The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the First Sunday of Advent, celebrate our efforts to live as followers of Jesus and nudge us to be aware of Christ in our end time.
The reading from the Prophet Jeremiah proclaims the Righteous Branch and the Covenant with David.
* [33:14–26] This is the longest continuous passage in the Hebrew text of Jeremiah that is missing from the Greek text of Jeremiah. It is probably the work of a postexilic writer who applied parts of Jeremiah’s prophecies to new situations. The hope for an eternal Davidic dynasty (vv. 14–17; cf. 2 Sm 7:11–16) and for a perpetual priesthood and sacrificial system (v. 18) was not realized after the exile. On the canonical authority of the Septuagint, see note on Dn 13:1–14:42. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 33 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 25 is a prayer for Guidance and for Deliverance.
* [Psalm 25] A lament. Each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Such acrostic Psalms are often a series of statements only loosely connected. The psalmist mixes ardent pleas (Ps 25:1–2, 16–22) with expressions of confidence in God who forgives and guides. (Psalms, PSALM 25 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians describes a Life pleasing to God.
* [4:2] Instructions: these include specific guidelines on the basis of the Lord’s authority, not necessarily sayings Jesus actually uttered. More profoundly, as 1 Thes 4:8 implies, the instructions are practical principles that Paul worked out in accordance with his understanding of the role of the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke describes a vision of the Coming of the Son of Man and gives an Exhortation to Watch.
* [21:26] The powers of the heavens: the heavenly bodies mentioned in Lk 21:25 and thought of as cosmic armies. (Luke, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)
Maureen McCann Waldron (2015) comments that the readings in the final weeks of Ordinary Time and the first weeks of Advent are meant to have us ponder the life we have today. How can I live that life? Am I wandering in my own desert aimless and confused? Or, do I really believe in my heart that God is here in my everyday life with me, helping me to be safe and secure?
Jesus talks about the anxieties of daily life and cautions us to “not become drowsy” from them. I know I have experienced anxiety in life over family, health and work. We can fret about everything from terrorism to our “To Do” list. But Jesus is offering us hope, consolation and his endless love. He tells us to pay attention at all times and to pray for strength. What he really wants is for us to know how very deeply each one of us is loved and cherished by him. I find this very consoling.
Relying on that love releases my fierce grip on control of my life. We can stop each morning, set aside our “To Do” list and pray. We can ask God to help us feel how deeply we are loved and to help us let go of things that really don’t matter. (McCann Waldron, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The coming of the Son of Man,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"He says that they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Christ will not come secretly or obscurely but as God and Lord in glory suitable for deity. He will transform all things for the better. He will renew creation and refashion the nature of people to what it was at the beginning. He said, 'When these things come to pass, lift up your heads and look upward, for your redemption is near.' The dead will rise. This earthly and infirm body will put off corruption and will clothe itself with incorruption by Christ's gift. He grants those that believe in him to be conformed to the likeness of his glorious body."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 139) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Jeremiah 33:14-16 asks how can we better embrace this season and the grace God has in store for us? Today’s first reading gives us a beautiful image that can help us: “a just shoot” rising up to give us new life (Jeremiah 33:15).
This Advent, commit yourself to trusting in Jesus, the “just shoot.” Let him meet you where you are, lead you to deeper surrender, and make you ready to receive his presence at Christmas!
“Lord, your ways are so different from my ways. Help me to receive all the grace you have for me this Advent.” (Meditation on Jeremiah 33:14-16, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that it is odd for Jeremiah to speak of a time of peace and justice brought about by a new shout from the vine of David in the form of a new Covenant. In Advent, we are preparing for the coming of Jesus at Bethlehem and the return of Christ at the end time. Paul urges the Thessalonians to multiply their goodness. Friar Jude reminds us of the message in Luke that there will be an accounting at the end of the world or at our personal end time.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, writes of an evolutionary faith informed by Scripture and a foundational trust in God’s never-ending love and creativity.
I believe that as “children of the resurrection” (Luke 20:36), we are both burdened and brightened by a cosmic and irrepressible hope—and we can never fully live up to it. We are both burdened and brightened with the gift of an optimism whose headwaters are neither rational, scientific, nor even provable to those who do not have it. Yet it ticks away from a deep place within us. [1]
The contemplative mind is an evolutionary mind, and I think it’s the mind of Christ. It allows the future to reveal itself, without present circumstances totally predicting it. We all need some degree of predictability, but in faith, I can live without certainty to some degree. Living in that tension, that in-between, could be called evolutionary thinking or it could be called trusting in deep time. I’m trusting there’s a deep river flowing. Even when not much is happening on the upper river, I still trust the deeper river. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)
As we begin Advent and our preparation for Christmas, we consider that our fullness of life with Jesus comes with a reminder to be prepared for the end time.
References
Jeremiah, CHAPTER 33 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/33?14
Luke, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/21?25
McCann Waldron, M. (n.d.). OnlineMinistries. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Archive/2015/112915.html
Meditation on Jeremiah 33:14-16. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/12/01/1143366/
1 Thessalonians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1thessalonians/4
Psalms, PSALM 25 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/25?4
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Evolutionary Thinking. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/evolutionary-thinking-12-1-2024/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Look up, Your Redemption Is Drawing Near. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=dec1
