FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT December 3, 2017

Contributed by Brother John Cline, cr Bro. John has ministered for twenty-six years in the spiritual care program within two hospitals. Historically, he has participated in ministries within Scollard Hall High School and two of our Resurrectionist parishes. He has a very active retirement. Presently, Bro. John is on our Provincial Council and resides at Resurrection Manor. He manages and maintains our community cottage and volunteers at St. John s Kitchen. FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT December 3, 2017 GATHERING TIME (10-15 minutes) Introduction to the Word: Weeks long before Hallowe en, we observed Christmas decorations and ornaments being stocked on store shelves as retailers began their major seasonal changeovers. This has always irked me, as so much emphasis seemed to be place on the commercial aspects of this feast, especially as Black Friday, and then Black Monday, would come earlier each year. And then there was the controversy over Merry Christmas and political correctness. This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent in which the church s liturgy begins its special preparation to commemorate God with humanity. In Advent (from the Latin advenio, meaning I approach, I am coming ), we make special effort to prepare for the Coming of Christ: in the past (i.e. the birth of Jesus, Christmas); in the present (through the sacraments and works of charity); at our death; and at the end of the world, which we celebrated last Sunday, on the feast of Christ the King. Are we ready? The theme for this First Sunday of Advent is WAKE UP! Jesus said: Keep awake you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour (Matt 24:43). This theme serves as a wake-up call for us to refocus, renew our attention to our relationship with God. Are we aware of God s presence? Are our hearts attuned to God s relationship with us? These four weeks of Advent, therefore, are meant to bring us to a renewed awareness of God s presence in our midst, present to us this very day. Because Jesus has been born into our daily living and dying, a vital aspect is that God remains forever close with us. When Jesus first came, He was born in a stable, a stinky, messy barn. Jesus is not coming to a barn again. He is asking to come and be birthed in our messy hearts and lives. He is asking us if we will make room for Him in the mess of our brokenness and sin. He paid dearly to free us from our slavery to pride, ego, impatience, selfishness, greed, lust, anger and everything in us that is unlike Him. Advent is the time during which we accept His offer, His love, agree to the exchange, and invite Him into our barn. Live your life in me, Jesus, and through me. Help me to comprehend how much you love me. Come, Lord Jesus, be born in me. 1

Warm-up Activity (about 8-10 minutes): The following activity reminds us that, even in these times of dramatic change, we live in a real world and lead quite ordinary lives, doing ordinary but important things. Describe for your group what your normal daily routine is by completing two or three of the following sentence leads. a) My ritual preparation for the day or week is b) The weekly TV show I don t want to miss is c) When I return home from a hectic day the first thing I want to do is... d) One thing that really makes my day worthwhile is. The Table of the Word Living the Advent time Waiting in joyful expectation Our lives are a continuing series of Advent experiences: we are painfully aware that the world is not as just, not as loving, not as forgiving as it should be. And we are constantly waiting to become, to understand, to change, to fulfill. Hope, struggle, fear, expectation and fulfillment are all part of life s many Advents. Christ, however, has come at a point in time to reveal to us the possibilities of God; His coming among us as one of us has given us reason to hope in such possibilities that the light has shattered the darkness, that we have been liberated from our fears-- that we will never be alone again, because our God is Emmanuel-- our God is with us Indeed! Leader: Be watchful and alert, for the Lord of the house is coming. Lord Jesus, joy and hope of nations, Lord, have mercy. Christ Jesus, Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, Christ, have mercy. Lord, Jesus, creator of all that is, and ruler of God s reign, Lord, have mercy. Let us pray (together): You Lord, are our Father. As clay in a potter s hands, mold us in the image of your Son, so that all we say, and all we do, will bring glory to your name and justice to your people. Amen SCRIPTURE REFLECTION TIME (45 minutes) (As Christians we believe that the WORD of God we hear proclaimed each Sunday is an empowering Word, and that God is present in the Word proclaimed. This is the Word that God wants us to hear today. The dynamic of the Small Christian Community, namely, reflecting on our life-story within the context of this Word, and sharing the insights of these reflections, is such that God s Spirit becomes present, and the gifts of the Spirit are experienced as empowering and life-giving. Because it is a privileged time it is incumbent on us in the small group to proclaim God s Word with due reverence, to be attentive to this proclamation, and respectful of the communal interaction. The facilitator has arranged for group members to proclaim the three readings.) 2

