First Sunday of Advent – Year A

First Reading

Isaiah 2:1-5

Isaiah describes his vision in which all nations are gathered together by God in peace.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 122:1-2,3-4,4-5,6-7,8-9

Rejoicing, let us enter the house of the Lord.

Second Reading

Romans 13:11-14

Be prepared, salvation is near.

Gospel Reading

Matthew 24:37-44

Jesus tells his disciples that the coming of the Son of Man will catch many people unprepared. Jesus tells his disciples that they are to always be ready for the day of the Lord.



Background on the Gospel Reading

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, which is also the first Sunday of a new liturgical year for the Church. The Advent season includes the four Sundays that precede Christmas. It is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. In this season, we recall two central elements of our faith: the final coming of the Lord in glory and the incarnation of the Lord in the birth of Jesus. Key themes of the Advent season are watchful waiting, preparation, and justice.

In this new liturgical year, the Gospel of Matthew will be the primary Gospel proclaimed (Lectionary Cycle A). In today's Gospel, we hear Jesus speak about the need for wakefulness, for watchful waiting, for the coming of the Son of Man.

Matthew's Gospel is dated by most scholars after 70 A.D. Most believe that Matthew wrote for a primarily Jewish community, but one that was no longer centered on the Temple in Jerusalem. These were Jewish Christians trying to come to terms with their relationship to Judaism in a new situation: Judaism after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. There may have been Christians who believed that the events of the world around them gave evidence of the imminent return of the Lord in glory.

The passage from Matthew we read today is rather straightforward. No one knows the precise time of the coming of the Lord in glory, so watchful waiting and vigilance are required. The passage speaks to the uselessness of looking for signs; there will be none. As a thief sneaks in during the night, so will the Lord's coming in glory be.

The question for us as members of the Christian community, then, is how do we prepare for this? Today's passage speaks more about the manner of waiting, rather than the details of the preparation. Jesus compares the vigilance required of Christians to the vigilance of a homeowner who knows the plans of the thief. If one knows that the thief's action is imminent, one remains watchful. As Christians, we know that our Lord is coming even if we cannot know the precise timing. Jesus calls us to be watchful and vigilant, like the homeowner. If we become lax in our Christian living, we may be caught unprepared.

A Final November Reflection



Throughout November we have been praying for those who have died – the month of All Souls in the Catholic tradition. Here is a reflection that appeared recently in America magazine on the topic of “What Comes after Death?”

Retirement Fund for Religious

Our collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious will be December 10-11. Thousands of elderly sisters, brothers, and religious order priests spent years working in ministries—such as Catholic schools, parishes, and hospitals—often for little or no pay. Today, many religious communities do not have enough savings to meet retirement needs. Your donation helps provide medications, nursing care, and more. Please give generously. An envelope is included in your bimonthly packet of envelopes.

On the weekend of December 10-11, Shoes to the World will be at the church patio fundraising to provide new shoes benefiting children and homeless adults.  

A 100% of your donation will purchase NEW shoes to be distributed by volunteers to impoverished children and adults.  Many of these poor currently wear bacteria filled worn-out hand-me-down shoes.  Additionally, we are starting a project with Fr. Azam to bring shoes to people in the flood devastated areas of Pakistan.  

Please visit www.ShoestotheWorld.Org to see donations at work; this 501-c-3 non-profit works as a volunteer only organization.

Christmas Flowers Offering

Before long we will be celebrating the birth of our Savior. We want to make our church festive for our celebration of Christmas. In your packet of envelopes that we mail to you, there is an envelope marked Christmas Flower Offering. 

If you would like to make a contribution to assist in paying for our Christmas flowers, please place your donation in that envelope (or a plain envelope) and write on the envelope the names of anyone you would like remembered at our Christmas Masses. Indicate if they are deceased (“In memory of…”) or living (“In honor of…”) Place your envelope in the collection basket, mail it to the parish office or drop in off. If you use Online Giving, just put the names on a paper and put it in the collection. All the names will be listed in our parish bulletin and newsletter shortly after Christmas.

Next Family Mass

Our next Family Mass will be on Sunday, November 27 at 9:00 am. It will be the First Sunday of Advent and we will focus on celebrating the season of Advent at home. Their will be a special gift for 50 families. Plan to join in this joyful celebration of Advent hope.

IGNITE!

All 6-8th graders are invited to join Ignite Youth Group for a Christmas Movie Day on Thursday, December 1st at 6pm. Christmas Sweaters/ Pj's are welcomed! Contact Miss Jocelyn in the youth office with any questions. 

Los jóvenes en los grados 6-8 están invitados a unirse al grupo de jóvenes, Ignite, para ver una pelicula navideña el jueves 1 de diciembre a las 6 p.m. ¡Los jóvenes pueden usar sus suéteres o pijama navideñas! Póngase en contacto con Jocelyn en la oficina de jóvenes si tiene alguna pregunta.

Un Saludo de parte del Diacono Miguel,

“Velen, pues, y estén preparados, porque no sabe qué día va a venir su Señor.” Hoy celebramos el 1er Domingo de Adviento. La Iglesia nos da cuarto semanas para prepararnos para recibir el nacimiento del Hijo de Dios, el Mesías, el que viene a salvar toda la humanidad y el mundo entero. Cada año recorrimos este tiempo de preparación para recibir el niño Jesús. Algunos preguntan, “¿porque tenemos que hacerlo cada año? Con una vez es suficiente”. Para los judíos, recordar algo que Dios hizo en el pasado no significa que es algo histórico, sino ellos lo viven como si lo están viviendo por primera vez. Quizás esa es la actitud que deberíamos tomar nosotros en este adviento. Las luces, los arbolitos de navidad, los regalos son parte de esta temporada, pero desafortunadamente nos distraen de lo que debemos estar haciendo para recibir al niño Dios. Comparto con ustedes lo que dijo el Papa Francisco, “En este Adviento, hazte pequeño, hazte humilde, hazte servidor de los demás y el Señor te dará la capacidad de comprender cómo se hace la paz”. Que este adviento sea diferente para todos nosotros. Que este adviento lo vivamos como si fuera el primero, el ultimo, el único. Dejar que nuestro corazón se haga suave para recibir el niño Jesús. Y como dice el Papa tenemos que hacernos pequeños, humildes y sirvientes para comprender la paz que el niño Jesús ofrece. Reflexionemos, ¿Cómo podemos hacernos pequeños? ¿Cómo podemos hacernos humildes? ¿Cómo podemos hacernos sirvientes de los demás?

3821 Adams Street

Carlsbad, California 92008

760.729.2866