Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT (Cycle C)
Readings:
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14
1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
Abbreviations: NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition), NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), RSVCE (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The words LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name, YHWH (Yahweh).
God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments; therefore, we read and relive the events of salvation history in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Church's Universal Catechism teaches that our Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The First Sunday in Advent: There are five seasons in the liturgical year: Advent, Christmas, Lent, the Triduum, and Easter. Advent begins on the eve of the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Season then begins with the vigil of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord. Advent is like awaiting the birth of a child with an odd mixture of happiness and contentment accompanied by nervousness concerning what is coming. For this reason, Advent can be described as a season of waiting. And for what are we waiting? The entire community of the Church is waiting for what the prophet Isaiah wrote about in the 25th Chapter of the Book of Isaiah. We are waiting for the day when God will remove the veil separating people and nations from one another and God (Is 25:7). When that day comes, God will "wipe away the tears from every cheek," and we shall see things for what they are (Is 25:8; Rev 7:17; 21:4). At this season of the Liturgical year, we are looking back in time to Jesus's First Advent, when He came to earth as God enfleshed as a tiny baby. But we are also awaiting His promised Second Advent. The word "advent" means "arriving," At the end of time as we know it, Jesus will return, arriving as the divine King and Judge to gather all of His Church to Himself.
The Theme of the Readings: By Perseverance, You Will
Secure Your Lives
The theme of the readings for this Sunday comes from
Luke 21:19, a verse that precedes our Gospel Reading when Jesus said: "By your perseverance,
you will secure your lives." At this point in salvation history, we are
between Christ's two comings: His first Advent, when God the Son came enfleshed
to live what all that humanity experiences and preach the Gospel of salvation,
and the promised Second Advent of His return. The angels revealed this future
event at Jesus's Ascension to the Apostles and disciples. They said, "Men of
Galilees, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who
has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have
seen him going into heaven" (Acts 1:11).
We know the promise that death and evil will be destroyed when the King of kings arrives to claim His Church, but when? We pray and wait, but is God listening? The Advent readings address these questions. Waiting on the Lord's timing requires patience and faithful perseverance. We must accept God's will in the "not yet" with the hope and trust in "the better that is to come." As to why He is taking so long to return, St. Peter wrote: 8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard "delay," but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar, and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out (2 Pt 3:8-10).
In the First Reading, the prophet Jeremiah reminds the people of God's promise of a Davidic Messiah who will re-establish justice and peace in the land and shepherd a spiritually renewed covenant people.
The Responsorial Psalm reminds us that God is merciful to sinners and gracious to the humble. When we are depressed by injustice in the world, weighed down by personal suffering, and tempted to lose patience in waiting for the Lord's return, we should make our prayer verse 5 of the Responsorial Psalm. We should cry out: Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior. For you I wait all the long day, because of your goodness, LORD (NABRE).
In the Second Reading, St. Paul writes about the necessity of persevering in holiness until Christ returns. Paul speaks in the "name of Christ" and refers to Jesus's doctrine on righteous moral behavior based on the love of God and the love of our neighbor. We need to pray for this kind of persistence in holiness for each other so, in answer to Jesus's question in Luke 17:8b, "But when the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on earth?" our response will be a resounding "Yes!"
In the Gospel Reading, Jesus speaks in the apocalyptic language of the Old Testament prophets, describing the cataclysmic event of the return of the "Son of Man" whose arrival will impact all creation. The present age of the Kingdom of the Church of Jesus Christ is the Final Age of humanity, ending when Christ returns to judge the righteous and the wicked. He will condemn the wicked to everlasting punishment and welcome the righteous to eternal bliss (Mt 25:31-46). Advent should be a time for self-evaluation and humble repentance. The Church is waiting for Christ's renewed arrival at Christmas in one perspective and for His Second coming, which will determine our eternal future when we hear His call. We must persevere in holiness and obedience to His commands to present ourselves in a state of grace, ready to greet our King and Savior!
The First Reading Jeremiah 33:14-16 ~ The Promised
Messiah and the New Jerusalem
14 The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will
fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. 15 In those days,
in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right
and just in the land. 16 In those days, Judah shall be safe, and Jerusalem
shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: "The LORD our justice."
In the days of the prophet Jeremiah, in the 6th century BC, the citizens of Judea were about to experience the Babylonian army's conquest of Judea, ending in the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple and their capture and exile into Babylonian lands. In Chapter 31, Jeremiah gave them hope if only they persevered in faith. God promised a future return from exile and a deeper, more intimate understanding of God through His prophet. This knowledge of God was promised to be founded on a personal relationship based on a new covenant (31:31-34). Then, in Chapter 33, Jeremiah promised that a righteous Davidic Messiah would usher in this new era of peace, a promise previously made by the 8th century BC prophet Isaiah (Is 9:4/5-6/7; 11:1-12).
In the introduction to his Gospel, St. Matthew proclaimed that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the prophecy of the Davidic Messiah (Mt 1:1). It was also a mystery the angel Gabriel revealed to the Virgin Mary of Nazareth at the Incarnation of the Christ (Lk 1:31-33) before His first Advent. Jesus is the Davidic King who fulfills God's covenant with David that his throne will endure forever (2 Sam 7:16; 23:5). He is the one who brings the promise of eternal salvation to all peoples in everlasting peace and justice when He returns to defeat the power of death over humanity. He will establish a new Heaven and earth and a New Jerusalem from where He will rule His covenant people of every generation forever (Rev 7:17; 21:1-4).
