#684.
St. Andrew, we begin this day by praying with you before the Presence of
God and his Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are glad to renew your memory
and to be present with you who brought your brother St. Peter to the Lord.
You, like Magdalene, are the apostle to the apostles. You followed the
Baptist who helped you search and find the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.
The Baptist pointed out Jesus to you saying, "Look, here is the lamb of
God!" Your first recorded words are, "We have found the Messiah." Today you
remind us that the great season of hope is upon us. Your feast is a type
of apostolic announcement of Advent. We too are led to search and to find
the Anointed One. You are the harbinger of Advent and our first reading
from Romans helps us to see the importance of the apostles; you are among
the first to find Jesus through your teacher John the Baptist. We will
enter this Advent as a season of remembering the promises of God through
the prophets by waiting patiently and burning with hope and faith of the
heart as we learn from Paul in our first reading. Bless this Advent season
and help us to prepare for the Coming of Our Lord at the end of time and
for remembering his first coming by being born of the Virgin Mary. Help us
to see Jesus who is the Alpha and the Omega of salvation history and the
Son of God the same yesterday, today, and always. Give us a sense of our
own mission of announcing you to others. And as spiritual sons and
daughters of Mary help us to present Christ to those who are homeless,
hungry, aging, and lonely. Aid us in being open to God's summons through
Jesus as you were. May we continue your work which led you to the cross
and martyrdom as today's apostles. Amen.
Saturday, December 1,2007: 34th week in Ordinary Time. Lectionary # 508:
Scripture: Daniel 7:15-27. Psalm 95. Luke 21:34-36.
"Be on the watch. Pray constantly for the strength to escape whatever is
in prospect and to stand secure before the Son of man." These are the last
words of Jesus as we end the liturgical year. They are spiritually helpful
as we enter into the season of Advent with the celebration of Vespers. We
will watch, pray, and wait patiently. We are about to begin a season of
hope led by Isaiah to a universal peace; we are to trust in the God of
promises made known to all of our ancestors and saints who have gone before
us with the sign of faith. Our redemption and deliverance from all of the
calamities which have been announced in the Scriptures of the past two
weeks. Unfortunately, they mirror what is happening today through wars,
terrorism, and violence. Our responsorial psalm is an Advent refrain that
we should recall and pray frequently, "Come, Lord Jesus"-- MARANATHA. May
this be a mantra for our lips and a prayer coming from our hearts. This
word is a summary for the next two Sunday liturgical readings which will
emphasize your Parousia or Second Coming. (Parousia means both Advent, and
the Second Coming). May we be united with all the holy ones who have gone
before us and who have witnessed to the glory of your name. May we be led
by the Baptist, by Mary, and by Joseph who will again bring us to Christ
the Savior of all and our ever present God, EMMANUEL. Amen.
posted by Fr. Bert SM at 9:30 AM
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