Study: Consider one thing you can do today to live your faith.  What would it be?

Pray: Do you have any unfinished business that you need to complete?  Ask the Lord for the strength and conviction to finish it.

Serve: Is there someone in your life who struggles with depression, fear, or doubt?  How can you help them?

Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Advent

We start a new liturgical year in the Church (that’s “Year A” if you need to use the Lectionary for Sunday readings and “Cycle I” for daily Mass) with a vision of the end of time when the Son of Man comes in glory.

Several key points emerge:

1. It will happen suddenly, when no one expects it (Gospel)
2. All nations will come and be taught God’s ways (1st Reading)
3. It is the Lord who makes peace possible, not humans (1st Reading)
4. In God’s house there is great joy (Psalm)
5. We live each day fully prepared, ready if the Lord call us (2nd Reading)

Advent gives us a rich – but very short – opportunity to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  All of these points listed above serve as excellent reminders regarding how we live each day fully invested in the present moment.  We live for the Lord, following his commands, so as to be ready whenever and wherever our lives will take the next turn in the road.

For when God calls us into eternity we hear that the unity, peace, and joy we glimpse in precious moments in this life will come to fulfillment.  United in the Lord, we will join the heavenly host when this world passes away.

I invite us all to consider how we might do one thing better each day – to be more focused, more aware, more present – so that we can give glory and honor to Jesus Christ.  We follow the Lord with all our hearts; may we make the most of every day to live our faith to the fullest.

May this Advent be a time of blessing for us all!