First Sunday of Advent
First Sunday of Advent
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves” (Mt 11:28-29). The Lord invites us to find peace and joy in Him this Sabbath as we set aside time to worship and rest.
PREPARE
“Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God.”
Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word “Shabbat”, which literally means “to stop.” Keeping holy the Sabbath is not just a commandment, but an invitation. An invitation from the Lord to stop our work, stop our worrying, stop our striving. An opportunity to fid rest and to be renewed. A chance to refocus on the things that truly matter - the Lord, family, community. In our culture, Sunday has become a day to “catch up” on everything that didn’t get done during the week, and any time left over is often seen as an opportunity just to “get ahead” for next week. But we Christians have a chance now to remember what it means to keep the Sabbath. During this pandemic the Lord is calling us back to Himself, offering us a chance to reclaim the gift of the Sabbath, reminding us again what it means to “keep it holy.”
A basic principle for observing the Sabbath is only to do things that can be considered “rest” or “worship”. Here are a few ideas to consider to begin more to enter into the Sabbath. Maybe pick just one thing to focus on this Sunday, then next Sunday keep that practice in addition to a second one. And then the next Sunday add a third, to slowly over time begin to enter into this great gift of the Sabbath more and more.
Keep the Lord at the center - read the Mass readings ahead of time, participate in Mass, make more time for prayer, spend some extra time in silence focusing on the Lord
Try not to work - resist the urge to check your email, or catch up on a few things, and leave it for Monday
Plan ahead - take care of what needs to be done before Sunday, so plan the rest of your week to make sure you get the laundry done, have gone grocery shopping, etc.so you don’t have to do any of it on Sunday
Spend the day “screen free” - try to stay off social media, internet news, and your phone as much as possible. If you can’t make it the whole day try to go for at least a few hours
Be intentional with others - if you live with others (ie. family, roommates), is there something you can do together like play a game or go on a hike? If you live alone, can you reach out to a good friend and catch up?
Leisure, not entertainment - try to do things that are life giving; binge-watching a favorite show or playing video games for hours rarely leaves anyone with a new zeal for life. Read a good book, go on a long walk, develop a hobby.
PARTICIPATE
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Each Sunday we are called to “keep holy the Sabbath” and although that may look different for right now we will still come together as a St. Ann community through the gift of technology.
MASS READINGS
GIVING
Take a few minutes to give to St. Ann Parish. Please give generously and sacrificially as an act of faith during these difficult times. You can give online:
After giving, offer ways to be generous of your whole self during this trying time for our world.
“Each must do as already determined without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.”
PROCESS
Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come” (Mk 13:33).
This time of year is often filled with a flurry of busy-ness and a bustle of preparation as we look towards Christmas. We are invited, though, to take some time to watch and wait during Advent, the four weeks leading up to the celebration of Christ’s birth.
What is it that we are to be watchful for? During Advent, which comes from the Latin word meaning “coming,” we are watchful for the three comings of Jesus Christ. The first coming we prepare for is to remember the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The second coming we prepare for is as we look towards Jesus’ final coming in glory at the end of time. But we also wait and watch and prepare for another coming - the coming of Jesus more into our lives right now, in this present moment.
Think of a time when you were eagerly anticipating the arrival of someone you love. Did you check the time often, impatient for the moment to come? Were you busy with preparations - maybe cleaning your home or making a meal - fervently getting ready to welcome the one you were waiting for? Love makes us vigilant. In this season of Advent, we are invited to be vigilant in love, to watch and prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ. Not so much in the hectic tasks of decorating and baking and buying gifts, but to prepare our hearts with more silence and more prayer, with repentance from our sins and sincere care and concern for others.
It can be tempting during this busy season to allow ourselves to become overwhelmed and distracted. Or to unintentionally skip over Advent. But just as you wouldn’t start the dinner before your special guest had arrived, so Advent invites us not to jump straight into Christmas, but to take the four weeks we are given to prepare our hearts for the arrival of our King.
Jesus asks us to be watchful and alert, breaking from the demands of this world, waking from the slumber we can be lulled into through the routine of daily life, to place our focus more on Him and His love for us. We eagerly look towards the celebration of Christmas. We ardently wait for Jesus’ return at the end of time. And we fervently long for Him to come more and more into our hearts right now.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.
PRACTICE
It can be tempting to jump completely over this time of Advent, diving headlong into celebrating Christmas already. While there is nothing wrong with listening to Christmas carols and putting out Christmas decorations during Advent, we also want to be conscious of giving Advent due space in our lives so that when Christmas does finally arrive we are filled with joy, not with “holiday let-down.” Below are a few suggestions to consider for your time of watching and waiting during Advent:
Use an Advent wreath - You can find a prayer of blessing for your Advent wreath as well as prayers to use each week online here.
Ease in to decorating your home for Christmas - maybe do a little each week of Advent, or wait to decorate your tree until Christmas Eve
Put out a Nativity scene but do not put out baby Jesus until Christmas Day
Commit to a small sacrifice during the time of Advent similar to what you might do during Lent, as a way to wait and to prepare
Add times of prayer and silence during Advent, perhaps with a form of prayer you aren’t usually able to be committed to like the Rosary or reading the Daily Mass readings that can be found here.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Think about how you can continue to reflect on God’s word to you this week, and how you can invite others into the conversation. You can use the questions below for personal reflection, or to grow with others. Be creative! You could consider gathering with friends and family, or starting a group text, or a group FaceTime, to discuss the questions below. What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?
What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?
What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?
Did you do anything different last week based on the readings or practice?
Did you grow up with any Advent traditions? Are there any Advent traditions you practice now?
Has there ever been a time in your life when you were watching and waiting for someone or something? What emotions did you experience? What did you do during that time?
Are there ways that Advent and Christmas become “blurred” for you? Is there any one thing you could do to keep Advent as a time of preparing for Christmas?
What does it mean for you in your life to be “watchful and alert” for the coming of the Lord?
KIDS
ACTIVITY
Make an advent calendar! You can make a paper chain countdown- removing one chain each day. Or you can write out the numbers 1-26 on separate pieces of paper and remove a number each day.
CONNECTION
Today’s Gospel reminds us that Advent is about more than our preparation for Christ’s birth at Christmas. Advent is also about preparing ourselves for Christ’s return in glory at the end of time. We must stay alert and watchful. Our faithfulness to God through good and bad times helps us to be ready for when Jesus will come again.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What’s your favorite thing about the Christmas season?
Do we know when Jesus will come again? (No) What did Jesus tell us to do?
How can we stay watchful and alert?
How can we keep our focus on Jesus during this season?
FAMILY PRACTICE
As Advent begins, come up with a family practice that you can commit to doing every day. Praying a decade of the Rosary, or reading a family reflection on Advent during dinner are great practices to add during this season as we prepare for Jesus’ birth.