FIRST READING (Isaiah 63: 16b-17, 64:1, 3 8) You, O Lord, are our father; Our Redeemer from of old is your name. Why, O Lord, do you make us stray from your ways and harden our hearts, so that we do not fear you? Turn back for the sake of your servants, for the sake of the tribes that are your heritage. O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence. When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you, for you have hidden your face from us and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. SECOND READING (1 Corinthians 1:3 9) Brothers and sisters: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; he called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. GOSPEL (Mark 13:33 37) A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark. Glory to you, O Lord. Jesus said to his disciples: Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with a particular task, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you, I say to all: Keep awake. The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Lectio Divina means sacred prayer. It was a popular form of prayer in the early Church. This Word proclaimed today is God s own Word, God s way of speaking to you today through his own Spirit. So take a few moments to be quiet, allowing this Word you have just heard to touch you as you reflect quietly on the three readings. Is there a word or thought that somehow attracts you or has your interest? If so, simply identify it no need to explain it just identify it. 3

COMMENTARY: Isaiah asks, Why, O Lord, do you make us stray from your ways and harden our hearts, so that we do not fear you?...there is no one who calls on your name, for you have hidden your face from us and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Questioning or assigning blame can be easy; it can also provide an excuse to not ask the question of ourselves. For instance, does our consumer society dull us to the gifts we enjoy; are we grateful? In our fast-paced technological world with its rapid communication, are we restless with God who seems silent? Do we share our blessings with groups in need: the poor, the widows, refugees, the hungry? It s so easy to be distracted by God s worldly blessings to us that we lost sight of the Giver of these good gifts. Advent is a welcome time to prayerfully lament the frustrations that keep us from God. While the readings direct us to acknowledge our pain, they do not allow us to become fixated on it. Instead we are invited to turn our gaze to the hope of a brighter future. Isaiah addresses God both as Father, who has given us life and cares for us, and as artisan who had fashioned us as works of art He is the potter and we are the clay. These images are meant to assure us of God s solicitous concern. Our waiting for a new world may be tedious and oftentimes discouraging, but we should not be disheartened because God is always there for us. We are reminded by Dennis Hamm (1998) that the idea of what the Church could become is as exciting as it is hope-filled. He suggests that maybe this is the real message of Advent that we are being challenged once again to be the prophets that God dreams we can be; and if we allow ourselves to be the clay of the Spirit, who knows what we are capable of becoming and doing in God s name? Advent s question for your consideration: What is the potter (Father) really expecting of you the clay this very day? This lifetime? Paul reminds us in First Corinthians to always give gratitude to God who is faithful, who has enriched us with His grace, so that we do not lack any spiritual gifts. Mark s Gospel theme is WAKE UP! Be watchful! Be ready! Or like a true Boy Scout, Always be prepared! Prepared to meet Jesus today in the Word, the Eucharist the comings in the disguise of our brothers and sisters who are the most needy, the most hurting, the most abandoned. But there is no point in waiting for New Year s Eve, or global peace, or worldwide economic prosperity to begin making plans for the future. Every tick of the clock moves us further into the future while our assignment is already in our hands. The Advent season has us be mindful of the many intermediate comings of Jesus in our lives and in our history. And what I say to you I say to all: Watch! (Mark 13.37) God is faithful; by him you were called into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Cor. 1.1) Allow about 5 10 minutes for the participants to react to the Commentary to identify a newly discovered insight or an idea newly described. 4

