A Catholic Monthly Magazine

Tag Archive for ‘Advent’

Sunday 29 November

Ist Sunday of Advent Isaiah 63:16, 17: 64:1, 3-8; Psalm 80; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37 Awaiting the birth Whilst we wait for Christmas Day and prepare for this feast day, we know that Jesus Christ can come into our lives at any time. We must be prepared for this too. Isaiah speaks of longing, […]

Sunday 22 December

4th Sunday of Advent Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24:1-6; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24 Come, Lord Jesus ‘Emmanuel’, a name that means ‘God is with us’. As Christmas day approaches, that name, Emmanual, is in our hearts and on our lips. A yearning wells up from the depth of our being. But for what? The light has […]

Sunday 8 December

2nd Sunday of Advent Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12 Repent ‘Repent’ is a word that has fallen out of favour, maybe because fundamentalists like Israel Folau like using it to make us feel bad. But Advent is a time to repent in the true sense of the word. A […]

Sunday 1 December

1st Sunday of Advent Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122:1-2, 4-5, 6-9; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44 Stay awake It is all too easy to sleepwalk through life waiting for something spectacular like the second coming. But Christ comes to us every day. If we have the eyes of faith, we will find him in the faces of […]

Sunday 23 December

4th Sunday of Advent Micah 5:1-4; Psalm 79 (80):2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-44a Knowing what God has done for her Often biblical women are unnamed. Elizabeth is extraordinary. Not only is she named, we are told she is from the priestly tribe of Aaron. After she becomes pregnant, her lifelong relationship with God […]

Tidying up for Christmas

There’s nothing like the prospect of visitors to get me to tidy the house. Inertia is replaced by action and the house is sparkling before I know where I am. Christmas also spurs me into action. This year, December 25 is on a Tuesday, and my preparations began a year ago on the previous Boxing […]

Looking Forward to Christmas and Beyond —

God’s plan is like a pulse of life beating away in my ‘yes’, bread-and-butter discipleship.

Sunday 10 December

Second Sunday of Advent Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Psalm 85; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark1:1-8 Prepare the way On this, the second Sunday of Advent we meet John the Baptist calling us to prepare a way for the Lord. He says someone is coming who is greater than him and he is not worthy to undo his […]

The Advent Challenge

Barbara decided she would spend Advent bringing Christmas cheer. She would try to say positive things and do positive acts that brought goodwill to her fellows. Her husband Roger didn’t quite decide, but more casually adopted a more reflective approach to preparing himself for Christmas. He would continue to take life at a slow pace […]

Sunday 3 December

First Sunday of Advent Isaiah 63:16–17, 64:1, 3–8; Psalm 801 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37 Clean the house Today marks the first day of Advent and the new liturgical year. It is preparation time. We will soon welcome again into our world and into the ‘home’ of our lives, our most honoured and beloved guest. We […]