A Homily - The First Sunday of Advent (Year B)

First Reading – Isaiah 63:16-17& 64:1, 3-8 ©

Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 79(80):2-3, 15-16, 18-19 ©

Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Psalm 84:8

The Gospel According to Mark 13:33 - 37 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 Consider the words of the prophet and trust in God, God the creator of the universe and parent to us all.

 We are all laden with guilt, each of us bearing countless transgressions, every one of which has born fruit in the world, festered in our hearts and done real harm to ourselves and countless others.

 As the prophet says:

 We wear our integrity like a filthy cloth.

 Despite all of this, God loves us. God has promised to deliver us, all of us together, God has promised not to lose a single one.

 Be mindful!

 The psalmist misunderstands how historical events unfold, and how the will of God is manifest in them.

 Know this.

 God is the shepherd of all people, not of Israel only.

 God does not reside in a palace or sit on a throne, God is not a general at the head of an army. Such things are human institutions, built and sustained by human vanities; when we imagine God thus we do a disservice to the divine.

 The face of God shines on everyone; look for it in the face of your neighbor, in the face of your enemy, in the faces of those who persecute you.

 Be mindful.

 We all struggle in this world together and only the death of the body will deliver us from the human conditions, from the dilemmas we face or the machinations of other’s.

 We are all subject to the vicissitudes of nature, sickness and diseases…therefore be kind to one another.

 Know this.

 God did not rescue the Israelites from Egypt. God did not send the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Ptolemy’s or the Romans to punish the people. God did not destroy the temples and scatter the Jews into the diaspora; God did not do these things…human beings did, and God will not protect you or show you favor in this world.

 It is up to us, God’s children, to love, show mercy and care for those who are downtrodden…this is the task we have been given, it is our sacred obligation.

 Consider the words of the apostle.

 If you have been baptized you have accepted an appointment to be an apostle, to share the good news, the good news of God’s love for us and the promise that God has prepared the way for our salvation; for the salvation of humanity, for the salvation of all people in all times and all places.

 We are all people of the way…every single one of us is a saint in the making.

 Remember this.

 Jesus is not a lord, he is not a king, he was our brother, and is our friend.

 Jesus preached on the faithfulness of God, whom he called abba…father, and but God does not work in the world the way the apostle imagined.

 Be mindful.

 God is revealed in the good works done by one human being for another, whether they are done in the name of God which we recognize or some name that is foreign to us, or in no name at all; God is revealed in the good works we do, in relationship to one another.

 Be mindful!

 God will not steady you and keep you without blame, that is for you to do in the company of your friends and family

 God has made you free, whether you live a good life or a bad life is up to you. God will speak to you, from your heart; God will speak about the good life, but so will the voices of fear and greed, and hate, they will also speak to you from your heart, they will sing to you about the life you want and the things you desire or feel that you deserve…therefore you must discern.

 It is for you to decide which you will listen to, and because you are human you will vacillate, sometimes you will make the right call, sometimes you will fail. Whichever way you wander, God will forgive you, just as God asks that you forgive those who have harmed you. God will love you and ask you to accept the forgiveness of those you have harmed, ultimately God will ask you to forgive yourself…which may be the hardest thing of all to do.

 Remember:

 God is the creator of the entire universe. All lands belong to God, all seas, all planets, all stars, all galaxies, everything and everyone that is in them…the universe itself is the body of God, and we are all together in it.

 Consider the Gospel reading for today:

 We are called to diligence and mindfulness, to perpetual and continuous watchfulness. This is what it means to be in the way.

 The way of loving service is never ending, but so long as we are engaged in it, we are living in the garden.

 Love is love, hope is hope, and trust is trust…to live out the faith means to actively trust in the goodness, the mercy and the justice of God.

 To live in a state of hope requires that we extend the hope we have for ourselves, for our friends and our families, to the stranger in our midst, to the person who owes us money, to the person to whom you are indebted, even to your enemies.

 To be in love, you must be loving, tend the lamp and trim the wick…keep it lit.

 The way is like a river flowing, never still, flowing to the sea.

  

First Reading – Isaiah 63:16-17& 64:1, 3-8 ©

O That You Would Tear the Heavens Open and Come Down

You, Lord, yourself are our Father, ‘Our Redeemer’ is your ancient name.

Why, Lord, leave us to stray from your ways and harden our hearts against fearing you?

Return, for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your inheritance.

Oh, that you would tear the heavens open and come down!

– at your Presence the mountains would melt.

No ear has heard, no eye has seen any god but you act like this for those who trust him.

You guide those who act with integrity and keep your ways in mind.

You were angry when we were sinners; we had long been rebels against you.

We were all like men unclean, all that integrity of ours like filthy clothing.

We have all withered like leaves and our sins blew us away like the wind.

No one invoked your name or roused himself to catch hold of you.

For you hid your face from us and gave us up to the power of our sins.

And yet, Lord, you are our Father; we the clay, you the potter, we are all the work of your hand.

 

Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 79(80):2-3, 15-16, 18-19 ©

God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

O shepherd of Israel, hear us,

  shine forth from your cherubim throne.

O Lord, rouse up your might,

  O Lord, come to our help.

God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore,

  look down from heaven and see.

Visit this vine and protect it,

  the vine your right hand has planted.

God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

May your hand be on the man you have chosen,

  the man you have given your strength.

And we shall never forsake you again;

  give us life that we may call upon your name.

God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

 

Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 ©

We are Waiting for Our Lord Jesus Christ to be Revealed

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace.

I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers; the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you so that you will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; and he will keep you steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ; and God is faithful.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Psalm 84:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and give us your saving help.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Mark 13:33 - 37 ©

If He Comes Unexpectedly, He Must Not Find You Asleep

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come. It is like a man travelling abroad: he has gone from home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own task; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake. So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow, dawn; if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake!’

 

The First Sunday of Advent (Year B)