Responsorial Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14 ~ For You, O Lord, I Wait
Response: To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
4 Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your
paths, 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior, and
for you, I wait all the day long.
Response:
8 Good and upright is the LORD; thus, he shows sinners
the way. 9 He guides the humble to justice and teaches the humble his way.
Response:
10 All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees. [...] 14 The friendship of
the LORD is with those who fear him and his covenant for their instruction.
Response:
The psalmist asks for instruction in God's laws so that he can walk the path that leads to salvation (verses 4-5). God's teaching is for sinners and the humble (verses 8-9). The humble person is the one who confesses his sins to the Lord and seeks His forgiveness. God extends His merciful covenant love to the person faithful to his covenant relationship with the Almighty and rewards that person with the constancy of His protection (verses 10, 14).
Jesus fulfills these verses in His two Advents. He came in His first Advent showing His mercy to sinners, pardoning their sins, and rewarding the humble with the revelation of His truth (Jn 14:6). The mission of God the Son is the way of mercy (First Advent) and the way of justice in judging our good works (Second Advent, Mt 25:31-46). Concerning the merits of the righteous and the gift of salvation, St. Augustine wrote: "The one who follows the Lord's paths and sees that he has been set free through no merit of his own, and takes no pride in his own efforts, will draw nearer to the Lord. In times to come, he will avoid the severe judgment handed down to those who question all these things, for he has experienced the mercy of the one who came to his aid" (Enarrationes in Psalmos, 24.10).
The one who fears offending God is the one who loves Him and keeps His commandments (1 Jn 2:3-6). His reward will be a unique friendship with the Lord and a share in His divine life based on the family bond of covenant unity (verse 14; Lk 22:19-20). For Christians, the Sacrament of Baptism is our spiritual rebirth into the family of God the Father. At the same time, the Eucharist is our share in the divine life of Jesus Christ and a foretaste of the heavenly Banquet of the Righteous (Rev 19:5-9).
The Second Reading 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2 ~ Persevere in Holiness
12 May the Lord make you increase and abound in
love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, 13 so as to
strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen. 4:1 Finally,
brothers and sisters, we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,
as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God, and as
you are conducting yourselves, you do so even more. 2 For you know what
instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
The people of the Christian community at Thessalonica were anxiously awaiting Christ's return; however, some had lost patience and did not continue to lead holy lives. Therefore, St. Paul prayed for the community he founded, asking God to strengthen their hearts so they might be found to be leading righteous lives at the time of Christ's return and ready to receive Him and the "holy ones" who will come with Him. These "holy ones" can refer to the sanctified elect who received the gift of eternal salvation, or to the angels or both.
In verses 4:1-2, Paul spoke in the "name of Christ" and referred to Jesus's doctrine on righteous moral behavior based on the love of God and neighbor (Mt 5:43; 19:19; 22:39; Mk 12:31; Lk 10:27; repeated by St. Paul in Romans 13:8-9 and Gal 5:14 and by St. James in Jam 2:8). We should strive to persevere in righteousness and pray for persistence in holiness for each other so, in answer to Jesus's question in Luke 17:8b, "But when the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on earth?" our response will be a resounding "Yes!"
The Gospel of Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 ~ Be Prepared
for the Coming of the Son of Man
25 "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the
stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the
sea and the waves. 26 People will die of fright in anticipation of what is
coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And
then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand. [...] 34 Beware that your hearts do not become
drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that
day catch you by surprise 35 like a trap. For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth. 36 Be vigilant at all times and pray that
you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand
before the Son of Man."
Jesus, speaking in the apocalyptic language of the Old Testament prophets, describes the cataclysmic event of the return of the "Son of Man" in glory (Second Advent), impacting all creation. Verse 27 alludes to the vision the prophet Daniel had of the "Son of Man coming on the clouds of Heaven" and presented before the heavenly throne of God the Father. There, He received sovereignty over all the nations and peoples of the earth (Dan 7:13-14). Jesus claimed this vision for Himself at His trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin, for which the Jewish high priest condemned Jesus to death for blasphemy in claiming to be the prophet Daniel's divine Messiah (Mt 26:64-66). This warning of the return of Christ the King in judgment was for Jesus's generation and all generations in the Final Age of humanity. Thus, Jesus gave us three warnings:
The age of the Kingdom of the Church of Jesus Christ is the Final Age of humanity, which will end when Christ the King returns in glory to judge the righteous and the wicked. He will condemn the wicked to everlasting punishment and welcome the righteous to eternal bliss (Mt 25:31-46; Rev 20:11-15)! Therefore, Advent should be a time for self-evaluation and humble repentance. At Advent, we prepare for Christ's renewed coming into our hearts at Christmas in one perspective. His Second Coming in divine glory will determine humanity's eternal future when all the people on earth will hear the signal given by the voice of the Archangel and the trumpet of God (1 Thess 4:16). Thus, we must persevere in holiness so that we are prepared and clothed in a state of grace, ready to greet our King and Savior if He returns within our lifetimes!
Catechism References (* indicates Scripture quoted or
paraphrased in the citation):
Luke 21:27 (CCC 671, 697);
21:34-36 (CCC 2612)
The final tribulation and Christ's return in glory (CCC 668-667, 769)
"Come, Lord Jesus!" (CCC 451, 671, 1130, 1403, 2817)
Jesus, the Son of David (CCC 439, 496, 559, 2616)
God is faithful and merciful (CCC 207, 210-214, 1062-1063)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2015; revised 2024 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.