Saint Rita Catholic Church and School in Webster, NY - An Introduction to the Sunday Scriptures

“The Days Are Coming, Says The Lord, When I Will Fulfill My Promise”

This is the first Sunday of our new liturgical year - a time of anticipation and a new fresh start in our relationship with the Lord. For the next four weeks, our readings will focus on three things - God's promise from ancient times for a Messiah, anticipation of God's promises kept at Christmas as God Himself comes to live among us, and God's promise of Jesus' second coming when our "redemption is at hand."

The words of the prophet Jeremiah in our first reading (JER 33:14-16), offered hope to the Jewish people in exile in Babylon. He prophesied God's promise of the restoration of Jerusalem and that an heir to the throne of David (“A Just Shoot”) would one day reign as king forever. If there is one thing the Jewish people knew, it was that God keeps His promises.

In our Epistle reading (Thessalonians 3:12 - 4:2), St. Paul gives us advice on how to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord. This advice holds true for both the first coming of Christ at Christmas and for His second coming at the end of time. This advice is perhaps something parents today could write in a Christmas letter to their own children — ”May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you.”

In our Gospel reading (Luke 21:25-28, 34-36), Jesus described a time of tribulation when the final judgement would come and Jesus would return. But for the faithful and vigilant ones, "stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand." In other words, the end times should not be a frightful time for the faithful, but a time to look forward to our redemption.

This Advent season is a time of looking to the past and looking to the future with the purpose of influencing our present. Just as Jesus comes into the world anew at Christmas, so too He comes anew into our hearts. This is a time of preparation for that glorious event.