First Sunday of Advent, Year B – December 3, 2023
Readings: Is. 63:16-17,64:1,3-8; Responsorial Psalm Ps 79:2-3,15-16,18-19; 1 Cor. 1:3-9; Gospel Matt. 13:33-37.
Theme: Being Ready for the Lord!
Sunday Synopsis
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah makes the point that we are clay, the work of God’s hands and he, our Father, is the potter. In the second reading, St. Paul urges the Corinthians who were expecting the parousia to align themselves with Jesus Christ. He had challenged them to live the life of the spirit while awaiting the revelation of the Lord. The gospel urges us to be on our guard and stay awake because no one knows the day or the hour. Jesus speaks in a parabolic language by equating the kingdom with a man who travels abroad leaving his servants in charge, each with his task. Advent prepares us for eternal vigilance.
Introduction
Beloved in Christ, welcome to the season of advent. Adventus (Latin) or parousia (Greek) means “the coming.” Advent is a season of looking forward and waiting for someone very important. It is the period of preparation for the Christ-events – the annual celebration of the birth of Christ and his eventual second coming in glory. Some years back I saw the picture of a beautiful crown which had the Christmas tree on one side and thorns on the other. It read: “This is the reason (his death); this is the season (his birth).
Well, the book of Ecclesiastes says: “To everything there is a season, and a time under heaven” (Ecc. 3:1). At Advent, the liturgical colour changes to purple or violet. This signals the beginning of a new liturgical new calendar. It is a time of expectancy and preparation for the celebration of the nativity of the Lord at Christmas.
Background and Summary of the Readings
In the first reading (Is. 63:16-17,64:1,3-8), the prophet Isaiah makes the point that we are clay, the work of God’s hands and he, our Father, is the potter. Granted that we were created from the Adamic clay, the reading suggests that we must be docile to the summons of God if our advent is to honour God.
In the second reading (1 Cor. 1:3-9), St. Paul urges the Corinthians who were expecting the parousia to align themselves with Jesus Christ. Earlier, he had challenged them to live the life of the spirit while awaiting the revelation of the Lord. He particularly tasked them to be “steady” and “without blame” until the last day.
The gospel (Mat. 13:33-37) urges us to be on our guard and stay awake because no one knows the day or the hour. Jesus speaks in a parabolic language by equating the kingdom with a man who travels abroad leaving his servants in charge, each with his task. He asked the doorkeeper to stay awake. The man who gave the task and travelled is the Son of Man; we are the servants entrusted with various responsibilities and the doorkeepers are the pastors of souls.
Pastoral Lessons
1. Allow the potter to mould you: As we prepare for Christmas, Christians are challenged to allow God, whom the first reading describes as the potter, who respects our will, to mould you into what he wants you to be at advent and beyond.
2. Access spiritual gifts: Since Adventus or Parousia points to our understanding of the Christ-events at Christmas and his return in glory, Christians are mandated to emulate the Corinthians by accessing the gifts of the spirit preparatory to that kingdom.
3. Be vigilant: As priests, religious and laity, we are charged to go about working while waiting for the Master who must not find us wanting but “steady, without blame.”
4. Confess, receive Christ sacramentally: The faithful are encouraged to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord’s coming into the world as the incarnate God of love by making their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer through grace in the sacraments of confession and holy communion.
5. Be ready for judgement: Advents reminds Christians to always make themselves ready for Jesus who will act as judge at our death and at the end of the world.
Summary Lines
1. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah makes the point that we are clay, the work of God’s hands and he, our Father, is the potter.
2. In the second reading, St. Paul urges the Corinthians who were expecting the parousia to align themselves with Jesus Christ.
3.He had challenged them to live the life of the spirit while awaiting the revelation of the Lord.
4. The gospel urges us to be on our guard and stay awake because no one knows the day or the hour.
5. Jesus speaks in a parabolic language by equating the kingdom with a man who travels abroad leaving his servants in charge, each with his task.
Conclusion
In-between the remote events of our spiritual preparation leading to Christmas lies the glorious wait for Jesus’ second coming. It is a season for welcoming Jesus into our hearts for the greater events that would unfold. As individuals and a people, we must learn to “cast off the works of darkness” (Rom. 13:12) while avoiding the desires of the flesh. The spiritual recipe we need entails ceasing the opportunity to make Jesus truly incarnated in our hearts, homes, Church, and the larger society. Don’t fall asleep in sin. Always remember that Advent prepares us for eternal vigilance – Have a terrific celebration!
