Word to the Wise
Sunday, November 29, 2015 - 1st Sunday of Advent - C
[Jer 33:14-16; 1 Thess 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36]SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2015 FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT (Cycle C) [Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:12 - 4:2; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36] "The days are coming, says The Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the House of Israel and Judah." [Jeremiah] The season of Advent is a season of promise and hope. Although the gospel scripture for this First Sunday of Advent in cycle C echoes the "last things" theme of the past few days, Jeremiah and Paul sound the optimistic tone of Advent. I am beginning this weekend a parish mission at a church in Camarillo, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles. The theme of the mission is "Making Progress." This is what St. Paul urges to the community in Thessalonia. Advent is a season that places before us the hope given by God's promise to "raise up for David a just shoot" as Jeremiah proclaims. It is this promise that should motivate all of us who are baptized to a renewed effort to grow in our faith. If the American economy, as the media constantly tell us in this season, gets much of its annual impetus from the Christmas holiday shopping season, it seems to me that we can get new energy from an increased awareness of the wonder of Jesus' birth in our midst. We begin telling the story once more and recall the prophetic promises. We can light the Advent wreath and take out the nativity set. We can ponder the scriptures for the season. There is so much that we can do that does not take a huge effort. It just requires an intentional effort. It is in this way that we make progress and build the energy to carry us through this demanding season. AMEN
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