For Sunday, November
27, 2016, 1st Sunday of Advent, Year A, Readings: Isaiah
2:1-5, Psalm 122, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44
You know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first became believers...let us live honorably...put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires [Romans 13:11, 13a, 14]
Jesus said to the disciples, "But about that day and hour no one knows...Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." [Matthew 24:36a, 44]
The name of our new liturgical season, Advent, comes from the Latin adventus which means coming, and that comes to us from the Greek parousia [pa-roo-see-a] which is a term used for the Second Coming of Christ. It is also the beginning of the new liturgical year of the church in many denominations in the west. Typically, Advent is a season of preparation for the Nativity of Jesus through repentance and joyful expectation.
In a series of group-study booklets called Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton, editors Jonathan Montaldo and Robert G. Toth, writing in the Advent and Christmas volume, First Week of Advent session, say that Advent disposes us to conversion and further describe Advent as a time for judging the choices we make for living our lives. The season is a ritual moment for confronting discomforting truths. It catches us in the act of living unconnected from the Gospel...
Thomas Merton, quoted in the same session from his 1966 book "Raids on the Unspeakable" says, We are numbered in the billions and massed together...worked to the point of insensibility, dazed by information, drugged by entertainment, surfeited with everything...there is no room for thought. There is no room for attention, for the awareness of our state... What would he think of the excess and indulgences of this day and age?! It all speaks to me of being exiled in a wilderness of plenty where too much is still not enough and we are unexpectedly unconscious of all that we have and all that we are, or, are not.
In this Advent, it is now the moment to wake and discover the faith choices we have yet to make. NOW, for as Jesus reminds us that day and hour no one knows...Therefore you must also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. Get busy, Jesus is coming! Happy New Year.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader:
~ Lord God
Almighty, wake us from the sleep of contentment and bring us out from our
wilderness of plenty to a conscious quest for Christ’s salvation. Fill us with
the urgency of expectation for the unknown hour when we will be called to
answer for the paths we chose or ignored in this life.
God
of Hope
RESPONSE: Let us live and act for Christ
~ Lord God
Almighty, exhort the leaders of this World, this Nation, and this Community to
govern for all peoples, to beat
swords and weapons of war into ploughshares, and work together for the prosperity
and well-being of everyone. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
God
of Hope
Let us live and act for Christ
~
Lord God Almighty, grant peace and comfort to all who suffer in body, mind, or
spirit, and renew the strength of those provide support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…
God
of Hope
Let us live and act for Christ
~ Lord God
Almighty, release the hearts of all who are trapped in the bondage of grief, and
turn us all toward the time when there is no death but only the glory of Life
everlasting. We pray especially for:
God
of Hope
Let us live and act for Christ
~ Lord God
Almighty, we pause in this moment to
offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently…
God
of Hope
Let us live and act for Christ
~ Lord God
Almighty, inspire and refresh our Pastoral Leaders whose life work strives to
teach us Your ways, and to transform our lives, through the message of the
Gospel. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
God
of Hope
Let us live and act for Christ
The Celebrant adds: Lord
of Love and Mercy, excite our souls as we begin again to prepare for the coming
of Salvation. Grant us courage to confront ourselves in repentance and the
willingness to experience the joy of conversion anew. We ask through Jesus our Redeemer, the Son of Man, and the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom and our Strength, who together
with You are our One Eternal God, now and forever. Amen.
Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.
No comments:
Post a Comment