FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT - YEAR A

Readings: First: Is 2, 1-5; Second: Rm 13, 11-14; Gospel: Mt 24, 37-44

Theme of the Readings

Today is the first day of Advent and the beginning of the liturgical year. It is fitting that the key word of this first Sunday is coming. The Gospel reading forms part of the great sermon on the Second Coming of Jesus (Mt 24-25). Isaiah's messianic writing in the first reading casts a prophetic eye on the future, whose historical fulfillment was accomplished in Jesus Christ, especially in his passion, death and resurrection in Jerusalem. It is to Jerusalem, moreover, that all nations and numerous peoples will come, and they will say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob." Finally, in the letter to the Romans, St. Paul exhorts the faithful to put on Christ, because the night is almost over, and the day is at hand.

Doctrinal Message

In the context of Advent and in preparation for Christmas, the liturgy of today reveals the enormous fact of the incarnation of the Son of God, of the coming of God among men. This coming was promised in the Old Testament and served to prepare Israel and all peoples for the good news of Emmanuel, God with us. It is about God's presence, a coming fulfilled in Jesus who is, at one and the same time, judgment and salvation, condemnation of sin and the giving of new life. This coming is renewed each year in the liturgy of the Church. Finally, it is a future coming, the Second Coming, whose date is a mystery concealed in the wisdom of God, but, for each human being, the Second Coming is realized at the moment of death.

The Second Coming will fill the hearts of Christians with joy. In fact, this coming is about the salvation Christ has brought to each Christian and to all men. With the coming of Christ, humanity has received light and the power of salvation. Notwithstanding the reality that surrounds us, Christian faith teaches that mankind moves toward Christ in search of meaning and salvation in a way known only to God (First reading). This is the foundation of Christian optimism and of the apostolate.

The future coming requires of the Christian a sincere belief in the reality of this coming quite apart from the actual moment of its occurrence. Secondly, it requires a profound attitude of vigilance. The analogy with the time of Noah, and of the thief in the night (Gospel), is an urgent call to vigilance so as not to be deceived by the lures of the present time and the world around us that can be so alien to the ways of the true believer in Christ. This is why St. Paul (Second reading), while awaiting the Second Coming, invites men to come out of the dark, to live in the light, and to put on Christ, in order to be among those who are ready at his Second Coming.

Pastoral Suggestions

God wants all men to be saved. In Christ he has called all peoples and nations to salvation. We are to appreciate all that is good, just and holy in a person, quite apart from his race, culture or creed. St. Thomas teaches that all truth, no matter who expresses it, comes from the Holy Spirit. In keeping with this, and without loss of our identity, we are to be open to dialogue with our separated brethren, with fellow-workers and even with friends who profess non-Christian beliefs. Given that the Church is the sacrament of salvation, we must be committed to the apostolic and missionary action of the Church, both ad intra as well as ad extra. The time of Advent and Christmas is propitious for this: "A Savior is born!"

Vigilance is an eminently Christian virtue. We must practice it, notwithstanding the attractions and appeals of the world we live in, and the passions that nestle in our hearts and tempt us to look down to earth rather than to gaze at heaven. Vigilance on the part of shepherds for their "sheep" means to lead them to good pasture, to search for those who have strayed, to cure the sick, and to feed all with the bread of the Word and the Eucharist. Vigilance on the part of parents for their children means to lead them in the way of the Gospel, and to give them a solid Christian formation. Vigilance on the part of teachers for their students is to show them the path of truth and goodness, to enlighten them in times of darkness, and to support them during trials and difficulties. Belief in the Second Coming of Christ posits a Christian ethic committed to the education of man and the establishment of a society that is ever more noble and welcoming. 

Source: http://www.clerus.org/clerus/dati/2004-05/21-13/CICLOA.html by P. ANTONIO IZQUIERDO L.C. (1948-2013)

[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].