
righteous nation may enter, the nation
that keeps faith. You will keep in
perfect peace him whose mind is
steadfast, because he trusts in
you. Trust in the LORD forever, for
the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock
eternal."
Meditation: A rock remains unchanged
for thousands of years, through
changing seasons, wind, rain,
daylight and darkness. God is there
for us even more, he is the most solid
rock that we can think of. If we turn
away from God, He is still there,
faithful and rock solid, ready for us
to return. Let us pray now in
thanksgiving for the faithful, solid
presence of our Lord.
Psa 117:29 Give thanks to the LORD,
for he is good; his love endures
forever.
Advent
1 Friday
EXPECTATION
The coming of God's Son to Earth is an
event of such immensity that God
willed to prepare for it over
centuries. He makes everything
converge on Christ; all the rituals
and sacrifices, figures and symbols of
the "First Covenant." He
announces him through the mouths of
the prophets who succeeded one another
in Israel.
Moreover, he awakens in the hearts of
the pagans a dim expectation of this
coming.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church
522)
St. John the Baptist is the Lord's
immediate precursor of forerunner,
sent to prepare his way. (CCC)
John 13: 24-25 Before Jesus began His
work, John preached to all the people
of Israel that they should turn from
their sins and be baptized. And as
John was about to finish his mission,
he said to the people, "Who do
you think I am? I am not the one
you are waiting for. but listen! He is
coming after me, and I am not good
enough to take his sandals off his
feet."
Matthew 3:3 John was the man the
prophet Isaiah was talking about when
he said, "Someone is shouting in
the desert, "Prepare a road for
the Lord; make a straight path for him
to travel!' "
As we prepare our hearts for the
coming of Christ we must ask
ourselves, how are we preparing our
for the coming of Christ when he comes
again! Are we worthy to have Him come
into our lives? Are we ready if He
came to us this day?
Let us pray: His future coming was
proclaimed by all the prophets. The
virgin mother bore him in her womb
with love beyond telling. John the
Baptist was his herald and made him
known when at last he came.
Advent
1 Saturday
OUR FAMILY OF FAITH
Lord God, we thank you for our family
and our family in faith, the Church.
We never have to be alone on this
life, we always have our brothers and
sisters in Christ to help us. In this
Advent season, help us to remember how
much we need each other to work
together, to pray together and to
celebrate together. Amen
Mat 9:35-39 Jesus went through all the
towns and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, preaching the good news of
the kingdom and healing every disease
and sickness. When he saw the crowds,
he had compassion on them, because
they were harassed and helpless, like
sheep without a shepherd. Then he said
to his disciples, "The harvest is
plentiful but the workers are
few. Ask the Lord of the
harvest, therefore, to send out
workers into his harvest field."
Down through the centuries, the Church
has gathered together during Advent to
celebrate the Birth of Christ and to
wait in hope for the Lord's return.
Meanwhile, we can spread the good
news to everyone who will hear. We can
help by praying for the Church and
asking God for more men and women to
serve the People of God. Let us pray
for vocations now, (pause) and with
the whole Church we join our hands and
pray the Lord's prayer.
Psa 147:1 Praise the LORD. How good it
is to sing praises to our God, how
pleasant and fitting
to praise him!
