Reflections for Advent

Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 22, 2024

Yes Christmas is about a baby – and at last, on our fourth Sunday of Advent we finally get to the baby (Lk 1:39-45). In fact not just one baby but two. And perhaps almost more importantly, for this moment, two mothers.  Mary and Elizabeth couldn’t really be more different. Elizabeth is much older, past […]

Fourth Sunday of Advent Read More »

Third Sunday of Advent

December 15, 2024

The Book of Zephaniah that gives us our first reading today is very short, three brief chapters. The first two and a half are a dire prophesy of death and destruction, about to happen in the Babylonian invasion. The final section we hear today (Zep 3:14-18a) couldn’t be more different, giving us the name of

Third Sunday of Advent Read More »

Second Sunday of Advent

December 8, 2024

Today’s readings draw heavily on those familiar images of filling valleys and leveling mountains, making straight roads in the wilderness (Bar 5:1-9).  If you’ve been on a road trip and seen a major highway, bridge, or railway under construction you will know the scale of that sort of project. It’s pretty awe inspiring. The ancient

Second Sunday of Advent Read More »

First Sunday of Advent

December 1, 2024

Well, we got through the end of the year (the end of the world), and through Thanksgiving, and even Black Friday. We’re now on the glide path to Christmas, right?  So what’s with today’s readings? Our first reading, if you squint a bit, might be looking forward to a merry Christmas – and since it’s

First Sunday of Advent Read More »

Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 24, 2023

We arrive at the fourth week of Advent, and Christmas is close. This year, given the vagaries of the calendar, only one day away. Our readings now change character and emphasize that closeness, not so much as a matter of timing, but rather that God’s actions are now positioned clearly and directly within our day

Fourth Sunday of Advent Read More »

Third Sunday of Advent

December 17, 2023

Sometimes Advent is presented as a penitential season, almost a mini-Lent, a time for reflection on our inadequacy or unworthiness in the face of the incomprehensible gift that God gave us by sending His son. But today’s readings don’t fit in any way with that mindset. It’s all about rejoicing! Maybe rather than penance, we

Third Sunday of Advent Read More »

Second Sunday of Advent

December 10, 2023

As we move from the first to the second week of Advent, our readings are still pointing us forward (together with Peter’s reminder not to get hung up over timescales (2 Pet 3:8-14)). But the framework shifts. Last week Isaiah was speaking to us from a place of difficulty, almost overwhelmed by the challenges of

Second Sunday of Advent Read More »

First Sunday of Advent

December 3, 2023

Birthdays, anniversaries, memorials, they are all important markers in our lives. And of course their significance changes over time. A birthday when we are 7 is not the same as one when we are 70. We may even continue to celebrate a birthday for someone after they are dead – recognizing the birthday of Lincoln

First Sunday of Advent Read More »

Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 18, 2022

It takes two to make a baby. Except, of course, in the case of Jesus, which was rather special. John, when writing his gospel, had no problem at all with this – he situated Jesus in his cosmic position at the beginning of time: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with

Fourth Sunday of Advent Read More »

Second Sunday of Advent

December 4, 2022

Today we hear another of those wonderful prophesies of Isaiah (Is 11:1-10). His vision of a world free of any kind of violence and division holds out hope to a people overwhelmed by conflict and danger. Paul notes: Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of

Second Sunday of Advent Read More »