Vol. 37 No. 1                                             (Cycle C)   1st SUNDAY OF ADVENT Watch at all times, He will execute justice ENTRANCE ANTIPHON To you, my God, I lift up my soul, I trust in you; let me never come to shame. Do not let my enemies laugh at me. No one who waits for you is ever put to shame. PENITENTIAL RITE Every believer in Christ is accountable before God. This accountability arises from the fact that God in Christ has shown us the way through which we must make our earthly pilgrimage. As God deals with us in absolute righteousness, we should also maintain a right relationship with God and one another. No matter what difficulties or sufferings we face, we are exhorted to look forward to our redemption which is near. For our failure to understand God’s unfailing love for us, let us be sorry and ask pardon. I confess... OPENING PRAYER Let us pray: All-powerful God, increase our strength of will for doing good that Christ may find an eager welcome at his coming and call us to his side in the kingdom of heaven where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. FIRST READING (Prophet Jeremiah reminds his fellow-countrymen that God will still be faithful to His promise even though they have been unfaithful to Him. He assures them that God will send the Promised One, the Messiah.) A reading from the Book of Jeremiah (33:14-16) “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring forth for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness’.” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (24) Response: To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth, and teach me: for you are God my saviour. R./ The Lord is good and upright. He shows the path to those who stray. He guides the humble in the right path: he teaches his way to the poor. R./ His ways are faithfulness and love for those who keep his covenant and will. The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere him; to them he reveals his covenant. R./ SECOND READING (St Paul prays that the Lord may deepen the love the Thessalonians have for one another, and thus prepares them for the Second Coming of Christ.) A reading from the First Letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians (3:12–4:2) Brethren, may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all men, as we do to you; so that he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Finally, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Ps 84:8) Alleluia, alleluia! Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and give us your saving help. Alleluia! GOSPEL (St Luke gives here our Lord’s prophecy concerning the end of the world and how we should prepare ourselves to meet it. The disciples are urged to await the Lord’s coming with confidence, vigilance and prayer.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke (21:25-28,34-36) Jesus said to his disciples: “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” “But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare; for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God,/the Father Almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into Heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the Holy Catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./ Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Beloved in Christ, Advent helps us to appreciate our own human dignity and the great blessings God has given us in His Son, Jesus Christ. Let us bring before the Lord all our needs, confident that He will give us His saving help, saying: Response: Lord God, come and save us. 1. For the Church: that she may continue to work and pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God. Enable our Holy Father the Pope and all the pastors to be faithful to the teaching of Christ. R./ 2. For the leaders of all nations: that they may sincerely and earnestly work to create a world where justice and peace reign, and freedom and human life are respected. R./ 3. For members of the defence and the police forces: that they may never abuse their power, but be true keepers of peace and order in the nation. Lord, be at their side to strengthen and guide them. R./ 4. For the poor, the sick, the lonely and the dispirited: Lord, grant them faith and hope that they too may experience the joy of Christmas. R./ 5. For all gathered in this assembly: that we who accept Christ as our Saviour and Lord, may live our life worthy of our Christian call. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Heavenly Father, in your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from anxiety and fear as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus the Lord. PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Father, from all you give us we present this bread and wine. As we serve you now, accept our offering and sustain us with your promise of eternal life. We ask this... PREFACE (P 1) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. When he humbled himself to come among us as a man, he fulfilled the plan you formed long ago and opened for us the way to salvation. Now we watch for the day, hoping that the salvation promised us will be ours when Christ our Lord will come again in his glory. And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise: All: Holy, holy, holy....   COMMUNION ANTIPHON The Lord will shower his gifts, and our land will yield its fruit. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Father, may our communion teach us to love heaven. May its promise and hope guide our way on earth. We ask this...   Liturgy and Life Today’s Scripture readings concentrate on the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. The reason for this is that before we commit ourselves to a journey we need to know the goal of the journey. So on the first Sunday of Advent the liturgy directs our eyes to the goal of our own journey and that of the world, namely, the second coming of Christ. Prophet Jeremiah foretells the coming of a future Messiah who will fulfil the promise God made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah. This promise was fulfilled when Jesus was born in Bethlehem which is the city of David. The announcement of the birth of Jesus was made to the shepherds who were keeping watch over their flock. The angel tells them that in the city of David a child is born who is Christ the Lord (Lk 2:11). In the second reading of today, St Paul explains some of the qualities we should possess as we wait for the Lord’s coming. Writing to the Thessalonians he says, “May the Lord so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints” (1 Thes 3:12). It is Paul’s earnest desire that the love of the Thessalonians should grow. While the apostle prays for this to happen, he also enjoins his readers to strive for greater love. This reveals an awareness on his part that Christians are responsible for their own behaviour in cooperation with God who works through his Spirit in their lives. Further, the love that Paul desires his readers to have is to be for one another and for all. The Gospel places before us another set of realities. The discourse in Luke 21 is termed as the eschatological discourse. Eschatology is the doctrine of the end of time. Jesus speaks about the visible signs in the heavenly bodies at the coming of the Son of Man. It was the regular movement of the sun, moon and stars which guaranteed the orderly succession of cause and effect on earth. The roaring of the sea and the waves meant more than an ordinary storm. It was believed that only God’s firm hand held the sea back from engulfing the dry land; if it were withdrawn, a great tidal wave would make people faint from fear. It would be signs such as these, and not the familiar vicissitudes of history, which must be read as heralding the coming of the Son of Man. The signs of cosmic disruption in the sky and sea have an effect on the whole human world, causing distress and fear. Most people will be terribly afraid, for their concerns and interests tie them to the world that is disintegrating. In contrast, Jesus tells his audience that they are to greet what is happening courageously and eagerly. Their response should be one of confidence, standing with raised heads, assured that the Day of the Lord is for them a day of redemption. Redemption is associated with the coming of the Son of Man. The picture of the “Son of Man” coming in a cloud is drawn from Dan 7:13. The coming of the Son of Man with power and glory is equivalent to the final realization on earth of the Messiah’s rule. The coming of the Son of Man will also mean the coming of the “Kingdom of God”, in which Jesus the Messiah will rule in God’s name. — Fr Augustine Kanachikuzhy, ssp Nov/Dec 2009 READINGS OF THE WEEK Psalter Week 1 30 Mon (R) St Andrew, Ap., (Fst), Rm 10:9-18; Ps 18:2-3,4-5; Mt 4:18-22 1 Tue (W) Bl. Charles de Foucauld, Is 11:1-10; Ps 71:2,7-8,12-13,17; Lk 10:21-24 2 Wed (V) Is 25:6-10a; Ps 22:1-3a,3b-4,5,6; Mt 15:29-37 3 Thu (W) ST FRANCIS XAVIER (Sol.), Jer 1:4-8 or Acts 17:22-28; Ps 70:1-5,15,17; 2 Cor 4:7-15 or Eph 3:1-13; Lk 10:1-16 4 Fri (W) St John Damascene, Is 29:17-24; Ps 26:1,4,13-14; Mt 9:27-31 5 Sat (V) Is 30:19-21,23-26; Ps 146:1-2,3-4,5-6; Mt 9:35—10:1,6-8