FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT – A – 2022 

§  We are beginning the liturgical time of Advent that marks the beginning of a new liturgical year.

§  This year is called year A or cycle A. 

§  We will spend the whole year in company of the evangelist Matthew, and see Jesus through Matthew’s eyes, since each Gospel is a different way to look at Jesus, according to the different evangelists. 

§  Through his eyes, we will see the great and small moments of Jesus ‘life: his incarnation and birth, his temptations, his proclamation of the Kingdom, his difficult moments of suffering that will lead him to the cross. His happy moments, his triumphs, his resurrection, his glorification.  

§  Let us allow our hearts to open, without resistance, to what Matthew has to tell us about Jesus. We will be happy to discover other aspects of who Jesus is.  

§  According to the tradition of the Church Matthew is the tax collector Levi, who followed the invitation of Jesus “follow me”. However, many scholars think that he cannot be and offer their reasons. 

§  In ancient times when someone wanted his work to be accepted, they signed with the name of a famous person.  

FIRST READING - Is 2: 1-5

Ø  This passage is taken from the book of the First Isaiah[1]  

Ø  Isaiah, the prophet, son of Amos tells us about his vision.   

Ø  It is a vision which opens a wide horizon to our faith, our hope, and our love.    

Ø  In this vision the two nations, which until the time of Solomon were only one nation, that was  divided due to envy and evil ambitions, is in the vision one only people. They are united again since the message of the vision is for both nations. 

Ø  It says that in future times the mount of the house of the Lord will be raised above the nations 

Ø  What is this mountain of the house of the Lord?    

Ø  It is Mount Zion[2]  outside the city of Jerusalem, the city of the great King, the city-house of the Lord.    

Ø  When they see it, the nations will go toward it, the Mount of the House of the Lord. 

Ø  People from different countries will come to be instructed by the Lord.  

Ø  The last paragraph speaks of peace, it describes an idyllic image of peace. The warriors are not warriors anymore since they have transformed their spears and swords, their weapons,   instruments of war,  into instruments of peace, of farming.  Nobody will be trained for war, now we would say, no country will spend money inventing and manufacturing instruments of death.   

Ø  There is a final invitation “Let us go to the House of the Lord.”     

RESPONSORIAL PSALM : 121: 1-2. 4-5. 6-7. 8-9 

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my brothers and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. 

v   The author begins saying the joy he experiences to be before the doors of Jerusalem and recalls how he was invited to go up to the holy city.  

v  All the tribes and individual persons had come to fulfill the precept.  

v  Now they wish peace to Jerusalem, they wish it and pray for it.  

v  Afterwards he asks it for all. Let us wish and ask for peace.  

v  First, may each one of us be an agent of peace wherever we go, let us pray the Lord to grant it to us.   There will only be universal peace if there is peace in every heart.   

v  The whole psalm is an invitation to joy and peace.  

SECOND READING[3] – Rom 13:11-14ª

Paul makes us two invitations:   

o   One is to look at, and meditate on the time we are living . In what times do we live? Do we know it or we simply let time pass by and with time our life as well without being conscious of what is going on around us; 

o   Paul says that we must wake up. Our Founder said that God as a good mother moves our cot to awaken us so that we will not be late… 

o   The reason for this invitation  is because our salvation is nearer than when we first accepted the faith. Do you believe that?   

Ø  The second invitation:

o   It is, to be honest, that we act as it is done in broad daylight so that everyone sees  

o   No excess in eating or drunkenness or debauchery. Rather, let us put on the Lord Jesus, so that his strength and grace may strengthen us in this preparation to welcome him.  

GOSPEL - Mt 24: 37-44

      Jesus speaks to his disciples to be always prepared waiting for, and ready to welcome the Lord, who will come when we least expect. I think that this preparation must include the desire, nurtured every day until it becomes fire inside of us, the fire of love. 

      To help them understand what he means by “the hour we least expect” he puts the example of the deluge. When it came everyone was doing their own thing, buying, selling, working… and the deluge took them by surprise.    

      Everyone will harvest what he/she had sowed: of two people working, or sleeping, enjoying themselves one will be taken and the other left… What does the Lord want to tell us by this?

      Let us meditate and talk with the Lord asking Him to teach the meaning of this words 

      Finally the Lord tells us to be prepared, because if the father of the family or any one of us     knew when we were going to be robbed at home, or through the Internet, what would we do? Would we go to sleep or waste our time?  

 

LET US  BE PREPARED !!!!!!!! 

CLARETIAN CORNER

          Day dedicated to Mary Most Holy,^[4] as I was praying, all the sudden I felt Our Lord Jesus Christ so near to me as if He would hold me very close to his heart saying these words with great love: you are my daughter, and it is usual in me to humble myself on hearing the voice of my elders.  You have said enough, I know exactly what you mean. This is my pain!! How slow are my children to understand my voice!... He told me that, with great affliction.   (Diary of the Venerable Ma. Antonia París n.6)

 

At about this time I discovered in our house a book called El Roser, the rose-tree, which contained pictures and explanations of the mysteries of the rosary. I learned from it how to recite the rosary, litanies, and other prayers. When my teacher heard of this, he was very pleased and had me kneel by his side in church so that I could lead the rosary. When the older boys saw how this had put me in the teacher's good graces, they learned it too. From then on we alternated in leading every other week, so that all came to learn and practice this holy devotion that, after Holy Mass, is the most profitable (Autobiography of Saint Anthony May Claret n.45)

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CLARET, San Antonio María. Autobiografía.

PARIS, Venerable María Antonia. Diario. 

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[1] The Book of the prophet Isaiah is composed of three different books from three different authors in three different centuries, of which we only know the name of Isaiah. First Isaiah or Isaiah from Jerusalem (cc. 1-39), Deutero-Isaiah or Second Isaiah (cc. 40-55) and Trito or Third Isaiah (cc. 56-66).   

[2] Zion appears in several books of the Bible, as the city of David, in a general sense it is the whole people of Israel. It is also the name of the hill outside Jerusalem (Wikipedia)

[3] En los tiempos litúrgicos fuertes como Navidad, Pascua y en las solemnidades, las tres lecturas tienen un mismo mensaje desde distintos puntos de vista.

[4] Feast of the Nativity of Mary.