Questions for Reflection and Discussion: 1. (Isaiah 64:1, 8). We are the clay and you (Father) are our potter. a) You are invited to talk about a favourite creative hobby or craft such as, painting, woodworking, sewing or writing; describe the feelings you have in working your craft and in the creating that you do.. b) How does a potter work with clay? What does this image suggest about God's work on you? Do you think God tries to mold and shape you to a predetermined image, or does He respect your own deepest longings in this regard? Do you believe that people have the power to mold and shape one another? If so, how? c) If you, the clay could speak to the potter at any point in the creative process, what might you want to say to the potter? What might the potter want to say to you? 2. (Mark: 13:33) Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. Advent is about being awake and alert not an easy task in the midst of a busy life. a) Talk about a time and experience when not being alert put you in serious danger. b) How do you prepare for a very special appointment or visit? What do you feel? What do you do? How does your behaviour differ from the routine? Compare these questions with one more: What do you do to prepare for God? 3. (Paul) So you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. a) These were Paul s flattering words to his much loved community in Corinth. What do you consider to be your own spiritual gifts? Which of these gifts do you have most difficulty accepting; which do you value most? b) In these hectic times, in what parts of your life do you long for that peace that only God will help you find? 4. Take a few moments to identify some of the voices that are competing for your attention at this Advent time. Which of your Advent preparations/responsibilities do you find most challenging? As a group, talk about ideas and suggestions that may help make this Advent a special time for you and your family. CARING-PRAYING TIME: (15-20 minutes) (This time is reserved for quiet prayer as well as for an action-response to the communal reflections. The intent is to outreach to the larger community. The facilitator should allow for a moderate pause between each of the numbered suggestions for reflection and action.) 1. Word for the Week: Wake Up! Be Prepared! 2. Suggestion for the week: How can we be mindful of the presence of God in our lives when we don t even notice that time is passing us by, and that whole seasons have come and gone? Spirituality is basically the art of being awake; it is the discipline of being aware. Spiritual growth is essentially becoming more and more conscious of the day and the hour We are so caught up in our routines that we miss so many opportunities for growth We prepare the way of the Lord by keeping an eye for His presence in every part of our life-story. Michael Kent (Bringing the Word to Life, Twenty-Third Publications, 1996 5

3. Intercessions: (Response: Lord, hear our prayer) Leader: Let us call upon the name of God, who faithfully acts on behalf of those who wait in hope: for the Church and ourselves, that we may be fully engaged in the task Christ has entrusted to us and be found awake and alert for the coming of the Lord Jesus, we pray for leaders of nations, that they may turn their hands from violence and iniquity, and embrace instead the ways of righteousness and peace, we pray for hearts that are hardened, that they may be softened, and straying steps be guided home, by the touch of God s hand, and the love of Christians, we pray for the sick, that they may be supported by the presence and prayers of family and friends, and so experience the healing power of our Redeemer, we pray for this assembly to be shaped by God s spirit, enriched by God s gifts, and strengthened to be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray for the departed, that they may rejoice as they are called into fellowship with Christ, we pray And how can we help you in prayer this week? Let us pray (together): God our maker, whose name is our Redeemer from of old : tear open the heavens and come down! Keep us faithful to building your kingdom, alert to your presence in those around us, and make us blameless in our witness until the dawning of the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come, your Son who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever. Amen. With hands and hearts united in gratitude for God s favours on us today, we pray that all those in our influence be moved to be open to your Word and your Spirit, while we pray as one, OUR FATHER To pass on Celebrating the Word to an interested friend CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE www.resurrectionists.ca Celebrating the Word, Resurrection Ministries of the Congregation of the Resurrection Ontario-Kentucky Province (including the former Resurrection Centre), 265 Westmount Road North, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G7. (Celebrating the Word was founded by Father Frank Ruetz, C.R., deceased 2012). For information or subscriptions: Email: theword@resurrectionists.ca website: www.resurrectionists.ca The Scripture version used in this commentary is the New Revised Standard Version (copyrighted by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA). 6