Advent
We are about to start a very busy weekend in the Church. This Sunday (December 24th) is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Then Christmas arrives on Monday. That means there will be the normal Sunday Masses. Then, at 4 pm…
Read MoreAs we approach Christmas, there are specific readings for daily Masses on the final eight days before Christmas. The gospel readings focus on the events just before the birth of Jesus including the announcements of the pending births of John…
Read MoreIn our present season of Advent, we are called to reflect on our readiness for the Second Coming of Jesus. This means we need to make a thorough examination of conscience. The color violent is a color that symbolizes penance…
Read More2nd Sunday of Advent, Year BIsaiah 40:1-5, 9-11Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14 (8)2 Peter 3:8-14Mark 1:1-8 December 10, 2023 Isaiah the prophet speaks of a voice that cries out. Today’s gospel speaks of a voice crying out in the desert. Isaiah…
Read MoreDefeated by their enemies, their nation and temple destroyed, many scattered in exile, the Israelites cry out to God, “Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?”…
Read MoreWith the new year just five days away, have you made plans for how you will celebrate the beginning of the new year? Will you make any new year’s resolutions? The new year begins on Sunday, December 3rd. I will…
Read MoreIn our first reading today (4th Sunday of Advent Year A), the Lord offers a sign to King Ahaz. He tells Ahaz, “let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!” Ahaz can ask for any sign,…
Read MoreIn our first reading, through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord offers a message to the Israelites in distress. “The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers.” The message…
Read More2nd Sunday of Advent, Year AIsaiah 11:1-10Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 (7)Romans 15:4-9Matthew 3:1-12December 4, 2022 Our gospel passage today comes from the time just before Jesus began his public ministry during his first coming. It speaks of preparation. We…
Read MoreIn today’s gospel, Jesus speaks the coming of the Son of Man. Noah had been commissioned by the Lord to build an ark. The people did not know that a great flood was coming. “They were eating and drinking, marrying…
Read MoreIn today’s first reading for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year C, Micah offers the Israelites hope during a difficult time. It is written following the fall on the northern kingdom. The Israelites are worried what is going to happen…
Read MoreToday (December 12, 2021) we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, Year C. The normal liturgical color for Advent is violet (we often say purple). We use the color violent as a sign of penance, especially in Lent. Thinking of…
Read MoreToday, December 6th, is the Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas. We don’t know much about him. During our present season of Advent, the memorial of saints aren’t given as much attention. However, this year I feel inspired to use what…
Read More2nd Sunday of Advent, Year CBaruch 5:1-9Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 (3)Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11Luke 3:1-6December 5, 2021 At the time of the event in today’s gospel, Jesus has already been born. Soon He will begin his public ministry. However, before…
Read MoreSoon we will celebrate the first Coming of Jesus with our Christmas season. Christmas is too important to celebrate with just a single day. We celebrate Christmas a season that begins with our Christmas Masses and lasts until we celebrate…
Read More3rd Sunday of Advent, Year BIsaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11Responsorial – Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54 (Isaiah 61:10b)1 Thessalonians 5:16-24John 1:6-8, 19-28December 13, 2020 The time for the long-awaited messiah is near. To prepare the way of the Lord, “John was sent from…
Read MoreRecently a friend suggested I write an article about Advent here. Honestly, my first reaction was to think I talk about Advent regularly in my Sunday homilies that are posted on this blog. (You can find them at https://blog.renewaloffaith.org/?cat=223.) You…
Read MoreAdvent Holy Hour 2020 with Vespers (Evening Prayer II)2nd Sunday of AdventRomans 8:18-27December 6, 2020 Our reading from Romans begins with Paul speaking of “the sufferings of this present time.” How has your year been? In what ways have you…
Read More2nd Sunday of Advent, Year BIsaiah 40:1-5, 9-11Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14 (8)2 Peter 3:8-14Mark 1:1-8December 6, 2020 Scholars divide the Book of the Prophet Isaiah into three sections. Today’s reading from chapter 40 begins the second section. God “speaks tenderly”…
Read More1st Sunday of Advent, Year BIsaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 (4)1 Corinthians 1:3-9Mark 13:33-37November 29, 2020 Our passage from Isaiah today comes from a time when the Babylonian Exile was ending and the Jews were returning to Jerusalem. …
Read More4th Sunday of Advent, Year AIsaiah 7:10-14Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (7c, 10b)Romans 1:1-7Matthew 1:18-24December 22, 2019 It’s almost Christmas but not yet. We have to wait a couple of more days. On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, our reading from…
Read MoreAdvent Penance Service 2019Isaiah 57:14-21Psalm 63Matthew 3:1-12December 19, 2019 Christmas is coming but it is not yet here. We get excited for Christmas. Psalm 63, our responsorial psalm today, is one of my favorite psalms because it expresses our desire…
Read More3rd Sunday of Advent, Year AIsaiah 35:1-6a, 10Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 (Isaiah 35:4)James 5:7-10Matthew 11:2-11December 15, 2019 “Be patient.” “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.” These are the words that begin our second reading today. …
Read MoreAdvent Holy Hour Matthew 26:36-46December 8, 2019 We are here this evening for what we call a “holy hour”. One might ask we do we holy hours at all and why today. To understand why we do “holy hours” at…
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